shipping speakers

[John Roman]

I have a pair of Thiel CS 1.6's that I've sold and need to ship across country. I'm leery because of all the horror stories you hear about most shippers. I'm going to box these myself in two double wall corrugated boxes for each speaker. The first box will have the speakers covered and taped in a non abrasive cloth, all corners will get a 3/4" Styrofoam corner piece and will be padded to eliminate any movement. The drivers  will be covered with a section of 1/8" Masonite and then a second double walled box will be used over that, also with an appropriate amount of Styrofoam sheeting. All taped with 2' fiberglass backed tape. Sounds like overkill I know. I'm more concerned with the actual handling by UPS. I'll put some of those tip and tell tags on it as well as fragile. I just want to avoid any issues. To that end could the group offer some experience?
Thanks so much,
John

The speakers weigh about 36 lbs each (about 50 with packing materials) and are 36"x12"x 10" and are very nicely finished.
Let me know what you think of the plan!

[tuffy_puppy]

hi,  i have shipped a pair of thiel 3.5s and also a pair of thiel 1.6s.  each was a disaster.  the wedge shape kicked my butt.  was unable to cope with the need for a custom construction styro padding for the smaller, upper end of the speakers.  i am sure you do not want to hear the details of the receivers' unpleasantness upon delivery.  please be alerted!!  don

[Paul Joppa]

I remember that Terry Cain used to build custom wooden shipping crates for his Abbys - i.e. even the cheapest of his speakers. Nothing less than that was reliable, he said.

[Grainger49]

You can check out AudioKarma.org for shipping suggestions.  There are some experienced shippers in that group of vintage audio owners.

I think you are on the right track.  I would put 5 wraps of blue painter's tape around the drivers holding them to the cabinet, wrapped front to back in circles around the cabinet.  Just as a safety measure against abuse.

And I would also say BUBBLE WRAP!  It makes up for some of the shape problems you will see, as Don mentioned.

[John Roman]

I kind of expected this. Guess I could fab a wooden crate for them.
Hmmmm.....

[earwaxxer]

Nightmare ship for sure! The double box and bobble rap for sure. I would also use a fair amount of crumpled newspaper. That allows some 'give' for shock absorption. You dont want them packed too tight. The wood crate is probably the surest bet (expensive). 

[howardnair]

styrofoam corners-bubble wrap -build a lightweight crate 1/4" or 3/8" ply supported by  1 x2 bracing on corners and along the length all 4 sides-drop this in a cardboard carton-also padded-slightly costly and time consuming but worth the effort-when you sell something or buy something and it arrives damaged- for me -it is heartbreaking

[John Roman]

Well,
I was worried about this before. Now a wood crate almost seems a requirement. I've got a line in the water for some crates from Thiel. They're $180 plus shipping to CA. Beginning to seem like a bargain. Thanks for the insight folks.

Eric, what's with "to tight" ? I packed one speaker yesterday and it's tight. I thought I'd gotten big enough boxes but after I packed them with all the Styrofoam and such it's very tight.
 
Don, thanks for the tip on the "wedge shape". I'm putting these in rectangular boxes and plan on a triangular piece inside to prevent movement of the smaller upper portion of the speakers.

So if there is a damage claim, does my packing them leave the shipper an out?
Damn this worries me.

Grainger, I'll check Audio Karma. Thanks buddy!
Thanks again everyone,
John

[earwaxxer]

John - my thought on that is that the inner box should be able to move an inch or two with a semi hard shock, but not move at all due to gravity. Thats usually my goal with a good pack. Almost like the inner box is on springs. I have found crumpled newspaper gives a good 'springy' support. Bubble wrap is a tighter support to prevent damage in a drop.

[4krow]

One thing I did for shipping speakers was to make an inner crate. I did this with masonite which was stiff but lighter than plywood. The outer cardboard had a little cushioning effect. In the case of a tapered speaker, I might consider relying on the untapered portion to hold tight, the top portion. The wedge that you mentioned is a fine idea. Like Eric, I want a little give for that 'bounce' off the truck, and onto a cart. Keeping the speaker tight in an inner box will give the second layer of protection needed. It is a mattress and box spring concept that works.

[John Roman]

After reading your reply's I've decided to have these packed and shipped by a professional packing company. They recommended shipping on a pallet which I will also do. I wish I had come to this conclusion earlier. I tried to save a buck and realized I just couldn't be sure my efforts would be enough. It's disappointing that modern day shipping companies get so much and actually seem to deliver so little. I can insure it to the hilt and if I pack it myself they can say any damage was  due to the way it was packed. Live and learn....
John

[John Roman]

The speakers have shipped and should be in transit for about a week. Keep your fingers crossed!
John