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97.89.27.103
Should you expect them to last a life time? Or perhaps a decade or so?
Music is the Bridge between Heaven and Earth - 音楽は天国と地球のかけ橋
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are over 20 yrs old and according to Rick Cullen who originally built the amp, they are in perfect condition. I guess it just depends.
or buying from suspected tweakers for that matter.
It is my belief that prostituted "tweaked" gear is worthless and should only be sold as scrap or parts. I know that I would never consider selling anything I have tweaked irreversibly.
Music is the Bridge between Heaven and Earth - 音楽は天国と地球のかけ橋
Just wanted to add to the list: Gear fixed by neighborhood shop using poor solder, cheap caps, IC's, near but not correct specs, etc.
If you mean lyths, based on my experience in replacing them in many applications after measuring (cap tester, ESR meter, forced charging): 15-20 years.
They dry out by themselves, but do so more rapidly if they get warm in use.
Testing for this is difficult. Specialized esr (equivalent series resistance) meters may tell you when they are close to failure. The simplest way is to weigh them and compare the weight to a new unit of the same size and capacity.
Caps that have been without bias for a long time may need to be reformed by bringing the voltage up slowly. This is why some techs use Variacs to bring up old amps.
I'd be careful with caps more than ten years old, but some might last for decades longer.
Depends on the capacitor construction. Solid-dialectric types can outlast You; chemical dialectric types, perhaps after a couple decades due solely to their acidic corrosion. I've a Kit amplifier I assembled in the 1960's & Today it exhibits a momentary slight Hum upon power-on. Once tubes are warmed up the Hum vanishes & amplifier functions flawlessly, but the slight turn-on hum is indicative of the electro-chemical constructed capacitors within the power supply circut nearing their useful lifespan after nearly half a Century (IOW it takes them longer to charge up compared to when new). I've a 1929 Radio with Wax capacitors that only began exhibing Hum at the turn of the Century ten years ago; the Radio has always been in the family since it was purchsaed new by my Aunt & Uncle.
I have an amp that when turned on the first 30 seconds or so is very bass heavy, then gradually evens out. Afterwards the bass is still there but the overall sound is more even with extended highs like normal.
BTW, I just noticed this after I installed a new powercord.
Music is the Bridge between Heaven and Earth - 音楽は天国と地球のかけ橋
If it is a vacuum tube circut, it means the tubes have finally reached normal operating conditions; 30 seconds is really not long enough for the tubes to fully warm up.
Thanks but this is a solid state amp...
Music is the Bridge between Heaven and Earth - 音楽は天国と地球のかけ橋
Then it likely means an aging large capacitance value electro-chemical constructed capacitor now takes a while become fully charged (it should be replaced after all these years). Largest-value capacitors can be found in power supplys & in cap-coupled speaker outputs.
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Music is the Bridge between Heaven and Earth - 音楽は天国と地球のかけ橋
i read somewhere 20 years. The Philips caps in my Mark Levinson 332 did not last that long and were replaced under warranty. I know Klipsch used to tell folks that old vintage Klipsch speakers needed new caps in XO's after 20 years. I know the values drift after 20 yrs or less.
"E pur si muove...And yet it moves"
It will greatly depend on temperature and use. Generally, with constant use at low temerature caps seem to last a long time.
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