harman/kardon Citation Twelve repair estimate-$220

mcpfrid

New Member
harman/kardon Citation Twelve, Power Amplifier

Is this amp worth having repaired at cost of $220. Overall the amp is not in very good cosmetic condition and I see them going for around $175 on ebay.

here is the quote from my local repair guy;

" Your amp has been repaired before as I can see . By somebody that likes to tinker ...........not very good work..
The powersupply capacitors are uneven and need to be replaced . This repair takes $80 in parts for 4 big powersupply capacitors .Labor is $50
This will fix the problem .

Other suggestions :
Match the input transistors for dc ofset and replace all 10 small electrolitic caps on the boards .
This cost $40 in parts , labor is $50 .
It will make your amp more dependable espcially at this age "

thanks for any advice or recomendations:scratch2:
 
You could buy a perfectly functioning one for 175 on ebay, and it could get ruined while getting shipped to you. It could also fail 3 days after you get it!

If yours was physically in great shape, it would be a no brainer honestly. It cost a bit more to have the proper repairs done, but in the long run it's money well spent.

Evan
 
Welcome to AK, MC. The question is, how long have you had it and have you gotten your moneys worth out of it? Also; do you think that you could buy something of similiar quality for $220?
 
some more specifics on this amp

I bought this thru Craigslist (cost was a nice bottle of wine $30-true story) about a yr ago.

Condition - this looks like its been around the block a time or two, I think he was using it in the garage. Cosmetically this is no beauty.

I've been been using this amp to power a zone 2 off my preamp, 2 outdoor speakers in the backyard.

I've been trying to decide between repairing this vs picking up a 2 ch amp from emotiva ($375 new or $250 used)

thanks for your responses

marc
 
Marc, actually... What is the problem with your amp?

Do you have a digital multi meter (DMM)? Can you take some voltage measurements, for example the DC voltage present at the output?
 
The parts costs seem pretty high, but that's not very much per hour for skilled labor and you've only got $30 in it so far so...

All I can say is that it would be worth it to someone to fix it, so don't throw it out if you decide you'd rather get something else.
 
Just buy the Emotiva

The H/K is a nice amp and, for someone else who loves vintage audio, it would make sense to repair it. For an older unit, what it needs (and what he suggests as well) is not out of line.

But, I feel that you would be happier with a newer unit.

No offense intended, just my opinion...
 
... I've been trying to decide between repairing this [Citation Twelve] vs picking up a 2 ch amp from emotiva ($375 new or $250 used)

thanks for your responses

marc

Choosing between repairing a classic, well-respected American amp vs. buying a new Chinese-made replacement would be an easy decision for me. That Citation would be in the shop today and I'd be eagerly looking forward to putting it back in my system.
 
What is wrong with it cosmetically? Often just a good cleaning will work wonders.

Another idea - repair/restore your amp, then wait for a broken one to show up on ebay that is in better shape cosmetically.

I doubt you'll have to pay much for it.

Then swap the guts so you now have n attractive and functioning amp.

Then sell the broken/ugly amp on ebay.
 
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harman/kardon Citation Twelve, Power Amplifier

Is this amp worth having repaired at cost of $220. Overall the amp is not in very good cosmetic condition and I see them going for around $175 on ebay.

here is the quote from my local repair guy;

" Your amp has been repaired before as I can see . By somebody that likes to tinker ...........not very good work..
The powersupply capacitors are uneven and need to be replaced . This repair takes $80 in parts for 4 big powersupply capacitors .Labor is $50
This will fix the problem .

Other suggestions :
Match the input transistors for dc ofset and replace all 10 small electrolitic caps on the boards .
This cost $40 in parts , labor is $50 .
It will make your amp more dependable espcially at this age "

thanks for any advice or recomendations:scratch2:

I would HIGHLY recommend doing ALL these things to one of these. I'd even go so far as to replace the OTHER small transistors on the circuit board. Did this with mine, and not only did it sound better than I can remember one sounding... but, it also pretty much got rid of the turn-on/turn-off "thump" through the speakers! And that "thump" is something that most ANY Citation 12 will do, stock... this is just about the first time I've ever seen one NOT do that. The newer transistors are much better matched for current draw compared to the ones of that era... the amp will wind up much better "balanced" inside, and will behave significantly better than original...

BTW: The ones you see for cheap... $175 or so on Ebay, as you describe... almost NEVER will have had a comprehensive restoration (like I described above) done on them. They're stock units, with all the quirks of stock, elderly electronics. I'd bet a fully-restored unit would bring significantly more... especially, if someone could hear how GOOD they sound, after they've been sorted out properly... they will outperform many more expensive amps. I'd say, you'd likely have to spend at least $350 to get an amp that will do everything this will do, once it's restored...

Regards,
Gordon.
 
thanks everybody for all the feedback. I pretty much got what I was looking for. I just wanted to make sure I was not throwing money at a lost cause. So I'm going ahead and having it repaired.
 
Kinda surprised someone local to the OP (location not mentioned) did not ask what kind of wine to try to make a deal.
 
Id try to fix your Citation. Im running a 12 right now being driven by a Conrad PV7 going into a pair of Klipsch Herseys, I rebuilt my Citation several years ago, new power supply caps, rectifiers and all the transistors and small caps, adjustment pots ect....
She is a solid runner and dual mono very solid low end.

bob
 
What trannies did you use? I’m restoring a twelve atm but can’t find replacement (small) trannies.

I would HIGHLY recommend doing ALL these things to one of these. I'd even go so far as to replace the OTHER small transistors on the circuit board. Did this with mine, and not only did it sound better than I can remember one sounding... but, it also pretty much got rid of the turn-on/turn-off "thump" through the speakers! And that "thump" is something that most ANY Citation 12 will do, stock... this is just about the first time I've ever seen one NOT do that. The newer transistors are much better matched for current draw compared to the ones of that era... the amp will wind up much better "balanced" inside, and will behave significantly better than original...

BTW: The ones you see for cheap... $175 or so on Ebay, as you describe... almost NEVER will have had a comprehensive restoration (like I described above) done on them. They're stock units, with all the quirks of stock, elderly electronics. I'd bet a fully-restored unit would bring significantly more... especially, if someone could hear how GOOD they sound, after they've been sorted out properly... they will outperform many more expensive amps. I'd say, you'd likely have to spend at least $350 to get an amp that will do everything this will do, once it's restored...

Regards,
Gordon.
 
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