1
00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:08,000
It's a classic hustle as old as time itself. The scammer stakes out a parking

2
00:00:05,520 --> 00:00:13,679
lot, often at an electronics retailer, and then waits for their victim. In this

3
00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:16,320
case, an LTT viewer from Florida. Next

4
00:00:13,679 --> 00:00:20,640
comes the story. The details vary, but the structure is usually pretty similar.

5
00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:24,320
Hey, we kind of overspe for this super rich client guy, and we bought too many

6
00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:27,039
speakers, and now our boss is saying uh to just get rid of them cuz it'd be too

7
00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:31,359
expensive to keep them around. But I was thinking uh I could give them to you for a pretty good price.

8
00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:36,800
They're legit. >> The victim is suspicious, but I mean,

9
00:00:34,399 --> 00:00:43,040
they look all right. And who doesn't want a great deal? There's just one

10
00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:45,200
small problem. They sound like ass. But

11
00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:49,760
our victim did all of his basic due diligence. So, how did this happen? To

12
00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:54,160
find out, we offered to help a brother out by buying the speakers off of him at

13
00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:58,399
the price that we paid so we can blow the freaking lid off of this thing.

14
00:00:55,920 --> 00:01:03,039
Because as it turns out, this classic scam has learned a lot of new tricks

15
00:01:00,559 --> 00:01:06,880
that could bamboozle even a fairly savvy shopper. We're going to show you exactly

16
00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:11,040
how it works, show you how to avoid it, and we're going to dive into the

17
00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:16,240
surprisingly organized network of shady retailers and manufacturers who enable

18
00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:20,720
these fraudsters. That is, assuming that I haven't been scammed myself by Dr.

19
00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:24,159
A-Rod here. I don't know for sure that there are even speakers in here. I mean,

20
00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:29,520
it could be packed with anything. could be packed with something nobody wants,

21
00:01:26,960 --> 00:01:34,960
like this segue to our sponsor. >> Modern science bestowed upon humanity

22
00:01:32,159 --> 00:01:41,920
great gifts they do not fully understand. A sofa that bends space and

23
00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:47,200
time, can separate and recombine in virtually infinite physical forms. A

24
00:01:44,159 --> 00:01:51,079
sofa that makes us question everything

25
00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:51,079
we thought we knew.

26
00:01:58,479 --> 00:02:05,040
from 5 six feet away. Not going to lie, this is pretty darn convincing looking.

27
00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:10,239
I mean, even the branding. If you told me that Elleian Audio was a thing, I'd

28
00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:14,720
be like, "Okay." With that said, it's not that hard to make up a fancy

29
00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:17,360
sounding brand. For example, Kalis

30
00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:20,959
Cibir, Est, those sound like luxury brands, but as it turns out, they're

31
00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:26,160
just French Canadian curse words. The real trick that these guys pull though

32
00:02:22,879 --> 00:02:28,080
is repurposing real names from reputable

33
00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:32,720
brands that are in a similar product category. Elian is a particularly tricky

34
00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:38,000
one because it is the name of a well- reggarded line of speakers from real

35
00:02:34,640 --> 00:02:40,400
manufacturer Warfdale. It just isn't

36
00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:45,360
these. What this allows our scam speakers to do is sit alongside

37
00:02:42,959 --> 00:02:50,400
reputable speakers in Google searches without our scammers having to create a

38
00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:54,000
super convincing knockoff of an exact product. We'll talk more about the

39
00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:57,920
online strategy later, though. For now, let's take a closer look at what we

40
00:02:55,440 --> 00:03:02,239
bought and see if we can catch any hints on the packaging itself. Well, here's

41
00:03:00,239 --> 00:03:08,879
one that stands out to me. You can't have Adam a single speaker system that

42
00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:11,040
can do 9.1, 7.2, 2 and 5.1 sound.

43
00:03:08,879 --> 00:03:16,640
>> Yeah, it's crazy. 7.2 is kind of a crazy one. You can down mix, but also it's six

44
00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:20,640
pieces. So, that's one, two, three. That's five. That's 5.1.

45
00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:24,000
>> But the but that has 10 pieces on the box.

