Older Yamaha Receivers

What do you all think of older (early 1990's) high end Yamaha receivers like the RX-V870 and RX-V1070 for use a a 2 channel stereo? I'm looking for a 2 channel receiver to deliver crisp, clear sound to by B&W bookshelf speakers in my bedroom and I see older higher end Yamaha units for sale on classifieds sites so I'm wondering if it would be a good match for my Denon Cd player and B&W bookshelf speakers?

I know I can go out and buy a basic two channel receiver for $150,but I have a feeling it won't be as good of quality as one made 16 years ago. I'm thinking, why not have an older Cadillac for the same price as a new Chevrolet to make a comparison. Is $150 a fair price for an older high end Yamaha unit like the RX-V870 or RX-V1070?

 

Many of these are highly regarded by many.

 

I have a newer Yamaha 2 channel that I'm trying to sell. It's a monster.

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=200028&CTID=5000600

 

Yamaha was my first experience with different sounding gear, and not understanding why. My first Yamaha purchase was an RX-530 receiver paired with Klipsch KG4.2's and I liked the sound a lot. At a later date I then upgraded to the RX-V660. Hey, what happened? My system suddenly sounded bad and I didn't like it. All I know is I wanted my 530 back because it sounded WAY better to me but it was too late. I tried and tried but couldn't get a decent sound out of the V660. I learned to hate it and stopped listening to music. Seriously, I'd go months without turning that sucker on. I wanted to, but just dreaded the sound that was to be emitted. When you're poor and you make a mistake like this, you're just kinda screwed. I'm not familiar with the models you inquired about. But, if they're anything like the V660 I had, I would pass. Get a straight RX series if you want a Yammy receiver. I still think about that 530 from time to time. All IMHO.

 

That looks pretty damn good.

 

I use a RX-V590 from 1995 in my second system. It's a Prologic receiver as opposed to standard stereo, but it does not have digital inputs.

It's one of my oldest pieces of gear, I just can't get rid of it. It's not the last word in HiFi, but it does have a nice, comfortable sound that goes well with a variety of speakers.

 

Here's my baby...



Man, I remember buying this for like $300 back in 1990 and that was so much money for me. Good Lord! Well, I didn't make any more than 12K in 1 year up to 2000.

It really sucked being poor...

 

Ctiger2: That receiver looks clean and classy. The RX-V660 was made in 1992. I hope it's not like the RX-V870. I think someone should compile a compatibility chart listing which receivers are matched best with different speakers.

 

Yea, the 530 was pretty simple straight forward. I'm not sure if all the V models are the same sounding as the V660 that I had. If you just want a straight ahead Yamaha Receiver I'd stick with the plain RX series. They incorporated multi-channel DTS and video related stuff into the V series which I think affected the amp sound. At least it did on the one I had. I think you can get the RX series for dirt cheap anyhow. Worth the risk.

 

I thought you meant older Yamaha receivers: http://www.thevintageknob.org/YAMAHA/CR3020/CR3020.html

 

How about an older NAD receiver? My friend has told me that they sound really good with B&W speakers.

- Sushimaster

 

AUDIO PORN!!! Isn't that just beautiful. In the next line (xx40), only the top 1 model had real wood. And they never made anything this big again. They go for almost a grand used now, and you'll still want to drop $500 to realign and replace most of the old caps.

 

That one looks mighty fine. I think the OP asked for older early 90's versions though...

 

The Yamaha receivers in the 80's were some of the best ever made. Their "Natural Sound" line was incredible. If I was you, I'd look for a clean vintage one from this period.

 

Some of the older ones, late 70s, maybe early 80s had the option of running the Amp in Class A. A friend of mine had one and with his Large Advents I could not tell much of a difference. The Class A option lowered output but in theory should sound better.

I liked it in either mode. I think it also had a variable loudness boost, in the lower frequencies which was a nice touch compared to the usual loudness switch, either on or off, most of the competition employed. Nice stuff!

 

You're probably right about vintage being better but I do want a remote control ability and the vintage ones don't offer that.

When I look at classified ads online, I don't see many 1980's to early 1990's receivers. I see a lot of 8 year old and newer receivers and quite a few vintage ones but 1985-1995 seems rare as far as ads are concerned.

 

I have a RX V990 from the mid 90's. Not using it right now, but am going to put it into second system soon. Great value as this one sold for about $1000.00 new. 100 watts RMS/channel stereo, sub in, remote. Solid gear.

 

I still have the RX-V480 from about '94, and now I'm using an RX-V1000 in my home office bought back in 2000 that I use for needle-drops. Heavy suckers, both.

 

I have a Yamaha Natural Sound A1020 from 1985 125 watts per channel is this a good one? With JBL studio monitors from 1977 any thoughts?

 

Good stuff. You may want to open her up and give the switches and pots a good Deoxit bath, and blast all the dust with compressed air. You'll hear a difference, believe me. But yeah, that's a real nice box and should sound swell with the JBL's.

 

I have an RX V890 and it certainly sounds better than my new RX V663 for two channel uses. My brother has an RX-V870 that powered inefficient NHTs for years before he replaced it this year with a Rx v1800. I think either of these two would sound a lot better than a new $150 2 channel receiver. If they are worth $150 now is just something you have to answer.

 

When I saw the thread title I thought it was referring to my CR-2040 (circa 1979). At a minimum, they never got better looking.

 

For years I had this baby hooked up to a pair of Klipsch Fortes. Gotta love those analog wattage meters! It was magnificent until I decided to try to rewire a new a volume pot on my own and ruined the unit.

Now what ever became of the Dolby FM adaptor that was supposed to be built for these?

http://www.classicaudio.com/forsale/yam/CR2020.jpg

 

I had a Yamaha turntable in the '70s, the YP-D8. Wish I'd kept it.