Good morning everyone I'm dealing with the purchase of an Aleph 3 the seller tells me that it is all original capacitors but they are different: 6 have the black lid and 2 do not. Do you think it is possible that it came out of the factory like this or was it tampered with? Thank you
Nice detailed pictures would be best to confirm.
That being said, I am sure Pass Labs would be happy to give it a look over, test, etc…should you choose to ship it to them.
The Aleph 3 has been around since the early 90’s and is a single ended Class A design. Bias current runs high, is continuous and does strain several of the components over time (20 years +/-).
Although stable, parts failures can and will happen (ps filter capacitors, MOSFETS, etc…). It would be best to rectify these issues before they happen. Of course this is dependent how long the Aleph 3 you are looking to purchase was in use. If it stayed in the storage closet for 10 years well…
Best,
Anand.
That being said, I am sure Pass Labs would be happy to give it a look over, test, etc…should you choose to ship it to them.
The Aleph 3 has been around since the early 90’s and is a single ended Class A design. Bias current runs high, is continuous and does strain several of the components over time (20 years +/-).
Although stable, parts failures can and will happen (ps filter capacitors, MOSFETS, etc…). It would be best to rectify these issues before they happen. Of course this is dependent how long the Aleph 3 you are looking to purchase was in use. If it stayed in the storage closet for 10 years well…
Best,
Anand.
Last edited:
Look here:
Pass Aleph 3 | Page 2 | pink fish media
and you will see that hot capacitorss may start to bulge and lose their tops. (These haven't burst - the lost discs are purely cosmetic.)
If you're going to buy it, bear in mind that it will need a recap - can you do it/do you know someone who can?
It's a classic!
p.s. If it's the same photograph then it's a scam!!!
Pass Aleph 3 | Page 2 | pink fish media
and you will see that hot capacitorss may start to bulge and lose their tops. (These haven't burst - the lost discs are purely cosmetic.)
If you're going to buy it, bear in mind that it will need a recap - can you do it/do you know someone who can?
It's a classic!
p.s. If it's the same photograph then it's a scam!!!
Last edited:
Links to your local drive will not work here.
NP once said due to the heat in the chassis, the shrink wrap around the caps shrinks more around the cap and the top black cover pops off. Best to verify thought.
The capacitors look fine and all original. Best advice is still to have them all replaced before they begin to fail. If it helps, the example referred to above went for £1,300, and the buyer replaced them all straight away.
I wouldn't be worried at all. However, I'd consider to replace the caps with new ones as the stock parts may be dry by now.
I've seen photos of recent Pass Labs builds with Cornell Dubilier caps so I would
consider those. You'll have to make sure they physically fit on the PCB so best
to measure the originals first. I would stick with a similar capacitance value
(say 22000 uF each) but go with 105C caps.
consider those. You'll have to make sure they physically fit on the PCB so best
to measure the originals first. I would stick with a similar capacitance value
(say 22000 uF each) but go with 105C caps.
They are 30mm and no gaps, which is pretty limiting as all I could find with a higher voltage (I’d have preferred to have gone for 35V) were all 35mm so wouldn’t fit. The height is no issue, all modern caps I looked at were shorter than the original Panasonics. I ended up going for 105C Vishays (22000uF 25V) as they were actually in stock at RS! It is amazing how many caps aren’t at present, many places having lead times well into next year. I’ve no idea if I made a good or bad cap choice, but the amp certainly works without fire or anything! I replaced the 220uF caps with Panasonics while I was in there. Old ones seemed fine, though I don’t have an ESR meter to really check. No leaks, bulges, and they were all pretty much bang on value. It was the PSU ones that looked a bit sick.
with A Class amp of that age, changing caps is normal and logical routine, be it yours for all time, or recently acquired
same as changing oil and filters and whatnot, if buying SH car ..... pronto
same as changing oil and filters and whatnot, if buying SH car ..... pronto