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Old Homeowners Offering TV Setup

y2jake215y2jake215 certified Flat Birther theoristthe Last Good Boy onlineRegistered User regular
edited August 2020 in Help / Advice Forum
I bought a new house and the homeowners just emailed offering to leave behind their media setup in the basement.
It consists of:
Samsung UN55D8000Y 1080P LED TV
Bose Lifestyle 38 surround sound system

They appear (and appeared, during the walkthrough) to be in good to very good condition, and the owner's have kept the house in mostly immaculate condition, so I'm not excessively worried about damage or anything.

They're asking $1000. For the cost and age of the system, is this worth it? It's convenient in that the TV is already mounted (factor in TV mounting bracket cost, etc) as well as the surround sound system. The TV appears to have been a fairly expensive TV (~$3500) at the time it was new, but its a 2011 model, I think. It's old enough that I don't think it's actively being sold anywhere, so I can't compare prices. The Bose system is selling for a variety of prices on eBay, from $275 to like $700.

I've never been knowledgable about electronics and how quickly the tech improves/the hardware itself wears out. Not sure what my money could get me right now (like if an equivalent TV is $300 now, or whatever). I anticipate the only real options here are to counter ($300 maybe?) or to refuse it and probably purchase an equivalent setup at the $1000 prince range. Any advice appreciated! Thanks

C8Ft8GE.jpg
maybe i'm streaming terrible dj right now if i am its here
y2jake215 on

Posts

  • zepherinzepherin Russian warship, go fuck yourself Registered User regular
    edited August 2020
    y2jake215 wrote: »
    I bought a new house and the homeowners just emailed offering to leave behind their media setup in the basement.
    It consists of:
    Samsung UN55D8000Y 1080P LED TV
    Bose Lifestyle 38 surround sound system

    They appear (and appeared, during the walkthrough) to be in good to very good condition, and the owner's have kept the house in mostly immaculate condition, so I'm not excessively worried about damage or anything.

    They're asking $1000. For the cost and age of the system, is this worth it? It's convenient in that the TV is already mounted (factor in TV mounting bracket cost, etc) as well as the surround sound system. The TV appears to have been a fairly expensive TV (~$3500) at the time it was new, but its a 2011 model, I think. It's old enough that I don't think it's actively being sold anywhere, so I can't compare prices. The Bose system is selling for a variety of prices on eBay, from $275 to like $700.

    I've never been knowledgable about electronics and how quickly the tech improves/the hardware itself wears out. Not sure what my money could get me right now (like if an equivalent TV is $300 now, or whatever). Any advice appreciated! Thanks
    You can buy 55 inch 4k tv (Brand name, samsung LG, sony) for about 400-500 bucks new. The bose system is nice, but you are saving them the time and effort of unmounting it, patching the wall behind it, and moving it. I would Offer them 3-5 hundo because the stereo is nice and the tv mount is about 150 bucks, and everything is hooked up.

    And if you decide later on to upgrade tv's with a prime day or black friday sale, it's easy to change the brackets from one tv to another and put the new tv up. Just get the exact mount specs so you know how much weight it can hold up.

    zepherin on
  • bowenbowen Sup? Registered User regular
    An 11 year old TV should be free at this point, it's likely within a few years of failing.

    Fair price for that is about $300. Go $500 to make it "nice" looking on an offer sheet. I'd tell them to just go ahead and take it to be honest.

    They probably don't want to patch or deal with unsightly huge holes for sound systems and wall mounted TV which is why they want you to buy it. Make sure you request a day when they're not there to check out the system to make sure it still functions.

    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
  • Iceman.USAFIceman.USAF Major East CoastRegistered User regular
    You can do a lot better for $1000.

    This is without even really looking for a deal:
    https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-65-class-7-series-4k-uhd-tv-smart-led-with-hdr/6401722.p?skuId=6401722
    65" 4k LED tv - $500

    Yamaha 725w surround system - $480
    https://www.bestbuy.com/site/yamaha-725w-4k-ultra-hd-5-1-channel-home-theater-system-with-bluetooth-black/6352589.p?skuId=6352589

    It looks like those bose systems are just stupidly expensive. The one "lifestyle" one at Best Buy is $1000 by itself.

