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When is an amp ‘just too old? ’ To buy?

Hello sports fans!!

I’m seriously tossing around the idea to get into another amp (s) as I’m simply not playing mine as I should. 20 hours in the last year or so is about all. I’ve been using both my office and now BR systems far, far more as they’re handier and simpler to manage now.

Switching speaker wires, and re-checking bias from extended lengthy periods of non use causes me to not use my monos enough to keep them or so Im thinking.

Add to that my vision is apparently going away now at a faster clip than I’d prefer too …. It all adds up… so there they sit. 20 hrs. over a whole year. It’s embarrassing.

So I’m thinking SS. Or self biasing amps now as replacements, IF I decide to go that way and it’s looking more & more as I will.

I’ve always thought amps under 5 yr and preferably under 3 or less, as the ones I’d prefer to take a shot with, but am seeing more and more amps now with 5, 6, 8, 9, even 10 years from date of production and am wondering, just when is an amp (s) old enough to forget about or when one should really consider some other amps.

Do you all feel SS amps have a different criteria than do HS amps in terms of longevity?

Or is it vice versa, with tube amps lasting longer, generally speaking?

How old is just too damn old! As it relates to amps for sale… in your opinion, of course????

Thanks much.
blindjim
dav65mus
41 posts
 
I use my classe dr6 preamp and bryston 3bst with maggie 1.6qr's and it sounds fantastic to my ears. I did have the same combo driving a pair of quad 11L mini monitors and it was bright sounding.The mini monitors were much better sounding with a Bob Latino dynaco st70.

People say the bryston sst series are much more pleasant in the upper treble range..... my st has me not wanting to upgrade when playing through my maggies though.... I am very happy with a non fatigueing very detailed system.

Let us know what you decide and how you like it.

Happy listening, Dave
johnk's avatar
johnk
1,973 posts
 
Its hit and miss with age. I would suggest buying new. Musical Fidelity [gasp did I say MF] makes a wonderful sounding amp M6PRX 260 watts xlr rca built to last easy to use. I own one. Sounds qualities are better than the other far more costly SS and tube amplifiers I use and many of these retailed near $8k. I do enjoy SET. Yet I use MF M6prx on hi-eff designs as well as standard. Just a very nice amp. Think MF had to produce something special since sales are slow and its a good taste of MF Titan sound for $3.5k.
unsound
7,311 posts
 
I use an amp that's over twenty years old. Sure, it has had a serious going over by the manufacturer's factory tech a few years ago, but, I can't think of new amp that could offer all that it does for anywhere near the money I spent on it.
kbarkamian
647 posts
 
I'm hesitant about buying pretty much anything over a few years old. I bought a Bryston B60 that was about 8 years old at the time. If it didn't have 12 years of warranty left, I'd have passed. It's easily the most solid audio investment I've made. I just had it upgraded to current SST status for $120. How many companies want anything to do with gear that's 11 years old?

McIntosh is another company that'll support pretty much anything they've ever made. It's not free, but they'll bring just about anything to original spec, and sometimes surpassing it. McIntosh will sound closer to your BAT gear than Bryston will IMO. I don't have a ton of experience with BAT, so I'm sure others here can help more.

Conrad Johnson, McCormack, Pass, and Jeff Rowland all reportedly have very good long term support. I'd look into one of those, then place a call to see if they can do anything for the specific model and ballpark figures of how much. If they can't service it, ask them what they can service.
kbarkamian
647 posts
 
Naim reportedly "re-caps" pretty much everything they've made. The US service center does this as well. I think the only thing the US service center won't re-cap is the original Nait.
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