musichal
poet emeritus
I often see comments such as, "...these have consecutive serial numbers, for those who care about such things..." and I am one who does care. Especially for speakers like several Klipsch models with production eras measured in decades rather than years.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I wouldn't buy speakers not consecutive (or very close to it), but I'd rather see it than not, for several reasons:
Having sold audio, I know that the store's orders were filled by speakers with consecutive numbers, and we took pains to place them in our storeroom so that as we sold them, we could keep consecutive numbers together. So assuming an owner took good care of them, and you are looking at them 15 years later, you know they were built at the same time, sold together, and are something of a matched pair.
They aren't likely to be different due to changes in parts over time. So the drivers should match, all the parts should match. If one has a woofer that appears different, then it was likely replaced. If SNs were far apart in this scenario, you don't know what differences might be the manufacturer's over time, or a cheapskate owner who put in a will-fit. Sure, you can perhaps research and figure such things out, but when deciding to buy or not on the spot, consecutively numbered speakers are a good sign, and make it easier to pull the trigger.
Of course, sometimes some noob salesman might forget to check, so maybe the numbers skip a few digits - at least they are very close and all the above advantages are in play. Speakers in very good condition obviously sell for more than those which aren't. For me, if they are also consecutively numbered and appear identical, that goes a long way toward justifying the ask.
I'm not saying that I wouldn't buy without very close or consecutive numbers, but I will expect to pay less in most such cases. Obviously there are exceptions.
I thought the guy's ask a bit high for the Khorns I bought [1976 pair, $2400]. I tried to get him down about ten percent, but he wasn't budging. The fact that they looked decent, looked identical, sounded right, and have consecutive SNs made the buy easier to justify.
Why would anyone not really care? Even to the guy who's just looking for a deal, it matters.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I wouldn't buy speakers not consecutive (or very close to it), but I'd rather see it than not, for several reasons:
Having sold audio, I know that the store's orders were filled by speakers with consecutive numbers, and we took pains to place them in our storeroom so that as we sold them, we could keep consecutive numbers together. So assuming an owner took good care of them, and you are looking at them 15 years later, you know they were built at the same time, sold together, and are something of a matched pair.
They aren't likely to be different due to changes in parts over time. So the drivers should match, all the parts should match. If one has a woofer that appears different, then it was likely replaced. If SNs were far apart in this scenario, you don't know what differences might be the manufacturer's over time, or a cheapskate owner who put in a will-fit. Sure, you can perhaps research and figure such things out, but when deciding to buy or not on the spot, consecutively numbered speakers are a good sign, and make it easier to pull the trigger.
Of course, sometimes some noob salesman might forget to check, so maybe the numbers skip a few digits - at least they are very close and all the above advantages are in play. Speakers in very good condition obviously sell for more than those which aren't. For me, if they are also consecutively numbered and appear identical, that goes a long way toward justifying the ask.
I'm not saying that I wouldn't buy without very close or consecutive numbers, but I will expect to pay less in most such cases. Obviously there are exceptions.
I thought the guy's ask a bit high for the Khorns I bought [1976 pair, $2400]. I tried to get him down about ten percent, but he wasn't budging. The fact that they looked decent, looked identical, sounded right, and have consecutive SNs made the buy easier to justify.
Why would anyone not really care? Even to the guy who's just looking for a deal, it matters.
