Adcom Herd Keeps Getting Bigger

Hate to revive an old thread but I just received a new to me adcom 5300 from bartertown via usps and the what looks like a small el core transformer is bouncing around inside the amp....now probably magnetically stuck to the toroidal supply.

outta curiosity, as I'm not familiar with this particular amp other than it's nelson pass origins etc. like the 535........but I've never received a damaged amp as such, and was curious as to if this is some sort of common issue (I'd think not)?? but figured I'd ask audiokarma, as I apparently need some.
 
that secondary transformer is soldered to a pcb. it had to take some serious abuse in shipping to fall out. i'd get with the seller if i was you.
 
or not attached to the toroidal but sitting in the corner of the unit. Just in case, this is what I', looking at without opening the cover
painttoad said:
that secondary transformer is soldered to a pcb. it had to take some serious abuse in shipping to fall out. i'd get with the seller if i was you.
Click to expand...
He just said nothing was loose when he shipped it. And that I'd never get insurance refund from USPS. And yeah he mentioned getting a new box and packing materials, and this is a corner of said box......it was wrapped in bubble wrap in the middle/full of Styrofoam peanuts. Not as bad as the RSL speed woofer I got packaged the same way with the woofer face down. I typically always otherwise get stuff with foam boards/pieces to brace the item from shuffling around. When loose in those packing peanuts the item just moves around.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20230927_163017.jpg
    IMG_20230927_163017.jpg
    58.9 KB · Views: 13
So yeah it was dropped or something fell on it, etc. The delivery guy literally handed it to me so it took a beating somewhere along the line. The shipping was 80 of the 230 of the cost of the amp as well. Ughh.
 
ericc129 said:
or not attached to the toroidal but sitting in the corner of the unit. Just in case, this is what I', looking at without opening the cover

He just said nothing was loose when he shipped it. And that I'd never get insurance refund from USPS. And yeah he mentioned getting a new box and packing materials, and this is a corner of said box......it was wrapped in bubble wrap in the middle/full of Styrofoam peanuts. Not as bad as the RSL speed woofer I got packaged the same way with the woofer face down. I typically always otherwise get stuff with foam boards/pieces to brace the item from shuffling around. When loose in those packing peanuts the item just moves around.
Click to expand...
i'd expect better packing from a bartertown seller. i don't know what i'd do in this situation. pretty obvious that it was packed poorly to start with. he should be liable. i mean, bubble wrap and peanuts for a power amp? :no:
 
I've honestly never received anything broken, at least not with any recourse in the 12 years of using bartertown. And never sent anything that arrived broken.
 
Good Lord now I'm staring to get a lil pissed. He offered to give me 50 dollars back. I paid a flat 80bucks just for shipping with the intent of me receiving any refund in the difference of the eventual shipping price. There's no way this costed that much to ship, unless things have increased lately. I've shipped big tube amps from Gordon W, for less than that, and they weighed at least double the weight of this adcom.
 
However, no need to keep bashing the packing etc. Is this even fixable? I don't wanna even take the cover off and be blamed even though the ad had the cover off already. I will say thanks though, for some vindication regarding my assessment of the packing quality. I don't even have the time to go to the post office to check regarding insurance although I thought that was the sellers responsibility.
 
ericc129 said:
However, no need to keep bashing the packing etc. Is this even fixable? I don't wanna even take the cover off and be blamed even though the ad had the cover off already. I will say thanks though, for some vindication regarding my assessment of the packing quality. I don't even have the time to go to the post office to check regarding insurance although I thought that was the sellers responsibility.
Click to expand...
no way to know if it's fixable without knowing what's broken. at least they are easy to work on.
 
I'm assuming just said transformer is broken off. Or if it's simple as just soldering it back in, although there are still a few pins in the board. I'm feeling scammed.....as like you said, it would take quite the shock to knock that off the circuit board.......well, that and I did start to feel a bit worried after ordering/paying for it when the ad had a picture with the lid off. I know we all love audio porn, but if something is all original without any mods; who around here would need to see the inside of an adcom of any model? ....but paying 230 for an adcom 5300 makes me feel like a fool. Not that anyone has ever complained to me about anything I've sold and shipped, even on ebay, but I'd make it right. Offering 50 bucks back to my paypal account is just a slap in the face and make me feel like I was ripped off, esp here..... theres typically a higher level of self accountability. I feel like I'm being treated as if I'm trying to get over on him. No one on here deserves a $230 brick.
 
Last edited:
FWIW, $100-200 seems to be typical for this amp on the bay. You could check actual shipping cost with an online calculator. As far as the amp arriving broken, I don't have an answer except that I believe AK sellers should be responsible for items arriving safely when selling to other AKers.

As an example, I sold a Discwasher system to another AK member a year or two ago and UPS crushed the shipping box and broke a corner of the discwasher. I immediately refunded the buyer via PP and took up the issue with UPS. I later was reimbursed for the cost of the dishwasher, but I took responsibility for all of the hassling and waiting, which got resolved long after I refunded the buyer.

To me, that's the AK way.

Also, if you end up feeling awful about the transaction when all is said and done you can leave feedback about it in the feedback sub-forum. Did you pay with PayPal? You could always file for return/refund if it goes badly enough with the seller.

I've enjoyed good transactions on BT, but it sounds like your experience has been not great. Sorry to hear it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ChrisPDX
Evaluating Adcom GFA-2535 : DC offset question
Replies
7
Views
2K
yesterdaze
yesterdaze
Back
Top Bottom