I have been offered some 2nd hand hi-fi seperates from a friend who is
upgrading, due to the fact i have only ever had mid price sony midi
systems, i would appreciate any advice as to wether these pieces of
equipment will provide passable quality sound performance.

NIKKO STEREO DC AMPLIFIER NA-990
ELTAX SYMPHONY 6 FLOORSTANDING SPEAKERS (150WATT)
ROTEL RCD-855 CD PLAYER
SONY PS-LX55 CD PLAYER

All offered for £200($360)

many thanks

Andy......

Andy wilson wrote:

I have been offered some 2nd hand hi-fi seperates from a friend who is
upgrading, due to the fact i have only ever had mid price sony midi
systems, i would appreciate any advice as to wether these pieces of
equipment will provide passable quality sound performance.

NIKKO STEREO DC AMPLIFIER NA-990
ELTAX SYMPHONY 6 FLOORSTANDING SPEAKERS (150WATT)

I'd pass on these two.

ROTEL RCD-855 CD PLAYER

Buy this. Maybe $100.

I have been offered some 2nd hand hi-fi seperates from a friend who is
upgrading, due to the fact i have only ever had mid price sony midi
systems, i would appreciate any advice as to wether these pieces of
equipment will provide passable quality sound performance.

NIKKO STEREO DC AMPLIFIER NA-990
ELTAX SYMPHONY 6 FLOORSTANDING SPEAKERS (150WATT)
ROTEL RCD-855 CD PLAYER
SONY PS-LX55 CD PLAYER

All offered for £200($360)

many thanks

Andy......


Can't comment on sound quality, but the last Nikko NA-990 sold on eBay UK for
5.51 British Pounds. The last pair of Eltax Symphony 6 speakers sold for 80
British Pounds. A Rotel RCD-855 is currently selling for 15 British Pounds with
8 hours left on the auction. A Sony PS-LX55 turntable on eBay US has an
opening bid of 49.99 US dollars and has no takers so far with 4 days left on a
7 day auction (it isn't worth 50 dollars).

Sounds to me like your friend's prices are a tad higher than the going prices
for these items. Which may or may not be worth it to you. You have the
benefit of seeing and hearing these pieces before buying, unlike the case of
most auctions. You probably don't have to pay for shipping either, which is a
plus.

For what it's worth, here's the suggested used value of some of these items
according to the Orion Bluebook (in US dollars):

Sony PS-LX-55 $28
Rotel RCD-855 $85
Nikko NA-890 (NA-990 not listed) $39

Orion prices are notoriously low, but you're friend's prices are relatively
high.
Make him an offer somewhat lower than his asking price, and see what he says...

Jeff

The message
from (Andy wilson) contains these words:

I have been offered some 2nd hand hi-fi seperates from a friend who is
upgrading, due to the fact i have only ever had mid price sony midi
systems, i would appreciate any advice as to wether these pieces of
equipment will provide passable quality sound performance.

NIKKO STEREO DC AMPLIFIER NA-990
ELTAX SYMPHONY 6 FLOORSTANDING SPEAKERS (150WATT)
ROTEL RCD-855 CD PLAYER
SONY PS-LX55 CD PLAYER

All offered for £200($360)

many thanks

Andy......

On the basis of my knowledge of the Rotel RCD-865 and -965 (both good CD
players, though I prefer the 865), I would go with the 855, as long as
the transport mechanism is in good working order.

(UnionPac2001)
wrote:
.....snip......

Orion prices are notoriously low, but you're friend's prices are relatively
high.
Make him an offer somewhat lower than his asking price, and see what he
says...

Jeff

Orion prices are not "low" they appear to represent the trade-in price.

wrote:



Orion prices are not "low" they appear to represent the trade-in price.

