Lots of opinions here, some good-some not so good. I know you know that your amp is worth more fixed vs. not fixed. I’m a guy who can’t stand to have something I own stay broken, but that’s me-not you. As an insider, I’m able to access the Audiogon Bluebook. It says that your MF 308CR is worth between $1100 and $1300. I would certainly get a second opinion, or consider repairing it and then selling it prior to upgrade. Much depends on how happy you are with the amp, and how a $1300+ repair fits into your budget.
Amp repair cost — is this right?
I recently sent my Musical Fidelity a308cr power amp off to be recapped. This amp is somewhere around 16-18 years old and one of the power caps failed. I contacted Musical Fidelity and sent it to a repair shop they recommended. Today I received an estimate to replace 18 caps, 8 of which are large power caps, resolder the boards, and re-bias the transistors. Basically a full overhaul. The quote I received, including return shipping (prob around $100) Is over $1,300 which possibly exceeds the value of the amp. That doesn’t include the $115 it cost me to ship it out. Having never had an overhaul done on a power amp like this, I’m wondering if anyone with experience can tell me if this sounds right. I guess I was expecting something more like $600-$800 but I don’t know why since I really don’t have a frame of reference. Perhaps it was the assumption it might be 4 hours labor (say $400) plus max $200 for caps. Is $1,300+ on track? Either way I’m going to be out the shipping cost plus a $160 fee paid for the estimate.