private "dealers" ?? (long post)

burdette

My trusty 14 year old Onkyo stereo receiver died last month, so I just bought my first DD receiver. I'm deciding how to best use the three pairs of Polks I own (Monitor 7C, 5jr+, M2) to enjoy some of the benefits of surround sound while still being able to listen to background music in a different part of the house (on a different system). I can't make the complete switch to DD right now because I can't afford a new subwoofer, new dedicated center channel, etc.

I thought of checking out this flea market forum for a used, older pair of small bookshelf Polks to use either as the surrounds for Pro Logic, or else as the mains in our upstairs system, and use the M2s as the surrounds. Frankly, I was hoping to find a rich 'uncle' to take pity on me and sell me a decent pair cheap cheap!!

Looking over this forum, it is obvious that there are some people who own/buy/sell many pairs of speakers. And it seems some of the sellers aren't necessarily trustworthy. So I'm curious... who are these people who appear to "deal" in used speakers, why do they have so many, why are they buying and selling and shipping and all this over and over??

One reason I'm asking is because I bought my Monitor 7Cs "new" (in the box) from a private seller many moons ago. His house was filled with equipment - 8-10 pairs of speakers connected, all sorts of electronics, and he was in a very rough part of Dallas. The story of the purchase is long but very interesting, and everyone who I've told it to thinks the speakers were hot (brand new from a local audio shop, in the box 7Cs, for about half price). His explanation was that a buddy won them, didn't want them, and wanted some quick cash for them.

I'm hesitant to buy used speakers through the mail, first of all, and secondly, I don't have money to lose. But on the other hand, I know if *I* was the seller, my speakers ARE like new and I *would* follow through with the sale, as I know many (most) of you other Polkies would. How do you cross the line for trust? And.. uh... any rich uncles out there with old small bookshelf Polks sitting in the back of a closet?

TroyD

As far as the folks on the forum, I think we only have one really bad apple. I'm less leary of folks here than, say, ebay.

Now to your rig. Man, I would suggest some patience. The 7C's would make good mains, the M2's good surrounds and the 5jr's used elsewhere.......All you need is to gradually aquire a sub and center and I think you would in business.

BDT

weavercr

So far only one problem seller on here. I have had 3 / 4 transactions on here without any problems what so ever. Just read the old post and decide if you want to do business with that person. Most of us will stand behind our word. Dont be afraid of emailing the seller and asking for references.

Which DD receiver did you buy?

burdette

After MUCH research, and considering my very tight budget, I bought the Sherwood RV-7103. We had two Onkyo TX-84s, both new circa 1988, one of which died last month. I would have liked to have bought a new beefy $400-$500 DD receiver, but the money just wasn't there. But, I figure the other Onkyo will go eventually, the Sherwood will become the secondary receiver, and I can buy whatever unit I can afford at that time. I have two kids under 5, so when we actually have the time to watch, the kids are in bed, so we can't crank it anyway.

The Sherwood has DD and DTS, but Pro Logic and not Pro Logic II. However, and this was the real kicker, after chatting with a Circuit City manager about prices, I ended up getting the RV-7103 for $135. It has all the inputs and outputs (digital and otherwise) I'll ever need for it to handle, 100 wpc x 5, 2 year parts/labor. It doesn't have a universal/learning remote, but we've been dealing with multiple remotes for YEARS, so for the money, it was easy to let that go. I think it was a wonderful balance of price and features, given the limited demands I'll place on it.

It is hooked up to a Sony second generation CD changer that was new in 1989, an AIWA 3-head cassette deck, APEX AD-800 DVD player that we got last winter, and Toshiba HiFi VCR. I still have my Technics SL-5 linear tracking turntable from the mid-80s, but it needs a cartridge and the Sherwood doesn't have a phono input anyway.

