Older PURE CLASS-A Amplifiers

hi. another thing to add is anything made by nelson pass. the guy is really cool. I called pass labs once to talk to someone about my older threshold amp and pass himself took the call, I told him upfront that I did not have the funds for one of his newer amps, but he still talked to me for over a half hour about his older threshold and aleph amps. he gave me lots of good advise. good luck, chris

Is it necessary to change the caps after many years of intensive use on a Classe Audio DR3B?

Is it necessary? No, unless you're having audible problems (muddy, veiled, undetailed sound).

Electrolytic caps deteriorate with time & heat & other factors -- a major factor being non-usage. You have used your amp, so deterioration is less than in other cases.

Replace with caps of same value -- or even adding coupling caps... BUT leave this stuff to a qualified tech.

Look for the rare Pass Labs Aleph 0s (40W pure Class A)stereo power amplifier. This was one of the most natural sounding power amps I have ever heard. I am always looking for one ever since I heard the Pass Aleph 0s years ago. By the way the Pass Aleph 0s is one of Nelson Pass's favorite amp of all time. I talked with him for about an hour one day and he told me if you can find a Aleph 0s make sure you grab it.

I second the Classe DR-3B. A friend of mine had one for a short while and I told him to never sell it. It was one of THE best amps I have ever heard IMO. His speakers were relatively ineffiecient so he sold it. I couldn't swing owning it at the time.

Krell KSA-100MKII - one of the best balanced and mid ranged voiced amplifiers of all time. Caveat- You must send it in to be serviced every 15 or 20 years! Power supply caps need to be changed as they dry out - degrading sound & bass performance. Highly recommended - if you can find one.