I have a Pioneer M25 amplifier that appears to be in great condition but I haven't used it. I wanted to have it gone through because a lot of the stuff I read on the Interwebz (gotta be true) said that if the caps were old it very well may catch on fire.
We discussed this one time here before and I think Flint or Rammis told me to power it up outside for the first time which I still haven't tried.
I would also be leary of "opening it up" myself because on my ATI 1505 the power light flickers, I have a new switch/light, but when I spoke to ATI about changing it out the tech told me to be careful because if I didn't follow the directions exactly the amp could burst into flames. LMAO. Imagine the headlines RETIRED FIREMANS HOME GOES UP IN FLAMES.
The pilot light on the ATI amp is neon, and all neon lamps age over time and will start flickering. If you get a wild hair, by all means replace the switch if you can find one with equivalent current capacity. The "tech" (whoever he was) is wrong - and stupid if he said that. The main difficulty with replacing the switch is that of getting the original one out of the chassis, since its held in place with clamps which expand when the original switch is installed. You have to compress those clamps and push the switch out from the back, which is a pain that I hesitate to undertake.
As far as powering up "old" amplifiers, this usually refers to amps which have not been used in decades or so (and usually are tube amps), and NO it will not "burst into flames"! At the worst, the pressure relief plug which is on all electrolytic caps will pop out, possibly causing a "bang" and probably spewing the cap's innards out. Smaller electrolytic caps have vent lines embossed into their tops which are easy to see, and if there is overcurrent, these will split, releasing pressure and probably spewing the cap's innards.
The standard procedure for bringing up AC power on a very old amp (or any such electronic device) is to connect it to a VARIAC and slowly bring up the voltage until it is the full 120VAC. The capacitors will then be re-formed and there is no danger.
If you send the amplifier "to be checked", I would bet my paycheck that they would find "something" to charge you an arm and a leg for, needed or not.
Personally, I'd just plug the thing in to the wall and turn it on. If it pops its caps, THEN you know that something needs replacing. If it powers up OK, then you're home free. Personally, I've only had ONE instance in my entire life where I turned an amplifier on and its caps vented, and that was not on a particularly old amplifier, so the cap in question might have had a manufacturing problem.
I strongly recommend that ALL electronic devices you plan to ever use be occasionally powered up to keep the components like capacitors fully formed. Powering them up even every 6 months to a year is enough, but it is something you should definitely do if you want to keep them usable for the long haul.
Its the same thing as a seldom used car - if you expect it to run when you want it to, it is wise to occasionally start it up and run it for awhile!
