January 30, 201016 yr I have some gear that I've had a long time and have not fired them up in a long time. 2 Adcom GFA-555s 1 Pair Martin Logan Monoliths They are all around 20+ years old. The amps have spent some time in the garage in South FL. Should I just recap the cross-overs in the spkrs and the amps? I'm afraid to power them up. The woofers need the surrounds rebuilt anyhow. Just worried that firing them up would take out the boards if the caps were bad. I think I know the answer but thought I would ask anyhow.
January 30, 201016 yr my guess is you're fine. I'm not sure if I can think of a case where a bad cap would be fatal in a speaker crossover. In a piece of gear like the Adcom, I'd expect the fuse to protect against a bad cap. You could bring the Adcom up on a variac if you're really concerned.
January 30, 201016 yr I would (recap). Especially in an electrostatic. Even if it works, it'll sound better recapped.
January 30, 201016 yr I would at least take a look at the caps in the amps, just considering that they havnt been stored in a controlled environment. Guess you really don't have to worry about freezing temps though. Recapping 'lytics of that age is never a bad idea anyways.
January 31, 201016 yr I did a search and found a company that mods/services the Adcom GFA55II. I have no association nor any idea if their work is good or expensive, here is the link: Big Sky Audio, LLP - Service, Repair, Restoration, Audio Upgrading, Modification of Hi-Fi Stereo Power Amplifiers, and Shortwave Radio in Helena, MT
January 31, 201016 yr Author I did a search and found a company that mods/services the Adcom GFA55II. I have no association nor any idea if their work is good or expensive, here is the link: Big Sky Audio, LLP - Service, Repair, Restoration, Audio Upgrading, Modification of Hi-Fi Stereo Power Amplifiers, and Shortwave Radio in Helena, MT Thanx Miguel, very interesting!
January 31, 201016 yr Author Hope it works out for you, the Adcom gear from the mid 80's sounds very good. They are probably fine, but I think I'll recap them just for peace of mind.
January 31, 201016 yr Refurbishing a Yamaha CR-620 - AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums "I've recapped a couple pairs of speakers (one cap per box) and nearly killed myself, three nighboors and the dog."
January 31, 201016 yr Recapping 'lytics of that age is never a bad idea anyways. yeah, in theory... however, recapping a piece of gear can go horribly wrong. I've seen people try to remove 'ltyics without the access of the bottom of the PCB (well, people other than Mikhail, believe it or not) and scorched solder mask, the whole nine yards
February 1, 201016 yr yeah, in theory... however, recapping a piece of gear can go horribly wrong. I've seen people try to remove 'ltyics without the access of the bottom of the PCB (well, people other than Mikhail, believe it or not) and scorched solder mask, the whole nine yards I think we can probably agree that proper replacement of old electrolytic caps=good, dumbass modders=bad.
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