What do you think about buying used speakers?

[avgjoe]

The depreciation involved with speakers is really bad. I was wondering about sites such as audiogon and such. What is your take on buying used speakers as long as it's from a dealer or reputed seller? What tips can you give me in inspecting a speaker to see wear and tear? Thanks!

[Florian]

Go for it!

Almost all my stuff was used and all went well.

-Flo

[JoeE SP9]

I'm with Flo on this. Most of my gear was purchased used. You can get a lot more for your money by purchasing used gear. Actually the depreciation involved with receivers is worse than speakers. This years hot receiver is worth less than diddly next year.

Listen to and closely examine speakers with the grills removed. Usually if there is something wrong it will be easily heard.

[njspeer]

If you buy Vintage you can pick up some great sounding audio gear that's actually appreciating in value.

[Florian]

My Audio club and I have bought dozens of pieces from Apogee, Sony, Goldmund, Audio Research, Forsell, Magnepan, Audiostatic and Conrad johnson. All deals went fine besides the Goldmund cable which wasnt cold soldered but resoldered.

-Flo

[Carl Reid]

The depreciation involved with speakers is really bad. I was wondering about sites such as audiogon and such. What is your take on buying used speakers as long as it's from a dealer or reputed seller? What tips can you give me in inspecting a speaker to see wear and tear? Thanks!

Check out the product carefully and you should be ok.... odds are that if it was owned by an audiophile they probably took decent care of it...

and used speakers have the advantage of not having to worry about break-in time

[Worf101]

Every speaker in my house is used or NOS from somewhere. It's just the way I am. I prefer "vintage" and "orphan" brands. I've:

Ohm's F's, 4's and 2's
Allison 4's
Platinum Audio Studio 3's
Hsu VTF-2 and VTF-3 Subs
Logik monitors out of Canada
Epicures (too many to count).

Ebay is a turrible drug.

Da Worfster

[drseid]

Another vote for going for it. I have bought used many times and have only had one issue that was easily resolved (it was with an amp). All my speaker purchases have gone smoothly.

---Dave

[Dusty Chalk]

I don't recommend it, but I've done it myself. Just make sure you have the chance to back out of the deal when you listen to them, if they don't match the description (notice: "...if they don't match the description", not "...if you don't like 'em").

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

I'm currently own a pair of former-showroom PSB Platinums. The store was very good about letting me keep them for as long as I wanted to make sure they were still in excellant condition.

At more than 1/2 off MSRP I have no complaints. (Even if my L/R speakers are worth more than everything else in my living room combined).

And yes, I'm powering them with a $169 5.1 AVR. (My NAD "serious gear" is collecting dust in a closet.)

[BillyB]

I tend to agree with the crowd even though I don't buy used equipment myself.I just have a hang-up about buying used anything but that's just me.When you're talking about buying higher end stuff I believe as was already said that in all likelyhood the previous owner probably took care of the equipment.The obvious advantage of buying used is due to depreciation you can actually buy equipment that's a big step up from what you can afford new.Components themselves are usually very reliable and hard to damage barring some type of ridiculous abuse.I would be a little more cautious with speakers simply because they are more easily abused by overdriving them with an inferior reciever or simply playing them too loud.That being said that is usually the exception with audiophiles and if the cabinets look good and the speakers sound good that's the acid test.With much older speakers the condition of the drivers specifically the surrounds is an issue so a close inspection should help.Almost all the good speakers went to rubber surrounds years ago anyway eliminating the old dry rot issues of the foam surrounds.The other nice thing about used equipment especially speakers is as was previously stated they have probably already hit their sweet spot so you don't have to deal with lengthy burn-in issues.Enjoy.

[kexodusc]

I've sold more speakers than I've bought used, but I the few I did buy turned out great.
I've bought a ton of used power amps and integrateds and other electronics. I save a ton of money this way. Best part is, you can sell it for almost all of what you paid. I've even profited off a few items. Sure helps the upgrading process.
If buying from ebay, ask questions if the description is lacking details. The tone of the answer should help you make up your mind. A guy that avoids the question or provides a fishy response shouldn't be dealt with. You'll be able to tell.

I find Audiogon a bit safer than ebay. Except the stores. In fact, a few of the stores I've dealt with have been more dishonest than any individual. Anyway, I dont' hesitate to buy used gear. Just do your homework.

[minye]

Totally agree with Kexo.

And for speakers, compared with other components, they cost much more and are easier to be damaged in shipping, so try to buy speakers locally so that you can auction and pickup.

[Mike Anderson]

I buy a lot of my stuff used, particularly amps. There's great deals to be had, if you look hard enough and shop smart.

I just sold my Magnepan 1.6/QRs to a great guy from around here, it was the smoothest deal I ever made of that size. He got a very good value, as the speakers were less than a year old and still in pristine condition. If I'd seen a deal like that when I was shopping for them, I would have jumped on it.

I don't think I'd buy a pair of planar speakers without checking them out in person though. Plus the risk of damage in shipping is just too much.