46
00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:26,640
>> I think these are like these are single speakers and they turn. But I still

47
00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:30,720
don't think that that makes it 7.1. >> But that also definitely doesn't make it

48
00:03:29,599 --> 00:03:35,440
5.1. >> Yeah. I I don't really know. Oh, I'm thinking that maybe how they market

49
00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:40,239
sound bars these days or letting them get away with it cuz you buy a sound bar

50
00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:44,560
and it says like 11.1.1 or whatever. >> Personally, I prefer audio return

51
00:03:42,319 --> 00:03:48,799
channel to giant wooden boat full of animals. And you know what else seems

52
00:03:46,159 --> 00:03:51,840
legit is it's industrial grade certified for outdoor use.

53
00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:55,760
>> Yeah, you can even wireless connect. >> And there's more stuff like that. Active

54
00:03:53,760 --> 00:04:01,439
voice amp singles out dialogue. That sounds legit. High-res audio signal.

55
00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:03,680
Wait, via internet. Okay, sorry. That

56
00:04:01,439 --> 00:04:07,360
was a what? Whether the details are on purpose or not, I feel like the giant

57
00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:09,680
blocks of text are a huge part of the strategy because who's going to read all

58
00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:14,799
of that? >> Yeah. >> Right. And even, and this is such a

59
00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:19,600
shallow thing, even something as simple as having foil on the packaging makes it

60
00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:23,199
look more premium. >> It is interesting what details they do

61
00:04:21,519 --> 00:04:25,680
get correct. Like, I was not going to expect that they'd have their own custom

62
00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:30,880
straps. >> Yeah. >> Right. >> That makes it seem more legit.

63
00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:33,440
>> And tape. The tape even says Alleian on it. >> It's reassuring.

64
00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:38,000
>> These make it think it makes it look heavy. >> Oh yeah. Is it heavy? Uh I mean it's got

65
00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:45,520
a bit of weight to it. >> I I guess >> for six or nine or 11 drivers though.

66
00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:49,280
>> And like look at how they've scaled the subwoofer in this picture on the front.

67
00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:52,880
To me, it doesn't look like there would be enough space for five other speakers

68
00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:55,600
and the subwoofer in here. >> Right. That subwoofer is not very big,

69
00:04:55,199 --> 00:05:01,199
is it? >> No, I don't think any of this is very big at all. They even have disclaimers

70
00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:04,000
on the box. Like, why would a scammer who's trying to convince you that it's

71
00:05:02,479 --> 00:05:09,680
the best thing ever have to have a disclaimer about, you know, the images and model number being subject to

72
00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:15,759
change? Oh, this is a really important part of the scam, though. MSRP $3,000.

73
00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:20,639
While printed pricing on the box is common for some products, for speakers,

74
00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:23,840
it's highly unusual. Even more so for high-end audio where the speakers are

75
00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:28,320
typically sold through approved dealer networks with a if you have to ask you

76
00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:34,400
can't afford it approach to pricing. >> Sorry, did you see this

77
00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:36,800
wall mountable stethoscope symbol?

78
00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:41,280
>> Okay, we could probably do this all day. So then what do these guys say when you

79
00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:44,080
go, "Well, I've never heard of a lease in audio." Or you point out some of the

80
00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:49,919
weirdness on the box. >> Well, they have an answer for all of that. They might say something like,

81
00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:53,919
"Oh, yeah. They're a boutique brand from overseas, huge in Italy. And you know,

82
00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:57,199
these are sold by high-end audio installers, so the packaging isn't

83
00:05:55,520 --> 00:06:00,960
really meant for retail, so they don't they don't pay too much attention to it."

84
00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:06,240
>> And when you ask, well, how can you be selling it so cheap? If it's so boutique

85
00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:08,720
and so high-end, you'll usually get some kind of variant of,

86
00:06:07,280 --> 00:06:13,520
>> well, you got to understand, they mark these things up like crazy because all the rich people are buying them. We buy

87
00:06:11,840 --> 00:06:16,240
them wholesale. These aren't even close to $3,000. Is that more like maybe a

88
00:06:15,840 --> 00:06:23,840
grand? >> So, you're not even losing that much selling it to me then? >> No, I'm practically talking myself into

89
00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:26,479
it. And that really is the most devious

90
00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:31,440
kind of lie. The kind that is built on a kernel of truth. High-end audio does

91
00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:35,120
have obscene markups. And it does rely on a network of approved dealers and

92
00:06:33,199 --> 00:06:39,360
installers who do deal in brands that the typical consumer has never heard of.

