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re capping

I hear the phrase 'recapping'. when do you know when you should 're cap' an amplifier? I have a McIntosh mc602 amp that sounds fine to me. I also have a McIntosh mx132 that works ok for me. I also have a bose 901 series 2 active equalizer that seems to work ok. the 'red' on light kinda flashes now and then. if my system sounds ok, should I worry about my units?
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Showing 2 responses by erik_squires

erik_squires
15,643 posts
 
Absolutely replace your big caps. They are the one's that will do the most damage. You will also see smaller caps, in the range of 100uF to 1,000 uF electrolytics on each audio board. Those are also good candidates. Make sure to pay attention to the uF (same or slightly larger), V(same or larger) and temperature (higher = longer life) as wel. 
erik_squires
15,643 posts
 
Recapping is most important with high voltage devices like power amps. If they go, they can take out a lot of the amp with them. Especially important if you have expensive tubes, or irreplaceable transistors.  30 years is a good threshold.

Line level devices like your 901 EQ probably won't suffer catastrophic failure if a cap blows, but the electrolytic caps today are much better than their 1980's counterparts. It may be worthwhile, and relatively inexpensive.

Best,

Erik
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