ericj
Well-Known Member
I've wanted a pair of maggies for some time now. Thing is I'm cheap. I'm sure you understand. Most of my speakers came home from the thrift store - starting with the ADS L810's I picked up for $24 in 1995.
Never seen a pair in a thrift store or pawn shop. I don't really spend much time in pawn shops because they seem to have a lower grade of audio gear than the thrift stores here. The whole electronics section seems to always be stuffed with things that people waited in line to buy on black friday.
So i troll craigslist and other local for-sale listings, and they always seem to pop up when i don't have any money, or someone else snatches them up, or the asking price is just too high.
Until now. I came home with a pair of gimpy SMGa.
He said they were his dead uncle's speakers. I think the truth is that he buys delinquent storage units. He's a huge fan of cerwin-vega speakers and I was prepared to pay the asking price if they were perfect.
They were not perfect.
In fact, one of them barely makes sound at all.
He got less than half what he was asking, which was still more than i wanted to spend for a project. But they don't appear to have been abused. There doesn't appear to be any corrosion on anything or evidence that they've been left outside at any point. Well, part of the sock on one of them has some schmutz on it toward the bottom. These have the black socks and I'm tempted to go another way when i reassemble them.
Only a few of the wires are visibly lifted on these.
The tweeters worked fine when i shorted out the blown fuses.
The one of them sounds ok until you turn it up and then you hear the distinctive sound of wires flapping against the membrane.
The other one is the real problem. It sounds like it is only making sound from one spot, high up on the right hand side of the panel.
But i have Mad Skills and the ability to throw caution to the wind. And to hand a guy $50 more than i think he really deserved. But exotic speakers are more rare in utah than a lot of places.
I've read a few of the magnepan repair threads here and elsewhere. I understand that i need some acetone, a sponge or something that isn't melted by acetone, some above average contact cement, and a water-based 3m product with a name that escapes me. And patience. And a work space.
Never seen a pair in a thrift store or pawn shop. I don't really spend much time in pawn shops because they seem to have a lower grade of audio gear than the thrift stores here. The whole electronics section seems to always be stuffed with things that people waited in line to buy on black friday.
So i troll craigslist and other local for-sale listings, and they always seem to pop up when i don't have any money, or someone else snatches them up, or the asking price is just too high.
Until now. I came home with a pair of gimpy SMGa.
He said they were his dead uncle's speakers. I think the truth is that he buys delinquent storage units. He's a huge fan of cerwin-vega speakers and I was prepared to pay the asking price if they were perfect.
They were not perfect.
In fact, one of them barely makes sound at all.
He got less than half what he was asking, which was still more than i wanted to spend for a project. But they don't appear to have been abused. There doesn't appear to be any corrosion on anything or evidence that they've been left outside at any point. Well, part of the sock on one of them has some schmutz on it toward the bottom. These have the black socks and I'm tempted to go another way when i reassemble them.
Only a few of the wires are visibly lifted on these.
The tweeters worked fine when i shorted out the blown fuses.
The one of them sounds ok until you turn it up and then you hear the distinctive sound of wires flapping against the membrane.
The other one is the real problem. It sounds like it is only making sound from one spot, high up on the right hand side of the panel.
But i have Mad Skills and the ability to throw caution to the wind. And to hand a guy $50 more than i think he really deserved. But exotic speakers are more rare in utah than a lot of places.
I've read a few of the magnepan repair threads here and elsewhere. I understand that i need some acetone, a sponge or something that isn't melted by acetone, some above average contact cement, and a water-based 3m product with a name that escapes me. And patience. And a work space.