I've heard a lot of people comment on older equipment (AMPS) (or even relatively new, but used) not being worthwhile because of a degredation in sound quality. Is this supported by any hard data? Obviously, if an amp has been thrashed, it may have issues, but if something has been treated well, is there any real reason why it wouldn't perform as well as it did when new? I'm looking at some second hand amps, and am trying to figure out whether I should be wary or not.

Why then are older series amps (orions, soundstream reference etc) still being used and loved by people on this board?


Or are you talking more about when the amp was first released in comparison to now?

I guess copper does corrode over time etc but I haven't heard of this affecting the sq of most amps...

its also pretty hard to "thrash" an amp i guess loading it down and deliberatly causing it to clip. mounting it where there is little ventilation etc.

if the amp has been used properly. i.e. not dodgey power, not dodgey loads(i.e. lower than what was intended) and secured in a way it doesnt vibrate or over heat. then it should last a very long time. caps and transistors do fail over time. and often things such as caps and resistors as they begin to fail. their values change causing other things up/down the line to fail.

i have not seen any evidence to support that a USED amp has lesser SQ. as time goes on technologies improve so amp design and even component design improves. so newer amps may have better SQ but more from design/manufacture techniques more so than age.

Ok, thanks guys, that clears things up a bit. I guess its like anything. As long as its been treated well, its less likely to have issues.

It also depends on what you classify as SQ with regards to your amps. I highly doubt that you will notice the change in sound over time, but that doesnt mean the sound doesnt change. As the amps get older, the first thing that tends to go is the Caps, and the resistors will follow. If you know what you are doing, these are easy to change though, and you can return your amp to spanking condition.



If the amp has been abused or loaded down and been quite warm for most of its life, it may tend to have a bit of heat damage. This is much more difficult to repair for the average DIY'er, so its best to leave these alone.



Personally though, I have never truly been impressed with most of the big ticket old school amps. I think technology has come a long way in the last few years, and the amps (the good ones) that you buy these days can easily outperform.

*goes and kisses my two soundstream reference amps....just to let them know i love them*

Good point Adam - considering you won last round, must be something to be said for old school

Neither my ARC nor my Brax are stunningly new amps. The ARC I bought around two years ago, and the Brax I bought about 6 months ago but it's an older series amp - I can only imaging it's probably 3+ years old.

Both still sound absolutely stunning, and the ARC in all the time I've had it really hasn't missed a beat. I've been extremely happy with it and if not for me wanting to keep a matching system theme, I'd never even think about replacing it.

Im running a SS Reference Class A 3.0 at the moment. To be frightfully honest, I find it very meh. The Tubedriver Blue I had in there previously impressed me way more...

Yeah your sound had natural grain .....cors

I'm installing my Pioneer GM-X924(from 1998 so 9 years old) amp in the next few days and I see no reason why it shouldn't perform just as good as when it was made, I even opened it up the other day and the caps etc all look perfect.

As others have already said Tim .... nothing wrong with buying an older amp (that hopefully hasn't been mistreated) .... you could find yourself a performance bargain with an older Audison, Brax, Tru etc

yep im very satisfied with my second hand Audison VRx. (It was that the amp that did put an end to my previous car audio upgrade addiction)

i like my 2 x Soundstream Rubicon 1002's

no school, like the old school

- Stooge007 out

Old school are the key because of the build quality. You can get that same quality today but it is rare and expensive - looks over at the tru techs

i think people get carried away with the old school thing.

sure there is some great old amps out there but just cause it's old does not make it good. there was a hell of alot of POS amps out there 10 years ago too!