Perhaps you are correct. This is the way Orion lists their prices:

RETAIL
used: $
msrp: $
WHOLESALE
mint: $
average: $

I made the (perhaps erroneous) assumption that "RETAIL used: $" was the amount
the item would command when sold by a DEALER to a private individual, and that
"WHOLESALE mint: $, and WHOLESALE average: $" were the prices a DEALER would
pay for the items to a private person selling (or trading in) the items. I
guess I'm just confused... : (

Jeff

(UnionPac2001)
wrote:

wrote:



Orion prices are not "low" they appear to represent the trade-in price.

Perhaps you are correct. This is the way Orion lists their prices:

RETAIL
used: $
msrp: $
WHOLESALE
mint: $
average: $

I made the (perhaps erroneous) assumption that "RETAIL used: $" was the
amount
the item would command when sold by a DEALER to a private individual, and
that
"WHOLESALE mint: $, and WHOLESALE average: $" were the prices a DEALER would
pay for the items to a private person selling (or trading in) the items. I
guess I'm just confused... : (

I think you have it right. My comment was just that Orion prices aren't "low"
they just represent what you could expect in a dealer-related transaction. What
you can get from a private buyer/seller in a given deal is another issue
entirely.

By the way a few years ago I had my staff conduct a time/price analysis on
every power amplifier and cd player listed in Orion going back as far as the
listings allowed. Interestingly the trade-in prices (market value) of those
electronic products fell even more quickly than the ACRS depreciation schedules
from the IRS (within 3 years trade-in value of those products fell to 25% of
the MSRP and by 5 years had leveled off at 5-7% of MSRP. The only exceptions
were certain legacy collector products like MacIntosh power amplifiers.

When I had a store front I took trades and bought equipment, using Orion
as a guide. Although the wholesale prices are low, they were valid, gioven
that I had to check out the equipment, display it, demonstrate it, sell it
with a limited warranty, and give refunds when the occasional item turned
out to have an undisclosed intermittent problem, was not worth repairing,
and had to be tossed out. (Yes, customers sometimes put one over on a
store. All dishonesty does not reside in merchants.)
When I paid more than the Orion book prices it usually turned out to be
an error that cost me money, as shoppers have their own opinion of the value
of used items, and that value is not necessarily based on the objective
merits of the components.
As for the fast depreciation of CD players and non-collector amps that
Noussaine noted, this is proof that the Orion prices reflect the public's
demand. I found that audiophiles want the latest and greatest components,
and will not pay much for used equipment unless it has some mystique. But
the demand varies by locality. In my Saint Louis Missouri storefront I had
to sell some excellent components below what I paid until ebay gave me acces
to a wider market for components that had no local fans. Conversely a few
items turned out to have local fans, and I was able to make a substantial
profit on these items.
Individuals selling used components could possibly get Orion's retail
prices if they were willing to advertise, offer demonstrations, take the
risk of bad checks, and give 90 day warranties plus the privilege to return
for refund. The people who sold components to me at the low wholesale Orion
prices were not stupid. Generally they wanted a quick clean transaction that
did not involve inviting strangers into their homes.

Wylie Williams
The Speaker and Stereo Store



"Nousaine" wrote in message
news:YXo2c.58165$ko6.406981@attbi_s02...
(UnionPac2001)
wrote:

wrote:



Orion prices are not "low" they appear to represent the trade-in price.

Perhaps you are correct. This is the way Orion lists their prices:

RETAIL
used: $
msrp: $
WHOLESALE
mint: $
average: $

I made the (perhaps erroneous) assumption that "RETAIL used: $" was the
amount
the item would command when sold by a DEALER to a private individual, and
that
"WHOLESALE mint: $, and WHOLESALE average: $" were the prices a DEALER
would
pay for the items to a private person selling (or trading in) the items.
I
guess I'm just confused... : (

I think you have it right. My comment was just that Orion prices aren't
"low"
they just represent what you could expect in a dealer-related transaction.
What
you can get from a private buyer/seller in a given deal is another issue
entirely.

By the way a few years ago I had my staff conduct a time/price analysis on
every power amplifier and cd player listed in Orion going back as far as
the
listings allowed. Interestingly the trade-in prices (market value) of
those
electronic products fell even more quickly than the ACRS depreciation
schedules
from the IRS (within 3 years trade-in value of those products fell to 25%
of
the MSRP and by 5 years had leveled off at 5-7% of MSRP. The only
exceptions
were certain legacy collector products like MacIntosh power amplifiers.

