Could you use a little advice on recently delivered speakers..

Personally, I wouldn’t bother fixing unless it became a sonic problem like hearing loose terminal vibration or gets disconnected.  

@roadwhorerecords  I doubt the OP will hear a difference from that speaker if someone stands behind and wiggles the speaker wire/loose connector.

Thank you Moonwatcher, and thank you all, some good advice. here.

I would count your lucky stars they weren't totally trashed by UPS and listen to Wayne of Acoustic Energy and do exactly what he said and be careful as someone above noted about the speaker magnet attracting any wrench you use. You might want to get a plastic wrench to be perfectly safe after you break the bolt tension with a metal one. 

Some drivers have a rubber gasket around them on the back side to provide an air tight seal if the speaker is an acoustic suspension type. 

Just take your time and document exactly what you are doing (take photos) so you can be sure to put it all back together.  

You may even find that the speaker cable needs to be resoldered in place. 

Good luck. 

OP

in my opinion. your seller did not DO what he had to do to ensure a good packaging

I for one sold high end audio gear in eBay before i got into audiogon

I pack the gear i am selling with lots of bubble wrap. I do not rely on UPS or any carrier

so, in the end my clients where extremely happy that I overpack their new toys

enough said. 

Plus, the speaker connectors he may have not disclosed that clearly

Hello Sifter, 

If that is a loose binding post it would be prudent to tighten it back up.  As others have noted on this post you may need to access that hardware via the front by removing the woofer (or other bits).  I highly recommend that you use non magnetic screwdrivers for any screw removal, especially those located near the powerful woofer magnet.  That magnet can "snatch" an ordinary screwdriver right through a speaker cone or surround.  I've had good results with CS Unitech non magnetic drivers.  They are readily available.   If a loose binding post is the only issue you made a great purchase.  Enjoy the music.  

0

I sold some Energy rear speakers on Ebay a few years back.  They were fairly heavy and in perfect condition.   We sell aerospace parts so we know how to pack.   Buyer sends me a picture of one and the corner was broken.   I gave him all his money back and told him to keep them.  UPS fought me of course and I got $100 out of $800.  I always figure with Ebay and UPS. "You pays yer pesos and takes yer chances."  

I’ve got to throw my hat in the ring. I ordered a Marantz model 8 from Japan a few years ago. It arrived at my local FedEx in a thin cardboard box with a couple pieces of balled up butcher paper inside. The box wasn’t holding its shape anymore and the amp was just kinda rolling around. The seller had packed the types in a tiny box that he taped to area where the tube sockets are. By some miracle at didn’t get damaged… neither did the 4 EL34 telefunkens. Point is, most people have no idea of the fragility of these things…

Does it seem wobbly enough that it could damage itself if you remove a cable?

I like the idea about removing the Driver and accessing it that way to do a simple tighten up.  Call speaker company and ask them about fixing it.  I bet you're dying to see what it looks like inside anyway.

Sorry I can't seem to post the two pics I had properly. Basically an empty cardboard box with each speaker wrapped in a double layer of bigger bubble bubble wrap. That was it. No layers on sides nor bottom, nothing in between save for the bubble wrap. I was kind of astounded. Just thrown in even a handful of styrofoam peanuts to give me the illusion that you cared.

@kkennymacc 

+1  

Recently I purchased a B&O Beogram 8002 on eBay. Photos and description was acceptable. I contacted seller before I pulled the trigger and he assured me he was a professional at packing. I asked him if he was aware of the "transport" screws to lock down the arm/table. He replied in an iffy response. So I sent him the B&O transport instructions and told him I would pay extra for double box. In short I received a POS that had the tonearm taped down and the platter was at about °15 from level. It was trashed! It took about 7months to get most of my money back. Then saw the same table from same seller for sale described as perfect condition. 

@jasonbourne71 

 Seems odd that people spend big bucks on devices that absorb/prevent/disperse vibration, even micro-vibrations such as equipment shelving, amp and speaker stands or footers, would think that a major cause of those vibrations, ie. speakers that have a loose termination wouldn't cause negative sound quality. Why even bother with isolated/dual isolation chassis equipment, or turntable mats and such? Just put the turntable on the speaker and let it fly? 

