WARNING: Geithain - Vintage King Order Problems - USA Customers...Passives next?

[Pearljam5000]

Why not just go with genelec instead

 

[SSS]

Living in Germany I listened 2 different Geithain speaker models, don't know the models anymore. Both of them (one in MPS recording studio, the other in a hifi studio) had excellent sound compared to other good speakers. So I find them really good as almost a point source. Since the company seems to be small overseas business and service might be not their first priority? But I dön't know.

 

[prestigetone]

I have heard good things of ME Geithain in terms of service in Germany but you have to have some patience sometimes. It is like an old school small factory not a company with 24 7 service workers and the costumers is always right philosophy.

Am surprised that there might be some problems in the US. I am honestly not sure if there is a different side of the story?

Regardless of this specific case I would definitely do my own research before "banning" a retailer or a company.

What other side to the story? I am not withholding facts. If you do a cursory search you can see that other members here and elsewhere have had a lot of problems ordering and getting the product to them safely outside of Germany. One person said the founder doesn't care about sales outside of Germany which sounds about right. The cabinets look furniture grade, aside from some of the foam which seems to need servicing, and they sound really very good. So good it's worth putting up with some of the hassle. Someone told me it took them 2 months to get an order placed and another 3-4 to receive the product.

This is not unique to Geithain per se as other companies like PSI have challenges getting their heavy product cheaply to their customers and if you have issues with them, you need to ship them back to the manufacturer somehow.

My point with this is to let other people know that if you spend five digits you might be in for a bumpy ride. I wish I had known.

Vintage King their US distributor doesn't have much better luck.

The company is quite small. As far as I know, there are only 17 employees...

I know but ignoring emails has nothing to do with company size.

 

[prestigetone]

Why not just go with genelec instead

I didn't realize any other studio monitors existed based on your profile picture and post history.

 

[Purité Audio]

It’s a pity tried to stock them here but apparently there is just no margin their sales model is archaic
.
Keith

 

[prestigetone]

It’s a pity tried to stock them here but apparently there is just no margin their sales model is archaic
.
Keith

I know you are partial to digital designs, but from what you heard you seem to be nonplussed by them. Stereoplay ranks them at the top of the top. While Sound and Recording which is German ranks others like Neumann much higher.

 

[Berlin]

One person said the founder doesn't care about sales outside of Germany which sounds about right.

This "one person" is not right...

Riyuichi Sakamoto was a customer...

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b9/d8/df/b9d8df30ffd53fb63486b45a4e0a5ea0.jpg

Because of overseas customers, they still sell their speakers with repairable amplifiers so that their customers don't have to send them to Germany for repair. Source is this podcast - unfortunately it is in German...

https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/mdr-kultur-features-und-essays/id393312133?i=1000569990571

Edit:
Sorry, seems that the podcast was removed...

 

[Grotti]

It’s a pity tried to stock them here but apparently there is just no margin their sales model is archaic
.
Keith

This might be the reason, why they reacting like the OP described? If someone is contacting many dealers including the manufacturer to get the best price, this "archaic sales model" doesn't allow for additional extended E-mail support. MEG speakers are actually never on sale and the small dealer fees guarantee for price stability. I don't condone this behavior, but from their point of view it might be justified. I would be angry too, if this happened to me. And would be heavily interested in the Sigberg speakers, if I had room enough for them and a need for cardioid...

 

[prestigetone]

This "one person" is not right...

Riyuichi Sakamoto was a customer...

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b9/d8/df/b9d8df30ffd53fb63486b45a4e0a5ea0.jpg

Because of overseas customers, they still sell their speakers with repairable amplifiers so that their customers don't have to send them to Germany for repair. Source is this podcast - unfortunately it is in German...

https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/mdr-kultur-features-und-essays/id393312133?i=1000569990571

Edit:
Sorry, seems that the podcast was removed...

