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New Forte's IV with minor scratch/defect in veneer.


Hawkeye_a

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I unboxed my new Forte IVs yesterday, which i received from an authorized dealer. I was a little disappointed to see some small scratches on the veneer in the front of one of the speakers. Looking for suggesting on what I can/should do about it. Is this a common occurrence as i've heard the veneer is very soft?

 

Cheers

 

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If they were mine, I would send them back. In 2007 I got some new black K horns that were not painted on the edges. I always regrated not sending them back, instead of me finishing the paint job it was very obvious. I don't know how it got past QC. It was not freight damage the paint was missing in a lot of places.

 

Rich

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I'd send them back.  ..I had to go through two defective pairs of CWIII's before getting a perfect pair.

 

The first had a blemish similar to yours, and the second had a mid-horn that was not perfectly flush-mounted against the baffle.  It was slightly tilted because the recess wasn't properly routed out.  ..Very frustrating.  My retailer was very nice about out though; they never once suggested I just "accept" them.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Hawkeye_a said:

I unboxed my new Forte IVs yesterday, which i received from an authorized dealer. I was a little disappointed to see some small scratches on the veneer in the front of one of the speakers. Looking for suggesting on what I can/should do about it. Is this a common occurrence as i've heard the veneer is very soft?

  Sorry man I know it sucks receiving highly anticipated items only to have issues upon delivery, really takes away from the excitement. Were these "B" stock or open box items? If you paid full retail for non- B stock I'd either be asking for a hefty discount or return shipping label. The damage is small / light enough that it could probably be gone over with something to make it less obvious. Absolutely no excuse for this if these are factory new. 

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8 minutes ago, jjptkd said:

  Sorry man I know it sucks receiving highly anticipated items only to have issues upon delivery, really takes away from the excitement. Were these "B" stock or open box items? If you paid full retail for non- B stock I'd either be asking for a hefty discount or return shipping label. The damage is small / light enough that it could probably be gone over with something to make it less obvious. Absolutely no excuse for this if these are factory new. 

 

Cheers. The dealer offered me a discount, and I only accepted after making sure they confirmed they were new and unopened. Not sure what 'B-stock' refers to but i assume items which were returned due to such defects?

 

I've emailed pictures to the dealer. Lets see what they have to say.

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22 minutes ago, Hawkeye_a said:

 

Cheers. The dealer offered me a discount, and I only accepted after making sure they confirmed they were new and unopened. Not sure what 'B-stock' refers to but i assume items which were returned due to such defects?

 

I've emailed pictures to the dealer. Lets see what they have to say.

Yes, the rear label should have a label showing if B stock.

If you are happy, some are recc. an Almond stick for touching up.

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53 minutes ago, billybob said:

Yes, the rear label should have a label showing if B stock.

If you are happy, some are recc. an Almond stick for touching up.

I dont see any such label on the back of the speaker, just the one with the serial number, etc and there's no indication on that sticker that it is b-stock.

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6 hours ago, Hawkeye_a said:

. Looking for suggesting on what I can/should do about it. Is this a common occurrence as i've heard the veneer is very soft?

send them back asap , the speakers should not come with  any defects 

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3 hours ago, Hawkeye_a said:

I dont see any such label on the back of the speaker, just the one with the serial number, etc and there's no indication on that sticker that it is b-stock.

 

Look at the label on the rear of the speaker and see if there is "B Stock" written after Forte IV. Like this:

 

The box the speaker came in will also have a label stating "B Stock."

B Stock.jpeg

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Not sure if my experience from eons ago relates but here goes:  When I finally saved the entry fee for a pair of LaScala, I alerted both dealers in my city, neither had a pair on hand.  After a wait of about two weeks, one called and said come on down.  So I rushed over to see he had two pairs boxed, ready to go.  I wrote my check and asked if I may have a look to see which pair may have had a more desirable grain pattern:  NO.

 

The speakers were delivered ( along with 50 ft of 16 ga zip cord compliments of the store ) and unboxed for me in my room.  Very exciting save one slightly mushed corner.  Luckily it was a back corner and not too noticeable.  I immediately said "Hey, what's the deal ?" and their reply was tough toenails. I was a young kid just graduated from High School, so what could one do ?  I wanted to hear LaScala in my room.

 

My evolving understanding of the LaScala sound, especially the bass response is another story.....

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@michaelwjones Thanks! No there is no “b stock” mentioned on the label or the box.


@Racer X

I was looking at the speaker(still waiting for the amp to come in), and i went to take the grill off, my fingernail touched the wood and it left a mark (which i managed to buff off). I didnt realize these things are so “soft”.

 

Then i tried to buff off the marks in the picture above and it seems to be working, albeit slowly. I picked up a “Tibet Almond Stick”, and it has helped a lot. So i’m thinking i’ll be fine. The hassle of returning them and getting a new pair which could have similar issues or other issues, doesn't seem worth it right now. 

 

Thanks everyone, for your replies!

 

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Edited by Hawkeye_a
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11 minutes ago, Hawkeye_a said:

 No there is no “b stock” mentioned on the label or the box. i tried to buff off the marks in the picture above and it seems to be working, albeit slowly. I picked up a “Tibet Almond Stick”, and it has helped a lot. So i’m thinking i’ll be fine. The hassle of returning them and getting a new pair which could have similar issues or other issues, doesn't seem worth it right now. 

 

8 hours ago, Hawkeye_a said:

 The dealer offered me a discount, and I only accepted after making sure they confirmed they were new and unopened.

 

 Sounds to me like it may have turned out ok, agree returning them would be a big hassle and probably long wait time if the discount was sufficient I think I could live with them, hope you get to spend some time enjoying them. The forte IV look like wonderful speakers I almost purchased a pair not too long ago they had open box "B" stock on eBay for $3500 shipped it was very tempting. 

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On 8/7/2022 at 9:09 AM, Hawkeye_a said:

 

Cheers. The dealer offered me a discount, and I only accepted after making sure they confirmed they were new and unopened. Not sure what 'B-stock' refers to but i assume items which were returned due to such defects?

 

I've emailed pictures to the dealer. Lets see what they have to say.

 

As I understand it, B stock speakers have minor cosmetic flaws that are discovered during quality control checks or even earlier, like mismatched veneer panels or the like.  They operate perfectly, as no operational flaws are permitted.  They’re not returned or refurbished speakers.  They’re marked as B stock at the factory and sold at a discount.

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I was just watching a review of the Cornwall IVs, and the reviewer mentioned that he had a couple of scratches on his speakers when he took them out of the box. They appear to be in pretty much the same location as on my Fortes.

 

It's at the 12:55 mark in the review....

 

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15 minutes ago, Racer X said:

We expect perfection, yet seldom find it.

 

Still, with the price of admission, one is certainly justified.

True, and I admit i'm kindof OCD about this stuff (especially for the price). But i suppose some minor issues like this should be expected considering the materials(wood) and the fact they are "hand made" (as opposed to machine made).

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