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

@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? 

@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.