Buying back sold speakers ? i'm having a crisis...

[ConradH]

It's just stuff. There are very few audio pieces I'm that attached to and old speakers are usually more knackered than people are willing to admit. Cones, surrounds and spiders all change characteristics. Particle board boxes absorb water, get coffee cup rings and accumulate dings and dents. Veneer comes loose. Crossovers degrade, or at least people think they do. The value of the name goes up, but the actual thing doesn't get better with time. Sometimes it's better to just start fresh.

 

[dcgibby]

I have HPM-100s. I got them for nostalgia and realized you can do so much better. I struggled with mine for a few years then I listened to some new speakers and realized new is better.

 

[Lavane]

I went through this a few years ago because the walls were literally closing in I had so much stuff. All in all it worked out...the stuff I kept was worth it. There's a few pieces I wish I had back but they'd probably just sit unused for long, long periods of time.

Same here. I had been collecting and restoring mainly early to mid '70's Marantz separates. I had some nice TOTL matching equipment too.
But most of it just wasn't beeing used enough, or not at all. I sold all of it off except for one integrated amp, a power amp, and a tuner. And they weren’t even anybif the TOTL pieces I had. I kept what I listenednto most.
I only really miss one tuner out of all of that equipment.
I'm finely happy with the tube based system I have now.
Speakers I'm still playing with though. I wouldn't mind finding another pair of Marantz Imperial 6's. The pair I have aren't in the best cosmetic shape.
They're just an all around good sounding speaker that isn't picky about having SS or tubes connected to them. Even with a little 5wpc tube amp I built sounds good with them.

 

[coonmanx]

I currently have four pairs of speakers. Using ony two of them at the moment. One pair is in the process of getting new capacitors. I just need to finish that job before I can play with them. My old Speakerlab 1's from 1980 are now just sitting and collecting dust. I always loved them and still do. Even put new capacitors in about 6 or 7 years ago. But now I am using some two ways that are very similar that I built that have a slightly smaller footprint. Those get used mainly for TV sound. The Scott 166 are my main speakers for listening to music.

I guess I don't mind having a couple of extra sets of speakers. I gifted one pair that I built from scratch to a friend. He uses them and likes them. Even gave him a Fosi amp to go with them. I think he likes that combo.

So no new speakers in the mix for me right now. I already am maxed out.

 

[DesertRatt]

It's just stuff. There are very few audio pieces I'm that attached to and old speakers are usually more knackered than people are willing to admit. Cones, surrounds and spiders all change characteristics. Particle board boxes absorb water, get coffee cup rings and accumulate dings and dents. Veneer comes loose. Crossovers degrade, or at least people think they do. The value of the name goes up, but the actual thing doesn't get better with time. Sometimes it's better to just start fresh.

What a great common sense post! I'm in agreement on this issue. Speakers, don't really age well IMHO. That's not to say everyone treats them badly, but when you look at 20 year old speakers for sale it's not often pretty unless someone restored them already.

 

[Mr Boochie]

What a great common sense post! I'm in agreement on this issue. Speakers, don't really age well IMHO. That's not to say everyone treats them badly, but when you look at 20 year old speakers for sale it's not often pretty unless someone restored them already.

I spent a good part of 2017-18 going through my 1970s JBLs. For me, it was worth it.

Tiny Dancer.
Elton John - "Madman Across The Water." DJM Records. FP 80393. Toshiba Musical Industry pressing (Japan). Second variant. 1971.
Run-out: DJLPH-420-A 1S 5 (scribbled out JIS logo) 1L

 

[Catmanboo]

And you would get brand new speakers instead of buying some that would probably need new capacitors right off the bat.
View attachment 3699470
Rock on!

New caps would be the easy part compared to the hassle factor involved in replacing rotten woofter surrounds.

 

[coonmanx]

New caps would be the easy part compared to the hassle factor involved in replacing rotten woofter surrounds.

Never had to deal with that since all my speakers have butyl rubber surrounds.

 

[Catmanboo]

Never had to deal with that since all my speakers have butyl rubber surrounds.

I could show you a cracked rubber surround on a yamaha woofer. They aren't forever.

 

[Inscrutable]

I have re-bought a few pieces, mostly for sentimental reasons. The only speakers were Polk Monitor 7s … doing a full restore/upgrade and will be one of maybe 3 pair I will have in my vintage rotation.

 

[coonmanx]

I could show you a cracked rubber surround on a yamaha woofer. They aren't forever.

