Need serious advise regarding buying online

[nitin_mehra20]

Hey guys!!!

I need serious advice regarding buying online.

During the course of buying a pair of towers, I have looked at mainly Paradigms and B&Ws.

I was basically trying to buy a pair of used Studio 100s for 1700 + shipping. The seller who himself deals in Paradigms said that he sold the pair i was interested in but he could sell me the Studio 100 v5s for 2100 delivered.

He said that the speakers will come with all original packing and serial number and all but i cannot register them as he should not be selling it outside his "protected" territory.

He said that he will honor the full 5 year warranty and if anything goes wrong like a tweeter or something, he will send in the replacement part which can be easily replaced.

He said in case the crossover fails (which he said that he has never heard of having failed), i would need to ship him the speakers back and he shall send it back post repair.

I have the option to pay using paypal or CC whichever I prefer. He also said that he would write it on the paypal invoice regarding the full 5 year warranty so that its not just an agreement in principle.


Since i save a lot of dough when compared to a B&M store, is it worth the effort? What are the risks involved in such a transaction?

Please advise...

 

[GomGom]

That sounds promising but you cannot dispute paypal after certain short period of time. 30 days if I'm not mistaken.

Where to get B&W speakers online? Where do you get your Paradigm?

 

[nibhaz]

There are no authorized online retailers for B&W speakers.

 

[CraigV]

First off, have you heard the speakers, and are you sure they’re the ones you want?

No, crossovers don’t go bad. As for the drivers, unless you’re foolish with under or over powering them, or crank up the volume too loud, you shouldn’t have any issues. I would check the dealers credentials (go to Paradigms web site & make sure he’s an authorized dealer) and get his guarantee in writing. If that all checks out, then you’re probably OK.

 

[droht]

If I was going buy speakers from a B&M store I would want all the benefits that come with it. While I agree that the speakers are likely to be fine and never need repair, I don't think I'd go this route. The seller may be less than honest. And even if his intentions are pure you have no idea how long he'll be around to honor his promises.

If you don't mind some risk look for something used on AudiogoN.

 

[nitin_mehra20]

First off, have you heard the speakers, and are you sure they’re the ones you want?

No, crossovers don’t go bad. As for the drivers, unless you’re foolish with under or over powering them, or crank up the volume too loud, you shouldn’t have any issues. I would check the dealers credentials (go to Paradigms web site & make sure he’s an authorized dealer) and get his guarantee in writing. If that all checks out, then you’re probably OK.

Hey Craig,

Just checked on the Paradigm website. He is infact a Paradigm dealer.

And yes, he did say that he would give it in writing regarding the support

 

[nitin_mehra20]

If I was going buy speakers from a B&M store I would want all the benefits that come with it. While I agree that the speakers are likely to be fine and never need repair, I don't think I'd go this route. The seller may be less than honest. And even if his intentions are pure you have no idea how long he'll be around to honor his promises.

If you don't mind some risk look for something used on AudiogoN.

I checked out that the dealer is infact an authorized dealer. Though I agree with you that the B&M store is a safer way to go, the price he offered for a brand new pair is essentially what they are going for used in Audiogon. So that seems to be great deal to me and hence the question on the forum

As for Audiogon, buying used carries the same risk 'cause the warranty from Paradigm, B&W etc... are not transferable

 

[nitin_mehra20]

That sounds promising but you cannot dispute paypal after certain short period of time. 30 days if I'm not mistaken.

Where to get B&W speakers online? Where do you get your Paradigm?

There are no authorized online retailers for B&W speakers.

Correct! There aren't but it seems that in order to meet commitment and with the current economic conditions, a lot of small dealers are taking this route to sell speakers

GomGom: I agree on the paypal, thats why I am going to buy using my Amex. They have excellent customer service and usually are quite accommodating if such a situation arrives.

The risk is still there but the difference in price is about 900 bucks plus 300 tax so total savings of 1200

I may sound stingy, but in these economic conditions, i am bargaining like hell for anything and everything i am buying

 

[nibhaz]

I don’t' care what the economic conditions are, $1,200 is not chicken scratch to me. I don’t think anyone could fault you for wanting to save that kind of coin, it’s almost enough to cover the cost of a SVS PB13-Ultra.

 

[nitin_mehra20]

I don’t' care what the economic conditions are, $1,200 is not chicken scratch to me. I don’t think anyone could fault you for wanting to save that kind of coin, it’s almost enough to cover the cost of a SVS PB13-Ultra.

I agree!!!! Though I am going for SVS PB12

Oh! BTW, l liked the Cobra icon you have... Have been a while since I bought G.I. Joes...

 

[highfigh]

No, crossovers don’t go bad.

Wanna bet? Exceeding the voltage rating of a crossover cap is no different from doing the same thing in an amplifier. Granted, it has a worse effect on cheap speakers but if a really good speaker is abused, the crossovers can and do fail.

 

[nitin_mehra20]

Wanna bet? Exceeding the voltage rating of a crossover cap is no different from doing the same thing in an amplifier. Granted, it has a worse effect on cheap speakers but if a really good speaker is abused, the crossovers can and do fail.

Even if you drive a range rover across the Kalahari and not maintain it, it will go bad despite having quite a reputation for being quite sturdy. If you abuse anything not just speakers, they will eventually go bad

The question is that under normal usage do crossovers have a tendency to break and is the breakage a common occurrence??

 

[CraigV]

Wanna bet? Exceeding the voltage rating of a crossover cap is no different from doing the same thing in an amplifier. Granted, it has a worse effect on cheap speakers but if a really good speaker is abused, the crossovers can and do fail.

Fair enough, but I would think (hope) in a speaker with the reputation the Paradigms have, and given the person buying them is spending a good chunk of change to own them, I would say within reasonable parameters, crossover failure is highly unlikely.