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What to ask when buying used speakers?

I have purchased used components in the past and I can do this with confidence their functionality is well defined and easily verified. I am starting to look for a new set of speakers and will consider buying used. Assuming that I am doing this over distance and will not be able to inspect or demo the speakers in person, what are some good questions to ask to determine the real state of the speakers? Any red flags? Can used speakers have incurred subtle damages or wear that will affect the sound? For the sake of discussion, let's assume that they are less than five years old so we can rule out decaying surrounds and old caps, etc.

zlone

Showing 3 responses by yyzsantabarbara

yyzsantabarbara
4,528 posts
 

I had a nightmare used speaker experience with a Thiel CS3.7. It turned out to be fun in the end because I made the speaker perfect, but it took 2 months to fix it all.

1) Find out if the drivers were ever replaced. If so, by whom.

2) Are replacement drivers available to buy?

3) What amp was used to drive the speakers?

4) Is the warranty transferable?

5) Can the speakers be serviced at home or does it need to be shipped back. For, example my old Revel Salon 1 needed to be shipped back to Northridge, CA for a simple driver replacement. They said they need to re-measure the speaker after the new driver. That was done 2 times, and I will never buy a Revel again. My Thiel was messed up by the seller with a bad repair. However, there is 1 guy left providing drivers and advice on Thiel speaker repair, so I was able to do a home repair to make it perfect.

BTW - I could hear 1 issue with the speakers when I got it home. When I measured the speakers with REW software a whole can of worms opened up. The guy at this place helped me measure and pinpoint exactly the spots that had issue, phase, crossover, driver. It was a mess.

Digital Room Calibration Services, Convolvers, Headphone Filtersets (accuratesound.ca)

yyzsantabarbara
4,528 posts
 

Congrats, great choice. What gear will you be using it with?

yyzsantabarbara
4,528 posts
 

@zlone That is similar to what I use. I had the LA4 and #8. I now use the LA4 and #16. My DAC is the Schitt Yggi+ Less Is More. We have a very similar setup.

I have had 3 fibre based streamers in the house and all 3 are an easy recommendation:

  • Lumin X1
  • Sonore OpticalRendu
  • Playback Designs Streamer-IF

I think the Yggi+ is the best sounding DAC I have had but the Lumin X1 is a great all-round choice for streamer, DAC, and maybe even preamp. The Leedh volume control is almost as good as the volume on the LA4. 

 

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