What good is a W5M?

[Crenshaw, Jack]

I realize most of you list members are hams, but some are audio nuts (the
two sets are not disjoint).  I have a couple or few questions concerning the
old Heathkit W-5M, 25-watt audio amplifier:

1)  What's a reasonable price to pay for one in good shape?
2)  What's a reasonable price to pay for one in _NOT_ such good shape?
3)  What do you think folks would be willing to pay for a W-5M restored to
     as-new condition?
4)  What do you think folks would be willing to pay for one in _BETTER_ than
     new condition?
5)  Vacuum Tube Valley has a refurbish kit for the amp, that includes new
electrolytics, new
     polyprop signal caps, metal film resistors, silicon diodes to replace
the 5Y4G, etc.   Imagine
     someone installs this kit with loving and professional care?  Would you
buy the amp?
6)  What about more radical changes, like regulated DC on the filaments,
perhaps even a
     regulated power supply?
7)  What about even more radical changes, like toroidal transformers?
8)  What about cosmetic changes, like chrome-plated chassis or filter caps;
powder-coated
     chassis and transformers, etc., etc.?  (The chrome always makes it
sound better).

The reason I'm asking all these questions is this:  I've always been partial
to the amp, and recently
got a chance to get five of them via eBay (read:  Paid Too Much).  I'm going
to have to refurbish them
anyway, but that got me thinking that it might be a fun enterprise to do
some for resale.  I know there's
a burgeoning market for Dynakit upgrades and Dynas that have been upgraded,
but I don't have any feel
for whether there would be a similar market for a W-5M so treated.  From
what I can gather from the
premium prices the W-5M draws on eBay (usually more than a Dynakit, though
the power is barely half),
I'm thinking maybe it would be both great fun and a nice little sideline
business to refurbish the W-5Ms.
They seem to turn up on eBay fairly frequently.

Thanks for any comments.  Feel free to email me if you don't think the rest
of the group is interested.

Jack

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