Five "Golden Rules" of HiFi?

1. Make sure there really is a record on the spinning platter before you lower the needle.

2. Set up an electric fence around your ribbon speakers before the neighbor kids come over. Don't forget to plug it in.

3. Your speakers should probably cost more than your speaker cables. But not if you plan to upgrade speakers one of these days.

4. Don't let inebriated friends adjust the volume control, especially if they want to crank it up to "see what happens".

5. Don't volunteer your opinion of your friend's shiney new purchase unless he unequivocally asks you to - and even then, remember you might as well be talking about his religion.

Duke

It's too bad you had a bad experience with used speakers. I am listening to my Thiel 2.4 speakers at this moment, which I bought used from an Audiogoner and I am totally satisfied with them. Everything I have purchased on Audiogon has worked out very well. Don't give up on the basis of a bad experience. My guess is it was the exception, not the rule.

Schipo, that's why I started the thread as "from your own experiences". I'm sure many have had success with secondhand speakers, but I had one rather costly exercise early on where I bought used speakers (good brand) that I later found out had been tampered with internally (crossovers).
This led to them failing completely after just a few days, and the seller had vanished. They'd sounded fine when I listened prior to buying, although I was in my early stages of learning anout hifi kit then.

1. Don't go crazy money, research or otherwise

2. Go outside when its nice.

3. Invite friends over to enjoy

4. Aesthetically pleasing is important

5. Try to have as few wires as possible

1. Buy a house first. It doesn't matter how good your equipment if you can turn it up to a realistic level.

2. Don't assume that "more costly, more better". So many people think this way that equipment makers are FORCED to inflate their prices to maintain the "better" image or lose market share. If you can't trust your ears, take up golf instead.

3. Don't buy new if you can get it used (typically at a 40-50% discount).

4. Listen to the piece in your system if at all possible. I've purchased after reading a great review and am usually satisfied but it only makes sense to try first.

5. Buy a house first.