[Tom M]

Does it just die or does it begin to make nasty noises that could harm your speakers maybe even your other components?

 

[usc goose]

power amps don't die... do they?

 

[Tom M]

I'm not sure. That's why I asked. This is my first time dealing with a separate amp and preamp.

 

[usc goose]

i'm pretty sure power amps are generally regarded as the most long lived piece of the audio chain. except maybe for cables. nothing moves in there.

 

[HighwayStar]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tom M Does it just die or does it begin to make nasty noises that could harm your speakers maybe even your other components?

If you've got failing components within the amp it could well do damage to your speakers... someone please correct me if I'm wrong...

 

[Ctn]

Quote:

Originally posted by usc goose i'm pretty sure power amps are generally regarded as the most long lived piece of the audio chain. except maybe for cables. nothing moves in there.

The fan

 

[usc goose]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ctn The fan

not if you're too broke to have that good an amp.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tom M Does it just die or does it begin to make nasty noises that could harm your speakers maybe even your other components?

It may start making weird sounds or smells. It may stop working without notice. It may sound different before the end. It may not. For the most part, amps simply don't reach the end of their days. Certain components within them might. In that case, the symptoms would depend on which component was failing. In most cases, all you've got to do is get it fixed and the amp is good to go again. Very few components will mean the end of life for an amp.

 

[Tom M]

Ok I'm new to the the amps and separates thing and so I thought I would ask. The amp I have is brand new and sounds fine. I was just looking out for what might happen in the future.

 

[Ctn]

Quote:

Originally posted by usc goose not if you're too broke to have that good an amp.

Seriously though, the 1st thing to go is the muting when you power on/off your amp. After a while you will hear funny noises when you power on/off you amp.

 

[Tom M]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ctn Seriously though, the 1st thing to go is the muting when you power on/off your amp. After a while you will hear funny noises when you power on/off you amp.

Is that what has happened to you before?

 

[Ctn]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tom M Is that what has happened to you before?

Not with a power amp but a very very old intergrated amp.
It doesnt damage your speakers or anything...just annoying.

 

[mojoman]

I have an old Apt Power Amp 1 that I bought new in 1979. It still works great and I use it in a system I have in my home office. Next spring it will be 25 years old.

 

[Tom M]

Quote:

Originally posted by mojoman I have an old Apt Power Amp 1 that I bought new in 1979. It still works great and I use it in a system I have in my home office. Next spring it will be 25 years old.

Is an apt amp similar to todays adcoms. Is working perculiar in anyway after all these years?

 

[lini]

Tom M: No worries. If you avoid placement mistakes (blocking airflow, direct exposure to sunlight...), your power-amp should be fine for at least 20 years, unless it's equipped with lousy parts. Another thing to avoid - especially for the pre-amp - are places with large temperature differences and moist places in general. For the power-amp, the parts that are most likely to degrade with age are its elcaps - in the pre-amp, I'd expspect the pots and switches to be the first ones showing some degradation - especially when it was exposed to moisture (so avoid placing your stuff close to windows, that you regularly open - vcrs are also rather sensitive in that respect, btw...). So if you are careful, you'd probably only have to exchange the buffer elcaps of the power supply (as elcaps always lose capacity over time), to make your power-amp sound like a brand new one, again. Oh, and cleaning the contacts of the line input and the speaker terminals probably also wouldn't harm sometime in 2023...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini