CR-1020 vs CR-2020 purchase considerations

leftoverz

New Member
Hey there everyone, I've lurked around here for years but never posted. I know versions of this question have probably been asked over the years, but I thought I'd get the most current view on this, given how much the vintage market has changed recently.

Here's my situation: I've never owned a Yamaha. After swapping in and out of a bunch of different gear over the years, I've finally settled on a main system built around a Pioneer SX-1250 that has been totally redone and sounds amazing. I now want to build a new vintage system for my office and have decided to give one of these two Yamaha models a try.

Right off the bat, I know I don't really need the 2020's power for what I'm using it for (the 1020 is probably overkill too), but I'm wondering if the 2020 is a better long term investment if I want to sell it at some point. I've got a guy who has both models (he's the original owner of the 1020, and only the second owner of the 2020). Both have been cleaned over the years and generally taken care of, but neither has been recapped or had any major work done. Both still work perfectly and look good other than normal wear and tear on the case. I don't know if the power switch work has been done on the 2020, but will try to find out.

I can get the 1020 for $180 or the 2020 for somewhere between $400-$450. I plan to listen to a fair amount of vinyl on it (I have a job where I sit and read a lot), and the moving coil option on the 2020 has some attraction to me, but I can easily live with MM only. I guess my basic question is this: Even though I know the 1020 will be perfectly adequate for my needs, should I seriously consider the 2020 more for its investment potential? Or at these prices (which I think are fair, but by no means steals) is it basically a wash?

Thanks everyone.
 
Top of the line models like the 2020 (3020 is so rare) tend to increase their value more. Look at sold listings on eBay, I think either is close to fair market prices. I would get the 1020 (I already have both) simply because it fits your needs. Investments can go either way and future values are pure speculation.
And welcome to AK.
 
The premium for the CR-2020 is too high to justify the additional wattage IMO.
 
I would tend to agree the the previous commenters. The units seem to be in comparable condition, and the 2020 is about 2-1/2 times the price of the 1020 but there's no way it would offer you 2-1/2 times the utility or enjoyment of the 1020. In fact, given your application it's likely the two would sound nearly identical.

Investments not only are risky, but they also involve opportunity cost: The approx. $250 you'll save by buying the 1020 can be put to good use in other ways.
 
Seems like the consensus aligns with the way I was leaning. Thanks for the gut check, everyone. I've found so much good info on AK over the years, I can't believe I never joined until now.
 
If your looking for investments. Stick with gold or silver.
Or Bitcoin...

These models are quite failure-prone, so if you're not a tech, or don't want to spend the money (100s) to get them repaired, definitely keep away.
 
To elaborate on Chits.
If you cannot repair them yourself and you want to sell them later on and you think of it as of money return then I would recommend to stay away from these receivers or any vintage stuff really.
I see them failing pretty soon. Transistors on power supply, relay (pins and contacts), dirty pots and switches even if clean now, tantalum capacitors...
Most people say they sound the same just the power difference. 1020 a bit more reliable due to less overheating.
There are some colder running vintage brands therefore more reliable.
 
Consider CR-2040. Looks are not for everyone but it is the best sounding. It runs a lot cooler than the CR-2020 and sounds better than the rather dull CR-3020. IMO.
 
Consider CR-2040. Looks are not for everyone but it is the best sounding. It runs a lot cooler than the CR-2020 and sounds better than the rather dull CR-3020. IMO.
If I were in the market for and Yamaha receiver. The 2040 would be my first selection as well.
 
Seems like the consensus aligns with the way I was leaning. Thanks for the gut check, everyone. I've found so much good info on AK over the years, I can't believe I never joined until now.

Welcome aboard, get involved, and ENJOY!

I'm currently restoring a 1020 (w/the help of many fine AK subscribers), I would suggest holding-off on either of these models given your stated application, unless you intend to restore OR, pay someone to restore, as they will likely need it very soon - as many others in this thread have indicated. And while many in this forum have far greater foundation to comment on overall design, IMHO, I believe there are serious design flaws, increasing restoration difficulty and cost.

With that said, I can really appreciate the attraction to run something different than your accustomed to, it's kind of the reason I ended-up with the 1020 (and because I didn't do my homework prior to the purchase!), but I would "echo" Avionics comments and if interested in the Yami's, go with a 1040, or, if you have to stay with the 1020/2020 series, buy one that has already been properly restored, again, unless you intend to restore it yourself, as either will need it very very soon.
 
Thanks for all of the input. Just to circle back on this thread. It turned out that the guy ended up getting a great offer for the 2020 and sold it before I had a chance to look at it. But he had two 1020s, one of which he had just had serviced about nine months ago. He felt kind of bad selling the 2020 out from under me and offered to sell me the recently serviced 1020 for the same price as the other one I was considering. So that's what I went ahead and got. I've set it up in my office with my Polk Monitor 7Bs, and I couldn't be happier. It sounds fantastic (and has elicited quite a few comments from my coworkers). It hasn't been completely rebuilt, but it was serviced recently and sounds good, so I'm pretty happy with it.
 
Win win story.. 1020 won't run as hot around the power supply like the 2020 can.
 
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