Used factory direct speakers and subs? (1 Viewer)

[Matt Jesty]

What are the going %ages off of used "direct" speakers like Diva's ,Nohr, vmps, hsu, SVS, etc. on e-bay and similiar auction sites...my experiances (not being familiar with on-line bidding sites) is scattered and anecdotal

 

[Chu Gai]

Provided you know what you're looking for and you're dealing with someone who has a strong feedback rating it becomes an intriguing gamble. You need to look carefully at what you're buying and ask plenty of questions if you have them. Like anything, if its used there's usually no warranty unless the seller offers a limited one. If the person happens to be in the same state/city that you're in you can often email and arrange for a quick drive by/check out thing. In fact there are some auctions, such as speakers or other large items that are specific and limited to say a city such as NYC or Chicago, with the seller often throwing in delivery. There's a tremendous tendency to overpay in an auction so you need to have a good understanding of what list prices are as well as corresponding retail prices. In the case of say the Norh speakers, which may or may not be for you, virtually everyone bought them sight unseen as they were shipped overseas. Not too long afterwards many were also being sold used. Now what their real reasons were, who knows. While you're considering the used market, hunt around where you live and see what's available in the stores that have close-outs, demo, open box, returns, etc. Sometimes, if you can live with a scratch or blemish you may get something intriguing and even with a warranty. As manufacturers roll out new equipment, that old stuff suddenly looses its appeal and of course, its price. So scour the web for places that have brick& mortar chains such as Tweeter. Also don't be afraid if you find what you're looking for at a particular store to offer substantially less than their reduced price. Say a $700 receiver is being offered for $400 because its been brought back...no manual, some cables missing. Find a salesman, actually they'll probably find you, and offer say $300. To make it fun, bring along a friend and play good cop/bad cop with your friend playing the role of "look, don't buy it, its used". If the salesman won't budge try walking away or maybe asking for the manager. Have your friend tag along, constantly trying to talk you out of it. Who knows? Stores want to maximize their profit and you want to cut it to the bone. To me, it can be a fun game. Lastly if there are garage or moving sales in your neighborhood, drop by. Every now and then on the weekends if I'm driving around, I may take my son and we go strictly to check on our respective interests. For him its electric guitars and amps. You never know

 

[chung_sotheby]

I think that the only place yo uwill find used factory direct speakers, like the ones you mentioned, are on either qudiogon or on the classifieds sections of sites like this one. As for the % off, you can usually find them for between 30-40% off their original price, which means that you are getting an even better deal for the quality of sound than if you bought used Production speakers. LIke look in the classifieds section here, you can find usde Divas and Norhs for significantly less than their factory direct prices