What Do the Terms in a Used Audio Listing Mean?
Secondhand audio listings use a small, repeated vocabulary. The words describe what the seller is claiming, which is not always the same as what the equipment is. Here is what each term conventionally signals and what it leaves open.
Condition vocabulary
- As is / as-is, where-is. The seller is describing the item without promising it will keep working. What protections remain after purchase depends on the platform, the payment method, and where the sale takes place — the label itself is a description, not a settled legal outcome, so read the platform's own policy before assuming anything.
- For parts / not working. An explicit statement that the unit does not function. Value is in the chassis, transformer, drivers, or knobs.
- Untested. The seller says they have not powered it on. Common with estate and storage-unit finds. Untested is not a synonym for working.
- Tested — powers on. A narrow claim. It means the unit lit up. It does not cover channel balance, noise floor, switch and pot condition, or behavior after twenty minutes warm.
- Serviced. Someone worked on it. The useful follow-up is what was done and by whom, in writing.
- Recapped. Electrolytic capacitors replaced. Frequently claimed for vintage amplifiers and receivers; ask which capacitors and whether a receipt or parts list exists.
- Refurbished. Meaning varies by seller, from a full bench overhaul to a cleaning. Treat it as a prompt to ask, not as a grade.
- NOS. "New old stock" — unsold inventory, unused but aged. Age affects capacitors and rubber surrounds regardless of use.
Cosmetic grades ("mint," "excellent," "player grade") are seller-defined. Photographs of the actual unit, including connectors and the rear panel, carry more information than the adjective.
Spec claims and how to read them
- Power ratings. Continuous (often called RMS) ratings into a stated impedance across a stated bandwidth at a stated distortion figure are comparable between units. "Peak," "max," and "music power" figures are not, because the conditions vary. If the load impedance and bandwidth are missing, the number cannot be compared to anything.
- Impedance and sensitivity. These determine whether a headphone or speaker pairs sensibly with an amplifier. The terms are unpacked in what headphone impedance and sensitivity specs mean.
- Frequency response. Nearly useless without a tolerance window. A range with no ± figure attached describes the extremes, not the flatness.
- Signal-to-noise and dynamic range. Both are decibel ratios and both need their reference stated. See what a decibel actually measures.
- Standards designations. Pro gear listings cite interface standards by number — AES3, AES67, and similar. Those designations refer to published documents, and the AES standards index is where you confirm a cited standard exists and what it covers rather than taking the listing's word. What AES3, AES67, and BS.1770 mean on a spec sheet covers the common ones.
What to ask before paying
- Is the unit powered on now, and for how long has it been run?
- Which inputs, outputs, and switches have been exercised?
- Are the original remote, feet, grilles, rack ears, or power cord included?
- Has anything been replaced or modified, and is there documentation?
- What is the return window, stated in writing before payment?
Buying-side basics
The Federal Trade Commission's consumer guide on buying from an online marketplace covers the process side: checking who the seller is, reading how a listing describes condition, understanding the marketplace's own policies, and choosing payment methods that carry dispute protections. Read the platform's stated policy rather than the listing's summary of it, and keep the listing text and messages — a description is only evidence if you still have it.
Shipping is its own category of risk for heavy gear. Transformers in receivers and magnets in speakers make double-boxing and internal bracing routine rather than optional, and who pays for damage in transit is a term to settle before the item moves.