Fraudulent sale of B&W Nautilus 805

[S. Basu]

This is Soumyajit from Kolkata… I am willing to share my worst experience purchasing of B&W Nautilus 805 (BS).

I had purchased the speaker from Kiran Chavan from Maharashtra, he usually sells high end electronic gadgets. He listed the price for the speaker Rs. 1.50 Lac and after bargaining I pay him around Rs. 1.48 Lac including transportation charges. At the time of selling the product he told me that the product was 100 pct genuine.

I have received the speaker's perfect in good condition. I plugged the speaker with my existing Amp Quad 606 with Pre amp Marantz PM 17, the sound was not a remarkable change as I expected with my existing speaker was B&W 685 S1. I am very disappointed with the speaker's sound quality. I decided to buy it after lots of reviews from speakers from all over the world. After a couple of days I found that the voice coil of the speaker was stuck with glue. Immediately I called Mr Kiran. He then explained to me that since the speaker is over 20 years old, for transportation protection purposes he glued the speaker dust cap. I was very surprised to listen the explanation and I asked him why not you clarify before selling but he trying to convinced me that due for the glues the speaker sound quality does not affect its performance, after that I checked the speaker with specialized mechanics after opened the speaker I found that Both Spiral are different, the speaker cone has been totally dismantled and repaired with different spiral, lead wires and coil, one of the coil is black and other one is grey.

I immediately called him but he refused to accept all these things, I claimed my money. He told me If he finds any buyer then he will make the payment and he blocked my number from whatsapp.



Beware the person before you buy anything.

 

[Amarendra]

There are a bunch of ppl on olx who refurbish / repair old stuff and sell it. You can figure out such ppl since they have multiple listings at the same time. If it’s a genuine user (not a reseller) he can’t have 5-6 amps and 10 different speakers to sell at the same time.

 

[sidvee]

The other thing to be cautious about is equipment that is old. I routinely see several higher end equipment that is 10+ years old being sold for fairly high prices relative to their age and stated as 9/10 condition. Such old items have to be considered with caution, especially in these conditions, where there is a ton of dust/humidity, severe voltage fluctuations etc. etc. For instance the B&W N805 is at least a 23-25 year old model when introduced. I used to own one back in 2005 and sold it in 2012 for 2 lacs.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[Kannan]

At the outset though this is absolute fraud, and I feel very sorry for you, I am quite surprised how people take blind risk at such high amounts, whatever be the reputation of the seller.
For that money, I would done a train train or even a flight to Mumbai to check in person and then buy.
It is worth than burning Rs. 1.5 lakhs over pure trust.

 

[arj]

This is Soumyajit from Kolkata… I am willing to share my worst experience purchasing of B&W Nautilus 805 (BS).

I had purchased the speaker from Kiran Chavan from Maharashtra, he usually sells high end electronic gadgets. He listed the price for the speaker Rs. 1.50 Lac and after bargaining I pay him around Rs. 1.48 Lac including transportation charges. At the time of selling the product he told me that the product was 100 pct genuine.

I have received the speaker's perfect in good condition. I plugged the speaker with my existing Amp Quad 606 with Pre amp Marantz PM 17, the sound was not a remarkable change as I expected with my existing speaker was B&W 685 S1. I am very disappointed with the speaker's sound quality. I decided to buy it after lots of reviews from speakers from all over the world. After a couple of days I found that the voice coil of the speaker was stuck with glue. Immediately I called Mr Kiran. He then explained to me that since the speaker is over 20 years old, for transportation protection purposes he glued the speaker dust cap. I was very surprised to listen the explanation and I asked him why not you clarify before selling but he trying to convinced me that due for the glues the speaker sound quality does not affect its performance, after that I checked the speaker with specialized mechanics after opened the speaker I found that Both Spiral are different, the speaker cone has been totally dismantled and repaired with different spiral, lead wires and coil, one of the coil is black and other one is grey.

I immediately called him but he refused to accept all these things, I claimed my money. He told me If he finds any buyer then he will make the payment and he blocked my number from whatsapp.



Beware the person before you buy anything.

was this via OLX or any other Social media platform ?

 

[Vishram karande]

Buying from used dealers is very risky. Most of the problematic items they purchase in very cheap price, repair with their technician. Sell at higher price.
If you get item and satisfy, then you are lucky.

It have became high risk to buy from old item sellers.

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

This is Soumyajit from Kolkata… I am willing to share my worst experience purchasing of B&W Nautilus 805 (BS).

I had purchased the speaker from Kiran Chavan from Maharashtra, he usually sells high end electronic gadgets. He listed the price for the speaker Rs. 1.50 Lac and after bargaining I pay him around Rs. 1.48 Lac including transportation charges. At the time of selling the product he told me that the product was 100 pct genuine.

