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Rx for receiver longevity?

M

mrbruce

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Like others, I have more receivers than can be run on a frequent basis and have wondered for a while, what would be the best approach to "excercising" them in order to maximize their working life. All opinions welcome, but I'm particularly interested in advice from members with design/repair experience and those with large collections.
Currently, I have vintage equipment in the master bedroom, a home office and a guest bedroom. Main bedroom system is the only one that gets daily use (2+ hours/day) I do rotate the main bedroom receiver every 1-2 months. Receivers are all low/medium powered and in good operating condition - thanks in part to help from AK members dgwjo and Merrylander.
One obvious solution is to give some of these away but I'm not ready to part with them yet.

Specific questions: Is running any given receiver (typically the tuner but some CDs also) a few hours, once every few months, at low/moderate volume, as good as any other approach to maximizing life? If not, what's a better approach?

Receivers: Yamaha CR440, 450 Technics SA-80, 500 Marantz 2216
Toshiba SA-3500 Pioneers SX-424, 3400 Onkyo TX2500 II
Kenwood KR3090 Coming soon - Yamaha CR820
Excercise partners: KLH5, AR4x (2)

Thanks in advance for suggestions.
 
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While your intent is admirable, the only real way to prolong life would be to cocoon the unit in a nitrogen rich environment. This would keep the controls from oxidizing and sounding bad, Other than that, the real life-limited items are the electrolytic caps, and there is nothing you can do to prolong their short life. The other parts should be good until long after your great-grandchildren have decided to scrap "granpa's junk".

So play on McDuff!
 
- Don't try to fix it if it aint broken.
- Try to move the unit as less as possible.
- Use the higher voltage rating.
- play music and play with all the knobs for at least 1 hour a day.
- Use a GOOD pair of speakers rated at 8 ohm
- You can safely turn up the volume, but never use the maximum power. okay it's overload protected but don't try to push your luck ...
 
Based on my experience, the less the component is used the better, but as with anything YOUR mileage may vary.

e.g. -
my dad used to use his Technics SU-V707 amp everyday since 1983, and from 1995 to 1996 it slowly went defunkt with lots of channel dropouts and crackles etc.
whereas, i got my first akai receiver 6 years ago (bought new in 1977) from my uncle who hadn't used it since the early eighties and it worked like a gem for me (and still works like a gem).

i suppose luck comes into it as well
 
One of my rotels worked from january 1981 till december 2005, every day and every night. I didn't use it for 1 month and now the right channel is dead :(
 
Perhaps the best solution is to not worry about it. You don't want the receivers to run you, you want them to simply do what they are designed to do. Once you notice one failing that's when you can start to be concerned. Maybe it is worth powering them on at least a couple times a year in order to prevent the power caps from going bad.
 
I try to run each piece a couple of times per year if nothing else to exercise the caps, be able to tell my wife it is a unit I listen to and hence can not sell it and just to keep myself busy and in shape. Otherwise I'd need 1 of those Bowflex machines.
 
I have friends who don't drive thier collector cars ? But what's the point in having it if you don't use it??? I guess part of this Vintage thing is dealing with the little bumps in the road. Go get a back up amp just in case this one goes down, At least that's what I'm telling MY wife.
Thats my story and I'm sticking to it!!!
 
Ventilation!!!!
Adequate ventilation is the key to longevity.
Also, keep the unit correctly adjusted specially bias and DC offset.
Do not overdrive it. If you play it loud enough that the protection relay engages, something will break down eventually.

Keep your unit covered when not in use. Dust is evil.
 
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