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

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.

@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.

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. 

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.

@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?