About seven years ago, I bought two above-grade receivers. They were tasked with driving surround speakers for both audio and video. Lots of turn-ons and turn-offs.
I have now had 3 failures of said receivers. Basically the kits would turn on but not stay on. After repair, the mfg said they replaced some capacitors. When asked, they said it was “normal” for a unit “this old” to need repair.
Question: Is this “normal” in your experience? Tougher question: am I throwing good money after bad?The cost is roughly $300 to repair versus $1,200+ to replace.
Personally, I think the era of low-life electronics is a recent phenomenon. In the fifty years prior to these experiences, I never had a failure such as these. But that’s an aside.
It is common for electrolytic capacitors in particular to age. As they age the dielectric starts to break down and capacitance changes and the leakage current increases - both of which could cause issues with the system of which they are a part.
There are many varieties of electrolytic capacitor. Some age more quickly than others.
Having said that, seven years would appear to be a very short period for such capacitors to age to the point of failure.