Maybe not but I have not experienced any cracked ones on any of the four pairs of speakers that I own. And my Speakerlab 1s are now 46 years old... That's pretty good...

 

[Volvo242GT]

For me, it's photo gear. Sold a few items last month. Nikon F3 film body, a few lenses, and the motor drive for my Nikon F. I've since replaced one of the lenses.

 

[karljansen]

For me, it's photo gear. Sold a few items last month. Nikon F3 film body, a few lenses, and the motor drive for my Nikon F. I've since replaced one of the lenses.

I would never sell my full-frame Nikon lenses. Which lens did you sell and then buy back? Only lens I've ever sold was the DX kit lens that came with the D70 because it was no longer usable after I went full-frame.

With the respect to the thread topic: I only collect and never sell, so no regrets!

 

[peterp1]

There is what appears to be a reasonably priced set of HPM-100’s on Reverb. I PM’ed the OP a couple days ago, but looks like he hasn’t been on AK since Friday. They are local pickup only, so it would take some work for him to find a way to get them to Europe.

 

[Mr Boochie]

The best cover of Sweet's tune.

 

[Mr Boochie]

Maybe not but I have not experienced any cracked ones on any of the four pairs of speakers that I own. And my Speakerlab 1s are now 46 years old... That's pretty good...

Don't crank the bass up!

 

[detroit47]

I feel like this if you want them and have the cash screw it.

 

[SaturationPt]

It's just stuff. There are very few audio pieces I'm that attached to and old speakers are usually more knackered than people are willing to admit. Cones, surrounds and spiders all change characteristics. Particle board boxes absorb water, get coffee cup rings and accumulate dings and dents. Veneer comes loose. Crossovers degrade, or at least people think they do. The value of the name goes up, but the actual thing doesn't get better with time. Sometimes it's better to just start fresh.

Maybe not but I have not experienced any cracked ones on any of the four pairs of speakers that I own. And my Speakerlab 1s are now 46 years old... That's pretty good...

I sometimes miss a few pair of special or unusual speakers I’ve owned, pulp cones that soften and thicken with every humidity cycle, foam surrounds that disintegrate, rubber surrounds that slowly harden and reduce compliance, spiders that weaken or sag, coil formers that deform, magnets that slowly lose flux, cabinets that loosen and leak, crossovers, …

I also miss cars that didn’t stop as well as today’s cars, couldn’t idle in traffic without carboning up, A/C off so they didn’t overheat, no hands-free for my phone calls, … but I don’t miss any of them enough to want to use them every day as primary or “daily drivers”. For the price of a nice air-cooled original/survivor 911S I can have a new or nearly new GT3, for the price of a pair of mint sequential-number L300As I can buy a range of capable speakers, and although I liked walking past racks of vintage gear, … I lost the desire to plug any of it in, many of us here have gone through that phase and landed in one system, … sometimes new or at least post-1990s and love the improved accuracy (not to be confused with perceived SQ or preferred SQ).

Others just love the sound of the old systems, whether they are objectively as *accurate* as a new system doesn’t matter as it’s the nostalgia that stirs their emotions, which is the most important aspect really. The look, the smell, the sound, … the slight change in sound as the speakers age is probably slower than the change in most of our aging ears on this forum so whatever makes you smile when you walk into your listening space or tap your toes when you listen.

If your vintage Pioneer speakers are what you really want and you can afford them, like @detroit47 said (paraphrased) just buy them. Chances are that they’ll hold their value fairly well if you decide to sell them again.

 

[SX550]

I wonder if your memory has been enhanced with time.
There are plenty of great speakers out there that won't set you back big bucks.

I've sold so much terrific gear over the decades but I'm happy with what I've got now.

yeah i'm in the market for something new but i like things to be "period correct" ... that's my fault.

 

[Volvo242GT]

I would never sell my full-frame Nikon lenses. Which lens did you sell and then buy back? Only lens I've ever sold was the DX kit lens that came with the D70 because it was no longer usable after I went full-frame.

With the respect to the thread topic: I only collect and never sell, so no regrets!

180/2.8 ED AIS... Partly because I didn't feel like I needed a minty looking example with the box. Got one that's a little more worn externally, and no box. Bought it from the used equipment division of Roberts Camera (UsedPhotoPro) in Indiana. Been mostly happy with my purchases from them. Reasonably priced, usually a 6 month warranty, and conservatively graded gear (like KEH's gear, just with the ability to see the exact item you're getting).