Does a front baffle damage affects sound?

[gabriel4545]

Hello everyone!

I saw an used Focal 948 for a good price, but I just realized the front baffle has a damage on the top left.

Do you know if these kind of damage affect sound quality?

I have to decide in the next few hours on a 3h journey to go test it, so if it's obvious that it would hit the sound quality, I would not even go try unfortunetely.

Thanks a lot!

 

[staticV3]

Hi @gabriel4545! Welcome to ASR.

In a vacuum (anechoic chamber), yes damage like this can have a barely measurable effect.

In your living room though where reflections and room acoustics dominate the sound, a small defect like this absolutely does not matter.

 

[levimax]

No sound quality problems, hopefully this will help you get a better deal. Good luck.

 

[Sal1950]

Hello everyone!

I saw an used Focal 948 for a good price, but I just realized the front baffle has a damage on the top left.

View attachment 521972

Do you know if these kind of damage affect sound quality?

I have to decide in the next few hours on a 3h journey to go test it, so if it's obvious that it would hit the sound quality, I would not even go try unfortunetely.

Thanks a lot!

No, that little dent in the baffle won't effect a thing.
Strictly cosmetics.
Get a good price for it now.

 

[gabriel4545]

Amazing, thank you all so much for the info and so fast! I managed to see the messages earlier and got it.

Now another problem - I just checked the speakers and one cap is damaged:

I moved and I'm just getting a new system, so my amp has not even arrived so I can't test it. But looking it now I am very worried - won't this ruin the sound?

 

[tw99]

The photos you've posted aren't very good, but the tweeter in the first picture also looks a bit odd. It may just be the lighting of course, but worth a close check.

 

[AudioJester]

That cap has been pushed in / dented and pulled back out.
Looks like these speakers copped a beating at some point in their life

 

[Mort]

That tweeter would be a hard no from me.

 

[staticV3]

It's not the tweeter that's damaged, it's the midwoofer dustcap.

 

[kemmler3D]

Damage to the dust cap isn't necessarily a problem, but if the voice coil behind it is deformed in any way it would be. Pretty often the dust cap gets dented or pushed in but the speaker is actually fine.

If you go to buy these speakers, take a close look at the tweeter. Any dents or deformation there will tend to hurt the sound, don't buy them if the tweeter is damaged.

Lastly, don't buy them if they won't let you listen to them first.

 

[respice finem]

I generally would not buy damaged speakers.
They are quite fragile devices, there could be more damage than meets the eye.

 

[Sal1950]

Now another problem - I just checked the speakers and one cap is damaged:

It's not the tweeter that's damaged, it's the midwoofer dustcap.

Like mentioned that is the midrange drivers "dust cap". Really hard to tell what happened or was done to it from the photo.
That said it is a "dust cap" and not a tweeters radiation dome. It's simply glued on there to keep dirt and little fingers out of the voice coil. I wouldn't sweat over it effecting the sound in any way. You could always contact someone at Focal to get their take on the situation if it continues to bother you.

 

[tw99]

Like mentioned that is the midrange drivers "dust cap". Really hard to tell what happened or was done to it from the photo.
That said it is a "dust cap" and not a tweeters radiation dome. It's simply glued on there to keep dirt and little fingers out of the voice coil. I wouldn't sweat over it effecting the sound in any way. You could always contact someone at Focal to get their take on the situation if it continues to bother you.

I agree about that dust cap.

@staticV3 However in my original reply I was looking at the actual tweeter in the first photo and thought that also looks a bit odd, so worth checking if the OP goes further with these.

 

[gabriel4545]

Thanks a lot for the feedback on the whole speaker.

I gave it a closer look after got home, and indeed the tweeters are odd, the cap is all ruined, one of the speakers rubbers was a bit odd too, plus the outside damage. As @AudioJester said, it looks like they really got some beating.

I think I was blind by over excitement - I tested first a new one in a shop and loved it, so when I saw a used one for less than 40% I got a bit blind . I moved to Dubai, and a new one is around 8k USD, while this used was 2.2k.

So I gave them back - even if I managed to test the sound properly later, I would not be comfortable that this thing will survive well for long.

I will give up on used speakers here. Will make a list of new ones available in the stores here with the price around 8k USD and choose the one that fits best and matches well the Marantz PM8006 I got here.

 

[PGansz]

I agree about that dust cap.

@staticV3 However in my original reply I was looking at the actual tweeter in the first photo and thought that also looks a bit odd, so worth checking if the OP goes further with these.

The tweeter is an inverted dome design - nothing wrong with it.

 

[gabriel4545]

The tweeter is an inverted dome design - nothing wrong with it.

When I gave it back he played to check it again, and after that one tweeter was convex and the other concave... He was all time trying to get excuses to all the messed details, I guess it was just some scammer acting in bad faith....

 

[AudioJester]

When I gave it back he played to check it again, and after that one tweeter was convex and the other concave... He was all time trying to get excuses to all the messed details, I guess it was just some scammer acting in bad faith....

Not a scammer if he refunded you.

The buyer of used gear bears some responsibility to check what you are purchasing.

Glad you were able to sort it out. $8k budget should get you something very nice

 

[gabriel4545]

Not a scammer if he refunded you.

The buyer of used gear bears some responsibility to check what you are purchasing.

Glad you were able to sort it out. $8k budget should get you something very nice

He refunded after some dramatic chats, but you are right and fair point, I should check and decide myself, and in the end bear the decision I guess. Although describing these speakers as "excellent conditions except for a small damage on the grill" and hiding issues during the visit while promising the parts were great is also not very nice.

Well, I learned as well I am definitely not knowledgeable enough to get a used one, I did not catch some obvious flags . So yes, will stick to new ones.

I used to read a few topics here from time to time for fun, but registered yesterday for this question. I will try to search previous reviews and topics on the options I select, but is there also a space in the forum for later do comp. questions if needed?

Thanks again everyone, this was quite helpful!

 

[Sal1950]

He refunded after some dramatic chats, but you are right and fair point, I should check and decide myself, and in the end bear the decision I guess. Although describing these speakers as "excellent conditions except for a small damage on the grill" and hiding issues during the visit while promising the parts were great is also not very nice.

Buying used can always be an adventure.
Glad you were able to back out of the deal with little lost except for your time and aggravation.
All's well that ends well.

 

[kemmler3D]

describing these speakers as "excellent conditions except for a small damage on the grill" and hiding issues during the visit while promising the parts were great is also not very nice.

Many people who don't know about audio think the speaker is 100% fine as long as it makes sound that isn't completely wrong. They may not be trying to scam you, just ignorant.

I have been buying and selling used speakers for about 17 years now, only once I talked to someone who was trying to pull a fast one.

The way to avoid problems is simple... Look carefully for damage to the drivers in photos, if you see any at all, just move on. Cosmetic damage to cabinets can be ok, but it's risky to overlook any imperfections with drivers. When you go to see the speakers, listen to them before buying. A good seller will offer to play them without your needing to ask. If they won't let you listen, don't buy.

Be careful about buying speakers 20+ years old as often the capacitors in the crossovers develop problems.

In general I definitely encourage people to look for used speakers. You can get them for 50% of new or less in many cases.

I'm not sure how it is in Dubai but I buy and sell used stuff locally all the time, not just speakers. I've only encountered 2 or 3 dishonest people in probably 100+ deals. Don't give up on it!