Brand new DAMAGED SR124 ??? Need help

[Vital]

So i bought SR214-DVC from SonicElectronix cuz i bought from them before, never had any issues and they always have very compatative pricing.
Got my SR delivered yesterday, felt like a little kid at Toys'R'Us..... till i started paying attention to details.

Before anythig else let me say that i do NOT know the right terminology for subwoofer parts, so i'll have to use simple english when describing certain parts of it. Correction are appriciated.

Small scratches on the cone. They are very small, not even visible at all angles/lighting:



Obvious scratches here. Also there's a ding where the arrows are pointing. Not even a ding, more like a little piece chipped off:



2 net-looking things are ripped:





Also black glue looking thing is just sloppy if u ask me.







There's also a few "strings" of that same glue. There's a few more "strings"m just hard to take pics of them:



And that just doesn't look clean if u ask me - scratches, black glue again...:



Sonic is not an authorized dealer but do have waranty and replacment but i'll have to pay for shipping it back to them.
I called Polk to run the serial number to see if it is a refurbished unit (sure looks like one to me). Per them it's not. It was manufactured late 2009, sold as brand new to distributor (not Sonic, i'm guessing they are the ones who sold it to Sonic) in April 2010. So it looks legit here.

Is it normal for SRs to look like that?? or my expectations as to what it supposed to look like are too high??
I can live with scratches and glue just fine but those ripped 2 net-looking things are really bothering me. Also when u add ALL these imperfections up i'm starting to think i need to call Sonic for a replacment. Do I??

[arun1963]

I'd swallow the cost of shipping, return the sub and ask for a refund. It's clearly a refurbished product and not a particularly well done job. Stick to licensed vendors.

[Vital]

36 views and only 1 reply (thanx Arun) when half of members here have this same sub? C`mon guys, pitch in. I've never seen the insides of sr sub in person before, want some reassurance on this

I'm in process of dealing with Sonix, hopefylly will not end up paying shipping.

[kawizx9r]

I'd chime in but never owned an SR sub (yet).

Sry to hear about your situation, it's why I like to stick with authorized retailers. Is Sonic an authorized retailer for any of the merchandise they offer? They have some pretty competitive pricing for most of their items.

[PerfectCreature]

Yeah, I tend to like to stick to authorized retailers as well. Just in fear of this happening.
Odd though, rather damaged indeed. Does it play at all?
Sorry to hear you got a scrap this time.

[DSkip]

I didn't chime in because I don't really recall what mine looked at. It looks damaged to me, but it might not affect the SQ any.

[docjl]

hi,

sorry to hear about your situation. I actually got that exact sub SR124 from SonixElectronix about a month ago, also got a Boston Acoustics amp (GTA800M if memory serves).

I can tell you mine definitely did NOT look like that! I pulled it out of the box and let it sit on my kitchen counter for a day or two so I could admire it - cause it looked so da*n cool! I got mine through their ebay listing for $229 shipped (much cheaper than Crutchfield @$399)

I was actually very happy with Sonix - it shipped from California to vegas in 2 days, well packaged also in the factory box inside a big box full of styrofoam peanuts.

had the sub and amp installed in a custom sealed box in my car and I couldn't be happier! even my installer, who had never installed a Polk sub before, said it sounded better than TWO cheaper 12" subs!

I would email sonix your photos and see if they are willing to help you out, it couldn't hurt to mention you are a member of the Polk Audio forum, AND any other forums (like car forums you are a member of) so they get the drift that you don't want to give them alot of bad publicity on a public forum, get it? ;)

it looks like you got either a display that may have been blown (those tears don't look good.....), or maybe a customer return that somebody thrashed and then returned. either way Sonix screwed up, as I don't see how they can claim that particular sub is "NEW".

good luck - but don't let this experience change your decision on getting the SR124 - the sub absolutely rocks!!!

[docjl]

one other note on "unauthorized dealers"

I've bought several products from this type of seller on ebay etc. over the years and I've always gotten brand new fresh sealed in the box products so I guess I've been lucky.

However, around the same time I ordered from Sonix, I needed a couple of Polk MM840's for my other car, and Sonix was out of stock. So I ordered from Techronics.com

I had gotten another Boston Acoustics amp from them that shipped quickly and came in a brand new sealed box so I was happy with them.

when I got the 2 polks, they did arrive quickly and were packed well, but when I opened them both, one of them was definitely "factory fresh", sealed in a plastic bag inside the polk box, with the bag with the manual and warranty card. the second sub was in the polk box, but NOT in a plastic bag, and there was no bag with instructions or warranty card. close inspection revealed the sub looked brand new and didn't appear to have ever been installed, so I went with it, as I already had an appt with my installer. It works perfectly, but the whole deal left an uneasy feeling in my stomach about dealing with Techronics.com - I can only assume my sub was pulled out and used as a non-working display, as it looked brand new, but was definitely not factory fresh, factory sealed.

