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.
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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Lots of good advice here so far! If buying from a reputable dealer I wouldn't worry honestly, assuming they have a good return policy. If buying from a dealer, I would still like to know if the speakers were modified in any way. This can make them sound different than what you are expecting, but it can also lead to problems in the longer run. I've seen speakers with changes to the crossover or drivers which would put a lot of stress on the other drivers, but also once bought a pair where the previous owner drained all the ferrofluid from the tweeter to 'make them sound more detailed'. I buy all my speakers used and I do always expect to have to do some small maintenance, such as glueing a surround or replacing ferrofluid. If you don't mind doing something like that with some pairs, there are real gems to be found for very little money (: @mtbiker29 cats destroy grills, but I've also seen surrounds and cones with claw marks. |
