Is age bad for solid state amps?


Hi everybody,
I am interested in get an Audio Research 100.2 amplifier.
As I know, the production of these amps was from 1998 to 2003.
I wonder if transistors, capacitors and other electronic parts have some deterioration with age.
Thanks.
cinequadom

I’m new in Audiogon and I was answering one by one to all the replies in the order that were wrote; I was in the third answer when I saw that one response can be for everyone.

Bdgregory (the fourth): If that manufacturer is right, I need to replace electrolytic caps of a total of 130,000 mfd. probably the cost will increase too much.

Schipo: Your answer is very logical. We have a saying in Spanish: Todo por servir se acaba. I think is something like this: Everything for serving ends.

Unsound: You are right. But I think there is no longer an audio Research dealer in Mexico.

Elizabeth: As I wrote, my concerns are more about transistors than caps. As I know, these devices are very different between them, even if they come from the same production line.
So, High End manufacturers of solid state amps, place the output transistors to work at their extreme for 6 months or more; then match all of them to each amplifier. So, if one transistor breaks, the replacement if it is found is not going to match with the rest.
If deterioration of transistors occurs with age, a mismatch is logical.
And I think there is no dealer in my country.

Inna: Maybe you are right about ARC, but the same problem without a dealer.

Raquel: You are right about tubes, but as I wrote, maybe are not the best to match the stats as George Sanders said.

Wolf: I appreciate your advice. After all, maybe is not a bad idea the 100.2 especially for the cost.

Tmsorosk: As I wrote, maybe we don’t notice the lost of quality after many years of probably very slow deterioration.

Kijanki: I have heard exactly what you said about long time storage electrolytic caps and how to restore them. My amps are in use since I purchased them and run warm not hot.

Weseixas: Thanks, my ML stats have new panels.

Kijanki: Is so complex all this. Someone posted in Audioasylum that with age, transistors have small leaks between their elements. I’m confused.

Thanks again to everybody.
Nelson Pass re: the Pass Aleph O's:"...The amplifier does not need any maintenance. While the design in conservative, this is a hard running amplifier, as single ended Class A is the lease efficient operating mode. In fifteen years the electrolytic power supply capacitors will get old. Depending on usage, you will begin to have semi-conductor and other failures between 10 and 50 years after date of manufacture. Later, the sun will cool to a white dwarf, and after that the universe will experience heat death..."

I think it's fair to say that the Audio Research amp your considering will not be as "hard running" as Nelson's single ended Class A design.

"Is so complex all this"
It really isn't - you'll expire long time before transistors.
Once again Kijanki makes a good post. While most anything can ultimately fail, all but the very first transistors introduced many decades ago, have proven themsleves to be extremely sturdy devices.
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