amp longevity

[kizz 10+ year member]

found a hifonics amp for sale on craigslist. the guy said he had it for 2 and a half years and never had a problem. i've never used hifonics. anyone know about the longevity of these amps? i don't want to buy an amp only for it to quit working. how long do these typically last if taken care of?

Click to read more...

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

i had a hifonics amp i bought brand new in 92...it worked fine till the day i sold it...i assume it still is ...... But a lot depends on how you take care of things

 

[jmanpc 5,000+ posts]

They'll last years and years as long as they're used correctly. AKA gains not cranked, properly sized power wire, steady voltage, and speakers hooked up at the correct impedance.

 

[kizz 10+ year member]

awesome. thanks guys.

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

 

[n2audio 5,000+ posts]

it's a lot like a car. If you buy a good one and take care of it they'll essentially run forever. If you buy a beater and take care of it, it MIGHT run forever.

Buy a good one and abuse it - it's probably not going to last long.

Buy a cheap one and abuse it -- well, hopefully they'll honor the warranty.

I had a Pyramid in HS that I sold after 10 yrs of use -- didn't treat it that well but it was definitely a durable amp. Had a Targa for 2 yrs I treated fairly well. One day it just died. My Optidrives are 6 yrs old and I expect them to last forever.

Hifonics has a pretty wide range of quality in their amps. The old ones were among some of the better amps built -- probably ever. Some of the newer ones in their entry lines aren't nearly as high quality.

Regardless - with the cheaper lines I tend to believe if they get through the first few months they're probably going to last a while if you take care of them.