Apollon Audio complaints

[tmtomh]

I finally received my amplifier yesterday and like the other two it is beautifully crafted. I only have one problem. Like my other two it is rack mounted but the usual rack mounting screws are too short. The rack mount on the amp is so thick the standard one inch screw is too short. Any suggestions? I cannot find longer screws online

So the amp was picked up by UPS on June 24 in Slovenia and received in the US on July 2 - is that correct?

 

[Jerry Sobel]

The date of pick up is unclear but I received it yesterday

 

[Jerry Sobel]

19" rack screws are standard M6 size. Just get some with the right length for your use case, they're available everywhere for cheap in 100 packs.

Yeah not so much. I probably need 1.5 inches and I have look on the internet and cannot find them. There are results that say that they are longer but when you go the website they are just the standard size

 

[Ropeburn]

Yeah not so much. I probably need 1.5 inches and I have look on the internet and cannot find them. There are results that say that they are longer but when you go the website they are just the standard size

I dunno man, bog standard panhead screws and you can't find them? I don't know what to say. Look better...

 

[Jerry Sobel]

I live in the US but I will look for something like that at Home Depot

 

[DVinylfan]

I want to say Apollon and Buckeye going at it head to head here says a lot about the uniquely transparentising effect ASR has had on this industry.
Credit for that is due equally to the two companies.

 

[NTK]

I live in the US but I will look for something like that at Home Depot

You can find almost any standard fasteners at McMaster-Carr. The page below is for their selection of metric pan head Philips drive stainless steel machine screws.

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

 

[tmtomh]

The date of pick up is unclear but I received it yesterday

The date of pickup was confirmed my Apollon.

More to the point, if your suspicion that it was not picked up until Monday were true, then it would have traveled from Slovenia to you in 2 days - June 30 to July 2 - which is absurd. So maybe it’s time to re-examine your suspicions about when it was shipped.

 

[Jerry Sobel]

The date of pickup was confirmed my Apollon.

More to the point, if your suspicion that it was not picked up until Monday were true, then it would have traveled from Slovenia to you in 2 days - June 30 to July 2 - which is absurd. So maybe it’s time to re-examine your suspicions about when it was shipped.

Wow so mean are we. I have had things shipped from Germany in 2 days. June 30 to July 2 is 3 days. What is your problem with me? I don’t get it.

 

[tmtomh]

Wow so mean are we. I have had things shipped from Germany in 2 days. June 30 to July 2 is 3 days. What is your problem with me? I don’t get it.

Dude, why is it so hard for you to just admit that the shipping info you were given was accurate? You still retain your prerogative to be unhappy about the other issues you raised in your comments.

 

[tmtomh]

It always amazes me just how rude people can be to others when they do not have to face them eye to eye. My opinion has not changed. I do not think that Apollon was being transparent with me as to when my amp went to customs and to when it actually shipped. In conversations on their chatbot I was given the wrong information a few times. How do I know that? I was told that in later email and DM conversations. I just am not interested in continuing back and forth conversations with forum trolls like yourself. Do me a favor find someone else on ASR to bother.

I would speak exactly the same way to you face to face.

As to whether your unchanged opinion is supported by the facts, and as to whether it is reasonable to call me a troll given my comments here, I am perfectly content for others who are reading this thread to come to their own conclusions.

I'm glad you are enjoying your amp and wish you many years of future enjoyment with it (seriously - not being sarcastic).

 

[Golfx]

Jerry above has a learned bias to not trust the repeated “allowed” mistaken statements given by their chat line—it was an accurately obtained bias.

I definitely went through the same experience twice. Once to get the amp, again to send it back (waiting for return label), then waiting for repair (stated one day repair) took almost two weeks, then waiting for the shipping again. It wore me out from frustration.

Now it is a good looking well built product—but it was a painfully slow process, and it seems to be an institutionalized attitude.

 

[Jerry Sobel]

Jerry above has a learned bias to not trust the repeated “allowed” mistaken statements given by their chat line—it was an accurately obtained bias.

I definitely went through the same experience twice. Once to get the amp, again to send it back (waiting for return label), then waiting for repair (stated one day repair) took almost two weeks, then waiting for the shipping again. It wore me out from frustration.

Now it is a good looking well built product—but it was a painfully slow process, and it seems to be an institutionalized attitude.

Thank you

 

[Apollon Audio]

Jerry above has a learned bias to not trust the repeated “allowed” mistaken statements given by their chat line—it was an accurately obtained bias.