I have received the speaker's perfect in good condition. I plugged the speaker with my existing Amp Quad 606 with Pre amp Marantz PM 17, the sound was not a remarkable change as I expected with my existing speaker was B&W 685 S1. I am very disappointed with the speaker's sound quality. I decided to buy it after lots of reviews from speakers from all over the world. After a couple of days I found that the voice coil of the speaker was stuck with glue. Immediately I called Mr Kiran. He then explained to me that since the speaker is over 20 years old, for transportation protection purposes he glued the speaker dust cap. I was very surprised to listen the explanation and I asked him why not you clarify before selling but he trying to convinced me that due for the glues the speaker sound quality does not affect its performance, after that I checked the speaker with specialized mechanics after opened the speaker I found that Both Spiral are different, the speaker cone has been totally dismantled and repaired with different spiral, lead wires and coil, one of the coil is black and other one is grey.

I immediately called him but he refused to accept all these things, I claimed my money. He told me If he finds any buyer then he will make the payment and he blocked my number from whatsapp.



Beware the person before you buy anything.

you can get these midranges from B and W Still if I. Am not wrong. Before jumping in makes sure the rest of the speaker is intact.

 

[efernand1]

was this via OLX or any other Social media platform ?

I have seen many posts of this Dealer and he is on OLX , Facebook Market Place etc.

Simple rule...if the ad is detailed well with proper statements (not Google copy paste) you know then you are dealing with a proper person. Based on the wordings of the ad one should accordingly meet face to face check the product and close the deal accordingly. If the seller is based Outstation, check if there is some friend into friend or relative available with ample knowledge to close the deal.

Regardless of the person who is closing the deal on your behalf, do your home work, get on a video call with the seller and check the condition including playback before your representative goes to seller place to close the deal and collect.

This is my suggestion which I have shared with most over the last decade based on my experiences and it has helped a lot. One should be very very careful in today's time.

 

[insane79]

Sad but it's always a risk buying from random people, which platform did you buy it from?

 

[S. Basu]

was this via OLX or any other Social media platform ?

My friend purchased B&W matrix around 5 years back from him, he is well known reseller..he gave the the add on facebook.

Sad but it's always a risk buying from random people, which platform did you buy it from?

Kiran Chavan is well known reputed reseller in India. I saw the post in facebook and direct contact him.

 

[arj]

Well I guess the term reputed may not apply any longer.

 

[square_wave]

Only purchase things from fellow audiophiles you know well. Also, it is "usually" okay if the seller comes recommended by someone you know well. Do you have an option to make a police complaint ? Do you have all the conversations on email / messages ? There are options because this looks like intentional cheating.

 

[sandeepmohan]

I am sorry to say this. You need to brace yourself for not getting your money back. If OLX has ways to report fraudulent or inaccurate sales, report it immediately. Do not communicate directly with the Seller. Route everything via OLX. Thats your only way to prove that you are fighting your case. I am sure there is seller feedback one can place that can be viewed publicly.

I don't care what reputation the Seller has historically. Its irrelevant now. No reputed seller will glue the paper cone to the dust cap. That is outright stupid.

Also, where is he going to find another buyer who would pay this sort of money, when the speaker is in a poor state like this. Cause if he does find another Buyer, that new buyer is also getting ripped off. That will be on you, cause you are allowing it. Technically, you are the Seller now, as you own the loudspeaker. The original Seller will be lucky to get Rs. 10,000 for it!

You really must tread cautiously for sales like this. If its a deal thats too good to be true, something must be wrong. Right? 20 year old speaker. 1.48 lacs! Not a good deal in any sense of it. In my books.

 

[mahaaprasaad]

...... 20 year old speaker. 1.48 lacs! Not a good deal in any sense of it. In my books.

+1, that too from the Indian resellers, who bring scrap from global garages and try to sell in india at abnormal price in the name VINTAGE. The main reason for this, many of us dont know or sure about how to buy directly from international websites, logistics, custom issues involved and assessment of quality. As of today, I never come across an audio dealer or an import agency in India, who can authentically bring vintage audio stuffs, professionally refurbish it and sell with quality assurance. It is some thing like finding a Black cat in a dark room. Hit or Miss.

 

[RajithKumar]

Very Sad to hear! It’s always a risk involved in buying used AV equipment’s ,particularly in OLX .
Since it’s an 20 year old model , the history will be unclear in many cases, unless you know the seller personally.

 

[S. Basu]

The other thing to be cautious about is equipment that is old. I routinely see several higher end equipment that is 10+ years old being sold for fairly high prices relative to their age and stated as 9/10 condition. Such old items have to be considered with caution, especially in these conditions, where there is a ton of dust/humidity, severe voltage fluctuations etc. etc. For instance the B&W N805 is at least a 23-25 year old model when introduced. I used to own one back in 2005 and sold it in 2012 for 2 lacs.
Cheers,
Sid

This is my big mistake. I trust him, The man selling a lot of gadgets, my friend also purchased B&W Matrix from the person a long time back. That's why I didn't check it randomly and also not bargained for the product, resulting today I am standing here.
I think the Tweeter is untouched, I need driver of the speaker, the driver model no is zz11460. If you find somewhere, please let me know.

