I am using the R2000DB for almost 6 months. Really worth $189. It sounds better than the e25 to me. Was considering either of them, but the bigger enclosure may put you off if you do not have any space. Also the r2000db was 10 bucks cheaper than the e25 Luna when I got it. But do not get at retail $249, I feel that for $249 you could maybe get better speakers at carousell.
Kind of true, considering I sold my A5+ for $200 over there, and 3 guys still lowballed me for $150.
On the other hand, I don't recommend second-hand speakers unless the price difference is really huge
First is personal experience from buying one with a faulty tweeter. After one hour of listening at home I noticed one tweeter is generating extra harmonics. To the extent it was recordable with music. I recorded it and sent to the seller and the seller told me he can't hear a difference. Interesting coming from a guy who is still actively selling his tubes and equipment over at xtremeplace forum. Take a moment to digest that.
Point is, take lots of caution when buying from somebody who looks like a dealer. Actually, just don't buy from dealers. In fact, just reject on the spot. Don't need to give courtesy to them because they won't give it to you.
A somewhat related one is buying the Paradigm Atoms from Cash Converters and finding out the foam has all rotted. They have a good return policy (and yes, when Cash Converter's return policy can be called good, you know how screwed up person-to-person trading can be) and it was $30 so it was actually a good deal, so I kept that.
Next, even on HWZ's own audio subforum, there are some people who mistakenly revealed that they have sold problematic products before. Like they will reply to threads "my xxxxxx equipment has the same problem too!" And then when I told them how to fix, they go "oops I already sold it, not with me anymore". Think the best one was somebody who said he had a Klipsch with a rotted surround and he just sold it without repairing it.
Point I'm trying to make: Audio equipment, especially speakers, are consumables that die with age and usage. However problems with audio are hard to detect. Can you hear the difference between a $200 amp and a $2000 amp? If you can't, what makes u sure the $2000 amp you are buying has not degraded to $200 standard?
Next is the more obvious total functionality failure. Most active speakers don't last over 5 years. Most in the sense that it depends on the design. Some cheap speakers last 20 years. Meanwhile I just took on a repair job for another M50W earlier this year. Audioengine is pretty famous too. But remember to adjust for how many people own these speakers.
And just when you thought passive speakers don't spoil, I'm going to take on a repair for a Monitor Audio crossover. Also, the degrading surround famous in A2 and Promedia, these can happen on passive speakers too.
I would say the typical lifespan is 5 years for active and 10 years for passive. So when you're buying second-hand speakers, you need to prorate by the amount of lifespan remaining. No point paying half price for something that dies a year later.
The more problematic one is still the reduced performance that is hard to detect. Better hope you have manufacturer warranty during this time period, so that you have all the time you need to detect any issue.
And then there's still the risk of dealing with scumbags. Or just visiting carouhell in general.
I find myself in a dilemma as such. For things up to a few hundred dollars, considering your daily salary, it becomes unfeasible to have to deal with carouhell. Yet for things at 4 digits, the scumbag ratio increases.