    I'd tell them they're welcome to leave it, but I wouldn't pay for it. As someone said, they likely don't want to deal with patching the wall. If you're going to mount your own TV there anyway that may be another negotiation point.

  • MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    Do you have any pictures of the setup by any chance? I have a few concerns.

    1) Are the various AV cables ran behind the drywall already? If the audio cables are ran to the surround sound system that's great, because it's super cheap to upgrade to better spakers. Bose sound...okay in my opinion, but are expensive for the brand name. If the video cables are behind the wall then you're bound to whatever tech was available at the time and upgrading to HDMI 2.2 HDCP or what have you could be a chore.

    2) That TV weighs around 36 pounds and given the size, it would be nice to have a mount already in place.

    Anyway, I agree with @zepherin that $1,000 is incredibly high. Guessing that mount is probably $150, and the Bose system (which isn't worth much in my opinion), maybe another $200 that gives you a $650 budget which gets you a 65 inch or so model from this year or the last (a few hundred bucks gets you a lot more size).

    Now, one last thing - you already bought this house? Depending on how the sales agreement was written - and what counts as a 'fixture' - be wary of permitting the sellers back into your place to take stuff with them. Also, have you moved in? Because if you say no, let them in to take their stuff with them, they have ZERO reason to fix up the walls or any damage they cause.

    So, anyway, that TV is pretty out of date, I think Bose systems are brand name expensive, and I am a little concerned about the AV cables in place.

    I am in the business of saving lives.
  • y2jake215y2jake215 certified Flat Birther theorist the Last Good Boy onlineRegistered User regular
    MegaMan001 wrote: »
    Do you have any pictures of the setup by any chance? I have a few concerns.

    1) Are the various AV cables ran behind the drywall already? If the audio cables are ran to the surround sound system that's great, because it's super cheap to upgrade to better spakers. Bose sound...okay in my opinion, but are expensive for the brand name. If the video cables are behind the wall then you're bound to whatever tech was available at the time and upgrading to HDMI 2.2 HDCP or what have you could be a chore.

    2) That TV weighs around 36 pounds and given the size, it would be nice to have a mount already in place.

    Anyway, I agree with zepherin that $1,000 is incredibly high. Guessing that mount is probably $150, and the Bose system (which isn't worth much in my opinion), maybe another $200 that gives you a $650 budget which gets you a 65 inch or so model from this year or the last (a few hundred bucks gets you a lot more size).

    Now, one last thing - you already bought this house? Depending on how the sales agreement was written - and what counts as a 'fixture' - be wary of permitting the sellers back into your place to take stuff with them. Also, have you moved in? Because if you say no, let them in to take their stuff with them, they have ZERO reason to fix up the walls or any damage they cause.

    So, anyway, that TV is pretty out of date, I think Bose systems are brand name expensive, and I am a little concerned about the AV cables in place.

    The audio are definitely behind the wall, run around the room. Based off of this photo, I think the video cables are too:

    LqFhLbr.jpg

    I have already bought the house, but closing is next month. They still live there, I have not moved in. I assume that yeah, this is because they do not want to have to bother with taking everything down, fixing the walls, etc., which is why I'm fine lowballing. I doubt they'd just leave it, but if I offer even a token amount, they might accept for the convenience.

    C8Ft8GE.jpg
    maybe i'm streaming terrible dj right now if i am its here
  • Inquisitor77Inquisitor77 2 x Penny Arcade Fight Club Champion A fixed point in space and timeRegistered User regular
    $1,000 is way too much given the current price for modern TVs which support 4k resolution, etc. If it was a niche plasma then maybe they could justify that kind of price (BIG maybe). Sounds like they just want you to pay them to save them the hassle of moving something they know isn't worth the bother.

    If it was actually worth that kind of money they could pay someone $100 to move it and sell it for half of what they want you to pay, and still make out with $400 profit. I know plenty of people who could really use that kind of money right now.

  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Yeah, nah. Tell them to take the tv and the Bose stuff, and leave the mount and wiring behind.

