JohnA Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 I want a quality 50 to 100 watt silver receiver to power my KG2s. How can I find a fair market value for old '70s receivers, like a Yamaha CR-820/1020? A Marantz, Kenwood or Sansui would be fine, also. How much should I expect to pay to have it cleaned, caps replaced and realigned? I have toyed with integrated amps and tuners, like I had in college, but the "clutter" would probably be too much for the space they will be in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 I can't comment on the servicing costs of vintage receivers John but I'm just wondering if you have a max-budget in mind as to what you'd like to spend. The only way that I know to determine value is to look at sold items on the bay or other sites. Didn't A-Gon have a book value tool on their site at one time? Nevertheless, good luck in your hunt. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Boy do you have lots of options, although they really don't need a lot of power. Not as efficient as Heritage, but still, they are book shelves. Haven't tried the upper end of Yamaha receivers but the two Yamaha speakers I tried with my various KG speaker were always too harsh and bright and not a good matchup. Others here, however, like Yammie's with Klipsch. The HK 730 series, if I recall correctly are beloved here for their matchup with with Klipsch, and are pretty cool looking too. IMO, almost anything SS from the 70's is going to be a bit muted, cause of the deterioration of the caps, so restoration is in order. What it would actually cost I have no really solid ideas on pricing, and expect alignment of the tuner part to be needed at additional cost. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_kc Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 On 12/31/2017 at 1:27 PM, JohnA said: How can I find a fair market value for old '70s receivers ... eBay advanced search for completed listings. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted January 2, 2018 Author Share Posted January 2, 2018 I am sick of black electronics. I wish I'd never sold my CA-800 The limit will have to be $550 + the cost of a decent tuner (my cabin is 45 miles from Chattanooga), say $700. A Yamaha A-S501SL is $550 new. It would be silly to spend more on a 40 year old receiver, even restored. Nostalgia only goes so far. There are lots of functional, cheap receivers new, but I want good sound that lasts, like the old receivers from the 70's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivernuggets Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 2 hours ago, thebes said: The HK 730 series, if I recall correctly are beloved here for their matchup with with Klipsch, and are pretty cool looking too. Yeah, love mine. Here is a lengthy write up comparing the 730 to other HK's of the 70s. The 730 is 40 watts per channel. Few years ago you could get one for $150 on the bay. These days they're $200-250 or higher, and that's in original condition. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptorman Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 The good thing about a vintage receiver is if you didn't like the sound, you can probably recoup your investment. Of course, many sites that sell new have a send it back program also, just have so many days for the return. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted January 2, 2018 Author Share Posted January 2, 2018 16 hours ago, thebes said: ................... Haven't tried the upper end of Yamaha receivers but the two Yamaha speakers [?] I tried with my various KG speaker were always too harsh and bright and not a good matchup. Others here, however, like Yammie's with Klipsch. The HK 730 series, if I recall correctly are beloved here for their matchup with with Klipsch, and are pretty cool looking too. IMO, almost anything SS from the 70's is going to be a bit muted, cause of the deterioration of the caps, so restoration is in order. What it would actually cost I have no really solid ideas on pricing, and expect alignment of the tuner part to be needed at additional cost. I suppose ii should investigate H-K. By the time I got into college and had a summer job that allowed me to buy electronics, H-K was not popular or widely available in the Tennessee area. In fact, I had barely heard of H-K receivers until I joined this forum. My impression has always been they were Pioneer class. My old Yamaha CA-800 integrated amp was great with my La Scalas. It was switchable to 8 watts Class A. Even better, slightly. I even pulled the jumpers and ran it as a preamp into Marantz monoblocks briefly, as I intended to run 5 of those in my HT. My only negative comment would be that it had a soft flabby, round sound I attribute to a damping factor of 40. the Marantz monoblocks cured that. The late 70's Yamaha receivers did have different ratings and possibly different circuits, so maybe they don't sound good with Klipsch' odd impedance curves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isotopesope Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 16 hours ago, thebes said: The HK 730 series, if I recall correctly are beloved here for their matchup with with Klipsch, and are pretty cool looking too. +1 I also have a H/K 730 twin and thought it was a great match to Klipsch. I've retired it to a bedroom system that rarely gets used, but I'll never get rid of it: it sounds great, pulls in FM like a champ, and is quite handsome, IMO. i find it's looks are very subtle and refined. here's a great 730 complete restore: http://www.amcanaudio.com/?p=788 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 My vote would be for the Yamaha... I just never appreciated the HK's like