"white van speakers" ?
Eric
Can anyone give me information about a ripoff referred to as "the
infamous white van speakers"? I think I was about to buy a pair, and
would like to confirm the situation.
Thanks,
Eric
Brent Stewart
i'm sure you've recieved a lot of responses, but i've been approached
twice. thanks to this new group, i've known what a scam they are.
a guy will pull up next to you (usually in a white van) and say "i was
over stocked and have too many speakers, i don't want to take them back
with me, i'll give you a GREAT deal to take them off my hands". or some
sort of line like that. they say that they are $400 (or more) speakers,
but you can have them for $200...when i said no, he said, "well, how
about $100?" dont do it!! they are BAD...
brent
Will Simmons
This happens to me in Philly all the time. they are usually not fake
around here though. More often than not, they are really good speakers,
just a little on the warm side though :) Seems there is quite a second
market for rich college kids Christmas goodies...
Eric (er...@molbiol.uct.ac.za) wrote:
: Can anyone give me information about a ripoff referred to as "the
: infamous white van speakers"? I think I was about to buy a pair, and
: would like to confirm the situation.
: Thanks,
: Eric
--
******************************************************************************
Will Simmons
simm...@futures.wharton.upenn.edu
http://futures.wharton.upenn.edu/~simmon15 ..few graphics, lots o' web info.
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
******************************************************************************
Karl Haldeman
Eric wrote:>
> Can anyone give me information about a ripoff referred to as "the
> infamous white van speakers"? I think I was about to buy a pair, and
> would like to confirm the situation.
>
> Thanks,
> Eric
I couldn't believe it but a few weeks ago I stumbled across a web site
devoted to selling the white van specials. Amazing. I don't remember
where it was though, I quickly left.
Guerilla Audio
I had a roommate in Philly a few years back that got a gig with those
guys for a while. He said they were legit. speakers (forget which kind)
and that they promised him they were legal. He wasn't really sure,
though. Maybe they "fell off a truck." Lots of things seem to fall off
trucks in Philly and Jersey. They need better tailgates or something,
eh?
--
When surfin' the new, stop in to GUERILLA AUDIO at
http://www.io.com/guerilla
And don't forget, Austin's premier original live music club,
http://www.io.com/steamboat
John Hamill
In New England, white Van specials are usually those really junky "Acoustic
Research" speakers. I don't know how they get away with that name though,
they give the real AR a bad association.
Karl Haldeman <karl.h...@ab.com> wrote in article
<325A84...@ab.com>...
MrBoylan
In article <325A84...@ab.com>, Karl Haldeman <karl.h...@ab.com>
writes:
>Eric wrote:>
>> Can anyone give me information about a ripoff referred to as "the
>> infamous white van speakers"? I think I was about to buy a pair, and
>> would like to confirm the situation.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Eric
>====================
>
>I couldn't believe it but a few weeks ago I stumbled across a web site
>devoted to selling the white van specials. Amazing. I don't remember
>where it was though, I quickly left.
>
>
The deal with the "white van scam" is that these speakers are sold
(usually) out of mall parking lots - the personnel in the van either imply
that the speakers are stolen or, if they are slightly more ethical, that
they are "overstock" from some order that fell through. They claim a
retail price or around $1000 for these (usually) 3 way speakers with a 12
inch woofer and some sort of liquid-cooled midrange. They then offer to
sell the speakers for "below cost" - the buyer feels like they're getting
a great deal for $500 a pair. Unfortunately the speakers are worth
considerably less than that - more like $50 tops for the parts. Brand
name is something along the lines of Acoustic Response or Acoustic
Reference (they keep changing it as people cop on).
Someone recently told me that Omni Audio speakers were also being sold in
a similar fashion (white van). Omni Audio has a very respectable looking
ad in Stereophile (September I think), but, strangely enough, the company
is not listed in Audio Maazine's equiment directory. I realize it does
not cost much to advertise in Stereophile, but if these ARE in fact the
same speakers, then Stereophile may be inadvertantly perpetuating a fairly
wide-scale hoax. The published "spec sheets" of the Omni Audio SA 12.3
are virtually identical to the Acoustic Response speakers.
Caveat Emptor and all that. If a deal seems to good to be true, then it
probably is. I could probably come up with a few other trite idioms, but
you get the idea.
