Serious question - should we recap old caps or leave them be on vintage gear?

I had a guy on another forum tell me I was wrecking my 1970s Marantz receiver by replacing all the electrolytic caps without testing them first. He said original parts have a certain sound and I was killing the character. But then my local repair shop told me I'm asking for trouble leaving 50 year old caps in there because they dry out and can short. I've got a Pioneer SX-650 that works fine right now, no hum or crackle. So what's the move here folks? Do you recap everything automatically or wait until something acts up?

2 comments

2 Comments

butler.brian28d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, a dead short is way worse than losing some vintage mojo.

christopher_west128d ago

Honestly, who hasn't accidentally fried a perfectly good cap while trying to be helpful, am I right? Ngl, I've got a Pioneer SX-650 too and I'm paranoid about the same thing. I've been told by a buddy who's a tech that if it works fine with no hum, you might be okay to leave it for a few more years, but don't push it past 60-70. Tbh, I'd rather risk killing some "character" than have a cap short out and take the whole board with it.