Problems with Paradigm SE 3s on first night

[wlmmn]

Hi All,

After selling my B&Ws on eBay and getting some serious coin back on those, I decided to buy some brand new Paradigm SE 3 speakers today from a local high-end audio store. Hooked them up, played some music, and I noticed a ticking noise coming from the right speaker...it sounds exactly like how a hard drive ticks when it's accessing something, but a bit quieter and slightly higher pitched. I took off the grill and it's definitely coming from the second from bottom driver.

It comes and goes, and it's fairly subtle but I notice it seems to resonate at certain frequencies rather than others. This was not an issue with the same exact setup with my B&W 685s, and this is the very first day with these brand-new Paradigms and I'm getting a small rattle in one of the drivers. I haven't driven these hard at all, and I'm listening to several different recordings. I called up the store and they said this isn't normal but that I should try and keep playing music at a low volume and see if it goes away and call them back next week. So......deal with this for 5 or so days?

Please, please tell me this just a speaker break-in issue and that it'll just go away...not the best first impression with Paradigm so far. I just got my speaker placement and everything exactly how I wanted it to; packing these speakers up and going through a time-consuming exchange for a replacement pair to come in is just about the last thing I want to do.

 

[agarwalro]

Stop the music and disconnect the speaker.

Speaker break-in will not fix something like a loose screw or manufacturing defect in the unit. The last thing you want is to be blamed for damage caused by not taking swift decisive action.

Take it back to the store asap.

 

[markw]

OK, this is NOT a break-in issue. It's a broke-en speaker issue.

I can forgive Paradigm since stuff heppens to the best of them. That's why they offer guarantees.

Now, I cannot forgive your local dealer for trying to shuck off doing the right thing, which would be making good by you and getting to work on replacing it.

...particularly since Paradigm insists on selling only through local dealers to assure good customer service.

 

[Adam]

If this is a broken speaker, then I totally agree with Mark. If the local dealer gives you any grief, please don't hesitate to contact Paradigm directly. I bought a defective B&W sub, and my local dealer insisted that it was perfectly fine and absolutely refused to replace it. It was a continuous source of frustration to me, as it rattled. To my embarrassment, I didn't think to contact B&W for two years. Once I did, it was almost immediately that they confirmed that my serial number was part of a bad production run, and they made it right with a new sub.

 

[wlmmn]

Thanks for your help guys.

Here's what really upsets me: say I box back up the one speaker that's defective and bring it to the store. Let's say they offer to replace the pair, since speakers like these are serial-number matched and both would need to be replaced. What do I do in the meantime, while the 10 to 14 days it'll take to get my SE 3s plays out? As a teacher, I'm on winter break right now, and right now is when I have the free time to enjoy this setup; not in 2 weeks. I just know they don't have another SE3 pair in store for me to take....I would have to either have them take the defective pair back and me be without speakers (again), or me keep the defective pair to have in the meantime and then shlep it all back once they got a replacement pair in.

Should I box up just the one speaker and bring it, or bring both speakers? I'm thinking if I box up one speaker, that'll send more of the message of me keeping what I have in the meantime instead of surrendering both speakers at the store.

 

[Adam]

I know that you'll need to work it out with the store and/or Paradigm, but here are my thoughts.

You have already paid for the ability to listen to those speakers in your home. You paid in good faith that you'd get operational speakers. If they want you to surrender the speakers while waiting for the replacements to arrive, then they should hand you your money back until they arrive. If you don't have the speakers, then they don't have the money for them. After all, if you have your money and they can't make it right, you can buy one of the many, many other speakers out there.

That said, I'm sorry about your situation. It would be perfect to have them working great, as I'm sure that you bought them to enjoy over your holiday break. A bit of a set back, but hopefully you'll be enjoying your new system fairly soon.

 

[slipperybidness]

Loaners?

Explain the situation to the dealer and see if they will give you some loaners until the replacements arrive. Even if not loaner 100s, at least something else quality to get you by (and you may find you like the loaners better).

When you're talking about this much money for speakers, don't settle for anything less than 100% customer satisfaction. This is how dealers keep a good reputation and how they can justify the high prices that you pay---complete customer satisfaction and support. If you don't get that, then let them know that your future high-end purchases will be going to the competition instead.

 

[Rickster71]

packing these speakers up and going through a time-consuming exchange for a replacement pair to come in is just about the last thing I want to do.

Sorry to hear about your new speakers.
Write down the serial # and carefully remover that one driver and bring it to your dealer.
He will call Paradigm for a replacement driver that you can install.

 

[Rickster71]

Just thought of something.
You could bring him the faulty driver and ask him to swap it with one he has there. Hopefully he'll have a few speakers in stock.

 

[Warpdrv]

Thats a bogus deal - When I got my Sigs, I hooked them up and they ran great for a couple days, then one of the tweeters went wonky. Called up my dealer - he couldn't get off the phone with me fast enough to order a new replacement tweeter from paradigm and had them ship it overnight !!!!

I had it 2 days later - was to late in the day to get it on that truck.....

Dealers make money on sales, and are granted with a markup. Yes, the shipping of a warranty product eats into their sale money, but thats all part of doing business. For them not to take care of you should be good reason to call Paradigm and question that dealers service.

 

[ACsGreens]

Replace

Your PDM dealer should let you hold on to the speakers while ordering/receiving a new driver(s) or whatever the determined problem is.

 

[wlmmn]

If this is how you handle this little setback in life, I fear for what you're teaching our children on how to face life.

That was an unnecessary personal attack. How I go about my work has nothing to do with this situation, is not your place to judge, and is not reflected in my frustration of this situation of a pair of $1,600 speakers not working properly. If you look at my post history I've never started anything with anyone on here, so what warrants what you said? If you're not here to help please leave. Or how about you give me a piece of your personal life and I'll use it as a word weapon?

Back on topic, I did go back today and visit the store, despite a pretty heavy snowstorm that made it difficult to even get out of my driveway and discussed this further with the manager. He offered to either make a house visit and see what's going on and call Paradigm to quick ship a replacement driver, or if I wanted to I could bring back the one speaker tomorrow to the store and test it there. Either way, he said it's all under warranty and that it'll be taken care of. Meanwhile, he also offered between today and tomorrow to make me a set of terminated speaker cables for me to pick up tomorrow when I bring the speaker in.

Sorry for the emotional post yesterday, but it was pretty hard not to get worked up about this after the considerable money (for me, anyways) I put into this system so far. At least this happened during a time when I have the whole day to take care of it, but I still maintain this shouldn't have even been an issue in the first place.

 

[agarwalro]

Thanks for the update and I'm glad the dealer made good.

I still maintain this shouldn't have even been an issue in the first place.

Sucks to be the one to pick up that one in a million defective product. I've been there and it isn't fun.