Later,
-Chris
Chris Boylan
MrBo...@aol.com - 7331...@compuserve.com - PMS...@ibi.com
* Rock Drummer * Software guy * High-end audio and home theater buff *
Check out Static 13's web site: http://www.rockweb.com/bands/static-13
Pin 2 Hot
John Hamill wrote:
>
> In New England, white Van specials are usually those really junky "Acoustic
> Research" speakers. I don't know how they get away with that name though,
> they give the real AR a bad association.
The ones I saw were made by "Linear Phase".
They wanted 400 bucks/pr.
Worth $25.
They inply that the speakers are hot, so you think it's a good deal.
Truth is, they're just really shitty speakers.
Gene
Randall H. Thatcher
My roommate got taken on that deal! he bought them on a whim as monitors
for his 24 track mixing setup!!! when i do work in the studio i drag in
some small legacies and i'm much happier.
i think his are called Acoustic Research or somthing (then again, so is
my turntable, why doesn't it suck?). the play music loudly, but that's
about it....
--
Randy Thatcher
Randall....@ab.com
vegan - audiophile - electrical engineer
Opinions are my own, not those of my employer.
http://k2.cwru.edu/~rht3/resume.txt
Steven Nilsen
Interestigly these speakers are getting worse with time...
About seven years ago, perhaps, I was taken in by this scam. I paid $200
for a pair of Acoustic Response speakers with all that liquid-cooled
nonsense and maybe came out not too scathed. The speakers sound about the
same any cheap pair of speakers, but are about as efficient as a pair of
C-V's I bought later, with the same mass and 3x the size. At least
they're still getting some use by my bro, who makes them rear
channels/coffee table type things :)
Okay, now my friend was just duped by the van about a month ago,
$200/pair. The things he bought were made of cheap plastic and carpetted
exterior :(... After plugging them in, just for curiousity, they were
extremely inefficient and sounded like coffee tables. They were so much
worse than the ones I had bought years back, we're talking pitiful sound.
Apperently the "white van company" is getting smarter, why even make
half-ass speakers when only an unknowing dupe would buy these in the first
place? I imagine that someday they'll just sell boxes with speaker-like
moldings on the front, like it would matter.
-Steven
MrBoylan
>> In New England, white Van specials are usually those really junky
"Acoustic
>> Research" speakers. I don't know how they get away with that name
though,
>> they give the real AR a bad association.
>
>The ones I saw were made by "Linear Phase".
>They wanted 400 bucks/pr.
>Worth $25.
>
>
I've seen Acoustic Linear, Acoustic Reference, and Acoustic Response, plus
the latest is Omni Audio. All the same junk. I would be surprised if
they were actually daring enough to besmirch the real "Acoustic Research"
name, but I guess it's certainly possible.
Glenn Louie
This is the "Acoustic studio Monitors" ripoff.
"My boss ordered these for a nightclub or studio and they cancelled"
Absolute junk. Nice brochure, new cartons. Stay away.
--
Glenn Louie
Portland, Oregon
John Busenitz
On Wed, 9 Oct 1996, Randall H. Thatcher wrote:
> i think his are called Acoustic Research or somthing (then again, so is
> my turntable, why doesn't it suck?). the play music loudly, but that's
> about it....
Actually, they are most likely "Acoustic _Response_", NOT "Acoustic
_Research_". The later is a bona fide company with a good reputation
with good products (including your turntable); the former is white
van trash, the name specifically chosen to ring a bell in your mind.
_____________________________________________________________
John Busenitz buse...@ecn.purdue.edu
P.U. ECE http://cernan.ecn.purdue.edu/~busenitz
Disclaimer: My statements do not represent Purdue University.
Kalman Rubinson
Randall H. Thatcher (Randall....@ab.com) wrote:
> i think his are called Acoustic Research or somthing (then again, so is
> my turntable, why doesn't it suck?). the play music loudly, but that's
> about it....
Because, if they are Acoustic Research, they're not the dreaded 'white
van' specials.
Kal
Randall H. Thatcher
MrBoylan wrote:
> a similar fashion (white van). Omni Audio has a very respectable looking
> ad in Stereophile (September I think), but, strangely enough, the company
> is not listed in Audio Maazine's equiment directory. I realize it does
> not cost much to advertise in Stereophile, but if these ARE in fact the
as an aside... Advertising a full page in S'phile can cost upwards of
$4000-5000. I saw the mail from S'phile's advertising agency at a local mfr was
getting every 2 weeks! i forget what audioquest pays for that back cover ad, but
i think one month cost more than a new dodge shadow (my fine car). so if this
company is churning out speakers at $100 a pop, they must be moving an ASSLOAD to
advertise in S'phile...
