Marantz AV-9000 Pre amp and Kenwood KM-X1 amp
Jimbo18
Posts: 2,334
Is anyone on here familiar with either the Marantz AV-9000 THX Pre amp or the Kenwood KM-X1 amp? I know very little about amps, other than the integrated ones I used to own in the 70's.
I have a friend who was given both of them by his father and he's never set them up. Assuming they still work okay, are they worth buying? They just sit in a closet and he's thinking of selling. If I don't buy them he has asked me about maybe listing on CL.
By the way, I have been reading a lot of the posts on Club Polk lately and am amazed at the amount of knowledge and passion you all have for sound and the things that make it. Back in my Air Force days in the 70's, I was the go to guy when someone needed help setting up their turntbale, reel-to-reel, or pretty much any part of their system and I don't know diddly compared to even those calling themselves novices on here.
I have a friend who was given both of them by his father and he's never set them up. Assuming they still work okay, are they worth buying? They just sit in a closet and he's thinking of selling. If I don't buy them he has asked me about maybe listing on CL.
By the way, I have been reading a lot of the posts on Club Polk lately and am amazed at the amount of knowledge and passion you all have for sound and the things that make it. Back in my Air Force days in the 70's, I was the go to guy when someone needed help setting up their turntbale, reel-to-reel, or pretty much any part of their system and I don't know diddly compared to even those calling themselves novices on here.
Post edited by Jimbo18 on
Comments
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I am not trying to sell this equipment here. I just wondered if anyone is familiar with it. If not those exact items, how about Marantz and Kenwood amps and pre/pros in general from about 10 - 15 years ago? I think they are about that old.
I saw mixed reviews on line for both of them, but they are all older postings, of course. -
Those are both PRE amps. You'll still need amplifiers to hook up speakers. The Marantz is circa-2000 and the Kenwood is circa-2006. From a build-quality standpoint, Marantz wins. From a technology-advancement standpoint, the Kenwood should win. There's an entire world of information you need to have in order to make an informed opinion, but mainly, you should hook them both up to a system and see if (1) they work in all modes/dsp/inputs/outputs, (2) In that existing system configuration, which sounds better? Which can you tweak the most in order to obtain the best sound reproduction? "Worth Buying?" is a completely subjective question. Even if 1 and 2 are acceptable, are his/her asking prices worth it when compared to a new or newer unit of similar pricing that carries a warranty?
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Thanks, Shoreguy, but what I have seen online makes it look like the KM-X1 is the amp and the KC-X1 is the matching preamp.
As far as price goes, I can probably pick them up for $200-300 for the pair if they work. I just didn't know if it was worth doing or not. I don't think he has any better idea than I do what's a fair price, but he's a good friend and I didn't want to lowball him if he can get more just by listing them on craigs.
