Hank:

My problem with the volume was identical to yours except that there from day 1. I never bothered to get it repaired because 99.9% of the time, I changed the volume it was via the remote and it wasn't worth the cost of shipping to get it repaired.

I agree that many electrical products seem to have a half life after which problems seem to occur (and often reoccur) with increasing frequency. That was the case with the Yamaha pre-amp I had before this. However, my 25+ year Nakamichi cassette deck, while seldom used, still performs like a champ when called upon. Which makes an argument for buying the best quality unit one can afford.