Not so fast there, Chachie...
Buckeye_Nut said:
That's a rotten deal. I vaguely remember seeing them being sold at circuit city awhile back for around $700/pr NEW. Even with the center channel thrown in, it's a bad deal for used speakers. Either your boss is naive about his speakers value, or he is trying to take advantage of you.
Not so fast, Buckeye. The IL60s are impressive speakers, regardless whether they're 5-6 years old or not. Just a few months ago I sold my IL50s and IL36C for a total of $750 (not including shipping), which was a fair price for the very good condition they were in and performance. The IL60s are a step up from the IL50s in the sense that each tower has a built-in 12" 500w subwoofer (as opposed to the 10", 250w in the IL50) which extends to 28Hz (as opposed to 32Hz), is a shade more sensitive (89dB compared to 88dB) and has a 4" midrange driver the IL50s lack altogether. The subs on these won't get to the subsonic depths that some stand-alone 12" subs will get, but they do a great job and would allow you to save money on not having to pony up another $400-600 on a solid subwoofer. The IL60s R.A.B.O.S. feature is a built-in parametric equalizer and with the use of a R.A.B.O.S. kit, allows you to tame the LFE response and tailor it to your room, a great feature that's fairly simple to use and is an excellent inclusion.
I found the IL50s to be a great price for performance speaker and the IL36C is one of the best center speakers I've heard under $400, you would never struggle with weak dialog again using this. These are very neutral sonically and I found that the better surrounding components (better receiver, additional external amps, etc.) I coupled with them, the more they shined. While logically that may make sense, often in the entry to mid-level speaker lines, their limitations are often easily reached, I found that not to be the case with these. This line of speakers hold their value as their resale averages will tell you.
Having said this, I would suggest your seller brings the price of the IL60s down to about $600-650, as you can get them refurbished with the full 5 year warranty direct from Harman Audio
here for $488.00 a piece, which typically all of their refurbs look and perform brand new. Personally, at that price, I'd go for the Kappa 600s for about the same price. The center will run you about $225-250 anywhere, so I wouldn't suggest paying any more than $825-900 for all three. I can honestly say, though, even if you did decide to pay the $1000 asking price, you will likely not be disappointed. If you do go w/the Interludes, I strongly recommend getting the R.A.B.O.S. kit for the subs, it substantially improves the bass response and is worth the extra $50-60. If your boss has it, ask him to throw it in for free, though, good faith gesture.
I considered the PSB Image T55s after selling my IL50s, but went with a pair of Boston Acoustics VR3s that I've always liked the sound of. The T55s are another excellent value tower speaker, great with music as well as movies. Unfortunately, you would likely need a decent sub with them, bringing total cost up a bit more. While the Infinitys, PSBs and BAs are all somewhat different, I can appreciate the performance of these speakers and have nothing but positive things to say about either of them.
While I do have fairly extensive experience with the ILs, you may not and should, if you have the opportunity, go out and listen to a few different sets of speakers as you find they may not necessarily be your cup o' tea. Everyone's taste in speakers is different and when you're dropping this kind of coin, you might as well get exactly what you want in your price range. Good luck!
-TD
