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Anyone know the "blue book" value of these speakers? (1 Viewer)

ToddTho

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Mar 9, 2003
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I'm looking to buy a used set of definitive speakers and was wondering if any knows the blue book of these.They are definitive technologies bp2002 with the 125 watt subwoofer.The seller says he bought them in 97 and used them for 4 months and they have been in the boxes since.He is asking $1,500 for the pair.I may offer him $900.Should I be concerned about the time they spent in the boxes?He also has a 2002 center channel that he got with the others which he is asking $375 for.Any advice or comments would be appreciated.Thanks
 

Ron Boster

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Two routes you can go....

Blue Book: www.audiogon.com provides a blue book service through their website...it's for a fee. Or, you can visit a local electronics retailer and they usually have a copy and can tell you the value. Of course, you are asking them for a free service, you might want to pick up your speaker wire or banana plugs from the retailer.

Research: audiogon is a good place to see what the same or similar speakers are selling for....as well as ebay (but to a lesser degree). The fact that he's had them boxed and in storage for awhile is nice, but I wouldn't add any value to what I'm willing to pay for them. To me that is a "jump ball benefit" If I'm comparing two sellers at similar prices, I'd give him the jump ball for less usage. The reason for this.....is there is no way to verify it.

How did you come across the seller? Local? If not, I would want to buy via COD or even better escrow service of my choosing. If he has an ebay rating...go to ebayers that suck.com and see if he is listed as a bad ebayer.

Good Luck
Ron
 

Chris Quinn

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I've read that be stored and unused isn't necessarily a good thing for speakers. The reasoning is those parts that are intended to flex stiffen up and lose flexibility without use. Maybe someone else can comment as to the truth to this.
 

Bob McElfresh

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If that center speaker is the CLR2002 - buy it! It's what convinced me to purchase DefTech.

Yes, storing speakers does allow the metal & cone materials to stiffen. But it does not mean it deteriorates the speakers any more than playing them every day. It just means that they will sound a bit different in the first few hours while they loosen up. This is why speakers need 'break-in' time.

Make sure you calculate shipping into your total cost - those speakers with built-in amps/subs are not light. They are also made from heavy, non-resonant materials.
 

Wayne A. Pflughaupt

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Todd,

My 1997 Audio Annual Equipment Directory shows the BP2002 as a 5-piece set that listed for a few dollars under $3300. As a veteran used-gear buyer (i.e., most of my system), my usual rule-of-thumb is that used gear is typically worth no more than half of original street value – unless perhaps it’s less than a year old and/or a currently-produced model. Since I suppose the Defs were probably hard to come by at a discounter and therefore probably sold for at or near list, and considering their virtual non-use, I’d say $1500 is a very fair price.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
 

ToddTho

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Mar 9, 2003
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Thanks everyone for the input.I'm going to go listen to them and decide.They are local so the only thing I have to lose is time.
Todd
 

Aaron Smithski

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Jan 18, 2002
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Todd,

A free lookup for you: :)

The Audiogon used average for the BP2002 is $1340 and the 2002 center is $330.

Bob makes an excellent point...you must figure the shipping into the cost of the speaker!

Aaron
 

Bob McElfresh

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Todd: if they have been in box's, you have a lot of work to set them up and as I pointed out - they will sound stiff to start with.

Also, the bipolar speakers need to be pulled into the room about 3 feet from the rear wall to take advantage of the back-fire sound. Unless you take some time to play with positions, you may not realize their full potential.

My advice:

- Go to Radio Shack and get 2 pair of their dual-banana plugs (xxx-308). These perfectly match the posts on the DefTechs and will make it easy to plug them in.

- Use the center-channel feed (with the center speaker set to LARGE) and test each speaker. Dont forget that the L/R speakers need to be plugged in to work. Make sure the subwoofers in the towers work. But dont run them at insane levels. This is a "do they work" test, not a stress test.

If everything looks as advertised, and you are interested, buy them. They are great speakers.

If you want to audition them as a set - it might be better if you find a local dealer who has them setup. This will give you a good idea of the 'flavor' of the DefTechs. Yes, the current 2002's are "TL" (Transmission Line) vs the older 2002's, but I dont think the difference is noticible. Remember: it's the center channel that will most of the work and the CLR2002 center is one of the best.

I spent over an hour with just the CLR2002 playing movies and music trying to find flaws because I really wanted to justify buying the Polk CS1000 center with built-in sub. But the 2002 center was accurate, detailed, and exposed sounds that other sets of speakers did not. I walked out of the store after 3 hours with the 2002 under my arm and I have never regretted it.
 

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