(Nousaine) wrote:

I think you have it right. My comment was just that Orion prices aren't "low"
they just represent what you could expect in a dealer-related transaction.
What
you can get from a private buyer/seller in a given deal is another issue
entirely.

It was MY mistake in not being more clear in my comment that "Orion Blue book
prices are notoriously low". I meant they were low in relation to what prices
most items can garner when sold on venues such as eBay. Sorry about the
misunderstanding. IMHO, anyone these days would have to be nuts to trade in or
sell used equipment to a dealer, when so much more profit can be had via eBay.

By the way a few years ago I had my staff conduct a time/price analysis on
every power amplifier and cd player listed in Orion going back as far as the
listings allowed. Interestingly the trade-in prices (market value) of those
electronic products fell even more quickly than the ACRS depreciation
schedules
from the IRS (within 3 years trade-in value of those products fell to 25% of
the MSRP and by 5 years had leveled off at 5-7% of MSRP. The only exceptions
were certain legacy collector products like MacIntosh power amplifiers.


An interesting finding, although not unexpected...

Jeff

Regarding the statement "IMHO, anyone these days would have to be nuts to
trade in or
sell used equipment to a dealer, when so much more profit can be had via
eBay."

Well, maybe some people would have to be nuts to do that, but in my
store experience I have found that many people just want to get rid of old
components with minimal effort. They may be nuts, but they are financially
independent nuts who deem the few dollars from the sale not worth the
effort. I seen and heard of many reports of home installers in a home to
install a new home theater being given old stereo and home theater
components by homeowners who just want the old stuff out of the house.
Right now I am using a 32 inch Sony TV that was discarded by a customer
because only the S-video inputs worked. Rather than repair it he bought an
new 40 inch XBR and asked us to dispose of the old set.

Wylie Williams
The Speaker and Stereo Store

Wylie Williams" wrote:



Regarding the statement "IMHO, anyone these days would have to be nuts to
trade in or
sell used equipment to a dealer, when so much more profit can be had via
eBay."

Well, maybe some people would have to be nuts to do that, but in my
store experience I have found that many people just want to get rid of old
components with minimal effort. They may be nuts, but they are financially
independent nuts who deem the few dollars from the sale not worth the
effort. I seen and heard of many reports of home installers in a home to
install a new home theater being given old stereo and home theater
components by homeowners who just want the old stuff out of the house.
Right now I am using a 32 inch Sony TV that was discarded by a customer
because only the S-video inputs worked. Rather than repair it he bought an
new 40 inch XBR and asked us to dispose of the old set.


Point taken. Perhaps there is a bit of laziness involved, in addition to being
"financially independent". If money isn't the object, I would personally
rather donate working components to charity. But to each his own.

Jeff

The answer depends on your opinion of the sound. If you have heard
this equipment, and you really like it - and can live with it, then
buy it.

(UnionPac2001) wrote in message ...
Wylie Williams" wrote:



Regarding the statement "IMHO, anyone these days would have to be nuts to
trade in or
sell used equipment to a dealer, when so much more profit can be had via
eBay."

Well, maybe some people would have to be nuts to do that, but in my
store experience I have found that many people just want to get rid of old
components with minimal effort. They may be nuts, but they are financially
independent nuts who deem the few dollars from the sale not worth the
effort. I seen and heard of many reports of home installers in a home to
install a new home theater being given old stereo and home theater
components by homeowners who just want the old stuff out of the house.
Right now I am using a 32 inch Sony TV that was discarded by a customer
because only the S-video inputs worked. Rather than repair it he bought an
new 40 inch XBR and asked us to dispose of the old set.


Point taken. Perhaps there is a bit of laziness involved, in addition to being
"financially independent". If money isn't the object, I would personally
rather donate working components to charity. But to each his own.

Jeff