    The TV is too old to be asking any kind of real money for ($50? Maybe a hundo?) And Bose stuff performs fine, it's generally about equivalent in quality and sound to Korean brands like LG (not supermarket stuff, the mid-range gear you can get at Best Buy or whatever), but they price it like it's Marantz or Harmon Kardon. So let them take the bits they paid too much for, and replace it with your own brand new gear that will significantly outperform it.

  • KetarKetar Registered User regular
    For comparison, the previous owners of our house offered to leave a newer 60" Samsung 4K tv mounted above the fireplace, a 70" Samsung 4K tv they had in the basement, surround sound set ups for both with speakers mounted in the ceilings and walls (and two outside on the back deck that were an extension of the system by the fireplace and could be controlled separately), two velodyne dsl-5000R subs, and two older Onkyo receivers, for $400. Oh, and wiring for everything had been run in the walls/between floors to a rack on a storage room in the basement so it was out of the way and you just needed the proper remote wherever you were. They had music playing on the surround sound on the first floor every time we'd viewed the house, so we knew the system worked well.

    We went back forth a little about not needing the 70" tv and came to a figure we were happy with for what they would leave, especially when we took into account our general lack of motivation at installing new systems and getting everything wired up that well. It reached a point where both sides were happy to not have to do extra work and just make a deal.

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    You can do a lot better for $1000.

    This is without even really looking for a deal:
    https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-65-class-7-series-4k-uhd-tv-smart-led-with-hdr/6401722.p?skuId=6401722
    65" 4k LED tv - $500

    Yamaha 725w surround system - $480
    https://www.bestbuy.com/site/yamaha-725w-4k-ultra-hd-5-1-channel-home-theater-system-with-bluetooth-black/6352589.p?skuId=6352589

    It looks like those bose systems are just stupidly expensive. The one "lifestyle" one at Best Buy is $1000 by itself.

    I'd tell them they're welcome to leave it, but I wouldn't pay for it. As someone said, they likely don't want to deal with patching the wall. If you're going to mount your own TV there anyway that may be another negotiation point.

    I install this stuff for a living working as a differently-branded "agent" that may or may not work for the above mentioned website. I wouldn't touch that Yamaha system with a fifty foot wire pull rod. It's not that Yamaha is bad, it's not! But home-theater-in-a-box kits are almost universally garbage. Except for Bose, which are strictly okish but overpriced.

    That TV and sound system they want to leave? I've done work with those Lifestyle 38 units before, people using them with newer TVs and needed a bit of help getting them configured. They work fine, still do the job, but nah. They can leave it if they want, but I wouldn't pay a dime for it. If they want to take it with them, you'll have the wires in the wall that you can use for anything you want that will be better.

    You can use the wall mount, though! Make sure they leave all the parts, but the mount should be usable for a newer TV in the same dimensions. Depending on the brand you'll probably need different bolts to attach to the TV (most TVs in the 55" range use an M6x12 or M6x35 bolt, Samsung are assholes and need M8x45-50 depending on the set), but the bracket will still work. VESA standards came about before 2011, you're good there. So maybe offer them the option of leaving the TV behind, and then recycle it when you're ready to upgrade. Paying the $20 to recycle the TV is cheaper than the $100+ for a good mount.

    Check the wiring though! Like MegaMan001 said, a lot of that wiring is likely to be older RCA and lower speed HDMI cables. And this should have been caught on a home inspection, but if there's no outlet behind the TV make sure they didn't run the power cable through the wall. It's a big fire code violation that a lot of people do anyway because "eh fuck it" but your insurance company won't cover you in case of a fire if they find out.

  • y2jake215y2jake215 certified Flat Birther theorist the Last Good Boy onlineRegistered User regular
    edited September 2020
    Update: we said no thanks, they didn’t counter, and they didn’t end up leaving the system or TV. However, they left all the wiring and holes in the wall in place, so at the walkthrough I said either bring back the surround sound or have someone come fix the basement. They opted for the system.

    However however, it turns out they didn’t leave the amplifier (“media center” in all the Bose Lifestyle 38 documentation). I said uh this is not what we agreed on, but I don’t think they’re going to budge (they’re contending they gave only the speakers to cover the holes), and it’s past closing, so I’m likely not going to get it.