I definitely went through the same experience twice. Once to get the amp, again to send it back (waiting for return label), then waiting for repair (stated one day repair) took almost two weeks, then waiting for the shipping again. It wore me out from frustration.

Now it is a good looking well built product—but it was a painfully slow process, and it seems to be an institutionalized attitude.

I respect your experience and appreciate you taking the time to share it.

That said, I’d like to offer a broader perspective to clarify why I feel your comments, while valid in tone, may be overlooking important context.

You mentioned waiting approximately almost two weeks for a repair return, and Jerry referenced a 12-business-day delay in his order. These are not insignificant delays, I don’t dismiss that, but they’re also not unusually long when compared to industry norms, particularly when dealing with high-end or custom electronics.

Let’s take a closer look at how this would typically unfold with larger, more commercial audio brands:

With companies like Marantz, Denon, Yamaha, or similar, customers almost never deal directly with the manufacturer. They must go through authorized dealers or service centers, which introduces multiple layers of communication and delay.

A repair return often requires the customer to bring the unit to a local dealer, who then sends it to a national service center or regional hub.

Diagnostic, processing, and parts ordering queues can add weeks, if not months, to the process, especially if parts are backordered or there is internal back-and-forth that’s invisible to the customer.

From my own experience and what many industry professionals have observed, it’s not uncommon to wait 4 to 6 weeks for a warranty repair, sometimes even longer, and throughout that time, communication can be very limited or indirect.

By contrast, we handled your repair directly. You spoke to our team. The turnaround was almost two weeks, including international coordination and hands-on diagnostics, done by a small team that builds every product by hand.

I say all this not to make excuses but to point out that we are being held to a far higher standard of immediacy, despite being a boutique manufacturer. And I believe that’s unfair.

Yes, our response times weren’t flawless in your case. And yes, Jerry’s order took 12 working days longer than our estimated window. But to call that “institutionalized” delay or assume bad faith is, respectfully, an injustice to the level of care, effort, and transparency we consistently strive to maintain.

Delays happen, even with the biggest names in the industry. What matters is how we handle them. We’re constantly evolving and improving our systems, and feedback like yours plays a role in that. But I kindly ask that you also consider the scale, structure, and realities of our work before jumping to conclusions.

We are here, we respond, and we deliver. We’re far from perfect, but we are committed.

 

[Golfx]

I respect your experience and appreciate you taking the time to share it.

That said, I’d like to offer a broader perspective to clarify why I feel your comments, while valid in tone, may be overlooking important context.

You mentioned waiting approximately almost two weeks for a repair return, and Jerry referenced a 12-business-day delay in his order. These are not insignificant delays, I don’t dismiss that, but they’re also not unusually long when compared to industry norms, particularly when dealing with high-end or custom electronics.

Let’s take a closer look at how this would typically unfold with larger, more commercial audio brands:

With companies like Marantz, Denon, Yamaha, or similar, customers almost never deal directly with the manufacturer. They must go through authorized dealers or service centers, which introduces multiple layers of communication and delay.

A repair return often requires the customer to bring the unit to a local dealer, who then sends it to a national service center or regional hub.

Diagnostic, processing, and parts ordering queues can add weeks, if not months, to the process, especially if parts are backordered or there is internal back-and-forth that’s invisible to the customer.

From my own experience and what many industry professionals have observed, it’s not uncommon to wait 4 to 6 weeks for a warranty repair, sometimes even longer, and throughout that time, communication can be very limited or indirect.

By contrast, we handled your repair directly. You spoke to our team. The turnaround was almost two weeks, including international coordination and hands-on diagnostics, done by a small team that builds every product by hand.

I say all this not to make excuses but to point out that we are being held to a far higher standard of immediacy, despite being a boutique manufacturer. And I believe that’s unfair.

Yes, our response times weren’t flawless in your case. And yes, Jerry’s order took 12 working days longer than our estimated window. But to call that “institutionalized” delay or assume bad faith is, respectfully, an injustice to the level of care, effort, and transparency we consistently strive to maintain.

Delays happen, even with the biggest names in the industry. What matters is how we handle them. We’re constantly evolving and improving our systems, and feedback like yours plays a role in that. But I kindly ask that you also consider the scale, structure, and realities of our work before jumping to conclusions.

We are here, we respond, and we deliver. We’re far from perfect, but we are committed.

