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Old school gear, what to do and what's it worth? (1 Viewer)

VTX1800N1

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Dec 15, 2009
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Will
Ok, I need some advice. I am new to this forum, so please excuse any etiquette mistakes I might make.

Back in 1997, I bought a Yamaha DSP A-3090 and have been using it ever since. Unfortunately, I didn't know what good audio equipment was back then (other than the A-3090, which I still think was a good choice) and I paired it with a Bose Acoustimass 5.1 speaker system. Over the years, I've missed out on a lot of what the A-3090 has to offer because of the low quality Bose speakers. I've replaced the 2 main front Bose speakers with Polk RTi-12s, which are planned to eventually become surrounds when I can afford to upgrade the rest of the speakers.

A few years ago, a doctor my wife worked for decided he wanted to move out West, and didn't want to try to pack all of his stuff or sell it. So, he gave us a lot of it- including some audio gear. I didn't even really look at it, I just put it in my closet and it's been sitting there ever since. I just got it out today and did some research on the internet and found that it's actually some high end old school stuff.

I have a Yamaha CX-1000 preamp and MX-1000 amplifier. I was pretty surprised to see that this is some very nice, if older, gear. The only problem is that two of the three displays on the MX no longer light up. I found suggestions that said this is likely due to old capacitors in the inverter circuit for the fluorescent display failing. So, I plan to take it to an electronics/HT repair shop and get it fixed.

Now, as far as what I plan to do.... I think I am going to retire the A-3090. It is no longer relevant for today's home theater, as at best it will process Dolby Digital (back when it was new, known as AC-3) through coaxial or digital optical inputs. There is no HDMI, as that specification did not exist back in 1997. My grandmother had her stereo quit on her a few years ago, so I think I am going to give my A-3090 to her.

In order to replace it, I need a receiver. I am looking at the Yamaha RX-V863BL. It's on Amazon for ~$500. It's not the latest and greatest like the A-3090 was when I bought it, but it will work and do exactly what I need it to do- that is HT processing with multiple HDMI inputs for Blu-ray, Cable, and X-Box 360.

I also want to use the MX-1000. At 260W per channel, I can use it in Bi-Amp mode on my current RTi-12s, and on a future pair of A9's. That will be plenty of power for the mains, while using the remaining power of the RX-V863BL to drive the rest of a 7.1 system.

That leaves the CX-1000 unused. What is this worth today, or is it worth anything without the MX-1000? I would use the CX-1000 if it did what the RX-V863BL does for HT. I want to sell it, but have no idea what I should ask. Suggestions?

Thoughts about my plans for switching around components?
 

cf525

Second Unit
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
342
I don't know too much about this stuff myself, but after digging around a little, I found someone selling an MX-1000 and CX-1000 as a pair for $950 in September 2009. I also found a post from a guy who took his CX-1000 in to an audio shop in 2001 and they said it was worth $500 separately. I found this about the CX-1000 too: http://www.thevintageknob.org/YAMAHA/CX10000/CX10000.html - apparently they're very rare and only a certain number were made for the centennial. Looks like they may have retailed for $3-4k in the 1970s. I also found another listing from Ottawa where someone was selling for $250 without the original remote. It doesn't look like there are any on eBay right now to compare price points but that's another good place to keep an eye on to see if anyone else has one and what it ends up going for.
 

VTX1800N1

Auditioning
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Dec 15, 2009
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2
Real Name
Will
That's the 10,000, a rare piece. I have the CX-1000. Still good, but not so rare.
 

Ed Moxley

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 25, 2003
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2,701
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Eastern NC
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Ed
Best places to find out the worth of something, is at Audiogon: http://www.audiogon.com/
or see what they're selling for on eBay. When you sell or pawn something to a pawn shop, if they aren't sure how much it's worth, they check eBay.
Anything is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
 

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