Need to recap my Classe Audio DR-8 Amps - need suggestions

kdross Don’t listen to Kosst and waste big money on new caps, your amp are hardly used as you say.
Just take it to a good tech to get them re-formed, he knows not to power the amp, he’ll just use a big variac the bridge rectifiers and the supply caps, to re-form them first. Then after he’s re-formed them, he’ll do the same with the pcb board to re-form the smaller on board electro’s.
Parts cost = Zero, instead of at least $800 for all new caps, $1000 for good quality ones like you have now.
Labour cost = much less time hands on in total than replacing them all.

As you can see for just one amp you have 4 large red power supply caps and 5 smaller blue pcb electros. Double this for two amps. Those red ones for memory, I’m sure are Classe branded Nichicons at close to $100 each.
http://www.hifishock.org/galleries/electronics/classe/power-amplifier/dr-8-1-classe.jpg
This is very similar to the Classe DR25 I had to do.
http://img.usaudiomart.com/uploads/large/1304766-classe-audio-dr25-power-amplifier-excellent.jpg

Cheers George

This information is for Dave (dlcockrun).   The service manual for your DR-9 is located here:   https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/classe-audio/dr-9.shtml  The service manual identifies the transistors as MJ15024 and MJ15025.   As stated they were manufactured by Motorola, but now are manufactured by ON Fairchild.   All the other components are marked on the component as you stated.   I would find it highly likely that the preferred sound is not due to difference of transistor manufacturing, but in the transistor bias.   The procedure for adjustment is in the service manual.  Fairly straightforward;   however, be very careful with your probes, get a good clip lead on the emitter when powered down.   Do not use a normal DMM probe that can contact the rail voltage while on the emitter taking out the entire bank of transistors... unfortunately, I am talking from experience (smile).   You could even measure the bias of the preferred sounding amp to see if it matches the recommended bias of 18mV.    If this is not your forte, you likely could find someone locally to perform this function for you.  Just an idea.   One other note, the DR-9 manual (from provided link) is missing a page of the power output transistor section.   The drive section (shown) is what is adjusted is identical to the DR-10 (that service manual schematics are complete) and I find it likely that the power output section is also.  

Any tech that would offer to reform caps, ESPECIALLY in the unit, is truly incompetent. I've explained exactly why it's pure stupidity. Even if it wasn't a great way to destroy your gear, it's impossible to attain the leakage characteristics at the intended values. Theres the right way and the wrong way, and reforming rotting caps is always the wrong way. 

Folks; I am new to this site and several of the earlier respondents show more practical experience than I have.  Also, I have never heard of "reforming" capacitors before, however let me state that all electrolytic caps are essentially chemical batteries in construction. Being chemical in nature they get old and "leak" over time. Going through this reforming procedure may indeed offer some improvement in performance, but can in no way make them "like new."  As someone who once had a BSEE degree before going into management, I would highly recommend replacing any caps that are suspect.  On the other hand, if they seem to be working well, let them be. If you send the amp in to a competent technical shop, they should be able to replace the caps and adjust any bias issues for a couple of hundred dollars and that is the way I would go.  Thanks to you regular readers for teaching me something and providing a couple of good names for such restoration, as I have an old Audire amp that I am thing of replacing the caps on.

@georgeab Thanks George. Much appreciated.

Dave