what to do with a stereo that needs repair

Did you try:  https://www.usatubeaudio.com/warranty/  in AZ.  I do not have experience with them.  They are a Ayon dealer.  They advertise  a 30 to 90 day turn around unless special parts are required.  Minimum charge $145 per hour. Repair bulled at $145 per hour plus parts.  

theservicedepartmentct.com is an authorized Ayon service center as they advertise. They recapped my Krells.   Excellent quality. 8 months waiting list.   3 weeks turnaround.  

Also try theanaloguestore.com/service-dept/ in NC or benchtech@highendaudiorepair.com in NY   

As other members have stated … nice amp, get it repaired if not too costly, and keep or sell it.  
 

@bosendev 

Sounds like your tech is not the most confident.  If it's out of warranty why would you need an authorized tech anyway? 

I will ask the same question others have - where are you located?  If near Chicago I have a great guy who can fix it up for you.  And again, as others have said, if you don't want to mess with it I'm happy to take it off of your hands and give it a go! 

Where are you? Pro-Tech Services here in Washington, D.C. does great work, They know how to ship these beasts & can advise you.

I've been nothing but pleased all three times I've visited (twice with the same amp - but I dropped it. They didn't even laugh at me).

(240) 450-0308

If it's a unit you really like it's worth repairing. I personally look at equipment that is broken, worn out or out dated as an excuse to upgrade. If your not to attached to your old amp, consider selling. It's not really a big loss if you got enjoyment from it. Allow someone else to fix/upgrade. It might be what they want to start on. Either way best of luck. 

If it's cost effective to repair the Ayon amp then I'd do that. During the repair process you'll have a reasonable amount of time (with no pressure) to make sure that you're happy with your new amp. When the dust settles, sell the amp that you no longer want or need.