Good but old integrated

[Joe Schmoe]

My integrated amp (a Carver CM-1090) is considered a classic. It still sounds good to me, but it is 15 years old. Has amplifier technology advanced so much in the meantime that I am missing something by not having a newer unit?
Also, how long can I expect this one to keep working?

 

[OttoMatic]

My integrated amp (a Carver CM-1090) is considered a classic. It still sounds good to me, but it is 15 years old. Has amplifier technology advanced so much in the meantime that I am missing something by not having a newer unit?
Also, how long can I expect this one to keep working?

Hi Joe,

My opinion is that you're not missing by lacking the latest amplifier technology. If you enjoy the sound of it (and it's a decent amp to start with!) then you're doing fine. There are new amp designs and old amp designs that work equally well.

As to how long it will work, dunno. I'm thinking that some of the first signs you might see are scratchy pots. Fortunately, these are easy to fix with some contact cleaner. Capacitors also age over time, so you could run into some of that. I don't know if the Sunfire company services the Carver products, but they recently did an overhaul on my Cinema Grand, which had a flaky channel, bad power supply, non-functioning auto-on circuit and burnt out lamp -- those things at a minimum. They did this for a flat fee of something like $300 and were a pleasure to deal with. I bought that amp used, and it's probably pushing 15 years, but I think it was abused in its previous life, so don't take it as an indication of how long yours might last.

I have a Kenwood receiver from the '70s that works fine. I have a Luxman receiver from late '80s/early '90s that's got flaky inputs. It just depends...

Good luck.

 

[dorokusai]

I say enjoy it. There are changes in technology around, digital amplification for example but I think its still a basic design overall for most manufacturers.

Longevity? Who knows. I restored a 1952 Telefunken radio console with some elbow grease and a new tuning line. It fired up on the first day and never skipped a beat. I wouldn't worry about caps on the Carver of that era although on gear <1960(roughly), you want to pay more attention to those things.

Sit back, pop a top and press play.

Regards,
Mark

 

[Geno]

You think 15 years is old?

Sheesh, I've got dust bunnies older than that in some of my stuff. My 1976-vintage Sansui AU-9500 is still going strong, with only a cleaning of some of the pots and switches. For basic two-channel listening of CDs and LPs, these older (well built) components are just as relevant as ever. Naturally, they don't have the bells & whistles of the new stuff, but have everything you need for great stereo.

 

[fmw]

I'm not sure there is any amplifier technology to talk about at all. What is new and different are digital signal processors like those seen in home theater equipment. The basic stereo amp hasn't changed meaningfully. Today's amps don't perform any better than those from 1990. I would say your unit is as current as it always was. Styling is different but performance is the same.

The only really old component I still have is an old Kenwood analog tuner from the 70's. Not only does it work perfectly, but it captures a better signal than anything available today priced at less than $2000. It makes no economic sense to replace it.

I've been involved in audio since before stereo. I've had speaker foam and headphone ear pads rot. I've had to replace a few aging capacitors and, naturally, vacuum tubes in those days. I've owned hundreds of components over the years. But basically, I've gone all that time with only a single repair that wasn't age-related and that was a 1960's vintage Harman Kardon power amp that had one channel go out - bad output transistor. Great unit otherwise and I sold it for nearly twice what I paid for it. 60 watts per channel and it weighed 65 lbs.

What is it they always say about not making them like they used to?

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Thanks guys. Your responses are helping keep the upgraditis demon at bay for now. As I said, I am happy with the sound, but always think "maybe it could be even better!"
Since I recently got new speakers that I like a lot (Boston VR2s), and since I really don't believe that CD players make any difference (at least at sub-astronomical prices), there is nothing to upgrade. Why is it so hard to just appreciate what we have?