There can be large variations in what equipment should and should not be reused, but there are some guidelines to follow:
- Generally, it is not recommended to reuse cables except for Cat cables, which are often not exposed to the same level of wear and tear as, for example, HDMI cables, as they are more hidden in the installation. In some cases, it can be very labor-intensive to replace built-in cable in older rooms, in which case it may be appropriate to test functionality and potentially retain these cables.
- It is typically useful to replace low-cost components, especially equipment that is known to have a tendency to fail. Examples of this are various small boxes for signal routing.
- Expensive boxes like Cynap have a long lifespan, and therefore should be reused. The same applies to screens/projectors that are not outdated.
- Audio components should be evaluated on a case by case basis. There is a big difference between passive speakers with accompanying amplifier and active small speakers. Here, the expected lifespan should be taken into consideration.
- As a rule of thumb, all cabling and signal routing (boxes, switchers, mixers, etc.) that can be replaced should be replaced.