[Nik74]

Hello everyone

I am in conversation with a seller who I found through a hifishark listing. He is selling a piece of kit that is a dream of mine to own , at nearly a 3d of full price. He says the amp is in mint condition , unmodified and well taken care of , will be shipped in original box and has provided several photos upon my request. The drawback: Doesn't accept paypal at the moment.
Leaving that aside, as I have never bought second hand from a private seller -at least not at this level of investment- I am not sure what questions I should be asking the seller. Any ideas?
I guess I could enquire ont he reason for the sale, how old the amp is , where it was first purchased etc...
Any tips or cautions from the more experienced among you would be greatly appreciated

Thanks
Nik

 

[tomb]

Well, you're not very specific. If we knew what amplifier it was or something about the tubes, that would help.

If the tubes are enormously expensive (300B, etc.), you might ask about age and use. In some cases, the tubes could make up a significant cost of the amplifier. Other things that might be of concern are capacitors and heat. Here again, if it's a reputable mfr, it's probably not an issue. However, some DIY amplifiers or modded amps may have expensive capacitors that are susceptible to damage from heat. For instance, Jupiter wax capacitors could easily go bad if they're located close to the heat produced by the amp. Tube amps will run hot. That's not a worry by itself, but it can cause components to age much faster.

 

[Nik74]

The amplifier in question is an EAR HP4... the seller is asking 1370 Euro

 

[tomb]

EAR says they use 10,000 hour tubes. So, it looks like a great deal. That's just my opinion, however. Any used sale has the potential for great reward or great disappointment.