93
00:06:37,280 --> 00:06:43,039
And the scammers will go to sometimes great lengths to match the image of a

94
00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:46,479
legitimate installer. They'll rent a nicel looking van. And they'll wear polo

95
00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:50,160
shirts with matching company logos. And they'll even obtain real business

96
00:06:48,319 --> 00:06:54,639
licenses and phone numbers, >> which they'll be happy to show you since

97
00:06:52,319 --> 00:06:58,720
they aren't going to exist in a week. >> So, okay, you're still a little

98
00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:03,120
suspicious. So, you decide to scan the QR code on the box and check out the

99
00:07:00,880 --> 00:07:06,479
manufacturer because some guy in a parking lot could lie to you, but the

100
00:07:04,639 --> 00:07:10,960
manufacturer couldn't. They've never done that. And that is where this

101
00:07:08,319 --> 00:07:16,080
classic ruse glows up for the 21st century. That looks pretty legit,

102
00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:20,400
honestly. Here's the one that they're offering me, the Smart Series Model 2.

103
00:07:18,319 --> 00:07:24,880
The satellite speakers have a 12-in subwoofer.

104
00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:25,919
>> Yeah, that's wrong. They also are QLED.

105
00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:31,599
>> Yeah, >> for those of you who don't know, is uh display technology, not anything to do

106
00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:34,720
with your sound. >> But here's some reviews. The best

107
00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:38,160
product I've bought since buying my first CD player as a teen. I mean, that

108
00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:42,560
sounds reasonably credible. >> The problem I have with this product is my husband not wanting to leave the

109
00:07:40,960 --> 00:07:46,960
house. That's a very good hook. >> Quotes that sound too good are a classic

110
00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:50,880
tell for fake reviews. That's why on LTT Store, we leave people's unedited

111
00:07:48,639 --> 00:07:55,199
reviews up on the site. Like for the RGB t-shirt that I'm wearing that's rated

112
00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:58,400
4.62 out of five. I don't like the RGB shirts because of the rough itchy feel

113
00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:04,000
against my skin. See, not everyone loves them. Oh, this is smart. Where to

114
00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:07,759
buy/store locator? Shut up. It's just a link to Best Buy.

115
00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:12,479
And the Allesian Model 2s that we covered today are just one example of

116
00:08:10,319 --> 00:08:19,039
this. These same units can be found under other names like MRX, Valencia

117
00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:21,360
VX300 home theater, or Synchrony B600.

118
00:08:19,039 --> 00:08:27,199
All of which were stolen from legitimate home theater companies. MRX is a line

119
00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:29,520
from Anthem. Synchrony is a line by PSB

120
00:08:27,199 --> 00:08:34,080
and Valencia is the brand of seating that I use in my theater room at home.

121
00:08:31,919 --> 00:08:39,039
And making this whole web of lies more confusing is the entire network of fake

122
00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:43,760
review websites that you will often find linked from these manufacturers. And

123
00:08:41,839 --> 00:08:47,519
while Alleian doesn't specifically link to those, when you Google search Alleian

124
00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:50,720
audio home theater review, the featured snippet is from one of those scam review

125
00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:55,120
sites. >> We review electronics.com 10 out of 10.

126
00:08:53,680 --> 00:08:59,680
And to make things worse, the Gemini summary underneath gives information

127
00:08:57,839 --> 00:09:03,839
that is correct if you are looking for Warfdale allegian speakers, but just

128
00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:07,279
serves to add to the legitimacy of the snippet. >> Unfortunately, thanks to the power of

129
00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:10,880
AI, >> I'm a CEO in a porcelain spa. Yes,

130
00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:18,080
that's me. >> Building sites and writing convincing enough reviews has become both cheap and

131
00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:21,920
super easy. In just the couple of weeks that we've been working on this video,

132
00:09:19,519 --> 00:09:26,880
we've seen several of these networks of sites pop up and disappear or switch

133
00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:31,600
over to new product categories. And you're not going to have the kind of time that we have to go through all of

134
00:09:29,839 --> 00:09:35,440
this before you get a chance to ask too many questions. They're going to start

135
00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:38,080
putting FOMO pressure on you. Hey, look, uh, security, they're going to kick us

136
00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:41,600
out here, you know, and I got to get back to work. My next client, he's a dog

137
00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:44,720
podiatrist, and if he can't clip the nails without the background music, and

