2. vintage
  3. 157802-85226

Refurb GAS Grandson amp or put money towards another amp?

I’ve got a vintage GAS Grandson amp that I use in my Zone 2 system to drive a pair of Snell QBx monitors. The Grandson was a garage sale find about 30 years ago. I had some work done at the time before I put it in operation, but it was so long ago, I can’t remember what was done.

The Grandson is now having some issues. Significant distortion in the left channel and the left channel cuts out completely at times. My question now is it worth it to get the amp refurbished? Or am I better off spending the money on another used amp? If so, what would you recommend? How much would be a reasonable amount to invest refurbing the Grandson?

I’m one of many who have champagne tastes, but a beer budget, at best. I’m not looking for audio nirvana (given my finances), but want to get the best bang for the few bucks I do have to spend. I’m ballparking around $200, as I think I can find a Rotel amp or receiver for around that much. But would a Rotel be a step down as compared to a well-functioning Grandson?

Anyone familiar with the Grandson? From what I understand the Ampzilla was highly regarded in its day, and the Son of Ampzilla and the Grandson amps were well regarded, too, just not as high end.
Btw, my Grandson is the model with meters, though the lamps have been burned out for many years.
johnnyotto

Showing 3 responses by johnnyotto

johnnyotto OP
21 posts
 
Thanks for your responses everyone. Anyone else have any recommendations about whether to refurb the Grandson, how much it might cost to do so, or what would be an equivalent used amp I could pick up to replace it with?

The $200 ballpark is not a hard and fast limit, but I know I could pick up a used Rotel amp for around that much. But if I did do that, would I be feel like I've taken a big step backwards in sound quality?  I've been listening to the Grandson for about 25-30 years, so I don't have a good sense of how it would compare to other amps that I could afford.
johnnyotto OP
21 posts
 
@normansizemore Thanks for the response.  Yes, I do plan to keep it.  I don't know when I'll look into getting it repaired (budget & time), but I'll hang onto to it in the meantime.  Until then, I picked up a used Hafler SE120 amp in excellent condition to fill the void.  Actually, I picked up two of them, but only using one at this time.  I found them on Craigslist for a good price, $75 each, so I bought both.
johnnyotto OP
21 posts
 
@timlub Thanks for the encouragement!  It sounds like any competent repair guy can get this thing perked up again.  I'm surprised by how much I'm enjoying the Hafler SE120, but it would be good to hear the Grandson again, too.
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