Performance loss in used amplifiers?

If it has any electrolytic capacitors and the unit is ten years or older it would be useful to have a tech check it out as this is a very expensive piece to service if it breaks. Same thing for tube preamps/amps, too.

The switches may get dirty over the years with many units; don't know if this will happen to Levinson.

C123 is right on - after ten years start thinking it over. With quality gear like your Levinson I wouldn't get paranoid about the large can caps until about the 15 year mark. My ex runs a unserviced, 21 year old Hafler DH200 that's still cranking as new into large Advents. A few years back I replaced the 12 year old large can caps in a Threshold S300 and noticed no real performance change. However it felt good to know they were done. Some cats hype boosting the total capacitance and modding to a faster rectifier bridge. But being a keep-it-stock kinda guy, when the next time comes I'll do what I did before: source the closest OEM equivalents, unscrew the old ones and slip in the new. For now if your amp is working right it sounds like you'll be OK for a while yet.

What an excellent question! I echo the first response on the elctrolytic caps......and I can tell you that transistor amplifiers are FULL of them! The lifecycle of electrolytic caps and carbon resistors (not in your unit) are just a fact of life.

If you are a solid state fan - be prepared for this. Also, realize that with great sounding audio the parts are recipe - meaning that you would be challenged to find that brand, voltage rating, and microfarad rating or suffer a change in sonics with a different brand if you were to change them. It's like a recipe - use the same ingredients or you won't have the same taste. That has been my experience in tweaks over the years.

Studio1