monstertruck Posted August 19, 2006 Posted August 19, 2006 hi everybody, sorry to trouble y'all again. need to consult y'all expertise on 2nd-hand speaker issue. 1) is it important for us to check whether the sound creaks under loud volume? and what if the seller refuses to let us test the high volume? 2) does it mean that any wear or tear visible on the speaker diaphragm will result in a compromise on the sound quality? 3) what are the good and reliable budget-priced bookshelf speakers that i can keep a lookout for? or at least passable quality (not too much bass or sounding too light either)? i saw a pair of NAD speakers on the yahoo auction... and i've been seen quite a few of Mordaunt Short speakers on other threads... 4) what are the other factors that i should keep a lookout for? pricing of the actual worth? any possible signs of mishandling or misuse of the speakers? thanks in advance!!!!
ckng Posted August 19, 2006 Posted August 19, 2006 hi everybody, sorry to trouble y'all again. need to consult y'all expertise on 2nd-hand speaker issue. 1) is it important for us to check whether the sound creaks under loud volume? and what if the seller refuses to let us test the high volume? 2) does it mean that any wear or tear visible on the speaker diaphragm will result in a compromise on the sound quality? 3) what are the good and reliable budget-priced bookshelf speakers that i can keep a lookout for? or at least passable quality (not too much bass or sounding too light either)? i saw a pair of NAD speakers on the yahoo auction... and i've been seen quite a few of Mordaunt Short speakers on other threads... 4) what are the other factors that i should keep a lookout for? pricing of the actual worth? any possible signs of mishandling or misuse of the speakers? thanks in advance!!!! Visually check for any damages, cracks, etc on the speaker cones. The rubber surrounds on some might have deteriorated/cracked. Reject these regardless of what it's offered for unless you have lobang to recone them reasonably (in comparison to the speaker's worth). If the seller refuses to let you test under certain conditions, I feel that he might be trying to hide something. So beware. The budget bookshelfs you can try are things like the Mordaunt-Shorts (e.g. MS10i), Mission, Usher S-520. I feel the Ushers have very good value for money and high price:performance ratio. I am using a pair now and is very happy with them. Regards CK
benzx Posted August 19, 2006 Posted August 19, 2006 4) what are the other factors that i should keep a lookout for? pricing of the actual worth? any possible signs of mishandling or misuse of the speakers? thanks in advance!!!! If you are married, maybe you should also consider WAF - Wife Acceptance Factor. Meaning whether the look/design of the speaker fits into the house. You don't want wife's nagging to overpower the music, do you? ;D OK get serious. The type of amplifier you using (if you already bought or have something in mind) also affects the choice of speaker. This applies to 2nd hand or new speakers. If you going to use a low power SET tube amps, you'll gonna need speakers with high sensitivity. Cheers :)
monstertruck Posted August 20, 2006 Author Posted August 20, 2006 Visually check for any damages, cracks, etc on the speaker cones. The rubber surrounds on some might have deteriorated/cracked. Reject these regardless of what it's offered for unless you have lobang to recone them reasonably (in comparison to the speaker's worth). If the seller refuses to let you test under certain conditions, I feel that he might be trying to hide something. So beware. The budget bookshelfs you can try are things like the Mordaunt-Shorts (e.g. MS10i), Mission, Usher S-520. I feel the Ushers have very good value for money and high price:performance ratio. I am using a pair now and is very happy with them. Regards CK hi, may i know what's the pricing for the above-mentioned Usher model? and yeah, thanks a lot for the advice! i'll definitely check out the rubber surrounds and the cones! that's what i'm more concerned about! thanks! p.s.: can anyone help me to check whether the NAD speakers is worth checking out? i can't really tell just by looking at the cones... http://auctions.yahoo.com/sg/i:Great%20bookshelf%20speakers%20-%20NAD%208225:102187256
monstertruck Posted August 20, 2006 Author Posted August 20, 2006 If you are married, maybe you should also consider WAF - Wife Acceptance Factor. Meaning whether the look/design of the speaker fits into the house. You don't want wife's nagging to overpower the music, do you? ;D OK get serious. The type of amplifier you using (if you already bought or have something in mind) also affects the choice of speaker. This applies to 2nd hand or new speakers. If you going to use a low power SET tube amps, you'll gonna need speakers with high sensitivity. Cheers :) hahhahahahha... nope, no WAF for me coz i'm still sooo young and i love the life of a single very much! ahhahahahahhah. oh, i don't use tube amp... in fact, i'm looking for an integrated system, with tuner, cd player and amp all into one. i would love to save space (but not exactly looking at those onkyo or denon systems. except if the price for a denon is right). but all of these i'm looking for budget ones, as i'm too dense to be a budding audiophile. but i'm particular about the bookshelf speakers, though i'm not really loaded to buy new ones, hence looking for second-hand ones. not for my room anyway, it's for a recreational room elsewhere. so as long as the sound is ok (looking for warm sound reproduction, pardon me if i'm not using the right term to describe) will do.
benzx Posted August 20, 2006 Posted August 20, 2006 You said it yourself bro, can't really tell from looking at pics. Maybe before you decided to bid, should ask the seller whether can audition or not, at least to hear that its in proper working condition. You mentioned that you're gonna use that in a recreation room. Is the room big? I dunno if the NAD is able to go loud enough to fill a big recreation room or not. Somemore speakers with age, if you whack it too hard, might not last long hehe.
ckng Posted August 20, 2006 Posted August 20, 2006 hi, may i know what's the pricing for the above-mentioned Usher model? and yeah, thanks a lot for the advice! i'll definitely check out the rubber surrounds and the cones! that's what i'm more concerned about! thanks! p.s.: can anyone help me to check whether the NAD speakers is worth checking out? i can't really tell just by looking at the cones... http://auctions.yahoo.com/sg/i:Great%20bookshelf%20speakers%20-%20NAD%208225:102187256 The Usher S-520 should be around $450 to $550, depending on finish. You can audition them at X-Audio. 1 Jalan Anak Bukit, #01-01S Bukit Timah Plaza Tel: 64662642 Regards CK
Kelsteph2002 Posted August 20, 2006 Posted August 20, 2006 Seems like usher 520 price has increased to $600
hifiluv Posted August 21, 2006 Posted August 21, 2006 best to audition them before deciding, firstly u must like the sound. but again tis is quite tricky unless u are using exactly the same setup as the seller. altho most said turn the volume high to see if the drivers can tahan...i would also say turn down the volume and see if speaker still produce a good sound, becos most of the time, u wont be listening a neck break volume at home. conditions, especially the drivers will be a deciding factor, but also the size, does it fit your allocated space. for budget $250, Zenn Audio got 2 models u can check out, Mission 780SE and B&W Series 500 http://www.zenn.com.sg/speakers.htm my 2 cents lah... :)
monstertruck Posted August 24, 2006 Author Posted August 24, 2006 thanks everybody, for the advice! ;D
hifiluv Posted August 28, 2006 Posted August 28, 2006 thanks everybody, for the advice! ;D Hi bro, so got chance to go and audit any speakers? :)
Recommended Posts