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So you spent at minimum 3k to 7k total for three FW900 monitors over the past year? Are they all in good condition? I've thought about trying to pick up an FW900 to replace the unit I sold back in 2009
, but I can't stomach the costs for what amounts to a very old monitor. I offered 2500 for a NIB unit recently but was beat out by someone who paid 10k.Umm yeah something like that. Two were mint and one was in fairly rough shape. Kept one.So you spent at minimum 3k to 7k total for three FW900 monitors over the past year? Are they all in good condition? I've thought about trying to pick up an FW900 to replace the unit I sold back in 2009
Yes. The unit I refer to was purchased for 10k. I confirmed it after the sale with the owner. Why would I make something like that up? I imagine we are all grown ups here.
I didn’t say you made anything up, rather I imagined the listing ended with the final offer not being known.
Understood, but I wouldn't have made the statement were I not certain what it sold for. That said, let's move on.
I assume the seller sent you proof? Or you took their word… I mean I believe it I guess, I’ve seen crazier things.
The unit sold on Ebay. After the sale I contacted the seller and offered 2500 should the buyer back out. He never contacted me so I can only assume the sale went through. Of course, he's not going to send some random bidder on EBay final proof of sale. Why would he if he's made his money. Of course, it's possible the buyer backed out but were that the case the unit would have been relisted or he would have contacted someone like me with money in hand ready to purchase. That said, I never heard from him again.
I’m just saying he could have received an 8k offer or something, took it then told you it sold at full price. People are full of pride that way.
Yeah...original retail of 2.5k was as far as I was willing to go. Beyond that it was too much to justify on my part. Any more would have stripped me of any joy of ownership since I had intent to keep rather than resale for more. Here's the original thread: https://hardforum.com/threads/sony-gdm-fw900-crt-monitor-brand-new-in-box.2019054/
I know some guys that can drop 10k like it's nothing on something they really want. Yet, even with money to burn I'd have a difficult time dropping 10k on an old monitor that can quit on you at any moment with no recourse or hope of repair. Even Vito has said that the last of the spare parts were purchased by his firm back in 2009 or something close to that. I think he managed to restore a few units from the random spare parts he'd bought out of Mexico. I must admit the site of that NIB behemoth and the "new" smell combined with the feeling of being the first to power it on in a forever home would have been hard to resist.
Most of the shadow mask units I have are treated with darker anti glare covering. Viewsonic, Cornerstone etc.
Even if the tube is "better" than an average Trintron in that regard, you'd be reducing it's lifespan by running it bright enough to compete with sunlight. It would just be a poor experience, except for the motion clarity. Contrast would be like a bad TN panel because of all the ambient light getting into the glass.
The used lightbulb analogy is a good one. Like tungsten filaments, those phosphors in the screen only have so much life in them. It's why I've given up entirely on CRTs and gotten a pair of Dell 2007FP monitors for my retro needs. Sure, CCFLs have a finite life too, but they are much easier to replace than an entire picture tube. For anything widescreen I'll have a pair of 16:10 displays I can use for that once I upgrade. As for the Dells, they're actually 4:3 (as well as 1600x1200) and good enough for my occasional use case.
None. As Enhanced says, you'll be running it into the ground and you'll still lose if you try to compete with bright light. If you can orient the monitor so the light isn't hitting it directly a monitor hood should help.
My experience with CRTs that haven't been abused or seen heavy usage is that the power section has some failing first. I've almost always ran them at lower brightness and contrast though. I still prefer them but I understand disinterest from others.
4000 EUR. There was a 2000 EUR one but that was 1300 miles away and used. The 4K offer was up for ages, 1,5 years, but it was pickup only. If you offer shipping you might sell it faster
That is one nice unit and I totally understand your need to get some idea of what this unit might be worth. This thread is a proper place for your questions and I don't think you are crossing any lines of self promotion. Heck, this is the most active and oldest thread on the internet for the FW900. If this is not the place to discus such things, where is? Good luck!
Capacitors don't worry me. It's the other non sourced parts that are no longer made that would. Heck, they might as well be called "Unobtanium" at this point."Anyone with a better expertise in electronics, particularly capacitors, what do you think will last longer? This one, that was used ocassionally here and there in room temperature, or a NIB one that is 20 years without charge, stored god knows where?"
Your unit looks beautifully preserved, but NIB. That unused, at all, tube, fresh silicon, and new monitor scent...
(And someone who can afford a NIB at this point can probably afford to replace the capacitors if that turns out to be a thing.)
Sure you can still source parts from used or broken units being sold on the internet, but that's still an unreliable assurance for someone spending thousands on a monitor.Regular calibration probably extends the life of the monitors. And honestly I haven't heard from him in a few years so I have no idea what he's up to.
I nearly bought a FW900 for £300 on eBay back in the early/mid noughties. But because it was a little too far away I bought a 1080p 60hz TN LCD for around £150-£200 I think. That monitor was a dog and I had it for ages. If I had known how bad it would be I would've definitely gone for the FW900.
The difference is that a CRT has good motion clarity at 60hz. Whereas on that OLED, you have to run it at 480fps
