High end AV receivers, worst investment in audio?

The OP is right, TOTL AVRs have very high depreciation. But as has been mentioned, the value is in the use, not the resale. If you plan to flip often to keep up with all of the latest tech it will cost a lot. Generally people who do that can afford it and don't worry about it so it is no crime. You just have to decide if the hit is worth it for you.

You don't take a loss until you sell it and many people have made they excellent point that you can often keep up without changing everything or just live with the fact you don't have the very latest and enjoy what you have.

I also agree with those who say take advantage of people who do that and pick up nearly latest tech for a fraction of the original price. The latest Yamaha RX-A1070 retails for $1699 with a sell price of $1599 up here. I have already gotten over a year's worth of enjoyment out of my RX-A1020 that I picked up in nearly mint shape, scratched remote, for $250. Sure the new one no doubt has some upgrades but I am 100% happy with this one and I can probably update it a few times over the next few years before I will have spent anything like the price of a new one and my loss on reselling the old ones will be modest. Every gets to chose what they want to do, I am comfortable with this way of doing things. Despite, or maybe because of, having worked in audio for years including the years that saw the birth of HT, I do not feel the need to have the very latest at any price.

Oh, and consumer audio is NOT an investment. It is a luxury good, at least WRT to TOTL units of any kind.
 
The OP is right, TOTL AVRs have very high depreciation. But as has been mentioned, the value is in the use, not the resale. If you plan to flip often to keep up with all of the latest tech it will cost a lot. Generally people who do that can afford it and don't worry about it so it is no crime. You just have to decide if the hit is worth it for you.

You don't take a loss until you sell it and many people have made they excellent point that you can often keep up without changing everything or just live with the fact you don't have the very latest and enjoy what you have.

I also agree with those who say take advantage of people who do that and pick up nearly latest tech for a fraction of the original price. The latest Yamaha RX-A1070 retails for $1699 with a sell price of $1599 up here. I have already gotten over a year's worth of enjoyment out of my RX-A1020 that I picked up in nearly mint shape, scratched remote, for $250. Sure the new one no doubt has some upgrades but I am 100% happy with this one and I can probably update it a few times over the next few years before I will have spent anything like the price of a new one and my loss on reselling the old ones will be modest. Every gets to chose what they want to do, I am comfortable with this way of doing things. Despite, or maybe because of, having worked in audio for years including the years that saw the birth of HT, I do not feel the need to have the very latest at any price.

Oh, and consumer audio is NOT an investment. It is a luxury good, at least WRT to TOTL units of any kind.

It's very much the same with any cutting edge tech. Get the new iPhone on release day and you're paying a premium, same as the latest, greatest AV receiver. I'm much more frugal than that and can't see paying a large premium just to say I've got the latest tech but there are quite a few people who enjoy doing just that and more power to them.
If you are patient and don't absolutely need the cutting edge you can get great deals. When it comes to anything but the latest AV gear, the great deals are more like incredible steals.
 
................... I came to the conclusion that those TOTL AV receivers have to be one of the worst investsments in Audio. Especially when your done with them and want to sell them.

What do you guys/gals think?

From what I've seen, I agree. Great news for those who like buying secondhand equipment.

My mind always races forward though. Once upon a time people couldn't give away their tube amps and record collections.....much hit the trash. Then later on Quadraphonic receivers became a laughing stock and you couldn't give those away. Now look at them....

Wonder if there will be a renewed interest in those HT receivers 20-30 years down the road?
 
Wonder if there will be a renewed interest in those HT receivers 20-30 years down the road?

My bet would be no. Home theater equipment technology seems to be advancing all the time. There will probably be people who appreciate antiquated HT gear in 30 years, about the same amount who love their black and white TV's now.
 
Wonder if there will be a renewed interest in those HT receivers 20-30 years down the road?

Hard to say, but I doubt it.

As a bit of an anecdote, when my brother was trying to sell his Anthem processor as a HT processor it languished. I suggested he change the strategy away from HT since that was about when HDMI was really ramping up. Instead, I suggested he play up the digital audio features and specs as the heart of a digital-centric system. It sold almost right way, and at a higher price than he had been asking as a HT pre/pro.
 