138
00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:51,600
you don't want the dogs to suffer, do you? >> No. So, uh, do you want them or not? So,

139
00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:55,839
you go to the nearest ATM, which they conveniently have perfect directions

140
00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:59,600
for, and you buy them. I mean, hey, even if they're not actually topof the line,

141
00:09:57,839 --> 00:10:03,920
they're brand new. They can't be that bad, right? Right. They even got like a

142
00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:08,959
piece Oh, I thought that was printing on the styrofoam. >> Even the documentation, it comes in a

143
00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:13,200
little bag. Are you not supposed to figure out it's a scam until you

144
00:10:10,720 --> 00:10:15,839
actually plug them in? Like even the packaging itself is pretty convincing,

145
00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:20,560
Adam. >> Yeah. I mean, the longer they have before you realize that you screwed them

146
00:10:18,959 --> 00:10:25,040
over, the further away they can get, right? >> Oh, boy.

147
00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:27,519
>> They're so small. >> Also, didn't they say wireless satellite

148
00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:33,920
speakers? >> Yes. >> Oh, no. That was wireless satellite speaker subwoofer, right?

149
00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:39,360
>> Can I open this or do you want to leave it mint for resale? >> Shut up.

150
00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:42,959
>> I'm impressed they have removable grills, though. >> I'm surprised they didn't keep them on.

151
00:10:41,519 --> 00:10:46,399
Look at all the glue. >> Wow. That's how they seal in the

152
00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:51,920
goodness. This is the single cheapest feeling HDMI

153
00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:54,880
cable that I have ever encountered. Does that even seem like it has enough girth

154
00:10:53,680 --> 00:10:59,040
for all the conductors? >> HDMI 0.5.

155
00:10:57,760 --> 00:11:05,360
Okay. Well, let's get the center channel. What happened in here? Look, it's all

156
00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:09,360
scratched up. Oh, wow. You can just see straight into it. Look, you can you can

157
00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:13,519
see wires in the back. Also, this is the worst wall mounting mechanism I think

158
00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:20,160
I've ever seen. You have to fix the location of the speaker from the back,

159
00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:25,680
then screw it into the wall. No more adjustment for you. I wonder if everyone

160
00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:28,640
is in on it. Like, do you think the manufacturer of these knows that they're

161
00:11:27,680 --> 00:11:33,360
a scam? >> They must be. There's no reason to make

162
00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:37,360
this junk unless you're trying to rip people off, right? Well, I mean, if they

163
00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:41,839
sold it at the actual price of it, then it's not really a ripoff. I mean,

164
00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:44,720
>> wo, the subwoofer is actually a pretty decent size.

165
00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:48,800
>> Is that actually all of the speakers? All of the speakers fit into like the

166
00:11:47,680 --> 00:11:56,160
top third. >> That answers the mystery of whether it's 5.1 or 7.2 or 9.1.

167
00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:58,800
>> At this point, I'm thinking it's stereo. Like, like,

168
00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:03,600
>> it really does raise the question, though. If they know it's a scam, why

169
00:12:01,279 --> 00:12:06,880
bother making them work at all? Like, do you think they're just not going to

170
00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:11,839
work? Like, they clearly have drivers in them. They clearly have wiring in them.

171
00:12:09,519 --> 00:12:15,519
>> I mean, I guess maybe it's like you can keep scamming down the chain. Also, some

172
00:12:13,839 --> 00:12:18,800
people just don't know better. Some people might have their crap TV and

173
00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:24,959
that's all the audio that they knew and then they decided to splurge or get a Christmas gift and this works, right? It

174
00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:29,880
starts playing and maybe it is just louder. Are we 100% sure it's not a

175
00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:29,880
computer?

176
00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:36,320
>> Dude, you got a Dell. There's peels on the stickers, but the stickers

177
00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:39,200
themselves are just paper stickers. What a weird attention to detail.

178
00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:42,639
>> Yeah, right. >> I guess the sticker approach to branding

179
00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:47,660
makes it pretty easy for them to have all those different names for it. Oh,

180
00:12:45,839 --> 00:12:49,600
wow.

181
00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:56,639
Buddy, this is going to suck. >> That's um That's not 12 in.

182
00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:59,920
>> I told my wife that's 12 in. >> Yeah, she didn't believe you either.

