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How long should components last?

About 7 or 8 years ago I bought two tube components. A cd transport and DAC.

About $4,500 each back then so who knows how much they would cost today.

After 5 years ago they started breaking down. The transformer failed in the DAC and as the european manufacturer had discontinued the component it had to be made from scratch in Italy. Of course it took months to get it made and sent to the US where the component had to be repaired. The Dac had to be repaired twice since then. I finally said enough and bought another brand.

Same with the transport. After 5 years continuous problems.

They sounded great and certainly looked the cost. But I had the impression that they were like German luxury cars with a perfectly timed obsolescence. After which you have to buy another one or they turn into a money pit.

Unfortunate because when they worked they were wonderful.

I can't name the brand because I'm sure the thread will be removed.

Has anybody else had this problem? For such expensive components I thought they would last longer and would not turn into such a problem when they needed to be repaired. Is this normal? 

 

roxy1927
easystreamer
122 posts
 

Sometimes I am hoping my stuff fails so I have an excuse to upgrade! That is the glass-half-full perspective. Unlike my dad, who still uses his Adcom GFA and GFP with Snell Type D speakers, he bought all new in 1995.

Electronics are a 50-50 prospect and can fail at any time, whether in a USD 1,000 or 10,000 component. It is the warranty and customer service that differentiates companies. Also, better QA/QC can mitigate the mean time to failures, accounting for part of the higher cost of the higher-end components. I can think of a couple of Canadian companies that have 10 and 20-year warranties. Now they have confidence in their QA/QC in contrast to some ChiFi with 1-year warranties

This is why every time I consider a car-priced component, I think to myself, "It's just a bunch of PCBs, chips, and electronics packaged nicely".

So after 5 years of continual use, having a failure is not that surprising to me, especially with modern stuff. I refer back to my dad's Adcom stuff.

kymanor1
126 posts
 

Components should last a lifetime if maintained 

kymanor1
126 posts
 

@deep_333 American made audio equipment is fantastic and extremely reliable.  The service from companies like Pass Labs, MIT, Martin Logan, Audio Research, Magnepan, PS Audio, Oppo, Richard Gray, Klipsch, Atma-Sphere, Cardas, Kimber, Ayre, Conrad Johnson, VPI, McIntosh, and many others is amazing.  You are misinformed my man

kymanor1
126 posts
 

@deep_333 American made audio equipment is fantastic and extremely reliable.  The service from companies like Pass Labs, MIT, Martin Logan, Audio Research, Magnepan, PS Audio, Oppo, Richard Gray, Klipsch, Atma-Sphere, Cardas, Kimber, Ayre, Conrad Johnson, VPI, McIntosh, and many others is amazing.  You are misinformed my man

allenf1963
487 posts
 

To answer part of your question about expected longevity:  One of my systems utilizes a McIntosh 225 amp built in 1963, and it still has every original tube that came with it brand new.

 

THAT...is what I expect from my gear.  I have every piece of audio gear I've ever bought going back to 1977, and they all still work and are in various rooms of my house.  Maybe I'm lucky -- or just always bought well built American and British gear.

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