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richbB | I like fossils, I own a receiver that is one. I thought I had my electrical problems solved and I've found out that I definitely have a bad analog input. So what I've wanted to do, I now can justify. I've researched Pioneer Elite vsx-43, NAD 752, Rotel 1055 and I love them all in terms of sound and features. I know there is a serious price gap, but thats fine. Which is likely to be more reliable over a ten year period? Anyone with long term usage care to share an opinion? |
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Anonymous | I would say the pioneer would be the most reliable over 10 years but that's about it the Rotel and the NAD are both better in SQ. |
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John A. | richbB, Great question, impossible to answer. You need a post from someone who still has one of those in 2013! What was a reliable receiver over the last ten years is difficult enough to answer. Whether the same brand name will keep that reliability over the next ten is impossible to know. I will look with interest to see if anyone posts some ideas. One thing you could do is look at the manufacturer's warantee, and policy on service and parts. You might include Outlaw. Quad used to be able to service anything they ever made. Hawk has pointed out that Bryston http://www.bryston.ca/ have a 20-year transferable warrantee, on all parts and labor, but they are in a totally different price category, I think |
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Hawk | richbB: I know people with all brands of gear, including Pioneer, NAD and Rotel who have had it for more than 10 years and in some cases as much as twenty years that is still working just fine. Last week, a buddy called because his thirty year old Marantz receiver was no longer working and wondered if I knew how to fix it! I told him it was time to buy a new one. Everybody builds a pretty reliable product, regardless of what you may read here. Some of the reported products simply represent a failure of expectations and some are legitimate problems as every manufacturer has an occasional clunker. The key is not what unit is more reliable, but who stands by their product if their product is a clunker. In that regard, you may wish to look at an Outlaw separates combo. Price is not much more than a Rotel receiver, and they sound every bit as good as the Rotel, but with much more power. But the real point is that as an internet sales company, they have service second to none. If you have a problem and they can't fix it over the phone, they will have you ship it back and they will find the problem and fix it. You are dealing directly with the manufacturer here and not a dealer who may or may not have the skills to identify and fix a problem. This is very important in selecting a dealer, too. About 25 years ago, I bought a really nice Aiwa cassette deck (back when Aiwa was making great ptoducts, not the bargain bin stuff they sell now). After about a week, I had it started having dropouts when playing back tapes. I could hear it. I showed it off to friends who were unanimous that I was hosed as the dealer wouldn't find the problem. I took it back to the dealer and the technician who tackled the problem was Gayle Sanders, who is now the President and owner of Martin Logan. Gayle could hear the dropouts, but couldn't find where the problem was in the deck, but he made it right by allowing me to swap it for a new Nakamichi 480, a product I still have today. That is the service you need for these kind of products--who either find and fix the problem or swap it out for a new one. But either way, they make it right for the customer. Who you buy it from I think is every bit as important as what you buy. |