183
00:12:58,079 --> 00:13:03,680
>> I mean, this is 12 in. It's Yeah, I was going to say this is like something, but

184
00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:09,600
what a scam to put the speaker cover, make it way bigger than the driver.

185
00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:12,800
Let's plug it in. Wait, where's the amp?

186
00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:15,040
It isn't a home theater in a box.

187
00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:18,560
There's no amp. We got a AV receiver. >> Well, how can it be Bluetooth? Anything?

188
00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:21,680
>> Is there any cables? There's no cables, dude. It's way more than even

189
00:13:20,959 --> 00:13:29,279
we thought. >> I should have opened this. How can you have 2600 watts when you

190
00:13:27,519 --> 00:13:34,160
don't have an amp at all? >> There's no 5.8G wireless.

191
00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:35,760
>> I knew I was getting scammed and I still

192
00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:39,760
feel ripped off. >> Well, I guess we need an AV receiver and

193
00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:42,760
a bunch of speaker wire. >> BRB.

194
00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:49,519
>> What are the odds that you think that this one won't even turn on? That it's

195
00:13:48,079 --> 00:13:54,560
only going to power the top. >> I think it'll power both of them.

196
00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:56,000
>> Want a bit? No,

197
00:13:54,560 --> 00:14:01,199
>> we might be the first people who have bought these and actually bothered to set them all the way up. You know,

198
00:13:59,519 --> 00:14:06,079
>> is this big fat speaker wire even going to fit in the back of these?

199
00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:08,160
>> No. We got too high of a gauge. Got a feeling when you don't buy cheap enough

200
00:14:07,600 --> 00:14:16,160
stuff. >> Okay. Theoretically, we have arc. So,

201
00:14:13,279 --> 00:14:19,279
okay, that's progress. Sub didn't make any noise. We'll get to

202
00:14:18,639 --> 00:14:24,880
that later. >> Andrew, what are you doing? You know, you're struggling with the whole how to

203
00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:30,560
clamp it in place thing. So, >> this is how we're mounting the speaker.

204
00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:33,920
>> Adam, you were right. The top is a

205
00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:35,920
speaker and the bottom is not.

206
00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:40,399
>> That's pathetic. I popped out the speaker,

207
00:14:37,519 --> 00:14:44,560
quote unquote speaker. It's just a metal plate and you can see the back of the

208
00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:47,440
driver in there. Again, why bother? Just glue in the speaker grill.

209
00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:50,959
>> Yeah, just put a cosmetic grill on it and don't even bother with the paper

210
00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:55,279
cone. I've encountered this kind of thing before where it's like, remember

211
00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:59,519
those fake GPUs? >> Yeah. >> Where they put a bunch of work into

212
00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:03,839
designing a cooler and a shroud and doing injection molding and why bother?

213
00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:06,959
Why not just ship a piece of paper? >> I mean, if somebody knows, please let us

214
00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:11,680
know in the comments. Or maybe we're just helping them do their scam better.

215
00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:14,880
They have mounting points for if you want to do a metal plate.

216
00:15:13,120 --> 00:15:17,839
>> They do, too. >> These ones are just stickers, though.

217
00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:22,079
>> They are. Credit where credit's due. They cheaped out there and that was pretty smart. Why would you angle the

218
00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:28,639
whole speaker? We can just do this >> because they're surrounds. They go on the side of Okay, here we go. Uh oh. Is

219
00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:32,079
this Is this right side up? No, it's upside down. >> Okay. I mean, who can tell anyway,

220
00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:41,959
right? >> They're so small. >> I know. They look like little lab tech

221
00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:41,959
desktop computer speakers from the '9s.

222
00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:49,440
>> You right there.

223
00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:52,560
See, now I unboxed these an hour ago, so I knew better than to have high

224
00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:56,959
expectations. But somehow all the work that I had put into getting it working

225
00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:58,639
made me feel like, yeah, it should be. >> We like earned a payoff.

226
00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:04,040
>> Yeah, >> this part sounds okay. >> Does it?

227
00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:17,920
Oh my god. Okay, hold on. Hold on. Hold

228
00:16:15,279 --> 00:16:23,199
on. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Okay, here's the TV speakers for context.

229
00:16:21,279 --> 00:16:26,959
>> They're better. They're deeper. >> Yeah,

230
00:16:25,199 --> 00:16:31,360
>> by like a country mile. >> Admittedly, this is a pretty nice TV.

