Aged components / service!?

if its a quality piece,and in good condition, it can go for 40-50- years! The one exception is electrolytic capacitors which can be replaced,and ought to at about 30 years (for top notch high end stuff, sooner for cheaper stuff). Maybe some switches, but again most high end stuff ought to be sealed.  Over 40 years the pots etc may NOT be sealed tho - now we're in the realm of obsolete.  Tubes may be a different story both for the tubes themselves, the voltages inside and the results of both.


A preamp is typically both lower n cost and parts to re-cap.


BTW i am an EE, consulting/research engineer in my real field, and sideline audio designer with 100s of products out there, most 25-35 years old. So i have far more data points than most opinions are backed by.

Does old stuff break?  Sure.  Lightning, overheating, poor care, bad luck, under-specified part.


At 10 it's still young if well cared for.

G

I forgot to mention, my Fisher 80Z 30wpc Tube Mono Blocks, made in 1958. Let's see, ... 63 years old, only 10 years younger than me.

Checked a few times since I inherited them in 1973. A few resistors, that's it. Surprised me. They sound great. In any SS/Tube comparison, they were the winner. Had a scary smelly 'puff' once, turned out to be a big fat spider got fried inside. 

I bought a spare 80z, just to have the transformers which I imagine would be impossible to find. Spare parts should be part of the plan for very old stuff, I have a full set of my speaker's drivers, also made in 1958. Replaced the cones in the 15" woofers 3 times over the years, learned how to do it myself. Put in the spare, back to listening in an hour, replace the cone whenever, ready for the next cycle.

My existing Cayin tube amp sounds great with some remote features I occasionally use, and they are 45 wpc, not much more, but for Inna Gadda Da Vida ...  I should dig the Fishers out and have a listen compared to the Cayin just in memory of my Uncle. My friend has a variac.

Depends.  I can recommend, without reservations, South Florida Speaker Repair (yes, they repair everything, not only speakers) in Lake Worth, FL:

4136 10th Ave N, Lake Worth, FL 33461
Hours: Open ⋅ Closes 5PM
Phone: (561) 968-2360

Especially good on super high-end gear like ARC, etc.  GREAT engineer who knows what he is doing and is fair on prices.

STAY AWAY from Music Technology in Springfield, VA.  THEY charge you for NOT fixing your piece.

Cheers!

For front ends, here in Cali, a well known outfit is George Meyer AV in the Los Angeles area; I seem to recall they are an authorized Mark Levinson, and Krell repair center.  As for other service centers, a good reference is on the V-Cap website, seller of high end audio grade capacitors, where people write about their experiences, and there, writers post the name of the service provider who performed the re-capping service.  And then of course, this forum...  :)

McIntosh lasts a lifetime. I have purchased my main amp MC500 used from 1999, no issues. Others can be restored easily but if it’s within 20 years I wouldn’t worry with Mac and others like arc, Bryson.