Precautions when buying used monitors or gear?

[Yumid]

So I have a chance to buy some Yamaha NS10s for 400 bucks. They are used(obviously, they are ns10s) but SAID to be in good shape. What precautions would you take when going to buy a pair of used monitors? Ive never bought used gear before so I don't wanna get hosed on something I forgot to check. Especially something that needs to be as clear as monitors.

 

[bandcoach]

check the cones for indentations

the toughest thing to check for is burnt coils
- coils that have had too much power applied to the to the point that they have begun to melt the protective layer of enamel that keeps each wind in the coil separate from the rest (below and above it in the winding form
- you can check with a multimeter to see if the coil resistance matches spec, but unless you have access to specialised testing gear it may not be enough of an indicator
- sometimes you can smell that there is a problem with the coils (distinct scent to copper/enamel burning

good luck

 

[MadAnthony81]

you can check to see they make equal volume the same at the turning of the knob. IN other words make sure they max out the same when in off position.

Make sure there are no holes in speakers, or scratches on tweeters.