Vintage Solid-State Audio Reliability

I have a Mitsubishi/Diatone DA-F10 tuner from the late 70's that has been in use 24/7 for the past seven years. It was an eBay purchase. No problems with it!

Some manufacturers from olden days such as Audio Research and Mark Levinson (the brand name) still have active service departments. Recently, I used AR to fully refurbish an old SP-6B preamp. They did an excellent job. It will last as long as a new model would.

You can buy used equipment made by these manufacturers with the knowledge that repairs are available. You will have to pay a bit more, bit it will still be much less than the original price (keeping inflation in mind).

I have worked on tuners. Almost every one more than 10 years old will need a fresh tuning and calibration. This is a very specialized task. There are few people today that have the skills needed. I always keep this in mind when I buy a tuner. I have learned to do this tuning, but I an definitely not an expert. The DA-F20 is a bit difficult to do. I agree that it sounds very good. Sansui TU series was also very good.

It also helps to buy from reputable sources such as Audiogon, US and Canada AudioMart and HiFi Shark (for all listings). Sellers are motivated to be honest.

Happy Hunting!

My everyday amp for the past seven years has been the forty-year old  Sumo Andromeda. Designed by the late James Bongiorno. It too has been in use 24/7 without issues. With any secondhand purchase you take your chances.