buying used speakers

A

aaaaaaaaaaandy

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 10, 2006
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so im looking to upgrade from my z5500 and i see all the other threads recommending a 2.1 setup. im looking on bestbuy and seeing the sony 8" speakers for $92, but when i look on ebay for used products, they are significantly cheaper. anyone have any opinion on buying used speakers on ebay? and past experience? i dont want to spend money on something, and when it gets here it sounds like crap because past owners didnt take care of them.

-Andy
 
if they are only 1 or 2 years old and the seller have good feedback i don't see problems buying them used.

i missed out on some audio gear on the bay lately since it seems some people are bidding higher than the part is actually worth, only that no other one gets the thing :(
 
I'm pretty hesitant to buy speakers off of ebay unless it's a great deal. shipping costs usually cut deeply into the discount you'd have from buying a new product.
 
If you're talking about the Sony SS-B3000 at bestbuy then personally what i would do is head down to the store and listen to them first. Be sure to compare them to the Insignia NS-B2111 while you're there. Then do some searches on the insignia and you'll get hundreds of opinions in dozens of forums ;). Personally i think you'll like the insignia's better, they sound clearer than the sony's. If you want some better budget choices then be sure to check out this thread.
 
Sure, I've bought a number of used speakers. Provided the speaker hasn't been abused, it is just fine. They don't really degrade with age or anything.
 
ebay is pretty off and on. With individual sellers you tend to have a better chance of getting a working product but you're SOL if it doesn't. With large bulk sellers there's a higher chance that it'll be broken, but on the other hand they usually will refund you the entire cost and many times even schedule pickup/email you pre-paid shipping label.

I usually go with bulk sellers since i'm usually not in a rush get anything and like the insurance, but everyone is different.
 
I dont buy second hand speakers that use foam around the cones as it is often weakened and can split or will get holes punched through it due to the pressure inside the speaker.
Foam also doesnt age very well which makes the above problems worse the older they are.
I have 2 decent floorstanding hifi speakers here with foam cone surrounds which have holes and tears in them simply because they couldnt take the pace after years of use.

Buy speakers that are mounted with rubber surrounds.
This of course is completely aside to other issues such as quality, power handling, response and the sound etc etc.
Just adding an extra consideration into the mix :)
 
Not sure foam is a big problem these days. I haven't seen a speaker with foam surrounds in a long time. Even the cheap JBLs I got for my living room are rubber surround.
 
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