Used speakers question.

[aznalan15]

Hi All,

Weird question... long time lurker first time poster, also just picked up some Revel M16s to join the squad!

So I bought some used Revel M16s in like-new condition, could not see a blemish on them.
Seller shipped the speakers in a huge box with ZERO packing material so the speakers unfortunately have been banging around with each other across the country.

I paid almost $800 after taxes.

They went from perfect condition to what it looks like in the pictures below.

https://imgur.com/a/jWJMPcP

Trying to be fair for both the seller and myself. Can there be any internal damage from all the banging around or would it only be surface damage? What would be a fair market value of these speakers now?

Tryin got figure out if I should stay clear and send it back or roll the dice of the price is right?

TIA

 

[oldandintheway]

Gross negligence! If it were me, back they go, and if you bought them someplace like Ebay, file a a complaint action so you get the shipping as well.

 

[aznalan15]

Gross negligence! If it were me, back they go, and if you bought them someplace like Ebay, file a a complaint action so you get the shipping as well.

Yah... I was so livid when I opened the box. It was ebay so I am not afraid of getting scammed. The seller responded and admitted all fault, but he mentioned he was selling his speakers for rent... so was trying to see if we can salvage this. I do not want to keep it for $800 but if say FMV was $300-400, I could consider it...

 

[DVDdoug]

If the cones/drivers aren't damaged they are probably functionally OK. Try 'em! If there is functional damage it should be obvious and they won't be equally damaged so they won't sound the same.

But don't try too hard to hear a difference if it's not immediately obvious... You can drive yourself crazy and you might start hearing imaginary differences.

 

[GXAlan]

Get a refund. Not worth the hassle.

BECAUSE, if they took this kind of care when selling it for something so critical as rent, it tells you a lot about how well they took care of the speakers when it was in their hands…

 

[Roland68]

Hi All,

Weird question... long time lurker first time poster, also just picked up some Revel M16s to join the squad!

So I bought some used Revel M16s in like-new condition, could not see a blemish on them.
Seller shipped the speakers in a huge box with ZERO packing material so the speakers unfortunately have been banging around with each other across the country.

I paid almost $800 after taxes.

They went from perfect condition to what it looks like in the pictures below.

https://imgur.com/a/jWJMPcP

Trying to be fair for both the seller and myself. Can there be any internal damage from all the banging around or would it only be surface damage? What would be a fair market value of these speakers now?

Tryin got figure out if I should stay clear and send it back or roll the dice of the price is right?

TIA

If the drivers are not damaged, nothing should have happened. A simple functional test clarifies this.
You should check the housings very carefully for cracks.

The price should not be higher than the actual market value in this condition. I'm not sure anyone will pay them $400 for this, the damage is very bad.
I have already bought speakers with exactly this kind of damage and in this price range from dealers and paid between 10-20% of the new price.
It shouldn't be to your disadvantage and it doesn't make sense if you pay more than the seller gets from someone else in this condition. The seller must also bear in mind that he will have to pay the return shipping.

In general, for everyone who buys or sells used things. In most countries the buyer bears the shipping risk. But this only comes into effect when the seller has packed the goods in accordance with the shipping company's specifications and the value, weight and sensitivity of the goods. I've seen a few sellers fall flat on their faces with things like this.

 

[Mart68]

Assuming still working fine I'd say $200 is a fair price in that condition. You'll have a lot of trouble if you ever want to sell them on.

 

[Grotti]

Send them back, no matter what!! You probably will never enjoy them as much as a mint pair....I bought a pair of Amphion speakers years ago out of a showroom. They were in good condition but one had a dent in the passive radiator on the back (made of aluminum). Of course this dent does not affect the performance but i know it's there. And it will lower the price significantly in case of selling the speakers. The price to swap this PR would be about 200 Euro just for the parts btw....

 

[restorer-john]

Get a refund and walk away from this mess.

 

[Beave]

That packaging is so bad that it almost looks like it was done on purpose. That's beyond lazy and into negligence. Does the eBay seller have much feedback on there?

