Polk Reserve R200 Open-box vs New

[skyline385]

I got a good deal on these from Best Buy Open Box in excellent condition for $523 but now that I read about it, it seems Polk offers a 5 year warranty on new speakers which are on a small sale for $700. I have only used active monitors/speakers in the past and the Polk Hampden I bought in 2015 lasted for years without any issues. I would assume passive speakers should last more since there are only mechanical parts in them but Its unfamiliar territory for me. The open box I bought came in the box with everything in original packaging, even the little sticky plastic on the Polk wasnt removed. And they sound excellent to me with the Aiyima A07. So I was hoping if some of the folks here who are much experienced with passive speakers suggest something? Is the 5-year warranty worth it or are passive speakers typically very rugged and I would be spending $200 more over nothing?

 

[tw 2022]

Don't get a warranty on passive speakers..... Virtually anything that could happen to a modern speaker is easily fixable....

 

[DMill]

I personally would not warranty a $525 speaker. Anything that would go wrong would most likely happen out of the box and be covered by the manufacturers warranty. as The previous poster mentions, passive speakers are really easy to fix unless you fry a tweeter, which probably isn’t covered anyway. And honestly, replacing a tweeter is ridiculously easy, probably don’t even need a solder for those speakers.

 

[tw 2022]

I personally would not warranty a $525 speaker. Anything that would go wrong would most likely happen out of the box and be covered by the manufacturers warranty. as The previous poster mentions, passive speakers are really easy to fix unless you fry a tweeter, which probably isn’t covered anyway. And honestly, replacing a tweeter is ridiculously easy, probably don’t even need a solder for those speakers.

I'm betting twisting wires together is about as hard as it could get, I've removed drivers , it isn't difficult....

 

[mastachio]

I bought an open box JBL 4309 and it came factory sealed in the original box. I heard that sometimes online dealers will mark it as open box so they can sell it new at a discount. I recommend anyone interested in buying speakers to get it second hand or open box if they can find it

 

[skyline385]

I personally would not warranty a $525 speaker. Anything that would go wrong would most likely happen out of the box and be covered by the manufacturers warranty. as The previous poster mentions, passive speakers are really easy to fix unless you fry a tweeter, which probably isn’t covered anyway. And honestly, replacing a tweeter is ridiculously easy, probably don’t even need a solder for those speakers.

I think I wasn't clear in my post and forgot to mention that I got these as Open Box or refurbished from Best Buy so there would be no manufacturer's warranty on it if something were to go wrong. My dilemma was whether I should buy them Brand New for $700 to get the full 5 years warranty but looking at the replies so far, It seems like its not worth it.

 

[skyline385]

I bought an open box JBL 4309 and it came factory sealed in the original box. I heard that sometimes online dealers will mark it as open box so they can sell it new at a discount. I recommend anyone interested in buying speakers to get it second hand or open box if they can find it

Yep I have heard that and experienced it with several products as well (GPUs, Headphones). There was no factory seal anywhere on my R200s but these were packed perfectly with everything, almost like Brand New.

 

[Beave]

If I remember right, Polk had these on sale on their website a few months ago for better than your open-box price. So I wouldn't pay $700 for a new pair and I would expect the open-box price to be better than $523. It might take a little time & effort, but you should be able to get them cheaper.

 

[DMill]

I think I wasn't clear in my post and forgot to mention that I got these as Open Box or refurbished from Best Buy so there would be no manufacturer's warranty on it if something were to go wrong. My dilemma was whether I should buy them Brand New for $700 to get the full 5 years warranty but looking at the replies so far, It seems like its not worth it.

Thank you for clarifying. I’d think Best Buy must still have some sort of warranty if they don’t work upon arrival??? That would be the only reason I could think these speakers would fail in 5 years unless you drop them or push them too hard with power. As with life, nothing is certain, but my money would stay in my pocket.

 

[skyline385]

If I remember right, Polk had these on sale on their website a few months ago for better than your open-box price. So I wouldn't pay $700 for a new pair and I would expect the open-box price to be better than $523. It might take a little time & effort, but you should be able to get them cheaper.

I used CamelCamelCamel to check before I got them and the lowest I saw them drop was $575 around Black Friday and Holidays. I am guessing the Open Box I got were someone who returned a purchase during that time hence the $523 price for "Excellent" condition.

 

[skyline385]

Thank you for clarifying. I’d think Best Buy must still have some sort of warranty if they don’t work upon arrival??? That would be the only reason I could think of to think these speakers would fail in 5 years unless you drop them or push them too hard with power. As with life, nothing is certain, but my money would stay in my pocket.

Yea after reading all the replies, I will keep them. They are working fine for now so if something was wrong I would have known by now. If something eventually goes wrong then I can just use the $200 saved to get something else.

 

[pseudoid]

I got a good deal on these from Best Buy Open Box in excellent condition for $523 but now that I read about it, it seems Polk offers a 5 year warranty on new speakers which are on a small sale for $700.

Wouldn't it have made more sense to buy an open-box at $700, if you had an extra $177 left over... NO?

 

[jasoncd]

I bought an open box JBL 4309 and it came factory sealed in the original box. I heard that sometimes online dealers will mark it as open box so they can sell it new at a discount. I recommend anyone interested in buying speakers to get it second hand or open box if they can find it

Exact same with my 4309

 

[skyline385]

Wouldn't it have made more sense to buy an open-box at $700, if you had an extra $177 left over... NO?

I am confused lol

 

[pseudoid]

I am confused lol

aka - wiser money would have been spent on higher grade speakers that were on open-box but w/o warranty << you sounded like you were having buyers remorse whether new at $700 w/5yr warranty or spending additional $$ ($173) for the warranty.
phew.

 

[skyline385]

aka - wiser money would have been spent on higher grade speakers that were on open-box but w/o warranty << you sounded like you were having buyers remorse whether new at $700 w/5yr warranty or spending additional $$ ($173) for the warranty.
phew.

ahh I see now, nah no remorse here. I am loving them, just wanted to check if its worth getting them brand new because I am enjoying the sound so much lol. I am definitely keeping them.