In my 3 years getting back into this hobby I have purchased 3 pairs of used speakers without listening to them prior. I did spend many hours doing research reading reviews, forums, magazines and word of mouth. Fritz Rev 5 SE, Goldenear Triton 2 and Ohm Walsh Tall 2000 all on Audiogon from sellers with good reviews. Why used? All of my speakers were below 50%+ off msrp, less than 5 years old, stated in very good condition. If I didn’t like them or didn’t stick with the hobby (unlikely) I could resell them without much financial loss. You do have to be risk adverse and accepting of some imperfections and in some cases do some minor fixes/ mods. My Goldenear Triton’s had one of its built in subwoofer amps stop working. Goldenear has superb customer service and swapped my amp out. I had to do the install but took an easy 10 minutes. My Ohm’s arrived with veneer peeling back at the seams and black paint wearing through exposing high wood grain. Glue, clamps and some dye and they look great. Fritz were mint. Love all 3 and none had driver or cabinet issues and sound excellent. But it is a risk you have to be comfortable with.
Buying Used Speakers
Want to get the group's thoughts on buying used speakers. The value proposition in many cases is compelling. However, there is a pretty good element of risk as well, even from reputable Audiogon sellers. What exactly does, "completely tested mean?" Or "performs flawlessly?" You don't in most cases get a warranty for starters and you're at the complete mercy of the adds and pics. Some of the sellers are broker dealers (with stellar reputations), so do they even know how they were treated? Prob not. Let's face it - the vast majority of condition ratings are based on the cosmetics IMHO.
Has anybody bought expensive speakers on AG or elsewhere? What questions did you ask the seller to help ensure they're as sonically good as cosmetically? Did you test them yourselves once you received them? Any good lessons learned would be much appreciated as well. I know for starters to get a complete description of how they're going to ship them. Thanks in advance!