HIFI Oh dear, Wilson Watt Puppies

[BarefootGuy]

The thing with eBay is that bidders get it into their heads that they want to have it, and they're going to beat anyone who gets in their way. Like gambling, it all starts to get unreal.

That's an interesting way of looking at it. When I bid on eBay, I always have a maximum price I would spend. I will allow myself 10% or so extra if I really want something, but that is it. I never considered that for some people it might be similar to gambling. But in this case, I really cannot understand how someone could convince themselves that this is a good deal at £1966, even £966. Maybe I am ignorant about the superior quality of Wilson Puppies...maybe they are so good that even in this condition, they sound better than most of the competition at £2000? Two grand can buy you a lot of great speaker, even if you bought new.

I think buying them for a Viking funeral is about as likely as that level of delusion. My best theory is that the people bidding are stinking rich, to whom £2000 is pocket change, and are doing it for some reason utterly beyond my means, such as paying a professional to restore and even improve them, as a project...for fun, as it were.

 

[TIU]

They sold for £1966! Am shocked and confused.

Could be a leisurely refurb project for the buyer, who might not miss that sort of money. I don't care who bought them and why. How come it alarms folk?

 

[BarefootGuy]

Could be a leisurely refurb project for the buyer, who might not miss that sort of money. I don't care who bought them and why. How come it alarms folk?

You are right, it could be. But putting the image of what appears to be a pretty beaten up pair of speakers from a seller who has never heard them play together with a price of £1966 seems like pure folly to me, and perhaps others. If you are going to throw money away, at least give it to a good cause rather than something which may have been rescued from a skip and may be totally non-functional, with few or no salvagable parts, leaving you with a battered cabinet, if you are lucky, and not much else.

 

[rabski]

It doesn't alarm me in the slightest, but it does confuse me. I certainly get the idea of buying something tatty or non-working with the idea of bringing it back to life. My storage is still somewhat brimming with examples of that idea.

What I don't get is the idea of paying massively over the odds for a 'project'. With the cones that far gone, it's almost certainly 'new drivers' time. The parts plus the purchase price will come to more than buying a decent pair before you even get started, and that's assuming you can even find the parts.

 

[TIU]

It doesn't alarm me in the slightest, but it does confuse me. I certainly get the idea of buying something tatty or non-working with the idea of bringing it back to life. My storage is still somewhat brimming with examples of that idea.

What I don't get is the idea of paying massively over the odds for a 'project'. With the cones that far gone, it's almost certainly 'new drivers' time. The parts plus the purchase price will come to more than buying a decent pair before you even get started, and that's assuming you can even find the parts.

There are many strange people out there. I once sold an all one brand system to a chap who didn't want the second speaker when I went to go back to my car to fetch it. I tried to explain the concept of stereo but to no avail.

 

[jkbmusic]

There are many strange people out there. I once sold an all one brand system to a chap who didn't want the second speaker when I went to go back to my car to fetch it. I tried to explain the concept of stereo but to no avail.

I’d be more inclined to say “the world is full of idiots”.

 

[It Cost How Much!?!]

Or "one born every minute..".

 

[BarefootGuy]

It doesn't alarm me in the slightest, but it does confuse me. I certainly get the idea of buying something tatty or non-working with the idea of bringing it back to life. My storage is still somewhat brimming with examples of that idea.

What I don't get is the idea of paying massively over the odds for a 'project'. With the cones that far gone, it's almost certainly 'new drivers' time. The parts plus the purchase price will come to more than buying a decent pair before you even get started, and that's assuming you can even find the parts.

Thank you for eloquently expressing more or less what I was trying to say with my last post about these "puppies". I believe that new drivers may be very difficult to source for this model, as they are 20-something years old, with limited numbers sold, and modified for this particular speaker, so more or less bespoke. Replacing the drivers with other drivers would probably require a new crossover design, testing, etc...you'd essentially be building a new DIY speaker using the cabinet and whatever parts were still viable. For that kind of money, why not just buy something that actually works. I can think of many better and more enjoyable ways to blow a couple thousand pounds

 

[parcelmonkey]

I expect it was bought by an interior designer for some bizarre display in a weird rich house. Or an art project!

 

[It Cost How Much!?!]

I think they will be relisted, as the buyer will walk away once they have sobered up.

 

[George 47]

It could be someone who is ultra keen on owning Wilsons but does not appreciate the difficulty of getting spares for a 20-year-old speaker. Even with superb skills in repair etc. this does not look like a simple re-coning job. Who knows what state the crossover is in?

Save another £2K and get a pair that works, after a bit of bartering.

Hey ho.

 

[Tony_J]

ven with superb skills in repair etc. this does not look like a simple re-coning job.

Indeed - looks more like a complete re-speakering job to me. As you say, better to cut out the step where you pour accelerant on them to start the bonfire and just buy a decent pair.

 

[TIU]

Indeed - looks more like a complete re-speakering job to me. As you say, better to cut out the step where you pour accelerant on them to start the bonfire and just buy a decent pair.

You don't burn puppies do you?

 

[Beobloke]

I'd have loved to have taken these on except for two major issues:

(1) The price
(2) They'd be joining a long, long, long queue of existing speaker projects!