I guess BUYER BEWARE is the moral of the story.....

[mmadden28]

...I would email sonix your photos and see if they are willing to help you out, it couldn't hurt to mention you are a member of the Polk Audio forum, AND any other forums (like car forums you are a member of) so they get the drift that you don't want to give them alot of bad publicity on a public forum, get it? ;)

it looks like you got either a display that may have been blown (those tears don't look good.....), or maybe a customer return that somebody thrashed and then returned. either way Sonix screwed up, as I don't see how they can claim that particular sub is "NEW".
...

+1 and +1
I would definitely contact Sonix and tell them about the issue, they may just send you another with prepaid return shipping for the bad one.

I also think that it was probably a customer return of some sort (where the customer knowingly blew it and tried to repair it) and the warehouse didn't check it closely enough when it was returned. But then again I also don't see how they could sell it 'as new' in its current condition. Definitely not new condition.

[catch22atplay]

Comparing the 2 i bought directly from Polk Audio.

Pic 1 i have no scratches on the cone
Pic 2 magnet is very soft and easily scratches. Yours looks like someone tried engraving vs random relatively straight scratches here and there. I have no chips on mine.
pic 3 and 4 My filter screens are all intact.
Pic 5-8 It's glue and very messy. While mine doesn't look quite as bad it's never going to look perfect.
Pic 9 Mine looks a lot better and cleaner than yours.

I'm going back to pick 7 because i noticed something. Look at that neoprene pad under the cone that prevents the voice coil leads from slapping the cone and making a lot of noise. You can clearly see a mark where the leads were hitting the pad. My 4 pads have no indentations. I'd guess that the speaker was used to make the indentation. And to make them it would require very high excursion. Granted i've no idea if they test each speaker before it leaves the factory with 700 watts 16hz signals or whatever. I can only compare my 2 vs yours visually. It may actually be ok. But combined with the other factors i'd have to say it's used or used and refurbished.

You paid for new and this clearly isn't new. Send it back.

[Topper]

send it back. Solve the prob now rather than regret down the line.

[Vital]

Thanx for replies guys.
I contacted Sonix yesterday for an exchange and not to pay shipping back. At this point it's not even about $30 shipping, i just don't see why the hell i am supposed to pay it if i got used/refurb sub instead of brand new one. Sonix seems like they understand my situation (after a bunch of phone calls and emails) but i'll have to wait for the manager to come in (in about 2 hours) for final decision.
If not i'll go as far as contacting my bank to get the money back as seller's fraud but i hope there will not be a need for that.

As far as sub goes - i never hooked it up to check if it works or not, even if it does i'm not going to keep it, def getting another one instead. One without scratches and rips this time lol. Sub and all accesories (manual, allen key...) were sealed to look like brand new.

It is a possibity that someone damaged their SR, got new one, swapped serial number sticker (which would explain all those scratches in that area) and shipped it back for a refund together with all the sealed accesories from NEW sub. If that's the case would there also be a serial number on the manual??
should i open it to check serial on a sub and serial on the manual (if there even is one there)??
I'd like to keep it as close to condition i got it in as possible to avoid "it's all opened up" bs
On the other hand if theres gonna be mismatch in serial numbers i'm sure they'll try to blame me for it.

GGGGRRRRR!!!!!!!

[kawizx9r]

There's that yellow warranty card/page in the packaging that should have a black sticker with the serial number on it but then again who's to say he/she didn't swap that out if that's the case. The box should have the S/N as well near the UPC/SKU iirc.

[Vital]

Yeah, u're right, i didn't think to check for that. Will do when i get back home. Thanx

[Vital]

Got their pre-paid shipping label and "ok" for no fee, no shipping charge exchange.
All good so far but i will be sure to check my exchange sub as long as i need to before signing for it.

[docjl]

I'm sure it will be fine, I would be very surprised if somebody at Sonix didn't personally inspect your new sub before they ship it out!

What type of box/install are you planning? and what type of amp are you using with it?

[Vital]

I doubt someone will personally check it out, they will just send me new sub instead.
I bought from them before, never had a single issue.

I checked out serial numbers on the box, orange card, sub - they all match but that still doesn't mean jack cuz all u had to do was to swap out stickers on the subs and use the same sealed card/box to ship it back.... whatever, hopefully replacment will be 100% BS free.

As for the box/amp - will be using Polk's PA1200.1 amp and fiberglass/mdf sealed enclosure like this one. I have the same exact car so enclosure will be very similar to this, just taller instead of wider. There will also be more mdf then this guy has (as much as possible, fg will only be used on the curves and uneven ares)
Amp rack (i also have PA500.4 bi-amping my momo's) will be totaly different thou, more of a "raised floor" look, not on the side like in the last pic.

[docjl]

that looks really nice, but will you have enough room for optimum box size? I know the manual states 0.88 cu ft is sufficient for a sealed box, but crutchfield and other web sites state 1.2 is optimal. I had mine built to 1.2 cu ft and it sounds incredible!