Randall H. Thatcher
Kalman Rubinson wrote:
> > i think his are called Acoustic Research or somthing (then again, so is
> > my turntable, why doesn't it suck?). the play music loudly, but that's
> > about it....
>
> Because, if they are Acoustic Research, they're not the dreaded 'white
> van' specials.
you're right. they're acoustic RESPONSE. they're great! not even my
$3500 legacies have 2 knobs for adjusting highs and mids!
Paul Siu
In article <53hasd$5...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, mrbo...@aol.com (MrBoylan)
wrote:
>I've seen Acoustic Linear, Acoustic Reference, and Acoustic Response, plus
>the latest is Omni Audio. All the same junk. I would be surprised if
>they were actually daring enough to besmirch the real "Acoustic Research"
>name, but I guess it's certainly possible.
Hmm... a white van with the Omni Audio logo tried to sell me speakers a few
months ago in Norristown, PA. These white speakers vans seem to be everywhere.
Are there a lot of imitators or have white vans become a Franchise? :-)
Paul
s...@moberg.com
Dave Kruse
In article <53ddb6$a...@groa.uct.ac.za>, er...@molbiol.uct.ac.za says...
>Can anyone give me information about a ripoff referred to as "the
>infamous white van speakers"? I think I was about to buy a pair, and
>would like to confirm the situation.
>Thanks,
>Eric
>
Sure. Every few months a guy who calls himself Audio Engineer tries to
sell these speakers over the net. He claims to install them in rich
peoples homes and tries to make you sign a secrecy form. He claims that
they "have more bass than the boston gardens." (Remember that one?!!!)
Then he vanishes without a trace, after his ISP yanks his service. You
said "white van?" No, that's a little white jacket that he wears that has
the arms tied together. If he's got a van, it's used to haul his supply of
thorazine. (Or whatever) He'll be back next time he escapes.
(Don't flame me guys. Just taking a trip down memory [nightmare?] lane...)
--
Dave Kruse
Opinions expressed are mine only.
MSatzger
Im Artikel <53j3pr$2...@netaxs.com>, s...@moberg.com (Paul Siu) schreibt:
>Thema: Re: "white van speakers" ?
>Von: s...@moberg.com (Paul Siu)
>Datum: Thu, 10 Oct 96 15:11:28 GMT
I know, we had these funny speaker company arround 4 months agon in
Germany....
but it was a green van :-) grin grin
Marc
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Barry Mann
In <53ddb6$a...@groa.uct.ac.za>, Eric <er...@molbiol.uct.ac.za> writes:
>Can anyone give me information about a ripoff referred to as "the
>infamous white van speakers"? I think I was about to buy a pair, and
>would like to confirm the situation.
>
I've had discussions with a van crew. Other than using very deceptive methods,
they seemed legitimate. They were college age and would go to the warehouse
each day to pickup stock, and then drive around and sell their "distressed"
merchandise. The company supplied them with a script. The guys in the
truck made a lot of money. The speakers were worth less than the asking
price. The "regular price" varied with their perception of how good the deal
had to be for a particular customer.
If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Barry
STEPHEN TIDWELL
>I've seen Acoustic Linear, Acoustic Reference, and Acoustic
"Acoustic >Research">name, but I guess it's certainly possible.
>Hmm... a white van with the Omni Audio logo tried to sell me
speakers a >>few months ago in Norristown, PA. These white speakers
vans seem to be >>everywhere.Are there a lot of imitators or have
white vans become a >>Franchise? :-)
I customer of mine called the cops on these guys here in Nashville.
He came to me looking for a set of replacement woofers for his
Acoustic Response "white van" speakers purchased for $350 just days
earlier. He was told by a detective that there was nothing
specifically illegal about their sales methods. The printed sales
book they usually show their "customers" states a [very high]
suggested retail price set by the mfr. You can sell a $1 item for
$1000 if that's the MSRP. It is only illegal to sell for MORE than
the MSRP without telling the buyer.
The detective also said that the "scam" seemed to be run by basically
one company through classifieds as one of the many "get rich quick"
schemes you see. Someone responds to a "make $500 a day" ad in a
magazine and winds up leasing a "white van" and fleecing people with
these crappy speakers. I then sell decent replacement woofers to the
new speaker owner as soon as 50 watts smokes the 12's in their new
220 watt speakers. After putting in a good woofer, the mid and tweet
actually seem to hold up pretty well, with sound comparable to a $200
set of Pioneer or Sony speakers from a discount store.
Stephen Tidwell
vooze...@msn.com
www.webspawner.com/users/LayneAudio