If it was a much more pricy speaker, I would buy from a dealer. I would say given the cost of the units. giving it to UPS was a reasonable choice. I am sure the vast majority of the time they arrive in perfect shape. 

UPS Stores (not the same as UPS the carrier) use bubble wrap and/or styro peanuts. I’ve never seen them use foam. That’s not OK for our purposes. A proper foam cradle / cage is THE way to pack expensive & heavy gear. Two types: open cell, closed cell (polyethylene). Both fantastic. Closed cell is better for the heaviest items. This is what companies like ARC and VAC use, for good reason. VAC’s foam material in particular is fantastic (multiple layers bonded). You can get similar foam on amazon; it’s not cheap. I’ve used that before, cut to purpose, for the rare times I didn’t have factory packing of a heavy component.

I would not like a wiggly binding post. How much to make about the packaging and transport to me also has to do with the quality of the product we are talking about. I am not trying to diminish importance of the issue. But Acoustic Energy stand mounted speakers vary in price new from around $500 to around $1600. So used, they are unlikely to be more than $250 - $800. My reluctance to shrug off a little problem, or fix it by pulling a woofer is strongly related to the cost of a speaker. If the speaker was $10K, or $20K or more new... I would  be really reluctant. Wanting a professional solution. But in this price range, I’d pull to woofer and tighten it. 

If it was a much more pricy speaker, I would buy from a dealer. I would say given the cost of the units. giving it to UPS was a reasonable choice. I am sure the vast majority of the time they arrive in perfect shape. 

@sifter - you received good advice from @porchlight1 about carefully removing the driver.  I would add that it should be safest to remove the screws with the speaker on its back, so the screws are removed vertically, instead of horizontally from the speaker in its upright position..  When you replace the driver, snug all the screws before applying the final torque, and then sequentially torque screws across from each other rather than successively tightening the adjacent screw. Since you have successfully touched base with the manufacturer, they may have a torque rating recommendation you could follow.  This should not be hard, or that big of a deal.  Just get it fixed and then you no longer need to worry about it.

Only visible damage is a slight chip on veneer on back top corner of same speaker with plugs facing down in box, barely visible, and a smaller one on top front of speaker which had the front facing down. I cannot prove that wasn't there before or if it had anything to do with the way it was shipped (although I suspect it does, but is not my main concern TBH). My main concern was the slight looseness or 'wiggle-ability' on the binding post. Overall the speaker finish is quit3 good, not hearing any issues, when I first received them and moved the post a tad I heard a brief static that evaporated when I let go. I've bought and sold possibly dozens of speakers (it's a sickness, I know) but I rarely post here. Just wanted some input, on one hand i didn't want to overreact if fixable or sonically irrelevant, OTOH I didn't want to settle for less than what it should be if there was an issue.

@gdaddy1 The shabby packing and loose terminals were obviously a concern of the OP or else he/she wouldn’t have posted in the first place.  Also, I have my own standards for selling and receiving new or pre-owned on-line items from whomever, and I made them perfectly clear in my post, which is my prerogative.  If you or the OP have different standards, then that’s your prerogative.  Happy listening.      

The OP said the packing was lousy, but never stated whether or not the package had been visibly damaged. Either way, it's not unreasonable to think the issue was caused by normal (or shoddy) handling of a box that was not packed well. Could the speakers have left the factory that way? Possibly. But that's not where I'd put my money.

@kennymacc  But, someone has to be held responsible for received damaged goods.  I would not except damaged goods lying down.

What damaged goods? Why is it ALWAYS someone elses fault?

From the OP... 

"Plugged them in, they seem to sound fine"

"The price was good due to being used and no grills, so far the speakers are sounding really good, and I’m please with my purchase."

There's NO pysical damage yet you want to blame someone for something we don't even know exists. Demanding a refund or replacement for something that sounds great, works fine, has no damage and the customer is perfectly happy???

