What’s your budget?
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.
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- 54 posts total
Lots of good advice in the previous posts I am in the UK and both my previous and current speakers were one ex dem and two used from a private individual near Kansas city. Carmel 1s from a former YG distributor in Croatia and Kipod Signature Passives which are very rare but an exceptional speaker. In both cases did a lot of due diligence first.Used Paypal for both purchases. Both were great buys at very good prices. So yes it can be done successfully |
I agree with many others, forgoing used is silly especially with the lead time issues some manufacturers are still faced with. You simply have to feel out the seller and let your spidey sense be your guide. I'm batting 1.000 with my 3 purchases, of which 1 was a high-dollar-never-saw-them-in-person transaction. I honestly wasn't worried in the least after talking to the seller and (admittedly) stalking him a bit once I had a name. Unrelated - someone brought up "pet free" what exactly are people afraid of with pets? Is it cats and speaker grilles in particular? |
@soix I have avoided posting any budget or brand names to prevent the discussion from devolving into specific speaker recommendations. The feedback here has been very useful and I would say mostly in favor of used purchases with proper due diligence. Thanks everyone. |
I've owned 3 sets of Magnepans and a current set of Acoustat speakers, all purchased used. 3 of those sets were sight unseen. The 2nd pair I purchased from ebay, they were damaged which may have been a result of shipping. The seller had me send the speakers to Magnepan for service at his expense. There are still honorable people out there, just be careful and selective. Enjoy the Music
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- 54 posts total