My bet would be no. Home theater equipment technology seems to be advancing all the time. There will probably be people who appreciate antiquated HT gear in 30 years, about the same amount who love their black and white TV's now.

All tech is advancing all the time. I have not seen that slow down interest in tube and SS receivers of various vintages.

My guess is it will follow the same curve I see for audio, cars, etc. New-----then used-------then low interest/value-----then value and interest increase as it passes the 25 year mark. It isn't so much what it is...... its who owned it new and want to relive those days.

............ I just went out in the family room and Natalie and Amy are streaming a movie on Netflix, watching on the Panasonic plasma, and listening through the vintage 1992 Kenwood KRV 9030 HT receiver....
 
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The A/V receivers pack a lot of hardware into a small space; even with cooling fans, heat seems to take its toll rather quickly on the A/V receivers in general -- and on certain brands in particular. I don't follow really closely, but I recall readin that Onkyo (IIRC), e.g., is/was notorious for short lifespans due to heat.
 
The A/V receivers pack a lot of hardware into a small space; even with cooling fans, heat seems to take its toll rather quickly on the A/V receivers in general -- and on certain brands in particular. I don't follow really closely, but I recall readin that Onkyo (IIRC), e.g., is/was notorious for short lifespans due to heat.

They had lots of problems with HDMI and maybe some of the networking functions for a while there. I think they did some sort of extended warranty or recall on some.
 
As long as you get something with analog in and preouts you'll be able to find a way to adapt to changing standards.

Finding an AVR without HDMI issues... Good luck with that. I like home theater and I have a 5.1 system but honestly if I'd known what a constant headache it all was I wouldn't have bothered. Atmos? Not going to bother with it.
 
I picked up a Denon AVR-4806CI for a hundred not too long ago. It is beautifully made and really gives the feeling of living the good life. It had MSRP and street price of $4,000 when it was released. Judging by the "Official Denon AVR-4806CI" thread at another site, it was eagerly received and many paid full price. Today, the 4806CI still gets $300 at the auction site so there is still some value left. Sitting next to the 4806CI is the equally high end Toshiba SD-9200 which had MSRP of $1995 but streeted for about half that. Both are obsolete today but are perfectly capable for stereo duty. In fact, the Toshiba sounds great doing CD duty.

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@matteos

Constant headache? Care to elaborate?

Just curious because it is rare for me to have to mess with anything other than pressing the power switch, volume, or source selection.
 
And most were not, yet still have those who want them and are willing to pay.

TOTL gear from that era is still desirable because it outperforms much of what is commercially available today. The stuff that didn't is still cool, think of a '69 Dodge Dart. It was every-man's beater back then, now a "classic". Pretty much everything from the golden age of Hi Fi appeals to someone. If there is such a thing as the golden age of AV, that stuff will likely have it's collectors.
 
I deal with recycler salvage.

HT is insane.

I’ll bet I scrapped $100000.00 MSRP worth of stuff last year. Either dead or messed up and worthless (not worth fixing even if you could)

Most working flips for $25-$100 with an occasional jewel TOTL or early vintage high end pushing into the $150+ range.

Now the totally rediculous waste of a LOT of money is whole home systems. Crestron crap and AMX and ??? Network AV servers and AV over LAN. Custom programmed and installed.

OMFG is that crap worthless.
Most of that I just chop for metal salvage.
$20000-$30000-$40000+ systems.

People that buy that crap are just too frickin rich and totally asinine.

Hell, I have remotes with built in iPads.
I think the remotes were $1300!

Just frickin burning the money.
 
Maybe I am just an old fool, but the source material going into all this high class AV, isn't even worth turning on in the first place. How many cars can you watch flipping across a bridge or blowing up.
Clearly, you're watching the wrong films. There is so much better out there than 1970's B-grade action movies and 2000+ Hollyweird superhero CGI-fest blockbusters.
 
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