In a situation like this, they not only owe you a refund, but also they are responsible for the cost of return shipping. That gives you a huge negotiating advantage, if you choose to keep the speakers. I don't think I would, but it's completely your decision.

 

[Hear Here]

Ebay, rightly or wrongly, tends to favour the buyer in such disputes. Unless the seller can justify his packaging, etc to demonstrate the good should be in the declared condition on arrival, they will void the transaction and (here's the arguably unfair bit) the buyer can normally retain the goods.

As a seller of an amp via Ebay, I was under fire from the seller because the courier had obviously mishandled the well-packed item. Unfortunately it seems the package was dropped and a heavy capacitor had come away from its mount. Fortunately, after a "shared repair cost" deal between the buyer and myself, the claim was dropped and both parties happy.

Good luck, but put an Ebay claim in without delay - it can always be dropped if you manage to work a deal with the seller.

 

[Purité Audio]

Personally I couldn’t live with speakers in that condition, start a claim and send them straight back, what was the seller thinking.
Keith

 

[Phorize]

Gross negligence! If it were me, back they go, and if you bought them someplace like Ebay, file a a complaint action so you get the shipping as well.

Send them straight back, shipping them packaged like that is moronic.

 

[aznalan15]

Tested them all last night, almost thought I found some damage in sound but it was stupid me trying to push 192khz 24bit through optical, putting it back down to 96khz 24bit and all is good.

I was going to return it, but I offered him the choice of a return or if he will be willing to take $300 for them. He accepted, so I guess I got some nice sound speakers for $300? As long as I don't try to resell them I should be in good shape, but I feel like if they sound sonically well, resale shouldn't be too hard for $300.

Thanks all. I was going to return it if we didn't agree on $300, but I feel like we both got a fair deal.

 

[kemmler3D]

Can there be any internal damage from all the banging around or would it only be surface damage?

Could definitely be huge damage.

What would be a fair market value of these speakers now?

Zero until you test them, honestly.

Use tones to check for any weird noises (buzzing, rattling, harsh sound) at all frequencies using e.g. this https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/ or Room EQ Wizard.

It's hard to tell for sure if speakers have a problem by listening to music.

I feel like if they sound sonically well, resale shouldn't be too hard for $300.

Probably, but still check with tones to be sure they're not broken. $300 for broken speakers is a terrible deal...

 

[amper42]

Something sounds really odd about this transaction. Can't imagine the seller was the actual owner. Anyone who owned these would be more careful shipping and wouldn't drop the price by $500 so quickly. Too bad it's not easy to verify if the speakers were stolen.

 

[Sokel]

I'm afraid that $300 is too much for those,way too much.
It's not only the garbage-like look they came to be after all this abuse.

By the pics shown it seems like some real structural damage,that would definitely affect operation.
A fair price for these would be under $50,just for salvaging parts,cabinets are no more useful.

What a pity.

 

[aznalan15]

Could definitely be huge damage.

Zero until you test them, honestly.

Use tones to check for any weird noises (buzzing, rattling, harsh sound) at all frequencies using e.g. this https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/ or Room EQ Wizard.

It's hard to tell for sure if speakers have a problem by listening to music.



Probably, but still check with tones to be sure they're not broken. $300 for broken speakers is a terrible deal...

Thanks for the link to the tone generator. So I tested tones from 20 to 200 with no out of the norm sounds that I could hear. Was starting to get a bit fatigued going higher. Would I need to go higher?

 

[kyuu]

Just shameful doing that to those speakers. $5 of packing materials and a bit of care could have made those arrive in pristine condition, barring extreme negligence from the carrier.

Good to hear the actual drivers and internals seem to be ok, at least. Wonder what it would cost to get the cabinets refinished.

 

[GXAlan]

You had multiple people advising you to walk away from the deal. If you enjoy it, no one can take it away from you.

You won’t be able to sell it for $300 with that kind of damage. You need a microphone to run a 20-20 kHz sweep and see how it performs.

But since you have gone against the advice given here which was: "walk away," just ignore the testing and enjoy what you have and listen to the music you enjoy. Ignorance is truly bliss.