Recap costs
What a recap actually costs
Real starting prices from the recap bench, and the honest reasons behind every number. Board-level work from $75, receivers and amps from $200, everything still quoted per board after we look.
What drives the price of a recap
Two boards of the same age can quote differently, and this is why. Nothing here is a guess at the counter; the diagnosis measures it.
- Cap count. The single biggest factor. Twenty capacitors is a different job from a hundred, and every electrolytic on the board gets replaced, so the count sets the floor of the work.
- Board access. Caps on the top layer come out in minutes. Caps buried under other boards, shields, or a full mechanical assembly cost more to reach properly than to replace.
- How the caps are mounted. Through-hole and surface-mount electrolytics are both routine here, desoldered with hot air and proper tooling rather than pried out, but SMD work on a densely packed board asks for more care per part.
- Whether the unit needs a full teardown. A power supply opens up. A receiver does not: its boards come out only after the whole chassis comes apart, and that labor is part of the job.
The starting prices
| What we recap | Starts at | The honest fine print |
|---|---|---|
| Board-level work: console boards, power supplies, control boards, small boards | From $75 | Quoted per board after we look; cap count and access set the final number |
| Receivers, amps, and integrated audio | From $200 | A typical full receiver recap lands in the $200–$500 range the audio bench publishes, measured before and after |
| Larger or complex units: top-of-the-line receivers, multitrack decks, ECU boards | Quoted | No floor published; the diagnosis prices it honestly before you commit |
| Diagnosis (always first) | $49 | Free when you approve the repair, and free if the unit is not worth recapping |
The floors are anchors, not flat rates. The itemized quote that follows the diagnosis is the real number, and you approve it before any work starts.
What the price includes
- Every electrolytic replaced with a quality part: 105°C rated, low-ESR where the board calls for it, correct values and footprint, through-hole and surface-mount.
- Proper desoldering: hot air and the right tooling. Caps are never pried out of the board.
- Board cleaning where a capacitor has already leaked, before the new parts go on.
- Burn-in: the board runs under load long enough for a marginal joint or a wrong value to show up on the bench instead of in your hands.
- A 90-day warranty on the work, in writing.
- The $49 diagnosis folded in: free when you approve the repair.
What is not an upcharge
Recap quotes have a reputation for growing after approval. Here is how this bench stays out of that:
- No hourly meter. One itemized quote covers parts and labor. It does not grow after you approve it.
- No mystery fees. Surface-mount work, hard-to-reach caps, and awkward boards are reasons the quote is what it is, not line items invented afterward.
- No recap quoted onto a board that does not need one. If the caps test healthy, we say so and chase the real fault instead of selling the easy answer.
Mail-in: ship the unit, or just the board
Recaps mail in well from anywhere in the U.S. Two ways to send:
- Ship the whole unit for anything that needs the bench's teardown. Request an RMA number before anything ships, and the mail-in page has the packing guides per unit family.
- Ship just the board for board-level work: console boards, power supplies, control boards, small boards. A bare board is lighter, cheaper to ship, and a recapped board travels as well as it did when it was new.
Return shipping is included with every repair and weight-tiered on packed weight: up to 15 pounds included, 15 to 40 pounds $25 flat, 40 to 70 pounds $49 flat, over 70 pounds quoted before we ship.
Questions people ask before committing
Why is a receiver recap more than a console board recap?
Cap count and access. A small board might carry twenty capacitors you can reach in minutes; a receiver can carry a hundred or more, spread across boards that come out only after a full teardown. Board-level recaps start at $75 and receivers and amps start at $200, and the itemized quote names what gets replaced before you approve anything.
Do you charge by the hour?
No. One itemized quote covers the recap, parts and labor, and you approve it before any work starts. No hourly meter runs during the job, and the number does not grow after you approve it.
What capacitors do you use?
Quality parts specified for the job: 105 degree C electrolytics and low-ESR where the board calls for it, correct values and footprint, through-hole and surface-mount. Every electrolytic on the board gets replaced with a fresh part; nothing is reused.
What does from $75 cover?
Board-level work: console boards, power supplies, control boards, and other small boards where the capacitors are reachable without a full teardown. It is a starting point, not a flat rate. The quote after the diagnosis sets the real number from the cap count and the access.
Is the diagnosis a separate charge?
The $49 diagnosis comes first and it is free when you approve the repair. It confirms the capacitors are actually the fault before any recap gets quoted. If the unit is not worth recapping, the diagnosis is free and you get an honest verdict instead of a bill.
What about shipping for mail-in?
Ship the whole unit, or for board-level work ship just the board, which is lighter and cheaper to send. Request an RMA number before anything ships. Return shipping is included with every repair and weight-tiered on packed weight: up to 15 pounds included, 15 to 40 pounds $25 flat, 40 to 70 pounds $49 flat, and over 70 pounds quoted before we ship.