Probably should ask how is PS Audio ensuring matching drivers with the replacement? do they have FR response of all pieces and will ID a compatible top unit to your specific bottom unit?
Swap here means left for right, not replacement. The reason was to check which unit was causing the problem. It was the woofer unit on the “bad” side.
Taylor showed me the picture and I’m in the loop here. I haven’t seen this tight a fit on any of the FR30 we have shipped.
We do assemble each pair of speakers in test to check fit and gaps etc.
We, if course will make it right and take care of this customer and replace an items.
We do not do pair matching on speakers. All drive units are matched to he same tolerances and so are interchangeable and I have the individual measurements of every tweeter we’ve ever made etc. Still, we send the speakers in sequential serial nubmer to keep things tight.
Hi Chris,
I finally got the top unit installed after some minor surgery.
I tried swapping the tops and both fit on one woofer cab but neither fits on the other. I noticed that the bracket on the “bad” woofer cab was slightly more recessed on one front corner than on the other corner and also compared to the other woofer cab (and the recessed corner corresponds to where the scuffing in the pictures is located).
Without going into too much detail here’s what finally worked.
I tried loosening screws in the bottom bracket to lift the front but this was not enough, so I tried a number of other loosening patterns but still no luck. I ended up removing all the screws and putting a spacer under the bracket along the front edge and reinstalling only the two front screws. After a couple adjustments on the screws the top unit slid on fairly easily.
It seems to me that either the recess in the cabinet was too deep or the bracket was a little too thin in the problem area.
Wow. I bet you are relieved. Also, you saved PS Audio from paying shipping in two directions - hope you get some brownie points for that.
Interesting considering PSA set them up and tested prior to shipping, but shims were required on your end for a satisfactory fit up. 
Relieved from the stress, but not my back. I lifted the top unit about 25 to 30 times to see if it would fit. And that’s after unboxing and setting up the system. Can’t wait to see if I can get out of bed tomorrow.
Yes, interesting. It clearly was not shipping damage so hard to tell.
And I thought dragging my FR10’s upstairs was tough!
Well, that’s obviously not the customer experience we want. I’m glad you got things situated but please let Taylor or myself know what you need to make things right.
I am so glad I moved away from Krell amps, moved them between houses several times.
When I first got a Krell 300 S back in the 80s (about 200 lbs boxed) I told the delivery driver I had a hand truck and would help. He lifted it from the back of the truck (about 3 ft high) put it on his shoulder and started walking to the garage. Part way there he asked hey what’s in this box, and continued to the garage and put it down carefully. I was impressed.
I think I’m okay with it as is. Only having the two front bracket screws in could be a concern performance wise but it is stable and fits snugly so seems fine. The gap between upper and lower units is just slightly larger than on the other speaker, perhaps 1/32 “ or less.
If you need more details just let me know.
The decision on how to handle this is of course up to the purchaser. Personally if it was me, shimming and leaving screws off would not cut it. They’re brand new speakers and they should be perfect upon delivery.
Also you need to think about resale down the road.
How much of the speaker is made in China? Chinese products that I’m familiar with, Denafrips and Jay’s have impressive construction quality.
It could be due to something as simple as temperature and humidity changes. We like to think this stuff is inert, but from what I’ve seen moving from NJ to FL, it wouldn’t surprise me to imagine an already very tight fitting joint being a problem if due to material and paint swelling.
Could very well be, which would then undermine future disassembly. I am not going to speculate, but personally at $30k I’d like a better fit. Fortunately he worked it out, and Chris is willing to take the necessary steps to make it right. If nothing else a good lessons learned for the PSA Team to check this detail when assembling the speakers and testing the pair prior to shipping.
Disassembly was/is a concern for me as well; I haven’t tried it yet, not sure I want to know just now.
I don’t think humidity played a role here (not very humid here for several days). The other speaker fit is very good and on the problem speaker you can see that the height of the bracket is not uniform. The “dip” at one front corner is obvious and that causes the bracket to not lie flat which causes the top unit to bind in the bracket as well as pulling the two units together.
Anyway a thin spacer across the front under the bracket fixes it. The top unit now fits very well. It is secure and the gap between upper and lower is uniform all around.
Smart cookie you are being able to resolve it so elegantly.
Elegant and hi-tech. I cut a 8” x 1” piece of cardboard, but hey it was high quality.
I would request a replacement speaker with matching top and bottom serial numbers. A royal PIA, but for $30,000 I’d want them right. Even if I never sold them.