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Used speakers question.
- Thread starter aznalan15
- Start date
kemmler3D
Master Contributor
Yes, I would say you need to go at least to 10khz so you test both the woofer and tweeter properly.
No need to do it super loud, (does need to be a little loud to get the voice coils moving) but if the tweeters are busted you'll hear some buzzing or something off, beyond just the pure tones.
If it hurts your ears you can use earplugs, but that might make it harder to tell if something is off.
You don't need to do this for a long time. If something is broken you'll probably hear it right away. A minute is probably more than enough time to sweep the whole spectrum by ear.
I looked at the rest of the pics (didn't realize it was a gallery) - good lord. Would be surprised if they still work right. The seller is a clown. Definitely leave bad feedback, this is beyond lacking common sense.
These speakers are now ewaste. They'd not even be taken by Goodwill. I'd demand a refund. If the seller wants to pay for the return shipping, you can tape up the box and ship them back. This is ridiculous. Only a drugged up moron would treat the speakers like this. It's not your fault he can't pay rent, or so he claims. I'd trust him on that as much as I'd trust him to ship speakers.
You should assume your resale value is zero (or negative if you live in an area with strict electronics recycling regs like NYC - I have to pay a cab or Uber to take me & my junk to recycling drives). Maybe, and a very big maybe, some hobbyist would pay a few bucks for the parts but finding that person will be near impossible.
In the meantime you have to look at speakers that have been trashed.
In the meantime you have to look at speakers that have been trashed.
Having bought a lot of used equipment over the years I can assure you people are this stupid when it comes to safe packaging.
I've received CD players in empty boxes with literally a handful of polystyrenes chips thrown in as an offering to the courier gods.
What other alternative does the seller have? Either he agrees the discount price or eBay cancels the sale, refunds the buyer and he's left with nothing except the cost of shipping the damaged speakers back to himself. Which he can't do as he's got no money. He got a good deal getting 300.
Seller definitely got a good deal. It’s the buyer who didn’t get a good deal. That’s where a lot of us are throwing our virtual hands up in the air/facepalming while also trying to not to overly be harsh on the OP or relishing in someone else’s misfortune.
But $300 isn’t a lot of money in the grand scheme of things for the lesson learned.
Those speakers can probably be resold for about $75 at best. But if the OP is happy with the $300 purchase for the experience of the speakers right now this very second, it’s admittedly true that even though the speakers are only worth $75, supply of damaged M16’s also means that if he had $75 on his pocket, he cannot go out to buy said damaged speakers for $75.
I think $75 is undercutting it a bit. They work fine, it's just a few chips. They sell used here for around $650 so while I agree paying $300 was generous, there's always someone who will ignore some cosmetic issues to get a great speaker they couldn't afford otherwise.
Me when I was younger and poorer for example.
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It's not just a few chips. Those speaker enclosures are trashed. Apparently, the white corners got beat up badly on all sides. It's amazing the speakers work at all.
My guess is these were stolen or the guy that owned them died and they ended up in someone's hands who didn't want them and couldn't be bothered to look in the garage for the speaker boxes. You had to be really stupid or not care at all to ship them this way. Crazy, how a nice object can become trash so easily. This guy could write a book on how to destroy expensive speakers without even trying.
My guess is these were stolen or the guy that owned them died and they ended up in someone's hands who didn't want them and couldn't be bothered to look in the garage for the speaker boxes. You had to be really stupid or not care at all to ship them this way. Crazy, how a nice object can become trash so easily. This guy could write a book on how to destroy expensive speakers without even trying.
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This tweeter took a hit. Hard to know if it impacted the component and wave guide alignment. The particle board frame appears OK and not penetrated. But the white finish is broken in lots of places and trashed.
It's actually amazing they still play music.
Doubt that scuff itself is an issue, and looks like overall there's no movement in the waveguide. If the white finish itself doesn't bother the new owner like it would me....
People tend to overestimate how much their thing is worth. You have to look at it at from the perspective of when would the audience here recommend that you buy it. You can get an open box JBL 308P mkII for under $300 with return window. Do you think you will find people saying that you should get a damaged/dropped Revel M-16 for $300 or those JBL 308 at the same price? Wharfdale 12.1 or KEF Q150? Is it worth spending an extra $100 for the Wharfdale?
- Thread Starter
- #35
I did take the advice to heart, was about to return it. Some people are saying check it out for audio damage and sounds, which I found nothing of. Tested it probably for 10 hours, did the tone test recommended here. Figured it was worth a gamble for $300. I don't think I have seen these speakers for this low, especially if structurally sound.
So far so good, maybe ignorance is bliss or internals are perfectly fine. Who knows unless I have this broken down and inspected with a microscope or doing the 20-20 sweep which I have no access to.
Again its only $300, if all is well then well worth the money (which I hope you can agree) or it will be a $300 paperweight (which is not the end of the world).
If it was the full price of $700 I would 100% of returned it.
- Thread Starter
- #36
I am actually curious about refinishing them or I can just cover them up with some stickers lol...
I am going to be both kind and honest, because it’s the internet and we are all hiding behind computer screens and keyboards…
+1 that it’s not the end of the world. Imagine if you use the speakers every day for a year. Would you have paid $1 a day for the enjoyment? Sure! Even better, you are paying less than a dollar a day.
But, even if it measures well, I would not pay $300 for it. Look at the HDI-1600. Great speakers. 50% off at times. When the Revel speakers get clearance sales, it’ll be $450 new.
Look at the other Revel models. Brand new F35 at $800/pair
You could have gotten the F35’s for just a little more than your M16 used at your original $700. You made a mistake but it’s a lesson learned.
- Thread Starter
- #38
No problem name twin. I appreciate the bluntness. Also to clarify I finalized the deal at $300 for the pair not each. So it came out to $150 each. Does this make it better?I am going to be both kind and honest, because it’s the internet and we are all hiding behind computer screens and keyboards…
+1 that it’s not the end of the world. Imagine if you use the speakers every day for a year. Would you have paid $1 a day for the enjoyment? Sure! Even better, you are paying less than a dollar a day.
But, even if it measures well, I would not pay $300 for it. Look at the HDI-1600. Great speakers. 50% off at times. When the Revel speakers get clearance sales, it’ll be $450 new.
Look at the other Revel models. Brand new F35 at $800/pair
You could have gotten the F35’s for just a little more than your M16 used at your original $700. You made a mistake but it’s a lesson learned.
But again I shouldve done more research, I went on a crusade and wanted to build out my system quick.
Upgrading from infinity r162s and adding a rsl 10e sub.
I think $300/pair is too much. Since you had the budget for $700 when you first bought it, you probably could have gone for Revel F35 instead. If you really wanted to keep the damaged Revel M16's, you should have offered just $150/pair.
But if you think about the "rent" mindset and "build out my system quick" it's worth paying extra to get it today as opposed to next week. And if you think about the extra $150 as charity for the seller, who has trouble making rent, it's not all that bad.
It'll hurt if/when you decide to upgrade or if/when you identify a problem but enjoy the present even though I am giving you a fair amount of grief.
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