shipping 803 & 804

[jclyle]

Hey-
I am getting ready to upgrade to a pair of N803's. My only concern is shipping. I doubt I will be able to find a pair where I could pick them up so I will need to have them shipped. How does the B&W packaging protect the tweeter on top? I have read articles in the past where people say that the tweeter isnt too secure on some units. Thanks for any help!

[JCL]

What country do you life were there is no B&W dealer? I think you should be able to get a hold of a pair...

[jclyle]

I should have been clearer, I am looking for a used pair of N803.

[Rolex]

Every dealer that sells B&W gets them shipped from the distributor. They are packed safely, it's how the shippers handles them that you need to worry about. The tweeter is fairly secure, and the packing is quite good. I've shipped numerous pairs of 805's and haven't had one issue yet, for what it's worth.

[RobP]

Dont rely on B&W's packaging! It is really not that great. They use the hard styrofoam that does not give if it is hit. It just shatters.Also they leave a huge gap on the sides between the speaker and the inner stryofoam insert, if the box gets hit from the side there is nothing to absorb the impact.(they should have filled these voids with bubble wrap) When those are shipped to the dealers they come on pallets so they are not handled too much, but if they are shipped UPS they get handled alot and do not fare well. Case in point: About two months ago I purchased a pair of N803's that were brand new in the sealed factory cartons and had them shipped via UPS 2nd day air from PA to KS. When they got here they were damaged, the end caps were shattered, one tweeter moved and scratched the top of the cabinet, both speakers grilles were broken, and one of the broken grilles put a small dent and nick on the front of the cabinet. :M I was not too happy, UPS tried to say that the packaging was not safe for transport and that they had no liability, but I fought it and won.
If you are going to have them shipped have them shipped on a pallet, it will be a little more, but it is worth it. and whatever you do NEVER ship anything FedEx ground. ( thats another speaker damage horror story for another day) they are worse than UPS.

[RebelMan]

Soundgravy is right, about everything!

I had a choice to have my 803S speakers shipped by pallet or UPS. I was leaning toward's the pallet until my dealer said that the drivers will sometimes remove the equipment from the pallet, anyway. This happened to him when a plasma screen was delivered to his store. I ended up going with UPS Ground. However, I was very fortunate. Only a minor punture or two to the boxes (speakers were fine) and very minor damage to the grilles. Each one had a broken "peg" which I am having replaced. If I had to do it over again, I would go with pallet delivery.