231
00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:37,680
Okay, it's a high sense canvas. >> High-end TV. >> Pretty decent TV, but still,

232
00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:40,079
>> there are like $99 sound bars on the market

233
00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:42,880
>> from legitimate brands that sound better >> that include an amplifier and actually

234
00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:47,040
have Bluetooth. >> Yeah, it's insulting. It's bad. I really

235
00:16:45,279 --> 00:16:50,880
want to hear this subwoofer. We got to get this operational.

236
00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:55,040
>> The subwoofer is a preo. It expects an amplified subwoofer, obviously. Yeah.

237
00:16:53,519 --> 00:16:58,480
>> Where the hell are we going to find an amp for that right now?

238
00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:02,320
>> Uh, we have an SVS. >> Well, no. No. I want to use this sub >> amp that we can sh No. Amp that we can

239
00:17:01,279 --> 00:17:07,280
shove in the middle. >> Oh my god. Oh, this is so stupid.

240
00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:08,640
>> Reese, you might have to go look for it. Might be. You're going to be on a

241
00:17:08,319 --> 00:17:14,880
hunt. >> You know what? I think it'd be faster to just plug one of these in. Let's find

242
00:17:12,799 --> 00:17:19,959
out if the subwoofer actually even works before we put a bunch more work into

243
00:17:16,319 --> 00:17:19,959
trying to amplify it.

244
00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:26,640
Okay, it works.

245
00:17:24,319 --> 00:17:31,760
It does sound bad. >> Yeah, but it's so much better than I

246
00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:34,160
expected. It's just a volume game, right? Like this is like what, a 5 in

247
00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:41,320
driver? Maybe >> four. Maybe five. This >> is a big four.

248
00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:41,320
>> That's what I tell my wife I have.

249
00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:47,440
We got all the speakers working and now I brought a couple of friends here to

250
00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:52,080
enjoy them. But first, we're going to set ourselves a baseline. We're going to

251
00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:54,160
listen to the the High Sense Canvas TV. >> Is this known for having a good TV

252
00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:58,559
speaker? >> No. >> Fantastic. >> I just But you know, but like you're thinking you're buying the home theater.

253
00:17:57,520 --> 00:18:02,400
You got to hear what you're upgrading from, right? >> You're right. You know what? For TV

254
00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:07,360
speakers, that's not bad. >> It's not bad. >> No bass.

255
00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:10,240
>> Yeah, but it's a TV speaker. Yeah, it's a little bit bright, but not bad. Yeah,

256
00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:13,520
it would be fine for dialogue. Like for people that are just watching TV shows and need to hear what people say, it's

257
00:18:13,039 --> 00:18:18,640
fine. >> Okay, >> totally fine. >> Now, we're going to pull up the uh

258
00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:21,520
Alleian Model 2s. Okay. >> Funny thing is that so we couldn't get

259
00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:26,400
the subwoofer running cuz it's supposed to be a pass it's a passive subwoofer,

260
00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:31,120
>> which doesn't really exist nowadays. Everything all your So, we had to um

261
00:18:29,039 --> 00:18:35,840
what we did is that we got uh we pulled out of another subwoofer,

262
00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:40,130
the amp. That was the only way we could get it powered cuz we couldn't find an

263
00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:41,520
AV receiver that had a passive.

264
00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:47,919
>> Okay. >> That is so unbalanced.

265
00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:50,559
>> Believe it or not, these speakers these speakers here aren't very big.

266
00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:54,960
>> You don't see. >> And so there's kind of a big dip in the mids.

267
00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:59,360
>> Yeah. It's weird that they look so much like the Bose Acoustamac speakers. I

268
00:18:57,120 --> 00:19:02,160
bought a pair a used pair in like 2008. That makes sense cuz a lot of what

269
00:19:00,559 --> 00:19:07,200
they're trying to do is associate themselves with as many ideas of like

270
00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:12,080
goodness as possible. >> How much did he pay for this? >> He paid $500.

271
00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:14,640
>> Even that price is ridiculously busted. So >> now hang on. Did we pay him that much to

272
00:19:14,080 --> 00:19:19,360
get them? >> We paid the guy back. >> So we got scammed is what you're saying.

273
00:19:17,679 --> 00:19:22,480
>> So please go buy merchandise. >> We took the scam and we said pass it. We

274
00:19:21,120 --> 00:19:26,720
said double it and pass it to the next guy. >> We're going to sell it for 1,000 bucks.

