[lazybum]

Hi just asking... from your experience, whats the probability of your portable amp breaking down on you? Like their average lifespan?

Im contemplating buying portable amps second hand but whats worrying me is them breaking down after a short period of use

 

[WalkGood]

I find this question too vague and not specific enough. I guess it’s possible that some brands may last longer than others, but who would really know. Personally I would think the higher end portables would last longer, but I have read of people that have cheap amps running fine well over numerous years.

If you take care of your electronics, they last for years; I still have a marantz that’s over 40 years old and still works. I think that abusing, dropping and introducing portable equipment to adverse environments would certainly shorten their life span. That said, my pico is coming on 2 years now and it’s ticking like a clock

 

[lazybum]

Thanks for your reply

Ok maybe ill rephrase my question a bit then...
How long did your portable amp last you or how long has your portable amp lasted you?

To be more specific, im looking at brands like ibasso, meier audio corda and govibe

 

[forbigger]

unless you dont get it in contact with liquid ,get the battery to leak inside or purposely short circuit it, it should last as long as you wish it would last

 

[itsborken]

None of my amps have ever broken (Corda, RSA, iBasso, Headamp, DIY)

 

[Little Bob]

RSA SR-71A 2 years young and still producing superlative sound.

You generally get what you pay for IMHO.

 

[nc8000]

Never a problem with any portable amp that's comemy way over the last 7-8 years. Brands include RSA, Xin, HeadRoom, RudiStor and iBasso

 

[wolfen68]

I see reports of broken/failed amps very seldom on these boards. For that matter, there's a couple of the popular "name brands" around here in which I've never heard of a single failure.

 

[RASeymour]

Never had a problem. I have some HeadRoom amps that are nearly (over?) ten years old that still work fine (although I don't use them regularly).

 

[Sasahara]

The only time I have heard of a portable amp failing was through improper charging. My friend (who shall not be named =O ) left his plugged in for days and the battery blew out.

 

[lazybum]

Thanks a lot for the replies!
Guess ill go with buying an amp second hand

 

[grokit]

I had a Simpl A1 iPod amp that stopped working/charging after 5 years; sent it in out of warranty for an estimate a couple of years ago and they sent me a new one free. It's a great-sounding amp with great support. It's been 7/8 years since I bought it and it still works great with my HD600s! Dirt cheap too:

Simpl A1, reduced $50 + coupon code "LOUNGE" for another 15% off with $5 shipping 4.75/5 stars on Amazon

 

[cck5]

shouldnt fail unless you do something horrible to it .

 

[tjumper78]

i've had several portable amps.
the only that "kinda" broke down was fiio e5.. the volume pot does not work (luckily the volume was set at max).
it was the only amp that i paid under $100, and the only one that has failed.

 

[Palpatine]

Buying an amp second hand from a fellow headfier should be just fine. Don't worry about it.