[paul packer]

On Tue, 26 Sep 2006 11:29:11 +0200, Sander deWaal
wrote:


Or they buy overpriced boatanchors on E-bay, plug them in after years
of resting (and rusting), and are surprised if an electrolytic blows
through the roof, or it sets fire underneath.
In the best of cases, a fuse blows or their music is accompanied by a
loud hum, hiss of crackling noises.


It's not generally as bad as that, Sander. There are some really nice
sounding older amps on Ebay in excellent condition for not too much
money, provided you don't want prized brands like NAD, which really
are over-priced. Marantz can generally be got cheaply and sounds as
good (or better) than NAD. I stupidly missed out on a Marantz PM19
for just over $300 AU a couple of months ago and am still cursing. But
what I have bought has always arrived in the condition described
(except for a plastic-fronted Lux amp the courier thoughtfully smashed
for me) and performed well.