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John McA Unregistered guest | I have been observing this forum for a while and doing other research. I am tentatively going to buy an HK 430/435 or 630/635 from Harman Audio direct. Now I want speakers. Is there any reason to be cautious of second hand speakers? I want to get the best I can afford and there seem to be pretty high discounts on Ebay (probably from all you audiophiles who keep upgrading and switching). Any thoughts or cautions? |
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Silver Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 831 Registered: Feb-04 | I would buy vintage speakers like the Klipsch heritage line from ebay. No foam woofers to rot! So it depends, but generally speakers last a very long time so used is good. |
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Silver Member Username: DmwileyPost Number: 825 Registered: Feb-05 | Peter must be a gambler. How can you tell if the speakers have been abused or damaged internally (e.g.,blown) from a place like Ebay? Guess wrong and you might have problems with refunds or returns. You pays your money and takes your chances. |
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John McA Unregistered guest | I guess that all you could go on is the seller's Ebay rating and hope that they are not defective. At the end of the day, I guess you are right, you take your chances. |
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Silver Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 850 Registered: Feb-05 | Personally I would stay away from Ebay. Audiogon is more reliable and I feel the quality is better. Ofcourse you can get ripped off anywhere. |
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John McA Unregistered guest | Checked it out, Art and it looks a little over my head. Thanks for the tip though. |
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Silver Member Username: PetergalbraithRimouski, Quebec Canada Post Number: 834 Registered: Feb-04 | I bought used speakers twice, although not from ebay. The first was from a person on a forum and it turned out great. The second was a lead from the same forum from an audiogone ad; I spoke with the seller on the phone and picked up the speakers myself. Ebay could be riskier, but if the seller has a good rating it's not such a big risk. |
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John McA Unregistered guest | Thanks Peter, you have been very helpful on both the receiver and speaker questions. I'll post if I actually buy anything. |
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John McA Unregistered guest | Thanks Peter, you have been very helpful on both the receiver and speaker questions. I'll post if I actually buy anything. |
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Silver Member Username: Edster922Abubala, Ababala The Occupation Post Number: 932 Registered: Mar-05 | I have never used Audiogon myself (can't afford most of the stuff, lol) but after reading this thread I'm not sure I ever want to: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=443749&highlight=American+Theate r Ebay has been pretty good for me, bought most of my car audio (PPI amp, Infinity sub) and some of my home audio (vintage NAD separates, Sony ES cd carousel, Onkyo tape deck) from them with no problems. The only thing I've ever bought from eBay that disappointed were some low speaker stands but since they were barely $20 I didn't bother trying to return them. On the other hand, I'm very careful about who I buy from on eBay: I go for sellers with at least 50 feedbacks and over 98% positive ratings, always contact the seller ahead of time to ask for a direct shipping quote if no shipping calculator or flat price is provided, actually will skim through a seller's feedback history to make sure there are no identical shill feedbacks, etc. One thing about eBay to keep in mind is that sometimes the new merchandise that they sell can be had for less elsewhere on the net from normal online dealers! God bless pricegrabber.com! |
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Silver Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 857 Registered: Feb-05 | Guys Audiogon has gear in nearly every range. It really isn't just a site for the rich and famous. If nothing else it's kind of fun to gawk at the virtual systems. |
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Silver Member Username: ClaudermilkPost Number: 172 Registered: Sep-04 | Ed brings up a good point on ebay. Do your research first. I have seen many (mostly camera-related) auctions going way above what you could get the product for elsewhere; I always wonder what the fools bidding are thinking. Unless it's a one-of-a-kind collector's item, you'll want to set a max amount you are willing to spend and stick to it. If the auction goes beyond that, walk away from it. I also look back at the seller's ratings & am pickier than Ed, 98% & I'm already nervous about them. No problems yet...knock on wood.... |