[Hallicrafters] re SX-88 pricing

[Rod]

Just a comment....

When it comes to collecting "vintage" receivers is a bit like collecting 
vintage cars.
First, they don't make 'em anymore, Second not many were made, and Third, 
They are just plain neat!

Have an acuaintance who collects Studebakers, gads he pays $1000's for a 
clunker.  They ride terrible,
get very poor gas mileage, are totally unreliable, BUT they "look cool", 
it's worth it to him.  It's his money,
so......

I am sure there are "purists" who demand stellar performance from anything 
they own, or want nothing but
pristine condition of all their possessions, but they have to realize they 
are a very small minority..

Rod
K0EQH

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Todd, KA1KAQ" <ka1kaq at gmail.com>
To: "Bill Kirkland" <kirklandb at sympatico.ca>
Cc: <hallicrafters at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 9:27 AM
Subject: Re: [Hallicrafters] re SX-88 pricing


> On Thu, Feb 5, 2009 at 9:29 AM, Bill Kirkland <kirklandb at sympatico.ca> 
> wrote:
>> I might add, is it really worth the price? What I mean by that is, aside
>> from being rare, does it's performance justify a reasonable portion of 
>> the
>> cost ?  I.e. I would hate to pay over 1K for a
>> receiver with mediocre performance.
>
> *In my opinin* Bill - no. They are nice receivers to be sure, very
> well made with some catchy twists and turns, and they do perform well
> provided they have been well-maintained and are up to spec. But you
> have to ask yourself why you want it and go from there. Other
> receivers like the R-390 series work much better other than not having
> push-pull audio output and cost a fraction of the SX-88. So, does the
> SX-88 perform say  -$5K worth or more? Not in my book. But I'm more a
> user than a 'gotta have one' collector. Maybe if I spent more time
> just looking at them?
>
> A good friend bought his 88 a few years back during the big feeding
> frenzy for $7K, when dogs were bringing $2K. While he does like it,
> his comments on aligning it made me cringe. And if he had it to do
> over again, he says he'd not do it. We both agree that it's maybe a
> $1K receiver or so from a performance and enjoyment-through-use
> viewpoint. Obviously there are others who feel differently and will or
> have spent far more to be able to say they have one. He seldom uses
> his, preferring the NC-400 or 75A-4 on the air. Since the SX-88 is
> more in the vein of an entertainment receiver, I'm happy with the
> performance and cost of my old SX-28A and Hammarlund Super Pro 100.
> The push-pull output sounds great driving a 12" floor speaker and both
> are well made and attractive.
>
> Someone is bound to jump in and explain the higher price value to them
> for the historical and collectible aspects. The opportunity to own a
> fairly rare piece of history is worth a lot to some, even if they
> never turn the set on. In the end, it's of course your call as to what
> the set is worth to you.
>
> 73, Todd  KA1KAQ/4
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