So to reply to myself…got an email from Audio Classics saying my MA6100 is complete and being shipped back. A quick rundown:
My unit is an early one which had an internal circuit breaker. It was bad, which is what caused the overload in the first place. They replaced it with a fuse, which is what came on the later versions of this amp. One of the output capacitors was out of spec so they replaced all of those. They replaced several diodes and transistors. There was high ground resistance on several of the RCA jacks, so they polished those, and got them back to zero. Adjusted the harmonic distortion back to factory specs. Deep cleaned all the potentiometers and switches, gave the front glass and chassis a good cleaning. Finally, replaced the front dial lights that were starting to dim. The tech says it sounds like factory new and aside from some minor scuffing on the chrome looks factory new too. I am excited to get it back in its wood cabinet and hear it sing again. I shall keep you all informed as I know you are on the edges of your seats.
It’s going to Houston, so I won’t actually get to see it for a few more weeks. I brought my Sansui 8080db out here to the Tall City. Houston will be home to the MA6100 and my Marantz 2230. I really wanted to bring the Marantz out here, as it’s quite a bit smaller and would fit my small space better, but it’s that same quality that makes it perfect, or at least acceptable, for the living room at the house. Mrs Hawk did not want the giant (and nearly 50 lb) Sansui staring at her.
I paid $762 for the rebuild, plus about $40 shipping each way. They are going for about $1,200 in “working” but pretty bad condition with cracked glass all the way up to about $3,500 for one that is “like new”. I’d say mine is worth probably around $2,200-2,500 now. A cracked front faceplate is common on used units and they alone go for around $200, so if you need to replace that, keep in mind that extra expense.
That’s not bad with all the electronic replacements. My Dragon went through an extensive repair/rebuild of the transport for about $550. An expensive repair, but it’s perfect now and perfect Dragons go for $2K+ these days. Top vintage amps like yours are at an all time market high.
