Home Audio - What is the "minimally" best I can get for the least amount of money?

[KEW]

I've got those speakers and for that price, plus a receiver, it's a steal.

Understand that Mark has dealt in the hi-fi industry for decades. If he has those speakers, there is a reason, because he has seen many other speakers come and go!

If you are lucky, they are still there. Athena speakers are very good, but they never gained the brand name recognition they deserved.
If the seller had JBL or Klipsch (or even Bose), they would be easier to sell because most buyers recognize those names as established speaker manufacturers, but don't have the benefit of exposure to a brand like Athena.

He says he bought them in 2010 and only used them for 6 months, so they should be in excellent condition. If the grills are removable, make sure each driver of each speaker is working. you should be able to easily hear the tweeters, and resting a light finger on the woofers, you should feel the vibration when the low notes are played.

You might offer $250, but go with $270 if he won't drop the price! Four towers and a center of good quality for $270 is absurd. Throw in a sub and receiver, and I feel sorry for the seller!

If you have a favorite DVD, take it with you. Something with some music would be good. Usually the intro to any movie has some music. Then check out the bass.

 

[felipe]

this pioneer 2.0 with receiver set seems nice.
https://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/ele/5283918957.html
Also, while probably above your budget - is excellent 5.1 with seems to be decent yamaha avr
https://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/ele/5231104338.html
Athena was high quality/low price brand, before acquired by Klipsch was pretty good, and probably still is.

Woow. That is literally a steal for that Athena/Yammy system. The OP is lucky to have deals like that around him. Definitely worth the trip .

 

[Kovacs]

Understand that Mark has dealt in the hi-fi industry for decades. If he has those speakers, there is a reason, because he has seen many other speakers come and go!

If you are lucky, they are still there. Athena speakers are very good, but they never gained the brand name recognition they deserved.
If the seller had JBL or Klipsch (or even Bose), they would be easier to sell because most buyers recognize those names as established speaker manufacturers, but don't have the benefit of exposure to a brand like Athena.

He says he bought them in 2010 and only used them for 6 months, so they should be in excellent condition. If the grills are removable, make sure each driver of each speaker is working. you should be able to easily hear the tweeters, and resting a light finger on the woofers, you should feel the vibration when the low notes are played.

You might offer $250, but go with $270 if he won't drop the price! Four towers and a center of good quality for $270 is absurd. Throw in a sub and receiver, and I feel sorry for the seller!

If you have a favorite DVD, take it with you. Something with some music would be good. Usually the intro to any movie has some music. Then check out the bass.

Thanks for the tips. The seller did get back to me and we are planning our meetup.

I'll see if he can go with $250, but I'll stick with $270 if he doesn't budge.

Also, he wants to meet at the Oasis/gas station off the highway. Should I insist that we meet at his residence so as to be able to better test out the system? He says it's already loaded up on his car but I figure it'd need to be hauled off his truck anyway, so if he left it at his place and hooked it up, then we can test it and lug it out to my car from there.

 

[KEW]

I would push for being able to at least test the system. Doesn't have to be his residence. You need some assurance it works. Tell him you will not pay $$$ for something if you don't even know it works! If he can't accommodate that, you need to walk away! - something is not right.

I noticed that the picture of the receiver was in a car. If his photos are 1 month old, that means he has been driving around with them in the car for a month? Kind of weird!

 

[markw]

Plus, meeting at a midway point is always a cause for concern. That, plus an astonishingly low price?

If you go, bring a friend.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

ask the seller for model of Yamaha AVR and post it here - and yeah - bring a friend and TEST before buying

 

[Kovacs]

Ok, I agreed to meet him this Thursday so that buys me a bit of time.

I also asked for the Yamaha AVR model number - I'll post that up once I get a response.

And, now that you mention it, he did say that the system is loaded up on his SUV already, so I figure he's been driving around all month with it. And, no one seems to buy it from him after a month, so that may be a cause for concern.

