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How will I know when a Krell KSA-80b needs to be recapped?

How will I know when a Krell KSA-80b needs to be recapped?
cocopah
rsfphil
110 posts
 
I'm pretty sure the KSA-80b is more than 14 years old. It's probably closer to 25-30 years old.
rcprince
2,830 posts
 
Yeah, the KSA 80 first came on the market in 1987 or 88, as that's when I bought mine, so I'd say it's in the 25 year old category.  Really nice amp; it might be ready for a recap or tuneup, but it would be worth the price, as there is not much in that price range I have heard in solid state amps that sounds better or can drive difficult loads as well.
unsound
6,115 posts
 

^The KMA 160 mono versions of these lovely amps are amongst my personal all time favorites.

Krells are known to be expensive to maintain, but for those that appreciate them, it's well worth it.

kalali's avatar
kalali
1,645 posts
 
This may or may not apply to the Krells but I was told a sign of electrolytics reaching the end of life is you can hear the capacitors make a faint sound when the amplifier is turned off. My old Adcom does that. The noise lasts only a second or so and it’s hard to describe but it is audible if you listen carefully. It almost sounds like you can hear the capacitors discharging. Just something i had read when a similar question was asked in the Adcom circles.
czarivey
4,494 posts
 

25...30 years, you don't need to really know when to recap. if it works, than you can decide weather you like the performance or not.

regardless, recapping old amp will have similar effect of the new strings on guitar -- fresh and crispy sound. also i would replace output transistors as they also tend to become noisy within same period of time.

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