I inherited a smothered-to-death Sony DA30ES receiver with a Protect Fan error message because in his un-clearheaded last days, Dad laid a magazine on top of the vents. I found a blown fuse, was thrilled to see a normal display on power-up after replacing the fuse, but was saddened again to find the preamp and output stages dead. Not even any thermal noise. I haven't had anything repaired in years, so tell me if it's worth fixing, or if newer, cheaper units have the same features and performance as this 7 year old model. Thanks.
Depends...in its day the 30ES was a darned good receiver. It has a MSRP at $799. But it is also outdated as you have mentioned. You could replace it with a DE model receiver for about as much as it would cost to repair. But if you wanted to replace it with something that is more up to date with the current technology, it would cost a lot more. The current ES line of receivers have digital amps and I like them, but many folks around here do not. STR-DA1000ES - 9000ES might be worth researching if you want to go that route or a STR-DE597 will run you about $199 and is comparable to what the DA30ES used to be.