Amplifier refresh service?

Hello, I'm in Bergen County NJ, and looking for recommendations for a reliable place to get my Audio Alchemy OM150 amplifier(s) serviced. New power supply caps are in order, and a general going through, for these 25+ year old amplifiers.


Audio Alchemy OM150 by Barry, on Flickr

Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

 

HIONFI - Your Source For Quality Vintage Stereo Components

 

Thanks fish, but they're nearly 4 hours away from me...

 

@Barry_NJ , throw a post on the Audio Karma site as well. The forum members are usually pretty good at recommending local techs and quite a number are in NJ/NY metro area.

 

Soundsmith (http://sound-smith.com/) and Hudson Valley Hifi (http://hudsonvalleyhifi.com) are both less than an hour from the Paramus area.

 

Thanks, I'll give it a try there too

 

@Marcev thanks for the tip on AK! I got a recommendation for a tech with a good reputation and only a few miles away!

 

I'll bet all the large electrolytic caps - 1994 Nichicon before capacitor plague and after mid-80s multi-cap problems - all still test within 10%. There's about 12 other signal-path caps. Nothing else much to service.

If the shop can't give you a value and ESR report on every component they remove and return to you, they also are unlikely to pre-qualify the parts they put in under bias...

 

Hmmm... Think I've no need to refresh it? It hums pretty badly, so I figured the caps were on their way out(?)

 

Call Matt DePaul at Branson Soundworks in Hampton , NJ. About an hour west from you. He specializes in vintage amps, mostly Pioneer and Marantz as well as guitar amps. He recapped my Pioneer SX 1010. Excellent work, very knowledgeable and reasonable.

Always busy so be prepared to wait a couple of months to get it back

Branson Soundworks home

 

I'd try it with shorting plugs on the inputs just to make sure the amplifier is what is generating your noise, and not a ground loop or such. Capacitors that lose partial capacity predominantly become evident by distorted loud playback. A capacity loss in one only slightly changes the power supply network filtering frequency.

A near-complete failure of a capacitor is required to affect idle hum, and then it is usually not subtle at all. Here you have separated amp channels and power rails, and a telltale sign would be predominance or difference in noise between channels. One also might heat more than others.

You might have more peace of mind if you also specify that the capacitor values are upsized 25%+ or more. Today's caps can pack more in the same size. You then not only get assurance of another 25 years, but also get an upgrade.

 

While not right around the corner....
Audio Technology in Wall, NJ
Just did this same thing to my B&K pre amp & amp.

 

SkyFi Audio had a nice write-up in Stereophile a couple years ago.