If ever I will decide to buy a used amp . I will buy it from TMR audio . Because they meticulously inspect their used products. And I think you have 45 days to decide. If you like it , you can’ return it. To be sure call them.
Old SS amps
What are people's experiences with old SS amps. And I'm talking old like close to 20 years. I guess this can be called vintage(though to me it's yesterday.)
Either you bought it new and have had it that long or you bought it used.
Is buying it used a really bad idea even though it was owned by one person with no service issues? Like an old Pass.
I hear something about capacitators needing to be replaced. Should it be avoided like the plague? Am very interested in one but don't want to be stuck with a cat in a sack.
Thanks for any thoughts.
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Techs who work on high-end gear are scarce, and really good ones are rarer than flying pigs. They (justifiably) command high rates. The downside of this is that at $100+/hr it doesn’t take long for a repair to become economically unfeasible, or the tech won’t touch it if it’s not straightforward and / or looks like it’s going to take a lot of research time. So there are definite plusses for dedicated audiophiles to learn how to do it for ourselves. @invalid - KSA-300S are beautiful amps.
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I am running a pair of MacIntosh MC2100 SS Amplifiers that were built in the early to mid 1970s... one has been fully recapped; the other is (I believe) all original. They are fed by a PAS3 Tube Preamplifier that was built in 1968 I believe. The PAS3 has had a new power supply installed, and new tubes. Other than that I believe all the caps and transistors are original. Sound quality is pretty much identical from each amp. The only issue I have found is that the all-original amp runs a little warmer than the recapped unit. I will be recapping the original unit within the next few months, just to be on the safe side. I think there is a certain 'charm' and sound quality to the vintage stuff that the modern units just don't have... but that is just my own opinion. I do think, objectively, that if you have a desire to run the vintage equipment you should try it. In reality, if you start by purchasing good quality brands that are still in good shape - you shouldn't run into anything that would be any more difficult to remedy than if you had an issue with a modern unit. |
@devinplombier yes, some amplifiers are not worth putting too much money into repairing, the better built ones like many of the old Krell amps is a different story. To buy a modern class A/B amplifier built like the old Krell amps would cost tens of thousands. |
- 105 posts total