    So my follow up question is, short of buying a replacement media center off eBay (they’re kind of ugly, around $150, and include a DVD player which I don’t care about, so I’d prefer not to) what are my options to replace it? I know next to nothing about surround sound or audio systems in general. The subwoofer, which is the main input from the media center, has almost an Ethernet-looking audio input port. I don’t know if this is common or unique to the Bose or what. I have an AV receiver from my record player - could it function as an amp? Would I suffer a decrease in sound quality? What cord would I need, if anyone recognizes the input (pics below, of the input and the amp)

    If I can’t use that, does anyone have any recommendations for an amplifier/media center that would work with Bose Lifestyle 38 speakers/subwoofer?

    Thanks!

    mhz8gp185ri6.jpeg
    ivb4vavb4sbt.jpeg

    y2jake215 on
    C8Ft8GE.jpg
    maybe i'm streaming terrible dj right now if i am its here
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    You have to use a Bose Lifestyle to use the speakers and sub. Bose uses proprietary... everything, and even the speakers themselves won't work with other brand receivers because they are only 6ohm resistance (most speakers are 8). Your best option is to get some better speakers to put in their place with your own receiver.

    Fuck those previous owners though.

  • mtsmts Dr. Robot King Registered User regular
    if the unit wasn't mounted they have you on semantics and probably took it to spite you not giving them 1000.

    camo_sig.png
  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    Any chance you can just use the existing wiring to hook/pull new wires for whatever system you find a better value?

    What is this I don't even.
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    Darkewolfe wrote: »
    Any chance you can just use the existing wiring to hook/pull new wires for whatever system you find a better value?

    You shouldn't need to pull new wires, just snip the proprietary ends off the wires that are there and use whatever speakers you want.

  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    Darkewolfe wrote: »
    Any chance you can just use the existing wiring to hook/pull new wires for whatever system you find a better value?

    You shouldn't need to pull new wires, just snip the proprietary ends off the wires that are there and use whatever speakers you want.

    Yeah but when given the opportunity to run higher quality cabling that whatever the previous owners had installed, why not jump on that opportunity? Get a reel of really nice in-wall rated speaker twin core, fit Nakamichi gold-plated banana plug ends, and still only spend a couple of hundred bucks maximum for cabling that will never need replacing.

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    Darkewolfe wrote: »
    Any chance you can just use the existing wiring to hook/pull new wires for whatever system you find a better value?

    You shouldn't need to pull new wires, just snip the proprietary ends off the wires that are there and use whatever speakers you want.

    Yeah but when given the opportunity to run higher quality cabling that whatever the previous owners had installed, why not jump on that opportunity? Get a reel of really nice in-wall rated speaker twin core, fit Nakamichi gold-plated banana plug ends, and still only spend a couple of hundred bucks maximum for cabling that will never need replacing.

    Depends. Did the wiring get done while the walls were open and end up stapled to the studs?

    And yeah, you can do that. It's a question of if you'll notice the difference, though. A lot of people won't.

  • MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    @Shadowfire I recently finished my own wiring and ran the tv power cable from the tv through some pvc conduit to the outlet behind the media center.

    Uh, that's illegal?

    I am in the business of saving lives.
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    MegaMan001 wrote: »
    @Shadowfire I recently finished my own wiring and ran the tv power cable from the tv through some pvc conduit to the outlet behind the media center.

    Uh, that's illegal?

    It's against fire code, yeah. Putting a power cord through a wall is against code because it's not rated to go in the wall. Without any sort of rating on the wire, it's not legit. This is true of a lot of cheap cabling as well.

    Now, is it going to cause a fire? Probably not. But if there is a fire, your insurance will have ground to not cover losses. Something like this will put the outlet where you need it while being legit.

  • MegaMan001MegaMan001 CRNA Rochester, MNRegistered User regular
    Well. Mother fucker.

    I am in the business of saving lives.
  • buggybuggersbuggybuggers Registered User regular
    Honestly, just say that's too much and see if they would be willing to go down to 300 or 200. What are they going to do take down everything? More than likely they will take the deal, if not, just get a new tv at a great price.

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