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$20K to spend on speakers…. . wait! There’s a catch!

Greetings,

Perfect sense says buy stuff only after you have heard it. Only after an in home audition.

Sometimes we are forced to wing it.

Admit it, best guess trigger pulling happens a bunch because not everything is everywhere.

For some unknown reasons we seem to feel we know what we want or need in spite of never having auditioned it.

Here are a couple scenarios based on a “this thing should work’, “shot in the semi dark” buying practices.

Premise: You have $20K and it MUST be spent entirely on loudspeakers.

Here are the options:
1. The used speakers option.
You have NOT heard them ever. At all. Nada.
The deal here is you’r egetting them for about 50% off retail in quite good esthetic (8/10) condition, excellent working orde according to the seller, and about three - four years old and landed or shipped.

The seller has good feedback. No negatives.

All of the speakers numbers are amenable to your existing power plants. They should do well in your room.

2. brandy new speaker option.

The brand new units you’re paying $20K for include a 25% discount from MSRP and sold by a brick & mortar dealership.

You did hear the brand new ones, but only with modest SS gear and nothing on the level of your own equipment which is tubes, or vice versa for sake of this argument.

These come with warranty. ..and in your color preference.

Lastly, neither of these two sets of speakers are what could be called very popular, loudspeakers. Meaning they aren’t littering the pages of the speaker for sale pages with any regularity.


The carrier arrives. The boxes are fully in tact. No issues at all. Still, there’s a nagging thought. Did I do the right thing?

Shouldn’t I have bought used speakers and obtained still more value given just a bit older speakers sell for much less than MSRP.

Or, I bet I should have bought the new speakers and put up with another long run in.

Man! I hope I did not messs this up!!


What is your choice and why?

Thanks for the ideas and insights..

blindjim
inna
7,296 posts
 
I would never trust anyone to choose speakers for me or even do the initial selection. 
It is often difficult to interpret the reviews because before doing it one must 'interpret' the reviewer. Usually I think I can do it with Michael Fremer. The review of the Venture speakers posted here tells me that they are quite indifferent even cold speakers, something that I personally would never choose. If the reviewer is right and honest, he probably is.
Now, Lansche and Focal Utopia are very different. Gut stringed guitar or metal stringed guitar ? It depends, both good.
inna
7,296 posts
 
Yes, forgot to mention, Lansche plasma tweeter should be replaced every 5000-7000 hours, I think.
I have never seen used any Lansche model for less than $20k, though their entry-level $30k + model should be less than that if available.
blindjim OP
3,092 posts
 
@Inna
Agreed. Although the plan was original. Using other ears to satisfy my own is problematical. Likely extensive. Unpredictable. Like the toss of a coin. Maybe, maybe not. It would depend then too on the resources of the ‘expert’ as to what he could haul in or arrange elsewhere.

Agreed on knowing more of the hand holding the pen correlates better to what is said in a review. For one, Art Dudley has yet to steer me wrong. I seem to have agreed with a couple others more often than not too.

I would not be above building or hiring someone to construct crates and cutting insulation to fit at these prices.

Thanks very much for the tweeter input.
I’ve been wondering on that tweeter longevity since reading that expose on the 7. Sounded fabulous.

In fact, it arose another thought on driver life too. Surrounds. X overes, etc..

Sorry, this is well off topic but germain to the 7s and other options listed herein.
Do you know how much overall height of speaker plays a part in adopting them to a particular room with standard 8.5 to 9.5 high cielings? I can’t imagine getting another place with ceilings very much higher than that.

never bothered to investigate the relationship of tall speakers to ceiling heights. Always stuck to units of 48 inches or less. Mostly 40in. +- usually.


markalarsen's avatar
markalarsen
660 posts
 
Go to RMAF. Confirm your initial impressions. 
inna
7,296 posts
 
This is a good question about the speakers' height to which I don't really have an answer. Perhaps you could start a thread regarding it.
I might be wrong but I think I wouldn't worry if there were at least 3 feet between the ceiling and the speakers. But again it's a guess, maybe 2 feet is not a problem either and maybe it also depends on other things. If you are considering Lansches, why not ask them as well ?
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