You keep saying the right things on replies. Your pre-stated timelines on your website and chatline are overly optimistic. Hence our resulting frustrating statements from frustrated customers.

 

[Apollon Audio]

You keep saying the right things on replies. Your pre-stated timelines on your website and chatline are overly optimistic. Hence our resulting frustrating statements from frustrated customers.

I understand where you’re coming from, and you’re right to expect clarity. But let’s also be precise in our framing.

Our timelines are not “pre-stated promises”, they are estimated lead times, as clearly marked, based on hundreds of completed orders and a workflow that is continuously monitored and refined. The vast majority of our builds are delivered within or near this window. That said, we’re not immune to supply chain disruptions, holiday closures, or high-demand surges, variables that even large-scale manufacturers struggle with, despite their resources.

When delays occur, especially modest ones, it’s not due to wishful thinking or “optimism,” but because we’re building every unit from raw materials with an obsessive focus on detail. Our goal is not to ship fast, it is to ship flawless.

I would ask you to consider whether a 10- to 12-business-day deviation on a handcrafted, high-performance product justifies labeling our communication or timelines as systemically flawed. We’ve acknowledged where we fall short. But to equate occasional production lags with structural dishonesty undermines the effort, complexity, and transparency that goes into this operation every day.

Your feedback is heard. But intellectual fairness also means weighing expectations against the realities of what we build, how we build it, and what it takes to build it right.

 

[Golfx]

I understand where you’re coming from, and you’re right to expect clarity. But let’s also be precise in our framing.

Our timelines are not “pre-stated promises”, they are estimated lead times, as clearly marked, based on hundreds of completed orders and a workflow that is continuously monitored and refined. The vast majority of our builds are delivered within or near this window. That said, we’re not immune to supply chain disruptions, holiday closures, or high-demand surges, variables that even large-scale manufacturers struggle with, despite their resources.

When delays occur, especially modest ones, it’s not due to wishful thinking or “optimism,” but because we’re building every unit from raw materials with an obsessive focus on detail. Our goal is not to ship fast, it is to ship flawless.

I would ask you to consider whether a 10- to 12-business-day deviation on a handcrafted, high-performance product justifies labeling our communication or timelines as systemically flawed. We’ve acknowledged where we fall short. But to equate occasional production lags with structural dishonesty undermines the effort, complexity, and transparency that goes into this operation every day.

Your feedback is heard. But intellectual fairness also means weighing expectations against the realities of what we build, how we build it, and what it takes to build it right.

I would suggest under promising and over delivering.

 

[RickS]

While have been tempted to close this this thread, as long as the vendor participates and the overall discussion is productive, it will remain open.

That said, need to post factually and avoid personal attacks. Moderators have plenty of other better ways to spend our time than cleaning up personal pissing contests. Just did a couple of rounds of cleaning on this thread. Please keep on topic and use the report feature before you make a heated post. Most reports are handled with a few hours or less. If you have been offended by another member, will usually be dealt with promptly if reported.

 

[Apollon Audio]

While have been tempted to close this this thread, as long as the vendor participates and the overall discussion is productive, it will remain open.

That said, need to post factually and avoid personal attacks. Moderators have plenty of other better ways to spend our time than cleaning up personal pissing contests. Just did a couple of rounds of cleaning on this thread. Please keep on topic and use the report feature before you make a heated post. Most reports are handled with a few hours or less. If you have been offended by another member, will usually be dealt with promptly if reported.

Thanks for stepping in and keeping the thread constructive.

Just to clarify, I’m not in favor of this thread being closed. I genuinely believe in transparency and open dialogue. Whether feedback is positive or critical, I think it’s valuable for customers to have a space to share their experiences. If there are concerns, I’d much rather see them brought into the open, where they can be addressed constructively.

This is how we grow, even if it requires facing uncomfortable truths at times. I’ll continue doing my part to keep the conversation respectful, fact-based, and productive, and I welcome input from anyone engaging in good faith.

 

[Paffi]

Now, that's the really interesting part.

Can you already share more information about the preamp? I'm the guy who is asking you since sept. 2023 (there it was expected to be finished at the end of 2023) about it, the last time (without reply - no offense) it was in July 2024

Will the DAC be also a device, manufactured by your company? With premium case?

@Apollon Audio did you miss the question or didn't response for purpose, as being secret information? Would be ok, I just don't like to be ignored.