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BrianC

Junior Audioholic
Hey folks, I'm looking at 20 year old B&K reference 7250. Seller asking $650, and it includes the matching preamp. I've read very good things, but would love to hear any thoughts and concerns about it that I should be looking for. Its power is more than plenty for my B&W'. The exterior of the unit is 9/10, fwiw. Thanks in advance
 
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PENG

Audioholic Slumlord
That's a lot of money to lose if something goes wrong. It is just a class AB amp with very average spec such as:

Output..............................200 W/375 W 8/4 ohms
THD+N........................... 0.09 % @ 1 kHz
Dynamic headroom....... 1.2 dB
SN (A-weghed)............... 95 dB

For a 5 channel amp it is cheap, but 20 years old? No thanks.
 
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BrianC

Junior Audioholic
That's a lot of money to lose if something goes wrong. It is just a class AB amp with very average spec such as:

Output..............................200 W/375 W 8/4 ohms
THD+N........................... 0.09 % @ 1 kHz
Dynamic headroom....... 1.2 dB
SN (A-weghed)............... 95 dB

For a 5 channel amp it is cheap, but 20 years old? No thanks.

Agreed, lotta money for the age. I guess I'm looking for experience with B&K amps, and their longevity. What would you value this amp at? (Just for fun)
 
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PENG

Audioholic Slumlord
Agreed, lotta money for the age. I guess I'm looking for experience with B&K amps, and their longevity. What would you value this amp at? (Just for fun)
I think it is scrap actually. If I can download the service manual, I would probably consider it for $200 just for fun. I recently sold my top condition 15 year old AVR-3805 that offers at least half of the power output of the 7250 if used as a power amp, and is in top condition with absolutely nothing wrong. The 3805 is among the very few amp (let alone AVR) that passed the brutal one ohm test, by AVTech. I got $100 for it and thought the price was fair, may be worth $150 if I tried.. If you cannot find the service manual for the 7250, it is a significant risk that you would lose $650 in case of a major failure.

If you are really tempted for some reason, at least call a reputable repair shop and ask if they have the service manual and try ask for an estimate just for a thorough check out and re-cap all the large electrolytic ones. That should give you some idea. My educated guess is, it would cost you over $150 just to recap the biggies.
 
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BrianC

Junior Audioholic
I think it is scrap actually. If I can download the service manual, I would probably consider it for $200 just for fun. I recently sold my top condition 15 year old AVR-3805 that offers at least half of the power output of the 7250 if used as a power amp, and is in top condition with absolutely nothing wrong. The 3805 is among the very few amp (let alone AVR) that passed the brutal one ohm test, by AVTech. I got $100 for it and thought the price was fair, may be worth $150 if I tried.. If you cannot find the service manual for the 7250, it is a significant risk that you would lose $650 in case of a major failure.

If you are really tempted for some reason, at least call a reputable repair shop and ask if they have the service manual and try ask for an estimate just for a thorough check out and re-cap all the large electrolytic ones. That should give you some idea. My educated guess is, it would cost you over $150 just to recap the biggies.
Highly positive reviews of yesteryear had me tempted, but I think you've said what I needed to hear. Cheers, thanks for your time
 
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PENG

Audioholic Slumlord
Highly positive reviews of yesteryear had me tempted, but I think you've said what I needed to hear. Cheers, thanks for your time
Yep, lots of people will tell you the amps (and more so for the receivers) of yesteryear were way better. In my opinion, they are mostly wrong, though I am sure in some cases it would be true. If you pay a visit to the audiosciencereview.com review site, you will be surprised how poorly the old gear (even some Audio Research amps) measured, relative to the newer ones, yes even one or two AVRs. The thing is, amps, preamps are technological products, that mostly tend to improve over time.

Edit: ASR reviewed a couple of Audio Research amps, not Krell's.
 
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Pik95

Junior Audioholic
I have the B&K 2140 and it's strong. I am not loving the sound I am getting out of my setup right now, but I think it's the room more than anything. Many people I respect love B&K's fwiw.
 
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Kleinst

Senior Audioholic
I think you all are bringing some good perspective. I bought all my AMPs used. I have shied away from the 20 year old models and some of them I passed on I still regret big time (An Outlaw 770 comes immediately to mind). But the reality is that 20 year old technology is risky. It could last another 20 years or die tomorrow. I still hunt for deals on power amps for some reason. It's a sickness. But I think anything over $300 or so, I'm better off just saving up and buying a new Monolith 7 if my current AMPS die (Outlaw 7500, Emotiva XPA5). Yes I might pay $1600 vs. $600 but it's very possible that new lasts me another 20 years from then. But I'm still tempted to buy stuff for fun to be quite honest and theres really nothing wrong with that as long as you know you are going to win some and lose some.
 
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Erod

Audioholic
I have a B&K reference 125.7 amp that I love still, and it's 12 years old. It runs my back channels and Atmos today, and I've never had an issue.

I am the original owner, so I know what it's been through, which isn't anything extreme.

The preamp that was paired with it crapped out on me in three years. The amp is great, but that preamp proved to be a bad purchase

If be leery of buying that amp just because you don't know how hard it's been driven for 20 years. If you know how to change the caps though, go for it.
 
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Gmoney

Audioholic Ninja
Just buy Yamaha, best Reliability, buying used no tell what you’ll get. Just a Note: Gene the Owner of this website has one for sale. Multi channel, if you check in with Gene by inbox on his profile He may work out a good price for it. But he may ask for a fee if you want him to Sign the front or the back of that Multi channel amp, surely he tested it out. May even throw in the test results.
 
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