Bookshelf Speakers Transport by Airplane - Checked or Hand Luggage


Long ago when I was 6 years old, I carried my dad’s rather large Sony bookshelf speakers as hand luggage from the UK to Canada on a BOAC flight. This was in the 1970’s.

Today, I am looking to upgrade from my KEF LS50’s to the Yamaha NS3000 for my office. Trouble is that the NS3000 is available in Canada but not in the USA (I checked with USA dealers).

Has anyone taken a bookshelf speaker as checked luggage on a flight today? I am not sure if security would even allow a speaker to go through these days.

The Canadian dealer may not be able to ship to me in the USA, but I have family living a few miles from this dealer. So, I can always pick them up personally, and even ship by UPS or FedEx, but I wanted to first see if anyone had taken speakers on a plane?

 

yyzsantabarbara

There was a restriction of the size of the carry-on baggage.  There was a stand with a form you would put your baggage into.  If it didn't fit, it would have to be "checked".  I would post it.  Travelling now is difficult enough.  You want the "extra baggage"?

@kingsleuy reason I asked was that the dealer never sells to the USA and dealt with customs and was also worried about selling a Yamaha product in the USA that Yamaha USA does not carry. So I figured to save the dealer the heartache and do the shipping myself. 

@yyzsantabarbara  I hear you.  Yes, what we audiophile will do and go thru for our music.  I did the same years ago, 1980's with a Phase Linear 400 amplifier.   I carried it on by the faceplate handles.  I would not try that now.

Will there be a customs problem with the speakers in checked luggage/carry on?

If so, then perhaps the dealer can recommend a Canadian shipping service adept with customs forms.

DeKay

I would not go through the headache of trying to fly them in. First there is customs…then, I would trust the airlines far less than FedEx. Your relatives work. But you are likely going to have to pay export tax. I shipped a bicycle into cCanada… and trying to ship it back, the shipper got a big export tax… even though I had bought it in the US.

I would have your relatives ship it in the original packaging.