some do around here but I admit they do pull in FM pretty good and have a nice sound (just not my flavor of sound I guess). For restores I go to Paul (Paul79 here) at http://www.manymoonsaudio.com/index.html. An HK might be closer to your budget. I loved my Yamaha CR-2020 (still do) but the 2040 is really awesome (both rebuilt by Paul)! I'm guessing you could be looking at 750 to 1,000+ by the time you are done. If you are going to pay for a rebuild you might as well with start with the higher end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 My vote is HK. All of the X30 series are pretty good 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Plenty to chose from the golden age of receivers. Heck, I betcha if you put a WTB in the Garage section for a silver face you'd get a great response. It wouldn't surprise me that some of the offerings would have been restored along the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 There is a reason that the H/K 430 twin-powered stereo receiver was the WORLDWIDE highest volume sales leader in its class when it was originally in production, and it is NOT because it was the least expensive...it is because it performs so well...and has "ultra-wide-band" frequency response, along with having twin power supplies. Plus it is pretty much bullet-proof! BTW, its diminutive rating of 25 watts per channel RMS is misleading, at best. With its twin power supplies it performs more like many 100 WPC receivers made in its time. H/K 730 was rated at just 35 WPC, and the H/K 930 was rated at just 45 WPC. So, IMHO, you don't really NEED more power than any of these provide, ESPECIALLY for KG2 speakers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tromprof Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Always have loved the looks of the 70s Yamahas, and have owned several. The HK 630 I currently have sounds better than any of them, though the Yamahas had so many cool looking switches. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muel Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Wow... just can't imagine. I had a 930 ("DeWiked") and a 330b and they didn't come close to the clarity or realistic sound of my Yamaha's. The tone and loudness controls of the Yamaha are a real strong point too. Maybe I just need to hear some of those HK models in between. Just splitting hairs too I guess... I'd be perfectly happy with any of these in a secondary system. The OP might prefer more silver face in his receiver than the HK provides. I'm surprised no one has mentioned Pioneer or Marantz but those get expensive fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Unfortunately for Yamaha, they weren't making any receivers to amount to anything when the "X30" H/K receivers were originally in production. I bought a Yamaha 100 wpc integrated amp in 1986 (when it was on sale as a discontinued model for less than half its MSRP) which is currently powering my best friend's Cornwalls. He also has one of my old H/K 430 receivers, which I hauled over to his place along with the Yamaha, but as soon as he heard the speakers thru the Yamaha, he said "That sounds good enough to me...besides I can additionally run the ceiling speakers out on the porches because the Yamaha has 100 watts per channel instead of just the 25 WPC of the H/K 430." So, he has never even HEARD his Cornwalls thru the H/K...YET! He was one of the R&D team heavily involved in the evolution of what ended up being called the Klipsch "Jubilee" speaker...among other projects at Klipsch R&D for over a decade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofers and Tweeters Posted January 2, 2018 Share Posted January 2, 2018 Another HK730 vote. I was told be Rivernuggets and Jimjimbo how nice it matched with Klipsch...and it does. I've had it on RB35 at work and LaScala here at home. It's back in t he office at work, I think I'll try some Heresy on it. If you get the chance, Marantz 22xx, Sansui Gxxx, Pioneer SXxxx, Luxman R10x0 all do well too. I have had several Kenwood and didn't like them when I AB them to others. I had the Realistic STA 2300 and the STA 2080 that were worth the money. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 Within the next few months my Dads Sansui 9090DB will be up for sale John. Just can't say when. My brothers and I haven't discussed it yet but they're not into the audio thing. I picked up a pair of DCM Timeframe 400's there the other day that I loaned him years ago and am going to wire up to my closeted Technics SA-DA8 which I bought back when the Brand was dropped. And it ain't black! If I was closer I would loan it out to you for a coupla years. It's sound with Chorus II is surprising. These days I'm more interested in passing something along to someone that actually wants it and uses it, rather than the flipping hoarders that abound now. It's easier for me to just toss things in the trash usually. Like Acoustic Research AR-11's. They were pretty sitting on the curb. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkwa1959 Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 I have a real clean Pioneer SX-3700 ,that I no longer need and I would sell for 125.00.I live in East Tenn ,I used it with Klipsch Chorus speakers that I have sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted January 3, 2018 Share Posted January 3, 2018 https://www.ebay.com/itm/TANDBERG-TR-2045-FM-STEREO-RECEIVER/221355528897?hash=item3389d152c1:g:QYUAAMXQVT9S1~C8 Best sounding receiver on Klipschorns I ever heard (the 40, 45, 50, 55 series in general) (we sold Yamaha, HK, Sony, Pioneer, Luxman, Setton, Kenwood, etc) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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