Paradigm Monitor 7s and Messina surrounds for $200?

R

rembetis

Audiophyte
I am in the market for some Paradigm Monitors and just saw someone advertising a pair of Monitor 7s with 6 Messina speakers for a total of $200. Sounds like an outrageous deal to me, but I've never heard of Messina and can find no info on them in English. Any input on the following questions would be hugely appreciated. I've attached a picture for reference.

1) What's the general feeling on buying used speakers? How long should well-made speakers last if they are treated with respect? Any tell-tale signs of abuse (besides "blown-out" sound)?

2) Anybody know anything about Messina? The speakers in question are 5 pyramid-shaped surrounds and one squat floorstanding speaker (subwoofer?). No model info is known.
 

Attachments

Brand preferences aside, speakers will last a while provided they are kept in a conditioned area. Problems arise when people forget to mention that they had them in their garage for a year or that they were on the floor when the pipes burst...

And of course, untreated paper cones from the 70's and 80's are also commonly found to disintegrate easily. There's no reason to think that a well-maintained speaker cannot last 20 years now.
 
jeffsg4mac

jeffsg4mac

Republican Poster Boy
Having done speaker repair in my past, I would never buy a used speaker unless I could test it and inspect it. If you can then here are few things for you to try.

1:First inspect all the drivers for tears in the surround.
2:Look for dented tweeters.
3:put your ear to each woofer and gently and slowly push in on the cone from the center, you are listening for a rubbing sound or scraping. If you hear anything like that then the voice coil has been burnt or is misaligned.
4:Test each speaker with some music, put your head close and listen to each driver and make sure it is active.
5: Put a little power to them and listen for any signs of distortion or static sounds. This is easier to do one speaker at a time.

If they pass all that, then they should be OK. Those are an older model of the paradigms but if they are in working order then they would be worth the $200 alone. I have never heard of the other ones
 

Latest posts

newsletter

  • RBHsound.com
  • BlueJeansCable.com
  • SVS Sound Subwoofers
  • Experience the Martin Logan Montis
Top