275
00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:30,320
For 500 bucks, you can get like a pretty okay home theater in a box from Best

276
00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:34,480
Buy. Yeah. Yeah. You can get like a a decent sound barent sound.

277
00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:38,880
>> It's not the best value in the whole world, but it's infinitely better than

278
00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:44,160
this. Don't buy speakers from a guy in a parking lot >> on Alibaba. When you search 5.1 home

279
00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:49,440
theater, a system much like the one that we purchased will show up in the first

280
00:19:45,679 --> 00:19:51,120
two rows of results. $128 a set. And

281
00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:55,679
here's the really crazy thing. If you order enough of them, the deal only gets

282
00:19:53,440 --> 00:20:00,960
better. For the shockingly low price of $56,500,

283
00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:05,039
you can get 500 home theater setups complete with a custom fake logo and box

284
00:20:03,679 --> 00:20:08,880
design. And that might be a lot for a single scammer, but if you're a shady

285
00:20:07,039 --> 00:20:12,559
supplier, you order in bulk and then sell them off a pallet at a time to your

286
00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:17,120
scummy friends for maybe a couple hundred bucks a pop to cover your storage and shipping costs. And then

287
00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:23,520
everyone else, well, they just have to sell them for more than $200, which when

288
00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:25,760
you're talking about a luxury 5.1 home

289
00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:30,799
theater system, that's probably not that hard to do. And by probably, I mean

290
00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:35,840
definitely, I mean it obviously works because when you dig into it, you find

291
00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:38,240
these scams everywhere, both in person

292
00:20:35,840 --> 00:20:42,400
and on online marketplaces like Facebook and eBay. And it's not just speakers.

293
00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:45,360
It's across a variety of product categories, notably projectors and sound

294
00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:52,640
bars. >> Bottom line is if you've been scammed, I know it can be really embarrassing. He

295
00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:55,919
knows it can be embarrassing, but please

296
00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:57,520
report it. 70% of victims never report

297
00:20:55,919 --> 00:21:00,000
the scams that they're victims of. And if you don't report it, well, that just

298
00:20:59,039 --> 00:21:06,480
lets them win. >> Honestly, even when you do report the scams, only 4% of victims are estimated

299
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:10,559
to recover their losses. But by talking about it, we can at least help prevent

300
00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:14,400
future losses. So send this video to your family members. Have open, honest

301
00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:19,200
conversations about security. It's important. It's so important that I

302
00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:23,280
didn't even come up with a segue. To our sponsor.

303
00:21:21,360 --> 00:21:27,919
>> Here at Rove Lab, we've gathered the world's top scientific minds to perform

304
00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:31,039
cuttingedge research in a bold new field of study that's taking the STEM world by

305
00:21:30,159 --> 00:21:38,000
storm. >> Couch Science. The result, the M1. A

306
00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:41,200
modular sofa so lightweight a single person can live.

307
00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:46,720
>> Roller. How do they even fit a couch in there?

308
00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:52,159
Roller. >> No. No. Not yet. Super efficient

309
00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:56,080
packaging and tool-free setup is made possible by our patent pending

310
00:21:53,679 --> 00:22:00,480
smartphone technology designed to be the most comfortable and highest quality in

311
00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:06,240
its class. Never losing shape and adapting to your body. Feels as if it

312
00:22:02,480 --> 00:22:09,679
were a dream. Reclining on smartphone

313
00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:13,280
moon beams in the sky.

314
00:22:09,679 --> 00:22:16,240
>> Please, please wait.

315
00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:21,679
Durable and spillproof Ecote certified performance weave fabric repels liquids,

316
00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:26,039
resists wear, and maintains its premium look across our range of finishes.

317
00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:33,039
Fine. Go. Get $300 off any Roadlab sofa

318
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:38,400
or bed for a limited time at roadlab.com/LTT.

319
00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:42,880
Your sofa could be hasslefree. Roab.

320
00:22:42,880 --> 00:22:48,159
If you guys enjoyed this video, why don't you check out the one where we

321
00:22:45,919 --> 00:22:52,480
looked at audio file snake oil with Dan and our friend Dankpods. I got ripped

322
00:22:50,559 --> 00:22:56,159
off that time, too. That was really funny because I got to choose all the

323
00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:56,159
pieces,