Debate Time: Refurbs vs. New

[themainman 10+ year member]

My friends and I always argue over refurbished subs and amps over brand new ones. I have one friend saying that refurbished subs and amps are as good as new besides cosmetic flaws and my other friends are like they'll break in a heart beat. I myself have used a refurbished MTX amp and after selling it to my bros friend this amp is still pounding out like new after a year. I have also delt with a refurbished jl 10w0 4 that couldn't even hold 90w but it wasn't factory rebuilt. So what are your opinions on this topic?

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[Polecat 5,000+ posts]

I have one friend saying that refurbished subs and amps are as good as new besides cosmetic flaws

this friend is indeed correct...there are no problems with refurb amps or woofers other than cosmetics...

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

Refurbs are just as good as new.......yeah, they have been "fixed", but they have also been thoroughly inspected to insure that everything else is in 100% working order, and that it is 100% working condition before it leaves the shop. From that point on, you have exactly the same odds of something breaking as you would if you bought it brand new.

 

[Joysad24 10+ year member]

Refurbished items may be "fixed" and working, but the truth is that most of the time, they won't hold up against something that is "new".

The reason for this is because the parts are used for the repair, and everything lasts for so long before it goes. Refurbished may be just as good, but there are variables to think of, such as: The user, the legnth of time the user owned the product, how hard the user abused/used it, and the parts used for the new/refurbished product. So, case in point, a person that abuses the hell out of his new sub, may break it fast, where as a user that doesn't abuse his refurbished sub, won't break it.

BTW, factories that fix products don't really care about the shape of the working counterparts, just as long that the problem is fixed. They don't check 100% to see if the product is 100% working, just as long as it does its basic job.

Generally, refurbished items aren't as good, but not always. I personally only go for new, because I love knowing the history of something, but that's me, and the extra cash is well spent.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

BTW, factories that fix products don't really care about the shape of the working counterparts, just as long that the problem is fixed. They don't check 100% to see if the product is 100% working, just as long as it does its basic job.

Maybe if you are buying a Power Acoustic refurb //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif Any quality brand will make sure everything is working "good as new" before it leaves

 

[Mark_ab 5,000+ posts]

Depends what was wrong with the amplifier. More often than not it's user error, blown fets, returns. Refurbs will be fine, so long as they're refurbished by the products company, not Lance the Molester from down the street.

Maybe if you are buying a Power Acoustic refurb //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif Any quality brand will make sure everything is working "good as new" before it leaves

Nothing wrong with Power Acoustik

 

[themainjam 10+ year member]

factory refurb and some company refurb are different. i had a jensen amp that was refurbed by another company (not jensen) and it died 2 months after i got it. i called jensen and they had only 1 shop that was authorized to repair their amps. and it wasnt who refurbed it.

after sending it in and getting it fixed it worked better than ever! it was 2 years old when i killed it because i moved the amp and hit the RCAs and shorted something out.

RIP JENSEN //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif

 

[btnhfan 5,000+ posts]

I prefer refurbs if I can get one for a much cheaper price because the company has to put it through so many in depth tests to make sure it preforms flawlessly. They are great deals. I got my h/u for 550 shipped and it was refurb. It works great (knock on wood).

 

[req 5,000+ posts]

i got my DEI factor refurb off ebay, and it looked BRAND new with no problems, i didnt get a manual\mounting screws. but oh well. i saved like $300 on it =)

dei 1100d for 230 shipped\factory refurb with DEI inspection sheet. i was happy.

 

[RattlinStratus 10+ year member]

I had gotten MTX refurb amps, but they do an excellent refurb job. Some companies even carry a warranty on their refurbs that they do! If you can get a refurb cheap, and you know that it was an authorized dealer, then get it, and you wont be disappointed, unless it is shi*** to begin with.

 

[monte_carlo97 10+ year member]

Maybe if you are buying a Power Acoustic refurb //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif Any quality brand will make sure everything is working "good as new" before it leaves

Nothing wrong with Power Acoustik

Yea, nothing wrong with Power Acoustik.

As long as you have it refurbed by the factory and it is factory inspected it should be good as new. If you have someone do it down the street who did not deisgn the product it is aboviously not going to be good as new.

 

[Scarenius 10+ year member]

I never expected squeak9798 to start hatin'! That's sad... very very sad...

Anyhoo, I agree with almost everyone else here. Refurbs are almost always as good as real ones, it just depends on how you use it. I had a refurb Lazer amp, fixed by some really fat guy in 100% pyramid shop, it worked great. It crackled like hell, and once I made it sizzle and smoke, but besides that it worked great. I ended up frying it and losing 1 of 4 channels. I sold it to a relative, and he's STILL using it on a pair of Pioneer 6X9s with great results. It's all relative.

 

[squeak9798 5,000+ posts]

I never expected squeak9798 to start hatin'! That's sad... very very sad...

:shrugs: Just my opinion.....never said ya had to agree with it. PA is good for someone on a tight budget, but they don't fit my definition of "quality".

Sorry, //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/offtopic.gif.470a8b0541c72322a0037f48a8237473.gif

 

[Warbleed 10+ year member]

A properly refurbished unit will not be inferior to a brand new unit in any way, save perhaps for cosmetics, and sometimes you can't even tell the two apart.