Factory service for products from the 90's

In general, yea they will. Like Audio Research. I lent my 1978 vintage preamp to a friend… he blew out one channel about 15 years ago. We contacted ARC… and they immediately told him how much it would cost.

Many people love an audio component… and after a certain time want to keep it. One of the reasons you buy a product from a company like Audio Research is it can be forever.

On the other hand, if you are chasing the highest quality sound possible… then you sell that reliable product with a company that will support it nearly forever to someone else who can be sure it is a good investment.

Alternatively, you can buy from the new company trying to get into the market. The cost will be lower… and some of the sound characteristics will be top notch… some of the sound characteristics may not be… the ones you discover when owning an audio product over years of use. Also, the company may not be there to support the product.

I recommended a Rouge product to a friend about 25 years ago when the company was new. The amp blew up in the first month. The founder told my friend it wasn’t his problem because it was a tube that took out the circuit, and he did not cover damage to the amplifier created by a tube problem. So, tough luck… pay an additional 1/2 the price of your amp to have it fixed. I absolutely guarantee that would not have happened with Audio Research. I was humiliated as I was the one recommending a Rouge product. If I were to do it again, I would have recommended a used high end brand, instead of a new comer.

Lamm never authorized third party repair or made schematics available. I do have a guy here in Austin who rebuilds pre-war tube amps, so if I needed him to work on the Lamm ML2s, I suppose I could get his help. But, Elina is planning on opening a facility in Florida. Let’s see how that goes- I’d rather stick with the factory, despite the shipping factor (I lived in NY for a long time and had Lamm service my equipment regularly -- we would drive it from the Lower Hudson Valley to Deep Brooklyn). I’m now in Texas, which means shipping by air freight if I continue to rely on the factory. So far, I haven’t had a need-- Vlad went over the amps before I moved down here full time, 5 years ago and I’m pretty well stocked with extra tube sets.

Sorry Vlad passed. He was a good guy.

The simpler the circuit the easiest to repair, that is why vacuum tube power amps and most preamps can be repaired. Only with custom made ic’s and sime mechanical parts things are getting tough but even then substitutes may exist as some reputable individuals. Problem is that they are getting older too.

I don’t understand why anyone would expect to get a 30 year old or more piece of equipment fixed.  Would you try that with a 30 year old car?  If you want to be able to get service almost forever, look into McIntosh.  They are very reliable and the factory backs all old products when possible.  I bought a 10 year old McIntosh integrated amp in 2017.  As of today, I have never, ever encountered a problem with it.  In 2017 I paid $3200.00 for it, today the asking price on the same unit is $5000.00.   

My very early model Lamm preamp has been back to them a couple times in the past few years or so. Despite the shipping cost, I was happy to have it repaired. I had a fifty year old car that could be fixed, easily. It too was a 'classic'.