Do amplifiers lose power over time?
Actually amps can lose power over time depending on how the amp was treated.
Why are power amplifiers so expensive?
Tube amps are expensive because they adopt pre and power tubes as their primary amplification source. Each tube costs roughly $50 and can have up to 4 of them within a single unit. Secondly, these amps have more expensive components, larger cases, and more complex circuitry than solid-state amps.
Are vintage amps better than new amps?
Modern gear for the most part produces much less distortion then vintage amps. A modern amp producing 0.001% THD produces less distortion then say a vintage tube amp producing 1% THD both at their maximum output powers but what type of distortion it is producing is just as important.
Are new amplifiers better than old ones?
Good modern amps use properly rated transformers and are quite large and heavy AND quite expensive. They are better than vintage transformers ! Now we also have better and bigger ( affordable ) power supply capacitors. So a well designed power supply today is better than a vintage one.
Do amplifiers deteriorate with age?
Everything degrades over time, regardless if it is solid state or tube based unit. The question is what degree. Some amplifiers from 1980s still show better measured results than you can find in new ones today. Generally you should only consider top of the line models from the past.
Do stereo amplifiers wear out?
In general, passive components such as capacitors dry out after a while and need to be replaced. I have seen old amps with 30 year old caps that still test well.
What makes an amplifier so heavy?
Guitar amps are heavy due to speaker magnets, power and output transformers, and metal chassis and wooden cabinets. Yep, those few items literally wreak havoc on your back before you can even get plugged in and tuned up.