Transporting Vantages

Hello All,

It looks very likely that I will be bringing home my first ever set of ML's (Vantages) this weekend. I do not believe the owner has boxes so I will be putting them in the back of my SUV. The seats go down in the back and I have about 63 inches or so to fit them in. I assume it only makes sense to lay them on their sides and slide them into the back of the SUV rails first and woofer cabinet last (or should I put the cabinet in first or does it make a difference?)?. So other than using blankets and being careful are there any other thoughts for transporting? No room to stand them up.

I read the threads on cracked plastic pieces on Vantages from a 2007 post and one from a year ago so I will definitely check this while I am demoing them. Any other words of wisdom would be great. When I was looking at some new Vantages at BB, they seem pretty sturdy but I just want to be careful.

Thanks in advance,
Jim

As with all speakers, lay them on their back - that way the woofers are free to move unobstructed.

Also, ensure the panels are covered to avoid contamination. Use large plastic rubbish bags if nothing more suitable is available.

I would just make sure that no part of the speaker is supporting more weight then they should... I guess what I am saying is make sure they are 100% flat. If it were me I would also bring bags like Amey said, and wrap them up tight. I would also bring lots of blankets and foam to ensure that just if there was an emergency and I had to hit the breaks hard everything would stay put.

Keep in mind even if he has the boxes I am willing to bet that the speakers will NOT fit in your car with the boxes. The boxes for these speakers are huge and will not fit in 99% of vehicles unless of course and open bed truck.

I would over prepare, in this case you can never have too much padding. Maybe even if you can get them padded well you can plan ahead and figure out how to tie them down on top of your liberal amount of padding, and plastic wrap.

Hola.. at office depot you can find little bags that are filled with air, and they are a great cushion. I will put the Vantages on their side, because on their back you could break the binding posts. These air bags are very strong and will support the weight of your new Vantages with no problem... hope this could help.
R.-

I may be stating the obvious, but when packing them do not lift them by the panels.

Bernard said:

I may be stating the obvious, but when packing them do not lift them by the panels.

Click to expand...

Or put pressure on the panels in any way whatsoever......

Many thanks everyone, I really appreciate it. I hadn't considered wrapping the panels but will do so and will make sure I overpad everything. I do agree side is better so I don't damage the posts and definitely will not mess with the panels. Gonna be hard to sleep the next few days with Christmas coming early for me. Thanks again.

I agree with all the advice given so far, and I want to stress the need to provide PLENTY of cushion for the speakers. Grab all the blankets and pillows that you don't mind putting in the back of your car and make sure that the Vantages don't have much wiggle room once you get them laid on their sides. I have had my Vantages for a few years now. You are going to love the music they produce!

Thanks, I have been looking forward to the day that I can have a pair of ML's of my own for quite a while. Since I couldn't sleep last night, I finally figured I would take all the couch and chair cushions, backs and pillows. That will give me about 6-8 inches of padding on the bottom of the SUV and I'll use the couch backs and pillows for each side. I think the owner has covers but I already have garbage bags set aside. Best, Jim

Demoed the Vantages on Friday, great sounding...but the bottom struts were cracked so the owner is having the replacement parts sent so we can fix the issue...I had a nice cradle of couch cushions ready in the SUV for "my new" Vantages but I will now need to wait until the parts arrive and the repairs are made...hopefully no more than a week or two...gotta love this forum or I might not have known to check for possible cracks as mentioned in a couple of other threads...Best, Jim

Well last week I helped the owner replace the bottom Vantage struts , sat with him and listened to them for an hour or so with and without his Primare amps. Sold!!! He helped me wrap the panels and cradle them into the back of my SUV (lots of couch cushions worked great for this) for the trip to their new home. Once home, it took a bit for me to get them out and into the house but all was successful. With school starting and my wife's mother in the hospital I couldn't get them hooked up for a few days. Flashlight batteries were dead so I did the best I could on positioning. Finally, on Friday after school, I poured some wine and I was able to sit and listen and listen and listen. Just wonderful. I have a lot of threads bookmarked from this great forum with information on cables, processors, amps, etc. for my next adventures. The neat thing is while I am doing that I can be listening to these wonderful speakers.