Howdy. I have an OLD amp/receiver -- 20 years old -- that I still think is a great unit. Nice warm, deep sound.
 
In frustration, my daughter recently banged on our digital grand piano (which is what this amp/receiver is powering these days) and a blue flash came out of the receiver, which is sitting atop the piano.
 
(Thank God there wasn't a blue flash out of the piano, or I would have stuck my daughter's fingers in the nearest socket and made a blue flash come out of HER.  But I digress.)
 
At any rate, I'd like to get this amp fixed. Although lights still glow on the front, there's no sound.
 
Is it completely not worth it for something this old? Does it cost more to fix than it's worth, considering the cheap price of electronics these days? Even considering my sentimental attachment? Who would you recommend?
 
TIA,
Kren

Hi Kren:

Ouch, that's all a bummer. Sadly, blue flashes are generally considered *not* good... we try to keep the smoke *in* the unit. Once you let the smoke out, that's bad. In your case, it's obviously more than a main fuse, or the whole works would be out.

Without knowing exactly what equipment you have, it's a little hard to comment on the "fix or replace" question. If you have a deep sentimental attachment to the amp, and it's really that good, start with a call to the manufacturer. If it's an old Carver, AudioControl, or McIntosh or something like that, it may well be worth repairing. If you want a quicker, local alternative to going to the manufacturer, there is a guy in Tannersville who *might* be able to take a look at it... The business name is Leddy Telecom, but as far as I know he also does some electronics repair. (570) 629-0635 is his number. Give him a call and see what you can come up with.

To your point on new amps... yes the new amps are way cheap relative to what they were (a $5,000 amp has capabilities and features that were simply unavailable 10 years ago... a $500 amp was $5,000 10 years ago), and most of them are lab quality compared to 20 years ago. If you're looking only to save money, a repair is almost certainly going to be the way to go. Of course you then have a repaired 20 year-old amp, but who knows, it may go another 20 years.

Let me know what make/model amp you have and also what make/model/age speakers you have, and I'll be able to comment with a bit more precision...

Ed

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