Pawn shop find.

[Keith1964]

A friend of mine owns a pawn shop, and he has 2 new in box, never opened AV receivers, both from 2008-09. A Pioneer Elite SC-05, and a Sony STR-DA5400es. He said he would sell either one to me for $150. Both got super ratings, the Pioneer has the Class D ICE amps which I have never used. Which should I choose?

 

[Eppie]

Pioneer SC-05 info (PDF)
Sony STR-DS5400ES manual (PDF)
Look at the connectivity and features and see which meets your needs better. Either is pretty nice at that price.

 

[Mikado463]

Buy 'em both, sell what you don't use. With a little luck you'll zero out !

 

[Keith1964]

Buy 'em both, sell what you don't use. With a little luck you'll zero out !

I'm not buying both, once I open them, and use them to see which I like the best, the other one wont be worth as much, it will now be a opened, used unit.

 

[Mikado463]

for a total investment of $300 (peanuts), even if you sold the one you didn't want / like for a hundred bucks you're in for a net cost of $200, I'd say that's a bargain !

But whatever, your money !

 

[slipperybidness]

So, this pawn shop accepted items "new in box" without actually opening the box for inspection?

I once sold an item on ebay new in box, the seller came back and said it was new but defective. After that, I always open and inspect what I am selling (or buying), even if the condition is new in box, as "new in box" can actually be a liability if it isn't coming from an authorized dealer.

 

[panteragstk]

So, this pawn shop accepted items "new in box" without actually opening the box for inspection?

I once sold an item on ebay new in box, the seller came back and said it was new but defective. After that, I always open and inspect what I am selling (or buying), even if the condition is new in box, as "new in box" can actually be a liability if it isn't coming from an authorized dealer.

This. Who buys a brand new receiver and then takes it to a pawn shop? Much less a decade old receiver? Guess someone could have bought them and forgot about them.

And to the OP, opening them won't diminish their value, they are over a decade old. They are only worth $150 either way. If that much.

EDIT: well, with the Pioneer being what it is, I'd go that route since it has HDMI 1.3. It's an early device so it may have issues, but it might be pretty good as long as the amp side holds up. I remember those having issues.

 

[afterlife2]

I vote the Pioneer and the Sony can be a backup.

 

[panteragstk]

I vote the Pioneer and the Sony can be a backup.

Yep. The pioneer was a beast in it's day, but since it does have HDMI it would be a great backup. You could use it as a primary AVR if you don't have 4k stuff.

 

[Eppie]

Yep. The pioneer was a beast in it's day, but since it does have HDMI it would be a great backup. You could use it as a primary AVR if you don't have 4k stuff.

I checked the specs in the PDFs that I linked to above and both have HDMI ports and similar power. I think the Pioneer Elite is prettier but the Sony has a much cleaner appearance.

 

[panteragstk]

I checked the specs in the PDFs that I linked to above and both have HDMI ports and similar power. I think the Pioneer Elite is prettier but the Sony has a much cleaner appearance.

Yeah, but I've never been a fan of Sony AVRs. At least of that era anyway. Had too many issues setting them up for customers.

 

[Mikado463]

Yeah, but I've never been a fan of Sony AVRs. At least of that era anyway. Had too many issues setting them up for customers.

well at least it's an 'ES', standard Sony issue is so-so at best IMO

 

[Kleinst]

Yeah Sony ES is very good. I have some of the newer ones. I think either work. I also agree that you could easily flip one if you bought both. You might even be able to sell the loser for $200+ which means the one you keep becomes dirt cheap. Ask him if he will give you both for $250

 

[panteragstk]

well at least it's an 'ES', standard Sony issue is so-so at best IMO

True. The ES line is much better.