He also mentioned that a test wasn't necessary since it's only been used 6 months, but I insisted that my due diligence to power up and test the system is a fair request. I'm unsure why he wanted to meet at the exit as opposed to his place... maybe he was concerned about me just as I am of him so a public venue was a safe mutual option (?). I'll need to see what he responds with in my next email.

 

[herbu]

If you go, bring a friend.

Or two... one that walks and talks, and one that just barks and goes boom.

 

[Kovacs]

Or two... one that walks and talks, and one that just barks and goes boom.

Maybe I should get dozens of friends like that.

Perhaps I can request to meet him up at the police station parking lot.

 

[KEW]

Maybe I should get dozens of friends like that.

Perhaps I can request to meet him up at the police station parking lot.

I know the police here in Georgia encourage that.

 

[Seth=L]

I'd be hesitant to meet a buyer from craigslist at my residence. I've known folks who've been robbed and beaten by "potential" buyers on craigslist.


That said craigslist is a refuge for conmen, but I'd wager that even if you aren't able to test everything you'll still get your money's worth if say the receiver didn't work, or the subwoofer amp was shot, etc. More than likely all the speakers will be fine regardless.

 

[Kovacs]

Ok, he told me that the Yamaha's model number is RXV757.

Also, do you know if I can plug in a 3.5mm jack into the Athena unit to play a sample song to test the bass? I asked the guy over the phone, but he wasn't sure if it's 2.5mm or 3.5mm - it does have a headphone image though. We'd be making the transaction at a police station so we're going to use their power outlet to test the power and bass, and I'll be bringing an MP3 player and M-to-M audio jack.

 

[markw]

Ok, he told me that the Yamaha's model number is RXV757.

Also, do you know if I can plug in a 3.5mm jack into the Athena unit to play a sample song to test the bass? I asked the guy over the phone, but he wasn't sure if it's 2.5mm or 3.5mm - it does have a headphone image though. We'd be making the transaction at a police station so we're going to use their power outlet to test the power and bass, and I'll be bringing an MP3 player and M-to-M audio jack.

You can use a portable device to check the powered sub and receiver, not the speakers, unless you connect them to the receiver.

I'm glad you're meeting at a police station. There's a lot of weitrdos using craigslist.

 

[Kovacs]

Ok here's the picture of the Yamaha unit. Do you think that a 3.5mm jack will fit? I take it that I'd bring over a speaker and test it with the receiver and subs simultaneously.

He was hesitant about going to the police department, I'm unsure why.
But, he accepted, so that's good.

Also, do you know what sort of wires/cables/connectors I should be expecting?
I'll ask him now, but I want to make sure it's all there.

BTW, he mentioned that he worked at Best Buy back then and that's where he got these.

 

[Alex2507]

He was hesitant about going to the police department, I'm unsure why.

Probably because he's a criminal. That's my guess. Ask him.

 

[markw]

FWIW, with that 3.5mm/RCA adapter and a pair of headphones, you can test the receiver, assuming you have AC. At least the front channels. Jus plug the unit into one of the "aux" jacks.

I'm surprised that the police station will allow you access to AC but I doubt the guy will want to spend too much time connecting/disconnecting the whole she-bang.

 

[Kovacs]

Does anyone know if the audio system should already come with everything I'll need to hook up to my TV and to each of the devices?

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Does anyone know if the audio system should already come with everything I'll need to hook up to my TV and to each of the devices?

Probably not, but cables are cheap - plan $5-10 per cable

 

[markw]

Does anyone know if the audio system should already come with everything I'll need to hook up to my TV and to each of the devices?

No. Interconnects and speaker cables are always sold separately.

 

[Kovacs]

No. Interconnects and speaker cables are always sold separately.

Ok, I guess that's not too bad of an issue if the cables are cheap.

My biggest concern is... will I be able to simply plug my MP3 into the units / devices directly for testing of audio (e.g. receiver, speakers, and sub)? I know there's a headphone jack, but I'd want to check to make sure that the speakers work properly.