Kraken Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 (edited) I can buy a NIB Harman Kardon HK3380 80 wpc stereo receiver that is probably 12 years old, OR.... I can buy a used 28 year old Denon PMA 1060 105 wpc integrated amplifier with a matching Denon TU 660 Tuner. The Denon pair are from the original owners and have been kept in a stereo cabinet their entire life. They appear to be very clean and are fully operational. Which is the better buy? This equipment would drive a pair of 1988 vintage Fortes. Edited December 18, 2020 by Kraken correct typo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OO1 Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 NIB Harman Kardon HK3380 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 On 12/11/2020 at 9:14 PM, Kraken said: I can buy a NIB Harman Kardon HK3380 80 wpc stereo receiver that is probably 12 years old, OR.... I can buy a used 28 year old Denon PMA 1060 105 wpc integrated amplifier with a matching Denon TU 660 Tuner. The Denon pair are from the original owners and have been kept in a stereo cabinet their entire life. They appear to be very clean and are fully operational. Which is the better buy? Due to my experience with the Denon PMA-1060's cousin the PMA-1080R and other Denon integrated amps from the 80's/90's, I say the Denon. Now as far as reason/reliability, the HK would make more sense because it is NiB. On second thought, I would get the Denon set. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 Welcome to the forum! What speakers will you use? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofers and Tweeters Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 11 hours ago, billybob said: What speakers will you use? Forte, per what he was asking in a different thread... in June lol On 12/11/2020 at 9:14 PM, Kraken said: I can buy a NIB Harman Kardon HK3380 80 wpc stereo receiver that is probably 12 years old, OR.... I can buy a used 28 year Neither. Get the Luxman R115 that you were thinking about. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraken Posted December 17, 2020 Author Share Posted December 17, 2020 Lost out on the Denon DRA-825a I was looking at in June and the R115 was not as advertised and in poor condition. I also looked at a Yamaha RX-950 that was really interesting but I read about the failure rate of IC BA3122N that was used in the HCA circuitry of this receiver and decided to not pull the trigger on this one, either. So I am still looking and have not found anything that is compelling until I found these two that I felt were interesting. NIB might mean most reliable, BUT, the Denon PMA 1060 with TU 660 have received pretty good reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofers and Tweeters Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 Well, I have to admit that I have enjoyed this journey and wouldn't know what I like until I A/B the units to know what I don't like. To this day, I haven't found a D class, AVR type or any digital receivers or amps that I like as well as the older A B class SS equipment. The newer stuff have always sounded 'thin' or lacking, to me. To each his own, though. If there is a way to buy one, check it out for a while (weeks / months) then get something else and A/B them to hear which has a better grin factor. Send one down the road and maybe do that a few more times. We all like what we like and what sounds good to one might not to the other. To me, the older ones that seem to stay priced under there sound quality value are the HK430, 630, and 730 twins. I still see 430 twins for $100, a man can't buy a ham sammich for $100 any more. Another one is the R115 that can still be found for ~ $200. They sound great and punch harder than their weight class. It's a great journey, enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HPower Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649655729-1972-harman-kardon-930-twin-receiver-amplifier/ same seller... https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649655743-1976-harman-kardon-430-twin-receiver-amplifier/ Not sure what speaker you have, but I can say that either of these will work great with any Heritage Klipsch. Seller says shipping is not an issue, but may cost a bit if you are south of the 49th parallel. On the other hand, 750 Canadian dollars is approx. only $550usd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofers and Tweeters Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2678058519121954/?ref=search&referral_code=undefined Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofers and Tweeters Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/478000509536021/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 8 hours ago, Kraken said: the Denon PMA 1060 with TU 660 have received pretty good reviews. Great sounding and reliable gear. Very well built also. Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofers and Tweeters Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 9 hours ago, Kraken said: So I am still looking and have not found anything that is compelling There are a few threads in this forum that covers what amps and what receivers sound best with Klipsch speakers. If you haven't seen these thread on AK, they cover a lot and you might see there is a consensus on some of the offerings. https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/late-80s-early-90s-luxman-sony-denon-and-onkyo-receivers-integrated-amps.649538/ https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/best-integrateds-of-the-80s.143887/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry4841 Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 10 hours ago, Woofers and Tweeters said: Well, I have to admit that I have enjoyed this journey and wouldn't know what I like until I A/B the units to know what I don't like. To this day, I haven't found a D class, AVR type or any digital receivers or amps that I like as well as the older A B class SS equipment. The newer stuff have always sounded 'thin' or lacking, to me. Much the same thin sounding to me with class D until the TPA3255. You may want to try class A one day. Nothing thin sounding in Passlabs or Firstwatt products. Newer well designed A/B's are excellent sounding as well. To me the older A/B's sound more tubey which is not a bad thing if one likes that sound. Sound is subjective so personal preference comes into play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraken Posted December 17, 2020 Author Share Posted December 17, 2020 20 hours ago, Woofers and Tweeters said: Well, I have to admit that I have enjoyed this journey... It's a great journey, enjoy. I almost included in my earlier response that I am enjoying the search process. Trying to find the right vintage receiver, integrated amplifier, or amplifier/pre-amp is kind of like a treasure hunt. The objective is to find that hidden gem amongst all the available used stereo equipment out there. It is fun to research all these different brands, models, and technologies that have been offered through the decades to find that one piece that I think will work well for what I am trying to achieve. It isn't simply a study of the technical specifications either because there certainly is a aesthetic element to this equipment. Many older pieces were designed to have a visual interest, too. So yes, I am enjoying this process. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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