Thanks for the reply. I think a center channel speaker is first on my list, given that the bass response of the 7Cs is decent.

hotwheelman

I have a pair if seven b's for my shop system and have to agree that the bass response is very pleasing for a fairly small speaker.
I think you sould definitly pursue a center as soon as you can, you will definitly like watching movies even more after said speaker is in place.

jcaut

Not sure if you'd be interested, but I had an Advent center channel listed on here for a while. Here's a link to the thread:
http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4012

You might be better off saving your money to buy a better, better-matching center, since it carries most of the weight in a movie soundtrack. I don't have any idea how this would sound with your 7C's, but if you want it I'll ship it for $35.

Jason

burdette

I've tried to find some information on the Advent, no luck yet. Actually, Crutchfield is pretty good about that stuff.. I may contact them.

Is it two 4" and a 1" dome?? Do you have the grill??
I assume it is shielded so I can set it right next to or on the TV?

Actually, I am interested. I will be awhile before I can buy either a Polk center to go with what I have, or a whole new setup. The Advent forums had at least one mention of Advents sounding OK with Polks.

I haven't used the forums much.. is there a way to go private email?

Thanks.

jcaut

I think these would be called 5-1/4" drivers. The tweeter is something like 3/4". The enclosure is ported on the rear, and has spring clip terminals: Nothing fancy. It's angled and shielded for placement on top of a TV, but I always had it on a shelf below mine. It came with some stick-on rubber feet, which I never attached and subsequently lost.

Cosmetically it's not perfect, but it's not ugly. There are a couple of dings on the corners, and a small snag on the right-hand side of the grille (red arrow in the picture).

As I said before, I'm not sure how it will sound with your system. I used this for several years in a Pro Logic setup with Advent Baby III bookshelf speakers for mains. I think they had the same tweeter--- They seemed to match pretty well. I later switched to some floorstanding Advents, and the timber mis-match was there, though not too terrible. I hooked it up with my RT800i's this morning for an "evaluation" listen, and the mis-match is pretty obvious. This center speaker is outclassed by the Polk CS175i, which you might also be able to pick up cheap. (I have one of those too, but it's serving as a back-surround speaker in my living room right now). Not that I'm really trying to talk you out of this one, but I would hate for you to get it and be unhappy with it. You might have a hard time finding a better one for less.

Click here to e-mail me.

Jason

P.S. Model numbers "HT103", "A1090", or "Audio Cinema" might be helpful it trying to look it up.

RuSsMaN

If burdette doesn't want it, I may have a buddy thats interested, he's just now getting his first HT rig together......

So count me in, if the prior parties aren't interested....

Cheers,
Russ

burdette

Bottom line is, I can't buy a new center right now. I either use something I have (such as trying to rig a 5jr+) or buy very cheap or use virtual dolby. We've been hit with a rash of things dying recently - from the Onkyo to our garage door opener and now, possibly, the JVC CD player in the car. Center channel just isn't a priority in the big scheme of things.

Thanks for the honest reply. Based on the discussions I've read on these forums about the different Polk tweeters, I wonder how close of a match I'd get with a new center and my 14 year old 7Cs anyway... (with the, essentially, "clear" tweeter)? I know it might be better than the Advent... but.... Heck, even the 5jr+ has a different tweeter (black). (I used to know the model numbers, but not anymore.)

I'm going to think about it and take a look again tonight at the possibilities of rigging a system with what I have... I am interested however. You said $35 total.. is that right?

jcaut

Yep. $35 shipped. I don't know where you are (oh.. Central Missouri...was that there all along?), but I figure it will cost me at least $10 to ship it. I hate to get much closer to giving it away. It's not that it's a bad center speaker. Especially for the money. If it wasn't for the shipping costs, I'd send it to you and let you try it-- But if we ship it back and forth, we'll get more money in it than it's worth, so I don't think that would work.

Let me know what you think. You might try the "phantom" center mode on Pro Logic. If your room is small, it might work pretty well.

