Hello there. I am on the speaker upgrade route and have been offered what I think to be a good deal on a set of Axiom speakers. I'm here to find out if it really IS a good deal, or if Axiom speakers used to cost less than they do now, or if they didn't use to be as good (the set is 1.5 - 2 years old or so). Or any other problem I might encounter...

An acquaintance is selling:

(2) M60 v2
(2) QS8 (not v2 - probably ti?)
(2) FMS stands
(1) VP150 v2
(1) EP500 v2 (do all of the EP500 v2 have the latest technology?)

He is asking for $1500 for all of the above. Knowing that the current price on the Axiom website is over $3000, I thought that there had to be a catch. He also said they were in excellent condition.

So can anyone tell me... is there a catch? Should I jump on this?

Also, does anyone know if the Boston Cherry is even a close match to the studiotech Rosewood TV stands? They look similar online, but that doesn't say much for in person...

Seeing the price of just the sub is $1230.00 you are getting a very good deal. Those would be the same speakers that you would buy from the site right now, no major upgrades done that I know of.

Jump on them, that is if you like how they sound.

If and when you get to visually and sonically inspect the system and like what you see and hear...I'd say absolutely go for it. That's an unusually low price tho. You sure he didn't "find" it? Point is, if it all really is in good condition...do it.

I'd be a little concerned with a price that low. Check the stickers on the back for version.

They were a bit cheaper in the past, but not by that much. I'd also carefully check that all of the drivers are working.

Unless they are broken, this sounds like a fair deal. 1500$ is still a hefty price for second hand, but those speakers are well built and ment to be used for a long, long time.

Thank you for the replies.

I was sent a picture with the sticker on the back of one of the M60's. It has a serial that I'm running by customer service here, and also a barcode looking thing. It says made in Canada as well.

I hope Axiom hasn't had any problems with counterfeit speakers? It seems somewhat sketchy to me, especially since he wants cash only. I half feel that I'm buying out of the back of a van. Then again, he offered to let me look and listen tomorrow morning.

I will hope for the best. However, if I don't come back to the message board tomorrow... *gulp*

So how well do you know this guy?

Not very!

I was joking about the not coming back tomorrow though.

As long as the serial number checks out ok and you like the sound I would go for it.

Apparently enough to know he drives a van! He he he.

I would find out if he is the original owner. They could be a little on the warm side (stolen)?

I agree with Eric that the price seems fair but only if you wanted all of the speakers/stands offered. Fifty percent of retail is not necessarily a bargain in the used market. However, if you have a chance to listen to them before buying and you do not have to pay for shipping, the deal looks a little better. I have bought used audio equipment before and had no regrets. Good luck!

Well, I got a chance to go over and have a listen and look and WOW... I am impressed. I ended up picking them up and taking them home. They are in very good condition, aside from one driver in the center channel has a dent. I figured aside from that, they are a bargain and sound great. He even threw in a radioshack SPL meter for $20 that is $50 on their website, and all of his monster cable speaker cable for free. Then he wanted to sell his Denon 3805 for $350. It was one deal after the other, but I didn't end up buying the receiver.

I currently have a Yamaha RX-V659 that I bought a year or two ago due to good reviews about sound quality. I'm wondering if it's worth it to pick up the Denon 3805, and if it'd be much of an upgrade at all. Something to think about I guess.

Thank you everyone for your replies, it ended up being less sketchy than I figured.

Excellent! Now stick around. We will want some news once you're all settled in and get REALLY impressed!

Congrats on the Axioms.

Jeez! Is he getting all new equipment, or has he just regained his senses and is so fed up with this "money pit" hobby that he's bailing out of it?

(P.S. Hope it's not because he's in dire financial straights. )

That was my thought.

Good job tykbr, you can rest easy and save the $350 although the 3805 is slightly more powerfull you will most likely not notice much of a difference. Having said that, is there another room you could use the Yamaha in and still pick up the Denon. That is a good price, not great but good, for reference refurb 3805's are selling for about $500-700.

Wow, nice deal... I guess a nasty divorce could drive a person to sell his/her beloved audio equipment. :: shudders::

There was a divorce involved. But it's not my place.

I just hope I helped him out as much as he helped me out.

It would be really cool if he was selling HER stuff so cheap!

If the dent in the center driver is in the dust cap, no worry, you will not be losing any sound quality. If it is in the driver itself, you may.

Good find it sounds...

It's in the actual driver on the far right. I'm wondering if it's possible to get a replacement driver from Axiom now.

In addition, I'd like to add that this subwoofer is unbelievable. The whole set is really unbelievable, but the subwoofer... wow.

Any suggestions on the cutoff frequency? The guy I bought it from told me 80 but it seems like the subwoofer extends to 90-100 quite well (according to the graph).

I am almost certain you can get a replacement driver from axiom.

The cutoff for the sub is usually handled by the receiver which you would set up to be what ever you want and sounds right to you, based on what your speakers can handle. The general set up is 80 hz and the sub on bypass. There is a recent thread here that states Axiom is now preaching the sub be set to 90 or more. Try them out and see if you can hear/feel a difference if not leave it on bypass.

The EP-500? Yeah, I have that. I don't think it is related, but since I have installed it, my couch seems to shake whenever a big truck passes by onscreen. Strange... Wonder if it's related? He he he! Yeap, that's one of those subs that are hard not to love (both for HT and for music of all types).

with M60s, I doubt you would want to cross over the sub at more than 80hz, some users on here use 60hz for the M60's...