would it be a huge mistake?

I recently bought a pair of Gen Vs that had all the drivers replaced from the midbass up. They are fantastic speakers, which are now available for unreal prices. I am in the process of trying to hunt around for a set of spare drivers, just in case.

I bought a Gen 750 for a center channel for $500 (Audiogon) and am quite happy. I also bought a Threshold T200, so I'm not exactly afraid of buying used equipment from companies no longer in business, as long as you can identify support BEFORE the purchase. In the case of the Gens, I did not anticipate Gens demise, but it looks like there will be companies willing to provide parts and service.

Happy listening.

Jim

Respectable sounding brands (Threshold) find aftermarket support despite going out of business, even when they had shaky reliability ratings when in business (Counterpoint, IMHO deservedly so). As a captive audience, you may pay a little too much for that support if you ever need it, but that day may never come, and the premium may not be enough to reverse the savings you got at the outset. If the deal is as good as the tone of your post suggests, go for it.

Thanks for posting the info that you did RCampbell. It is info like this derived from first hand experience that makes these sites SO worthwhile. This is not to say that the info that others with first hand experience posted is less important, but it is always good to hear BOTH sides of the story i.e. the benefits and problems that each component offers.

I would not be afraid to buy something of this type if i liked it and the price was VERY accomodating. I would also check into buying a few spares "just in case". Even if you never used them, the peace of mind would far outweigh the cost. Sean
>

I have own Genesis V's. A great speaker! Unfortunately parts are not available at this time. Hopefully they will become available in the near term. While Genesis can be an excellent sounding speaker, it is not necessarily excellent in its build. Ribbon tweeters, with time have a habit of buzzing. Ths can be remedied by disassmbling the tweeter and adjusting the Kapton element. Midranges units can be easily blown. And the woofer unit accelerometers have a habit of acting up. The accelerometer lossens and can be heard as a moderate level 1000 hz tone. With parts no longer available careful consideration should be given to purcjasing a pair. I definetely do not recommend buying them sight unseen. Also, careful auditioning is recommended.

Well, it would be a lot less complicated if the parts were off the shelf. Unfortunately, they aren't... and finding replacements will become more difficult as the years pass. Just look at all Apogee owners... not exactly easy to find parts when they go bad. Just keep in mind that if you buy a pair and cannot get parts, you are really out of luck. If you are buying a more expensive pair(200, 300 or 1.1), I would pick up a few spare drivers immediately while you know the parts are available.

If you like them and the price is right, buy them. If you've bought used equipment in the past, most do not come with a transferable warranty so it's the same situation. Also, just because you buy a product from a company in business today doesn't guarantee they'll be in business tomorrow.

Good luck,
Dave

I own Genesis 500's and have had them for 5+ years, I would highly recommend them and other Genesis products despite the company's going out of business. They are great products. I guess if a driver goes bad, you'll have to do some research to get a replacement, but on this thread there's already a post by a dealer (Sound Ideas?) who has replacement parts. I have been eyeing all the 750's for sale cheap lately, and the 928 subwoofer, which is a great product too. If you can get Genesis speakers for cheap I would definitely buy them. The possible bad management of the company doesn't affect the great design and sound of the speakers. IMO.