Amp repair cost — is this right?

OP
If the amp lasted 16 years it doesn’t owe you much at this point.  You could put a lot of money into it and then something else that is currently working and therefore not going to be fixed at this point might go bad soon.  I would make the 30 minute drive, pick it up, and sell it on eBay for parts, hope to recoup some of what you already spent, and then use the rest of the projected repair cost on a newer piece.  IMO, there hasn’t been that much development (except for the rise of Class D Amps) in amplification technology over the last few decades, and (this is personal, ymmv) MF amps were more known for grunt rather than finesse).  Change can be good

Well worth the recap you will not be sorry. I have had some popular "High End Amps" recapped. For that model the price is right.

I speak with some knowledge since i’ve designed many commercial amps, and recently re-capped, mostly as a favor, a dozen or so ~30 year old units that i know the owners of and were sold under my own label(s). Its a total PITA.

Just an aside, i received some bogus (Chinese counterfeit) caps and had to do 2 a 2nd time!

Some caps can be very expensive, large, high voltage computer grade caps can be $30-70 each. Fortunately it looks like that unit (per the pic provided above) has more common snap-in radial ’lytics that are vastly cheaper. (like 1/4 or less of that, "depending")


Georgehifi, with a pic, paints a reasonable story. I think the price *may* be a little high, but here’s the thing. every amp is different to work on - some come apart easily, some less so. There are several hours on each end of this job before caps are removed or replaced.

Without the specifics answers are meaningless. I would guess, nothing more, 6-10 hours total and $100-250 in parts. I didn’t bother to look for and count the smaller caps.

So was the price high? Likely somewhat. Was it crazy? not really. Its a messy job. What do you pay your tech, or at a small firm, maybe an engineer?

G

I recently went thorough this repair business myself, so a word from experience.

I took several pieces to a local shop, STEREO FIXERS, who basically took a lot of money from me and did nothing. 

In desperation, I then sent my Luxman pre-amp to the only company that said it had the expertise to fix it--MUSIC TECHNOLOGY in VA.  I called them a few MONTHS after sending it and they had not gotten to it yet.  Finally, he calls and says, basically, he cannot fix it and sent me a bill for $300.00+, which I had to pay to get it back.  It worked for 3 minutes and failed. 

When I left him a bad review, he whined about how good they were and how long they had been in business, etc., so I took it down as a matter of pity on my part.

Fast forward.  I bought an SP-6B preamp and was having some issues with it and my self-built (in 1974) Hafler 500.  I took both to the local shop, paid the $25.00 "look-at" fee, and he fixed the pre-amp--had to replace 9 parts, which he returned to me--and adjusted the bias on the amp.  Total bill was less than $100.00 for everything, and he guarantees his work.  IT all took a week in turnaround even though I told them I was in no hurry.

As a former dealer, I can tell you that fixing broken stuff is a huge pain and always has been.  The local shop, SOUTH FLORIDA SPEAKER REPAIR in Lake Worth, FL, that did the awesome work for me is amazing.  I suggest you send your item to them and see what the price might me, or, send them the paperwork and let them price the job.  It may not be less, but you will get guaranteed work.  OR, it may be a LOT LESS, and you still get guaranteed work.

Cheers!