 I would not except damaged goods lying down.  Who wants damaged anything? 

Again, the goods weren't damaged!!  Did you ever think it's possible It could have been that way when new from the factory and no one noticed the SLIGHTlY loose binding post?

Or, better yet, send them back for a full refund and go pay for brand new speakers. Then you can nit-pick all you want. Great advice.

I applied to UPS around Xmas during the housing crisis for a 3rd shift dock worker. part of the application process is to tour the actual site workers are working. Some workers were considerate, but many were just tossing boxes into the trucks 

Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not blaming the seller per se. He has been a gentleman about it so far. I'm aghast at the packers, they do this for a living and I'm just astounded they would pack it the way they did. I previously got a pair of Mirage speakers and those things are encased in thick styrofoam, I think you could drop that box from my roof and they'd be just fine. In any event, I discovered I could turn or tighten the entire binding post a few mm and I'm not able to wiggle it at the moment nor hearing any static, so with more listening I'll decide if worth pulling driver or leaving it alone and 'calling it a day' as corelli wrote above.

The one thing I learned years ago from buying expensive used high-end audio gear from sellers on-line whether it be via ebay (especially ebay) or any other on-line vender was this: (1)  especially if the item wasn't being packed in it's original packing, have the seller take photos of the entire packing process before shipping  (2) make sure the item is fully ensured.  Sometime no matter how well an item is packed, it just can't withstand the excessive pounding and extreme carelessness of some shippers.  But, someone has to be held responsible for received damaged goods.  I would not except damaged goods lying down.  Who wants damaged anything?   You may want to resell the speakers but now you're responsible for the damage that may hinder your resell.  Totally unacceptable.  I would take the matter up with Ebay and the seller for a possible return and full refund.  No way I'd settle for damaged goods.  Happy listening.         

Maybe it had nothing to do with "safe packing'. There were no signs of physical damage. Maybe it was just normal vibration during shipping. Blaming the shipper is pure speculation.

In my experience, for anything that has significant weight, the only safe packing method is foamed-in-place.

Your future challenges may arise at resale, if not repaired. The next buyer will likely detect the concerns you’ve expressed here.

I'm with freediver 1000%!  I'm a seller on eBay with 100% feedback and lot of experience handling exceptions like this.  Call eBay.  They've always handled these kinds of things well when I've purchased things.

There is a connection problem causing a "static" sound. This was most likely a problem BEFORE the speaker was shipped. Maybe the seller didn't even know it was there.

When you open the speaker you'll see if there are push clip connectors, These conections are prone to 'fretting' as they age. If one is bad, others are not far behind. As they age they also increase resistance. A weak point.

How old are the speakers? How much humidity have they been exposed to? Have they been sitting in a garage or storage warehouse?

An excellent up grade would be removing all press clips and silver solder them back on. Those cheap little tin clips are NOT good.

Hi David!  Just an addition to Wayne from Acoustic Energy’s response:

Especially, if you’ve never unbolted a driver before, be sure you wrap your free hand snugly around the base of the screwdriver when unscrewing each bolt. Depending on the driver involved, it may have a strong magnetic field that may cause your screwdriver to slip from the screw head and Damn! right through the driver’s surround.  And when replacing the driver, tighten each bolt sequentially, a little at a time, so at the end there is equal tension all around the driver.  And not too tight!

Good luck and happy listening to your new speakers!

Just got a nice email from Acoustic Energy:

Hi David
Thanks for getting in touch, I'm sorry to hear about the loose binding post.

You would need to carefully remove the drive unit, the binding post fixing is directly behind. You should be able to access it with a spanner (or if you remove the cable then use a socket) and tighten it this way.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

All the best

Wayne

Yeah I agree. I tend to trust people so when he said he had UPS pack items with no issue in the past and with 100% positive feedback, I believed him. Bad on me. The speakers are playing now, they sound wonderful, if I will listen for and make sure no static or other sonic aberration occurs. I just think it’s so stupid that ’professional’ packers at any carrier would think a couple swabs of bubble paper with no other filler or packing in the box would suffice.