It's also my own experience. They do not seem interested in selling to the American market. Perhaps other markets are more of a priority. however for a near $20,000 order you would think they might be more responsive. Other distributors in the UK and elsewhere have no problem getting quotes. This is the second time Vintage King has brought them to the USA market so clearly it's not all smooth sailing.

 

[prestigetone]

This might be the reason, why they reacting like the OP described? If someone is contacting many dealers including the manufacturer to get the best price, this "archaic sales model" doesn't allow for additional extended E-mail support. MEG speakers are actually never on sale and the small dealer fees guarantee for price stability. I don't condone this behavior, but from their point of view it might be justified. I would be angry too, if this happened to me. And would heavily interested in the Sigberg speakers, if I had room enough for them and a need for cardioid.... )

SIberg is darn near perfect on paper but they are a bit big. I like the Geithain models with external active electronics so you can more easily transport and not have everything in one box. Part of why they succeed I think is so few companies offer what they do. iSide question. How do you like your Argons?

 

[Purité Audio]

I know you are partial to digital designs, but from what you heard you seem to be nonplussed by them. Stereoplay ranks them at the top of the top. While Sound and Recording which is German ranks others like Neumann much higher.

I have only had one pair here 944ks?
They didn’t quite have the clarity of the 8Cs or the bass extension but they weren’t bad I tried for one of the larger models 901s but was offered a tiny margin on an expensive speaker, just didn’t fly.
Keith

 

[Pearljam5000]

I didn't realize any other studio monitors existed based on your profile picture and post history.

Lol
I meant they're both excellent and coaxial
And Genelecs are super reliable with good support do why bother with Geithain
Get the 8381 and be done

 

[Grotti]

SIberg is darn near perfect on paper but they are a bit big. I like the Geithain models with external active electronics so you can more easily transport and not have everything in one box. Part of why they succeed I think is so few companies offer what they do. iSide question. How do you like your Argons?

This is quite OT so I will contact you privately, ok?

 

[prestigetone]

This is quite OT so I will contact you privately, ok?

Sure

 

[jhaider]

This might be the reason, why they reacting like the OP described? If someone is contacting many dealers including the manufacturer to get the best price, this "archaic sales model" doesn't allow for additional extended E-mail support.

Honestly reading the back and forth about their general mentality, three letters come to mind: DDR. The company’s origins were under real existierenden sozialismus, correct?

 

[prestigetone]

Honestly reading the back and forth about their general mentality, three letters come to mind: DDR. The company’s origins were under real existierenden sozialismus, correct?

I believe so

 

[Grotti]

Honestly reading the back and forth about their general mentality, three letters come to mind: DDR. The company’s origins were under real existierenden sozialismus, correct?

Correct, but this is over 30 years ago, so I prefer the nonpolitical term stubborn.

 

[Berlin]

Honestly reading the back and forth about their general mentality, three letters come to mind: DDR. The company’s origins were under real existierenden sozialismus, correct?

Me Geithain is one of the few eastern German companies which survived the reunification of Germany. BTW, the reunification was more than 30 years ago...

 

[jhaider]

Me Geithain is one of the few eastern German companies which survived the reunification of Germany. BTW, the reunification was more than 30 years ago...

Right, but as someone who lived in Berlin as a student (FU) not too long after the Wende and has friends who were both “Wessis” and “Ossis,” and who a little later on regularly stopped in Dresden on the way between Vienna and Berlin, it’s not hard to spot a DDR approach to customer sales and service: a little insular, and offended if you don’t just take what they offer exactly as they offer it.

 

[Sokel]

Right, but as someone who lived in Berlin as a student (FU) not too long after the Wende and has friends who were both “Wessis” and “Ossis,” and who a little later on regularly stopped in Dresden on the way between Vienna and Berlin, it’s not hard to spot a DDR approach to customer sales and service: a little insular, and offended if you don’t just take what they offer as they offer it.

Sounds like my favorite Italian shoemaker.

Edit:You can order it as you like but don't even think of complaining after,it's a mortal insult.