Jason


P.S. Russ: I'd be glad to send it your way if burdette passes. If your friend is mixing and matching I think it might work. It would be especially nice if one had a receiver with a center-channel tone control.

nascarmann

$35 shipped.......someone needs to take it. Almost giving it away. burdette.....you will not find this kind of a deal very often!

jcaut

You know..... I might just have to retract some of my previous statements. I hooked up this speaker again, except this time I had more time to fiddle with the setting and levels and such. It actually sounds pretty good with the RT800i's. This speaker is not quite as efficient as the CS400i, nor is it as bright. I bumped the level up to (+3), and turned that "cinema EQ" on my Denon "off". It was set to "small", same setting I use for the 400i. I watched a bit of Atlantis, and I didn't feel like I was missing much; It actually sounds pretty good like this---better than it did in my old Pro Logic setup. So the price has gone up to $60.


--Just kidding.

Seriously though, it sounds better than I thought it did. It's a little chesty sounding on music but the dialogue and on-screen effects sounded fine. On action that pans across the front, there's a bit of a change in timbre, but not to the point of it sounding objectionable (at least not in my opinion).

Just an update,

Jason

burdette

There comes a time when you just have to act on faith and take the jump.

I'll give you $35 for it... we just need to work out the details. I'll check the posts above - I think you put your email up there - and contact you that way with my information. Send it as cheap as possible to maximize the money in your pocket.

Thanks... and, yes, by the way, my heart did skip a beat at the $60 quip... ya.. ha ha.

Oh, no, the Central Missouri wasn't there all the time - I added it just a couple of days ago after frequenting this board more than usual. I usually don't put ANY personal information down when registering for Internet member-sites.. but I don't think there are THAT many crazies stalking the Polk site...

... are there??

Thanks, Jason

RuSsMaN

Sometimes you just gotta say 'wtf' right? You got a deal any way you look at it. Can't wait for the next time it comes around, maybe in a yr or so, and you post it for up here for another member.....

Cheers,
Russ

rskarvan

If Burdette fails to act on that one, I'll take it jcaut
I have two Advent Baby Legacy's that will mate up to it VERY well.
Let me know.

jcaut

Advent center is off to its new home in central MO...

Mark: I e-mailed you a tracking number.

nascarmann

Hellava deal......

burdette

J.

Just mailed you a money order for $39. I had $40 cash and the order cost me a buck, so I sent you the remainder to help offset the shipping charges.

We should both be in business by Monday or Tuesday.

Thanks.
M.

burdette

The Advent center I purchased from Jcaut arrived today! Whoopee!! I'm at work so I haven't been able to hook it up yet.. but I have no doubts we'll be thrilled!

I mounted our pair of 5jr+ on the walls last night to use as surrounds, have the Monitor 7Cs on short stands as mains, and at least last night used an M2 (turned up) as the center. Even with that, we were blown away compared to what we were used to. I know the Advent will be a vast improvement so I consider it money very well spent. Thanks again, Jcaut.

I believe our Polk children will be very accepting of their new adopted sibling..

Meanwhile, the upstairs will have to be happy dealing with a pair of M2s, one in the kitchen, one in the family room, Onkyo receiver set to mono... usually just background music anyway, so it should work fine.

Thanks to everyone for the positive comments regarding making a purchase off this forum, and thanks again to Jcaut for coming through first rate.. even putting the speaker in the mail before he had his cash (which should arrive today or tomorrow).

jcaut

Good to hear that you received the speaker. I trust it arrived in good condition?

Hope it works well for you. Let me know what you think of it when you get a chance to test it out.

Jason

burdette

Arrived in great condition, Jason. Thanks. I was going to send you an email but our system seems to be having problems this morning (now afternoon). I of course couldn' t wait to get it out of the box when it arrived, even if I couldn't hook it up. I looks great, almost like new, and arrived without an additional scratch or dent. I'm not sure I would've initially seen the tear in the grill cloth, thanks for being honest and pointing it out. I'll do something to keep it from spreading (maybe a little glue or thread). The drivers look brand new. I shouldn't be surprised at the general condition given the people who frequent this board - my 13 year old 7Cs look like they just came out of the box.

Hope your money arrived safely today.. and if not today, it *has* to be there tomorrow - it went out on Friday and you're in the next state!