[Vital]

I'm gonna go for 1.25 (1.34 before sub) should work fine as enclosure pictured is 1.30 i believe.

[Vital]

Ok, at this point it's either SRs are supposed to have some inperfections or Sonic is selling refurbished SRs (or their distributor is)

Got my replacement last night.
This SR looks a lot better then first one but still not perfect (to me at least)
There's no scratches anywhere BUT

One of those "nets" (i still don't don't what's it's really called) is ripped. Last one had a few of them ripped.



Then there's these lines on the motor. Can't call them scratches, more like water marks.





And here's what gives me most of "it's refurbished feeling" - traces glue coming out of 2 mounting holes:





Rest of the sub looks fine. Black glue is a lot "cleaner", there's no scratches of dirt/finger-type prints, that pad hitting voice coils' wires doesn't have dents/traces of wire in it.....





Maybe these subs are supposed to look like that???? Obviously none of them will be identicall to the other but.....

[Jstas]

The thing about unauthorized dealers is that they cannot get warranty claims through the manufacturer either. So, when they get a return for whatever reason, it goes in to their "rebuild bin" if it can be fixed. Then some sloppy monkey in a garage somewhere "rebuilds" the item with less than original spec parts, materials and methods. They don't have anything saying that the sub is new on the website and they can sell the refurb for whatever they want. So they just throw the refurbs back into the "sell it" pile and the stock monkey just gets all grabby hands when filling orders.

If you don't want the hassle of stoopid fonkey muck-ups then buy from an authorized dealer or directly from Polk Audio. It costs more but Polk Audio stands by it's products. They were even willing to support a 12 year old subwoofer for me if they had the repair parts available. Personally, I wouldn't drop SR coin on a non-authorized dealer. That's a buncha scratch to gamble with like that.

[Vital]

The thing about unauthorized dealers is that they cannot get warranty claims through the manufacturer either. So, when they get a return for whatever reason, it goes in to their "rebuild bin" if it can be fixed. Then some sloppy monkey in a garage somewhere "rebuilds" the item with less than original spec parts, materials and methods. They don't have anything saying that the sub is new on the website and they can sell the refurb for whatever they want. So they just throw the refurbs back into the "sell it" pile and the stock monkey just gets all grabby hands when filling orders.

If you don't want the hassle of stoopid fonkey muck-ups then buy from an authorized dealer or directly from Polk Audio. It costs more but Polk Audio stands by it's products. They were even willing to support a 12 year old subwoofer for me if they had the repair parts available. Personally, I wouldn't drop SR coin on a non-authorized dealer. That's a buncha scratch to gamble with like that.

After having to deal with this and lots of reseach on "unauthorized dealer/refurbished sold as new" topic i agree with you 100%

That being said i'm still not sure if SR124 sub is expected (for lack of better words) to not be 100% identical to any other SR124 as well as expected to have small imperfections that woun't really hurt performance (mounting holes glue, "water marks" and vent cover "net")

[Jstas]

After having to deal with this and lots of reseach on "unauthorized dealer/refurbished sold as new" topic i agree with you 100%

That being said i'm still not sure if SR124 sub is expected (for lack of better words) to not be 100% identical to any other SR124 as well as expected to have small imperfections that woun't really hurt performance (mounting holes glue, "water marks" and vent cover "net")

It certainly is expected. It's called quality control and quality assurance. Both are change control processes in any kind of engineering and development work that ensure the design, engineering, and production processes are documented, tested and proven so that the product can be duplicated reliably. It assigns responsibility as well. Without responsibility in the process there is no accountability or standards. Without standards, you cannot gauge your costs or control them and you cannot ensure that the product you say you are selling will actually be what you are selling. Miss that vital part often enough and you won't have any customers to sell to.

Polk Audio has very good quality control standards from what I've seen. From as far back as I can tell too. Good engineering isn't about ingenious design or innovative thinking. Good engineering is about dotting the i's and crossing the t's. Making sure you got it right and when you do get it right, you can reproduce it and scale it so you can sell it and recoup costs and make a profit.

Your experience is because SonicElectronix sucks, like all discounters do and in order to compete with authorized dealers and entice those leary buyers with cheaper prices, they still have to offer a warranty that a manufacturer will not support. So they offer their own warranties and do their own warranty work.

Your exact experience is one of several reasons Polk Audio tells you to buy from authorized dealers. Polk Audio can guarantee that you are getting the best product they can make and sell if you go with an authorized dealer because they have better control over the supply chain. Once a discounter buys stuff, who knows what store front will have it, how it was handled or what kind of support you'll get. Polk doesn't support unauthorized dealers because the shoddy business practices makes them look bad and they want to discourage you from using them. It hurts Polk's image and their distributors who go through a good deal of effort and cost to sell and support the product to Polk Audio's standards.