Do not buy any Sonus Faber used

Phaelon's point cannot be dismissed, and is THE issue at hand, especially for THIS website, a facilitator of USED equipment. Sumiko's policy is clear and broad: there will be NO service/parts for used speakers that cannot be verified as originally sold through a dealer. I understand this for a new speaker needing warranty repair, however, this policy clearly impacts the used community in a BIG way, as I'm sure that many if not most transactions here do not include an original invoice. I'm sure many don't have it to begin with, especially if the equipment has been sold several times, a not atypical scenario here at agon. The OP has it right. Under these circumstances, the used market for SF might be tenuous at best. It should actually collapse price-wise, except for the fact that most used buyers will not be aware of Sumiko's new policy, and even future agon buyers will likely not know as this thread slowly fades away. One thing Sumiko must understand, however, is that a robust used market facilitates new product sales as those wishing to upgrade or change have an outlet to unload equipment for a fair price and use the proceeds to buy new. IMHO, an unnecessary and potentially damaging business decision by Sumiko.

Jeffkad - just to be clear, this policy has been in place for many years and that notice has been posted on Audiogon for many years. This is not a new policy.

This policy came into place because of unethical and what is probably even illegal activity by sellers on this website.

Anyone who has done a search on Sonus Faber speakers over the last several years should have seen the notice. It is pretty obvious. The notice is hard to miss.

Sonus Faber Search

There is a healthy used market for SF here on Audigon, even with this policy in place.

Again, if you want to purchase a used SF speaker, get the serial number and confirm with Sumiko if they will sell replacement parts. If you are buying new, keep the receipt (which you should do anyway), and, if you sell it, provide a copy to the new owner and explain the situation.

If you really object to this policy just buy another brand. If you want to buy SF, then just follow the procedure. It is not that hard.

What reason was there for your Vienna drivers failing in such a short period of time?? My point is that I can see a tube amp manufacturer or a digital device manufacturer be concerned about infant mortality in their product, but a speaker manufacturer...............?
Janeb (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

They're made by human beings. Even if they were made by robots, they too are made by humans. A poorly glued voice coil can come loose. A person or a robot can't see what is going on in between the parts being made. The same for a poor solder joint that may look perfect. Years back, I beleive the Space Shuttle lost its main computer system. It had NASA on edge for a short time, but a backup system worked. I think they traced it to a microscopic stray piece of solder in a component. They had no idea it was there during testing, and figured it broke free and shorted the system from the vibration (during takeoff), going by memory. Speakers vibrate a lot too. That's what a warranty is good for. Over driving them could cause a failure too. But, I think the manufacturer could see this, if they disassembled the parts.

"The notice is hard to miss.”

Yet so many people have. And what about craigslist? Before an authorized purchase takes place, is the prospective buyer asked to sign off on this policy? When this policy was enacted, were the authorized owners of every Sonus Faber speaker warned not to lose his receipts, and that the resaleability of their speakers was being diminished. Were these owners compensated.

When I buy a new car, the potential resale price of a model is always part of the negotiation. In fact, I consider that one of the most important factors in my decision. If the resale value of my car hits the skids due to a new policy, I want to be compensated.

Janeb:

I couldn't tell you why the driver failed. My knowledge base is not at that level. But I can say that that I run the speakers at what could be considered, at minimum, normal use -- -20db to -30db -- on a Denon AVR 3808CI, based upon the Denon display information. (I know folks with similar setups -- Vienna Acoustics/Denon -- who say that they run their Denons toward the 0db or -10db levels). Right now I'm listening to Miles Davis' "Nefertiti" at -30db. I can also say that when I called the dealer to report the issue he was not as confounded. He just apologized and said that it happens and ordered the new driver.

However, I did think of something that might give you perspective. Sometimes when I hear something in a different context, it helps me get perspective. The following may provide you additional perspective. Based upon your comments, it appears that you believe speaker drivers should have a 0% failure rate. As good as you seem to think drivers are, do you believe a 0% failure rate can be expected? Additionally, I would also wonder why Sumiko would have replacement drivers in inventory if they are never expected to fail.

Hope this helps. Thanks for your comments.