Very Sad to hear! It’s always a risk involved in buying used AV equipment’s ,particularly in OLX .
Since it’s an 20 year old model , the history will be unclear in many cases, unless you know the seller personally.

This is my big mistake. I trust him, The man selling a lot of gadgets, my friend also purchased B&W Matrix from the person a long time back. That's why I didn't check it randomly and also not bargained for the product, resulting today I am standing here.
I think the Tweeter is untouched, I need driver of the speaker, the driver model no is zz11460. If you find somewhere, please let me know.

+1, that too from the Indian resellers, who bring scrap from global garages and try to sell in india at abnormal price in the name VINTAGE. The main reason for this, many of us dont know or sure about how to buy directly from international websites, logistics, custom issues involved and assessment of quality. As of today, I never come across an audio dealer or an import agency in India, who can authentically bring vintage audio stuffs, professionally refurbish it and sell with quality assurance. It is some thing like finding a Black cat in a dark room. Hit or Miss.

This is my big mistake. I trust him, The man selling a lot of gadgets, my friend also purchased B&W Matrix from the person a long time back. That's why I didn't check it randomly and also not bargained for the product, resulting today I am standing here.
I think the Tweeter is untouched, I need driver of the speaker, the driver model no is zz11460. If you find somewhere, please let me know.

you can get these midranges from B and W Still if I. Am not wrong. Before jumping in makes sure the rest of the speaker is intact.

I tried to contact B&W company over email for the driver of the speaker model no is ZZ11460, they share the quaries to Indian counter name Preeti Trading Corporation, the product not available with us. The driver is not available in ebay us/uk also. If you find someone to sell the driver please let me know.

Well I guess the term reputed may not apply any longer.

Absolutely right.

 

[S. Basu]

I haver

Only purchase things from fellow audiophiles you know well. Also, it is "usually" okay if the seller comes recommended by someone you know well. Do you have an option to make a police complaint ? Do you have all the conversations on email / messages ? There are options because this looks like intentional cheating.

I have some chat history but no call recording with me. He claim that nothing is repaired with the speaker.

I am sorry to say this. You need to brace yourself for not getting your money back. If OLX has ways to report fraudulent or inaccurate sales, report it immediately. Do not communicate directly with the Seller. Route everything via OLX. Thats your only way to prove that you are fighting your case. I am sure there is seller feedback one can place that can be viewed publicly.

I don't care what reputation the Seller has historically. Its irrelevant now. No reputed seller will glue the paper cone to the dust cap. That is outright stupid.

Also, where is he going to find another buyer who would pay this sort of money, when the speaker is in a poor state like this. Cause if he does find another Buyer, that new buyer is also getting ripped off. That will be on you, cause you are allowing it. Technically, you are the Seller now, as you own the loudspeaker. The original Seller will be lucky to get Rs. 10,000 for it!

You really must tread cautiously for sales like this. If its a deal thats too good to be true, something must be wrong. Right? 20 year old speaker. 1.48 lacs! Not a good deal in any sense of it. In my books.

This is my big mistake. I trust him, The man selling a lot of gadgets, my friend also purchased B&W Matrix from the person a long time back. That's why I didn't check it randomly and also not bargained for the product, resulting today I am standing here.
I think the Tweeter is untouched, I need driver of the speaker, the driver model no is zz11460. If you find somewhere, please let me know.

 

[RajithKumar]

This is my big mistake. I trust him, The man selling a lot of gadgets, my friend also purchased B&W Matrix from the person a long time back. That's why I didn't check it randomly and also not bargained for the product, resulting today I am standing here.
I think the Tweeter is untouched, I need driver of the speaker, the driver model no is zz11460. If you find somewhere, please let me know.

Sure.But getting old model drivers may be difficult.
You can check mailing B&W any alternate model drivers that would suit.

Also Take help of forum members in your locality to find alternatives.

 

[S. Basu]

Sure.But getting old model drivers may be difficult.
You can check mailing B&W any alternate model drivers that would suit.

Also Take help of forum members in your locality to find alternatives.

Sure.. thanks

 

[Passive_audio_enthusiast]

This is my big mistake. I trust him, The man selling a lot of gadgets, my friend also purchased B&W Matrix from the person a long time back. That's why I didn't check it randomly and also not bargained for the product, resulting today I am standing here.
I think the Tweeter is untouched, I need driver of the speaker, the driver model no is zz11460. If you find somewhere, please let me know.

Check this site https://speakerrepairshop.nl/en/woofers/b-w/b-w-signature-805-woofer/a-6896-10000080

Ask them via email if they have the exact one you need. If yes replace them as pairs