Buying used speakers?

Bill Lide · 02-06-2006, 04:09 PM

Curious to see if anyone ever buys used speakers? I have always bought them new in the past, but I have been been given the oppurtunity to buy some nice used ones this week. They are 1yr old 4 Energy Veritas surround: Model V2.0R. Retail:$1100.00/pair, his price was $700.00/pair! So what do you guys think would be a good price? Or should I just pass on used speakers?

(Oh and they are not in operation anymore, he dismantled his home theater.)

Thanks

Bill

John Garcia · 02-06-2006, 05:02 PM

I'm not familiar with these specific speakers, but the most one can usually hope for is 50% for most speakers that are more than 1yr old (in general). I don't think there is anything special about those speakers that would make them an exception to that. *edit - just checked briefly and didn't see any of these used, so nothing to compare to on the quick.

I've bought a number of used speakers and as long as you ask a ton of questions of the seller and/or they have a ton of good feedback on a site like A'gon or eBay, it should be fine.

Tom Donaghue · 02-06-2006, 05:16 PM

I've been buying used or refurbished gear for the past 5 or 6 years and would highly recommend it. Speakers tend to hold their value a bit longer than other electronics (receivers, DVD players, CD players, etc.), typically because the technology surrounding them is not rapidly changing, where in comparison, receivers and media players quite frequently have format upgrades, additional features and other software-based changes that are more simple to implement than drastic hardware re-writes, additions or modifications.

If you're fairly confident in the source from which you're buying from (e.g., reputation, feedback and word-of-mouth sources), buying used equipment might be one of the best ways to get great deals on some exceptional equipment. As with anything, there is a percentage of risk in buying used. Even so, there's no guarantee, even when buying new, that certain products may have quality issues. One benefit of buying used, if someone's used gear for a decent length of time without issue, there's a good likelihood you'll also be fortunate enough to avoid any QA issues.

Wayne A. Pflughaupt · 02-06-2006, 07:49 PM

I buy nice used stuff every chance I get – or rather, that’s the first thing I look for when I need something.

I’m generally with John as to the 50% thing. I’d be willing in this case to pay more, since they’re only a year old, if they’re in pristine condition.

However, your negotiating should start not with list price, but street. If the list was $1100, there’s a good chance they were readily available for $900 or even less. If that’s the case, $700 is too much.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

scott>c · 02-06-2006, 08:52 PM

I also love going the used route!!! I often like to change my setup around. Used speakers r already depreciated so I can usually get what I paid for em and sometimes more. Definately do some research on E-bay and Audiogon and u can usually get a feel of what they go for.

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DavidSGT · 02-07-2006, 01:14 AM

Hiya Bill L,

My 2 cts here, buying used speakers is a great way to get bang for buck as the previous owner would have lost a lot on depreciation/being a first owner and all that.

The downside is unless you can check it out first hand, you might be getting an abused unit with fried innards which will need replacement drivers or worse.

I have bought a big Tannoy Floorstander and an old Paradigm (big as well) Floorstander used and except for some cosmetic flaws on the Paradigm, I am very happy with my purchases, but I got it from a store which does trade-ins.
If you can get to try first hand try to crank up the volume, usually the tweeters will show up if it is gone

Happy hunting.

Regards
David SGT

John Garcia · 02-07-2006, 11:33 AM

I went in to a favorite local shop of mine and picked up some Paradigm Monitors that had damaged grilles for a steal. I fixed the grilles for $1 and resold them for more than I paid, yet still less than market price. Dave's advice is good. See if you can find anything locally, so you can actually listen to them. All but one of my current speakers in my main HT were used and I am extremely happy with them, especially for what I paid

LarryQW · 02-07-2006, 06:56 PM

theres a big market for old speakers like JBL Vintage speakers, im a fan of JBL speakers and as long as the drivers look good and the seller says it works i believe it works.