Thoughts on refurbed speakers (1 Viewer)

[Pus Suchre]

Any thoughts on refurbed speakers- pro or con? I'm looking at some JBL Northridge E100s for about $580 shipping included. This is about the same price as a pair of new E90s. I was wondering if there are any inherent problems with refurbs. Thanks!

 

[John Garcia]

Normally, I might shy away from refurb speakers, but it kind of depends on what the original problem was. There isn't a whole lot that can go wrong with a speaker though, so it is highly likely that whatever went wrong was completely replaced (blown driver, x-over, etc...) especially from the factory. I recently purchased some factory refurb Polk LSI 7s and they seem to be pretty much good as new.

 

[Johnny_M]

refurbs should usually be fine. i work for a computer company and when we refurb a computer they have basically the same failure rate as new ones. id go for it. ive never bought refurb speakers but i always buy floor speakers, never had a problem.

Johnny

 

[Claude M]

Only if you get a warranty.

 

[Johnny_M]

warrantys are a waste of money IMO. atleast for me, i upgrade every couple years anyway so why do i need something thats going to be covered for 3 years, 5 years, whatever. most items come with a year warranty anyway. i am 28 years old, never purchased an extended warranty, and have never been burned.

maybe i am just lucky,

Johnny

 

[Darren_N]

Pus,

Right now, J&R are selling brand new pairs of e100's (black ash finish) at just under $600 shipped. I believe that is the cheapest price you'll find among the online retailers that are authorized JBL dealers. The website lists them as temporarily out of stock but when I ordered mine, they were shipped just a couple of days later. I hope to get them today or tomorrow. Sorry for not answering your question regarding refurbed speakers but I thought you'd might like to know.

With regards,
Darren

 

[Jason GT]

If you're willing to go refurb you might as well go used. You can get excellent value simply by going used (and if it's a private sale you may save on taxes if "down there" is like up here).

Regarding extended warranties: I generally wouldn't bother with loudspeakers, especially ones that are relatively inexpensive. There are very few failure mechanisms of a speaker that cannot be economically repaired (unlike, say, needed CRT replacements on a RPTV).

Nicer loudspeakers typically already have a decent warranty.
In certain cases I might consider an extra warranty for powered speakers, but that's a different ball of wax.

 

[John Garcia]

I agree with Jason, for the price of those refurbs, you should be able to pick up something nicer used. Check www.audiogon.com

 

[Pus Suchre]

Geeze, thanks guys. A ton of good info. I've been literally saving my quarters to make this purchase- so I will check out all the options. Thanks Darren_N- I'll check out J&R- just under $600 shipped is exactly my price range- I have to save the rest of my dough for the matching svs sub You wouldn't happen to have a link for J&R would you? I'm a total newb, and not familiar with the vendor. I'm gonna take a look at the used angle too. Thanks again fellas. Pus.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

You know what's weird? I buy (and sell) a fair amount of gear, and I've actually never heard of "refurbed" speakers before. B-stock, yes, but not "refurbs". You might want to check exactly what the definition is. I've only ever seen "refurb" associated withe electronics (receivers, DVD players, etc.) I would make sure you at least get *some* warranty with them. I.e., you get them, open up the box, take off the grill, and there's a dimple in one of the drivers or something.

 

[Pus Suchre]

Hmmmm Kevin, interesting point you raise. I was looking at an E100 being sold be "Sell2All" on eBay. The auction for the E100 has expired, so here is a sample of an E90 he is selling- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WDVW

He has it listed as refurbed- and if you go to the left side of your pc screen, you will see a link for "Report Card." Under "Functionality" it has an "R" which means "Factory Refurbished to Original Working Condition"

Now what that means I have no bloody idea. I have emailed Sell2All to inquire about warranty information. If & when I get an answer back, I will inquire as to what they mean by refurbished.

 

[John Tami]

I purchased 2 pair of Refurbed S26II's from the Ebay JBL/HK store. Work done by (JBL) and full factory warranty (5 yrs) and arrived in the factory boxes/packing. I have not one clue that they are not brand new speakers. They are perfect.

These were bid items (I won at $122 and $128 plus $26 shipping per pair) , some are buy it now items. I could not be higher with my purchase.

Johnny_M..... While I may agree on things like Receivers (feature change so often) Speakers OTOH should be a very long term investment. (unless this is your first system knowing you will upgrade later) Speakers IMO are the most important aspect and should be purchased with that in mind.

 

[EricRWem]

Don't every buy refurbed unless it's direct from said manufacterer and you get a fat warranty with it.

 

[Chu Gai]

Those JBL's aren't a shabby speaker. Might not be your cup of tea, but not shabby in the least.

 

[John Tami]

Heres a link to some 310SII's from JBL/HK Ebay...you can click on their "Other auctions from seller" button to see all they offer.

JBL/HK Ebay Store

Also they have a direct site. Some are remanufactured..many are new.

HK/JBL Web Store

 

[Pus Suchre]

I have ended up following Darren_N's suggestion of picking up the e100s new at J&W. The free shipping put the speakers smack dab at my $600 budget limit- couldn't pass it up.

The HK/JBL store on ebay looks pretty good- and I think I will cruise there for my surround speakers- e20s I think. Refurbed & bought from the manufacturer with a proper warranty seems alright by me.

That other chap who was selling the refurbed e100s only offered a 30 day warranty- not a good deal in my opinion.

Thanks again for all the advice gents- you all have been a big help.

 

[Chu Gai]

Chime in later with your thoughts after you've had them for a while.