The issue of TX transistor failure in the TS0-2000 comes up periodically on the Kenwood TS-2000 list.  It's kind of like a bad penny; it seems to show up every three months or so.

But, what problems there were, and there seemed to be a few, seemed to be confined to the first two years of the rig's production cycle.  The problem seems to have been alleviated with later production units.

I think it hasn't died a reasonable death because people have claimed that it occurred for no known reason, i.e. no other problems, no static discharges, etc.  It was just the final PA failing.  Of course, a few folks had this happen shortly after the rig went out of warranty.

But, I've had mine now for five trouble-free years, and am very satisfied with the way it functions and its accessibility.  True, the IC-756 is a bit hotter, and the Icoms have better DSP, but as far as value for the dollar, nothing on the market today comes close.

Steve, K8SP