eBay H/K receivers Good & Bad

[DizRotus]

Ive purchased four vintage H/K receivers on eBay; two 430s, one 730 and one 630. Three of the four are gems, the 630 was a stinker. The seller refunded the purchase price, including shipping, but it cost me $35 to ship it back.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Do not buy a 630 that looks like it might be the one in the link below recycled.

HARMON KARDON 630 TWIN POWER RECIEVER AMPLIFIER

Notwithstanding the glowing description, it was junk. One of the jumpers between the pre and amp was missing. It was filthy. The channel with the jumper barely played. The jumper-less channel sounded better (when the jumper was replaced). The walnut case was a mess and held on by two bent screws. I couldnt bring myself to send it back with the case flopping, so I went to the real hardware store (wooden floors) and bought four metric machine screws to properly attach the case.

Today, two days after I put the junk 630 in the care of UPS, I received the 430 in the link below.

Harman Kardon 430 Twin-Powered AM/FM Receiver

It works and looks great. As I type, Im listening to the Monk/Coltrane Carnegie Hall lost concert CD. My Radio Shack/Fostex single driver rear horn speakers never sounded better. Next Ill try it with La Scalas.

I should've known when the 630 seller couldn't spell Harman.

Beware of anything from nwdream, especially any re-listed H/K630. On the whole my experiences with eBay have been positive, but its always a gamble.

[ranjith]

DizRotus, How are the prices like for the used H/K receivers? I find that on any H/K where the seller is willing to ship to canada, the final bid is much higher than the ones that get shipped around inside the US.

[DizRotus]

The 430s and 630 were ~$75 including shipping. The 730 was $160 including shipping. It was worth it (see eBay H/K 730 truly "Near Mint" ).

The 430s are a much better deal. There is not much practical difference between 25 wpc (430) and 40 wpc (730). The 430 will play Klipsch at ear bleed levels. To get twice the volume would take 10 x the power.

eBay sends me an email whenever one is listed (it also searches misspelled "Harmon"). Then I use EZ Sniper to automatically place a bid on those that look promising. I'm usually outbid, but you never know when you'll get lucky.

[Speedball]

630...works like new....? .....great shape.....?...liar, liar, pants on fire,

...thank's for the warning Diz.

[DizRotus]

...works like new....? .....great shape.....?

...liar, liar, pants on fire, thank's for the warning Diz.

The 630's great shape was rectangular.

[DizRotus]

DizRotus, How are the prices like for the used H/K receivers? I find that on any H/K where the seller is willing to ship to canada, the final bid is much higher than the ones that get shipped around inside the US.

Would it help if I bid on one and then shipped it to you as a gift for a friend? I could even drive to Windsor or Sarnia to post it. Send me an email if you're interested.

[ranjith]

Thats awfully nice of you Diz Rotus, but I just recently made my first Klipsch purchase and being a 2nd year student funds are hard to come by for hobbies. I'll run my Kenwood KA-4004 for now, but I'm hoping to save up for a H/K twin powered receiver sometime in the spring. Thanks a lot for the offer though, I'll keep in mind when the time comes. []

Ranjith