I rarely buy anything off of eBay, as it is mostly people that are focused on money, not product. No self respecting audiophile would leave packing up to the shipper.

Yes, not all UPS stores are equal. But all are not UPS affiliates.

 I think the UPS store you go to is the factor not UPS in general. The store by me is meticulous with packing.

Whether you go through UPS, or do it yourself, or both, it needs to be fixed.  I cannot get your links to open but for sure you need to get eyes on so that you know how to fix the connection.  Could be a loose ring connector, a loose solder joint, broken binding post, or something else.  None of it is rocket science but it can be tedious to get inside and take a look depending on how the posts are mounted.  If you cannot remove the binding posts or post cup from the back (glued on?) then you can try going in from the front by removing a driver, as posted by @corelli .  If possible, you could try callIng the manufacturer for advice.

@larryi 

The UPS Store is not a UPS representative. They only partner with UPS as the shipping agent. It is a franchise. They are two separate things.

People actually "think" they are getting some extra piece of mind when using the UPS Store, but that's not true at all.

I would fix it myself or ignore the "problem."  It is not worth the effort to make a claim.  The reason people have the UPS store pack things is to be protected--UPS cannot deny a claim for shipping damage, something these carriers do no matter how well one boxes the item being shipped.  

@freediver 

It appears to me that there was nothing to describe in the original ad. The speakers were mispackaged and/or mishandled by UPS. Hence the damage. He can file a claim, but there has to be very specific damage to the article and packaging before they will even give you the time of day. 

@sifter 

Yes, carefully remove the woofer and you should have tight access to the binding post/wire connection.  My guess is you just need to tighten a nut on that post. DON"T "just leave it".  it is a bad connection that needs attention.

UPS cannot be trusted to pack audio gear. Trust me from experience. You DID get lucky as many have mentioned. Think about this for a moment and attach a risk value to each statement. You bought older speakers. You bought them on Ebay. The price was cheap(er). The speakers were shipped to you. They were left to UPS to package (probably a young kid who does not know how to package audio and was sick on the day UPS was training employees how to package audio electronics (haha). Too many risks in a row and yes it was a small miracle they are in the condition you found them in.

NO NO NO...File a Not As Advertised grievance with Ebay..Yes you can fix it yourself BUT this is something that should have been described in the original sales add..If you try to fix it yourself & something else goes wrong you will be SOOL..DO NOT accept this without a discount to the original price paid!

You got lucky. I recalled an experience with the UPS store in another thread recently. To recap, I had the UPS store package and ship a pair of PBN Montana tower speakers. They arrived at the destination completely destroyed. They were single boxed with only foam packing peanuts in the box. Never again.

I agree with the above. You can fix this yourself. But make sure nothing else is amiss when you take the driver out. With a lick like that, the xover or even the drivers could have been damaged.

For future reference - ask a UPS store to pack for you if you’re sending a tinned fruitcake to grandma. DON’T have them pack expensive, heavy, fragile audio gear. It’s asking for trouble. There will at least be some part dinged / broken, guaranteed. Bubble wrap is garbage. You need good quality foam for amps and speakers. UPS will not cover a claim (and I don't blame them) because they’re not the (idiot) store that packed this improperly. 

But it sounds like you got somewhat lucky here - they’re useable / easily fixable as is, so I’d keep them. Drivers and cabinets are the important bits. But it was still a poor job by the seller, and in the future you should ask if they have FACTORY packing. Otherwise you’re depending wholly on random parties for "good sense and care" which is so often lacking. 

Leave it be! As long as that connector doesn't fall out of the cabinet it will work fine.

So with no screws on the backside, I imagine I have to go through the front, woofer, and approach it from the inside of the back panel? Don't see any screws whatsoever on back panel.

@corelli  

+1 

Unable to see your pics.  Sounds like a loose binding post.  Remove the binding post plate or cup, tighten the connection to the post and call it a day.