used equipment

BAD ASP

mornin' all. i have a question regarding buying new / used equipment from online auctions. i have read about the lack of warranties with equipment purchased through non-factory authorized dealers. for me the idea of spending several thousands of dollars on equipment with no factory backup seems really risky. currently i am looking to jump in with the purchase of a multi-channel amp. my current equipment is as follows:
mits 52 dlp,
denon av 5700 receiver (which will become my preamp,
denon 4800 dvd,
onkyo cd,
polk sda 1.2 tl's front,
mission 3 way floors for rear,
klipsch center,
klipsch 1000w 15" sub.
i am looking to buy either a sunfire sig or an earthquake cinenova both 5 channel.
i am curious about how you all work around the warranty issues when buying online or do you just roll the dice?

any input will really help in my decisions to purchase.

thanks,
mike

shack

BAD ASP wrote:

i am curious about how you all work around the warranty issues when buying online or do you just roll the dice?

If a warranty is important, you buy from an authorized retailer/e-tailer.

If the price new is more important than a warranty, then buy from the "grey" market. The seller may or may not stand behind the product...but the manufactured has NO obligation to do so.

Buy used...it is AS IS. No warranty...no recourse. There may be some relief if it is DOA..but after that...it is buyer beware.

It is simply a cost vs risk vs reward equation.

Dennis Gardner

What risk did you take on your Polks or have you had them for 15-17 years?
Same pertains here, if you buy new, you pay up front for the repairs, if you buy used, you pay when repairs are needed, anyway you look at it you pay....

brijenjas

BAD ASP wrote:

mornin' all. i have a question regarding buying new / used equipment from online auctions.
on
i am looking to buy either a sunfire sig or an earthquake cinenova both 5 channel.
i am curious about how you all work around the warranty issues when buying online or do you just roll the dice?

any input will really help in my decisions to purchase.

thanks,
mike

Pretty much a roll of the dice, although there is some protection if you use ebay and pay with paypal.

From what I understand and have been lead to believe, most electronic equipment will fail within the first few weeks of use, or after several years of use.
I have purchased several refurb and open box items both online and in brick and mortar stores, I only had a problem with one refurb unit from Harmon Kardon anad they replaced it with shipping on them.

As for used I have only purchased two items , no problems.

When buying something with no warranty, used or new, weigh the savings against the cost of repair or replacement.

With the high dollar items you are considering , Sunfire and Earthquake cineova, I would definitlely go used.
Both are high quality brands and if you purchase a used non working unit, you probably could have it repaired with the purchase price included and the total will still be far less than a new unit.

Ern Dog

Compared to other gear, an amp is a fairly safe purchase to go used. They tend to last a long time without problems.

BAD ASP

Thanks for responding. You have confirmed my thoughts. I have purchased used items and some for "real" money. The purchase of the amp and it's potential for sending in for service is always a risk. Shipping an item that weighs over 75 lbs presents some issues in addition to the potential added cost of repairs..... "caveat emptor".

Dennis, I did purchase the speakers new in 1989. I had a nice set of jbl floors but I was looking at upgrading to infinnity reference. I kept going back to audition the infinnitys but kept listening to the polks. No knock on the infinnitys but to my ear there was no decision required. To my taste I strongly preferred the polks and bought them instead. Over the years all of my friends have kidded me about the pair of "coffins" in my family room (now it's new name is media room). Each of them has bought and sold several pairs of speakers since then and I like to think that it's because they can't duplicate the "coffins" sound.
Does anybody have any additional comments on my preliminary choice of either the sunfire cinema sig or the earthquake. Should I use my denon for the rears and bi amp the fronts with the amp? I guess it'll come down to personal preference. Oh well, such problems, eh!? Life can sure be a ****@###!

Dennis Gardner

Nice to have you here on the forum with original SDAs! You can't go wrong with either the Sunfire or Earthquake amps, they will both power your 1.2s with plenty of power and should be really reliable unless you have a mishap with wiring. There are a number of Sunfire amps represented here on the forum driving Polks.

My experience with amps being shipped depends on having original packing. I had some speaker binding post damage from the 60 lb amp moving around against the box. The Sunfire would be alot lighter though since Bob designs them differently.

BTW, I never let my friends kidding me about huge speakers being a '70s-'80s thing either, since none of them have anything that can compare and they all come over to listen.

BAD ASP

I'm kind leaning toward the earthquake but she's sure a few meals past svelte. The one I'm looking at is new with a new crate. Placing it in my entertainment center is doable. Knowing myself i'm starting to get that "pull the trigger feeling". Ultimately the question I'm forcing myself to ask; is the sound going to be that much better than the denon's 170w per channel? I know it'll be better because once it's paid for and I install it no way will I admit that it's not light years better. any comments?