• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

what is the most "misleading" things you have heard about HiFi's??

silverface80 said:
I don't know why people put "local pickup, no shipping" when they sell stuff on CL.....
Click to expand...

Maybe they don't want people from all over the country hassling them to ship something?

I've never bought anything off CL, but I sure as heck wouldn't buy anything off CL that wasn't in person.
 
probably already mentioned:

"has good base" (not bass).....yes, clearly....

Sometimes you get lucky with a sale because of the lack of knowledge of how good a piece is, like:

"clearing out estate from deceased relative. The lights turn on, but haven't tested it. It's old so being sold-as is"

....then you find out it's a near pristine tube/solid state amp
 
regarding the local pickup thing-it is probably speakers most of the time. if you ship martin logans across the country and they are damaged in transit (quite likely) everybody is screwed.

for that reason, my friend has always specified local pickup. turntables too. i had to ship a vpi/sme to illinois and it was a daunting task.
 
I see this all the time, when, say, a three-way speaker is listed as having a tweeter, midrange and a subwoofer. Apparently some dolts figure that if the things have a woofer, then it must be a "subwoofer". Always good for a giggle!
 
The most idiotic statements I've heard about audio over the decades have come from audio retailers. Some recent ones come to mind :- " B & W are the only company that make decent sub-woofers" - - as an owner of Velodyne DD15's that had me giggling in his face.
"Luxman only ever made overpriced junk"
"You should never run a valve pre-amp into a solid state power amp as it causes distortion"
"Rega turntables are the best in the world"
"Any cheap CD player is better than the best turntable"
The list could go on. I expect people selling on ebay to tell a few fibs and describe gear inaccurately out of pure ignorance but when high-end retailers talk bullshit ( excuse my English but that's what it is) I get mad as hell.
 
silverface80 said:
I don't know why people put "local pickup, no shipping" when they sell stuff on CL.....
Click to expand...
Because gear is often damaged. The careful packaging of audio gear is a subject never mentioned on audio forums or in the hi-fi press so how can we expect the general public to understand such esoteric requirements as packing heavy power transformers etc to prevent them moving in transit, or worse still, totally detaching themselves from printed circuit boards?
Even 'the original packaging' provides no insurance against such damage as stocks of most audio gear are packed on pallets for transport from manufacturer to retailer.
Doesn't work like that with any postal service I know of.
Still, I've taken the risk on a lot of gear and only once had it ruined.
Careful insurance is the answer.
 
HeezDeadJim said:
probably already mentioned:

Sometimes you get lucky with a sale because of the lack of knowledge of how good a piece is, like:

"clearing out estate from deceased relative. The lights turn on, but haven't tested it. It's old so being sold-as is"

....then you find out it's a near pristine tube/solid state amp
Click to expand...

CORRECT! (ding! ding! ding!)

Such as my CL find of "Yamaha amp and Definitive Towers, $40" Called the dude immediately (about 25 min away) and told him I'd be there swingin' cash IMMEDIATELY after work.

Got there, and got the stuff in my SUV ASAP. 1 pair VG+ Def. Tech BP2000 "super" towers, 1 Yamaha RX-V2090 receiver (VG+), 50 feet of monster cable.

No, really.

For that money, I'd have burnt them as firewood if they didn't work.
 
Jeffery said:
Maybe they don't want people from all over the country hassling them to ship something?

I've never bought anything off CL, but I sure as heck wouldn't buy anything off CL that wasn't in person.
Click to expand...

no exactly, why would anyone send money and expect something will actually be shipped to them....without any protection?
 
rfolden said:
CORRECT! (ding! ding! ding!)

Such as my CL find of "Yamaha amp and Definitive Towers, $40" Called the dude immediately (about 25 min away) and told him I'd be there swingin' cash IMMEDIATELY after work.

Got there, and got the stuff in my SUV ASAP. 1 pair VG+ Def. Tech BP2000 "super" towers, 1 Yamaha RX-V2090 receiver (VG+), 50 feet of monster cable.

No, really.

For that money, I'd have burnt them as firewood if they didn't work.
Click to expand...


now that is robbery!!
 
JonVH said:
"Domes never had good off axis dispersion"
Completely falsified..........
Click to expand...

"I have been credited with inventing the "soft dome" tweeter. The dome tweeters I designed and used in the AR-3 speaker had stiff phenolic diaphragms. I had tried soft domes and rejected them because they compromised dispersion."-Edgar Villchur in Sound and Vision magazine.

Maybe it was true at one time, but the problem was overcome in later designs.
 
stereofanboy said:
"I have been credited with inventing the "soft dome" tweeter. The dome tweeters I designed and used in the AR-3 speaker had stiff phenolic diaphragms. I had tried soft domes and rejected them because they compromised dispersion."-Edgar Villchur in Sound and Vision magazine.

Maybe it was true at one time, but the problem was overcome in later designs.
Click to expand...
+1, The lyrical plunder in magazines like those started the myths about "soft domes never had good dispersion" that eventually turned into "domes never had good dispersion".
 
"Will be packed carefully."

What a joke! I ALWAYS pack carefully, and one man from British Columbia said mine was the best packing job he had EVER seen. On the other hand, I have received gear with just a few wads of newspaper thrown in for packing. That can work, but the secret - yeah, it must be a secret or people would do it - is to pack many wads in there tightly. We all know that, right? Too many sellers on a certain auction site are either stoopid or don't care. <end rant>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom