To those who have had their FPBs recapped, is there a noticeable upgrade in sound quality? Some of the comments on Stephen's website indicate a dramatic improvement can be expected.
Recapping Krell FPB-Monoblocks - Need Advice
I have a flawless pair of original Krell FPB-350m’s I purchased from the original owner several years ago local to me. I am kind of on the fence as what to do, They definitely need a recap as one of them is heating up now and shuts off after 25-30 minutes. I’m debating recapping with upgrades or selling them as is and trying out Parasound JC-1’s or a Pass Labs X250.8. If I do recap them is there anyone in the western United States that can work on them? Krell is back east and wants $1300 per amp and I would have to pay shipping across the country. That would cost me around 3k. That seems quite high for a recap. Is there a dramatic difference sound wise when having these old amps rebuilt with modern caps? If I do sell them as is what could I roughly expect to get out of them. I am clueless As to what they are worth? My system consist of Egglestonworks Andra II speakers and a AYRE K-1XE preamp. Any advice would be appreciated.
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Magnificent amps, just have to read JA’s bench test on them. https://www.stereophile.com/content/krell-full-power-balanced-350mc-monoblock-amplifier-measurements I would just re-cap the Krells, use the equivalent size or even higher uf Nichincon 105c temp caps. Will be the same just as good or better than the Krell badged ones and cost less. They use Nichicons 80c in it so go higher spec 105c http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~timc/e/krell-cap/index.html Put Nichicons 105c in place of the Jamicons, they’re not very good, can’t believe they used them. It says $160 for the caps, I'd say more like $250 and a couple hours labour, they look easy to work on. Cheers George |
That would mean Krell is charging me over $500 an hourYep, they know how to charge, they're not shy. It’s around 2hr per amp, the link says 5hrs for both that’s probably with smoko ect We charge in Au around $100au per hr that around $75usd Just take them and the link to a good audio tech and ask for a quote, and you get the caps, it’ll end up cheaper as they always put a mark up on the parts Cheers George |
"You really think it’s only a couple hours labor per amp? That would mean Krell is charging me over $500 an hour. Krell also told me it’s a huge improvement when these are recapped. " Don't get sidetracked by listening to people who have no direct experience with how Krell or other reputable manufacturers such as Mark Levinson, Bryston, Audio Research, etc., perform service on older amplifiers. They will do much more than just solder in a bunch of capacitors like a tech down the street. I've had friends who have sent in amplifiers to both Krell and Mark Levinson for service and the amplifiers came back like new. In both cases, they didn't even charge for replacing some of the passive components which were deemed marginal during their final test. They are not cheap but you'll get what you pay for, assuming you plan to keep the units a while. Furthermore, having a certificate from the manufacturer is always a major plus if or when you decide to sell them for any reason. |
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