AsciLab speakers are about to launch

[pablolie]

... I guess Purite has years of experience dealing with this scenario, perhaps time to step up and help navigate a forward path?

I think Amir's resume shows he's absolutely no stranger nor newbie to the business...

 

[amirm]

Wait, they make their distributors pay up front and not have net terms on delivery?

That's correct.

 

[amirm]

Appreciate the transparency, unfortunate that things have progressed on this fashion. Should parting ways be necessary, what becomes of the pre-paid orders (C8C+BX8C in my case)?

We would handle all of those orders as part of wind down. Or refund if they can't deliver with a proper system.

 

[slaweks]

We would handle all of those orders as part of wind down. Or refund if they can't deliver with a proper system.

But this means I would end up with speakers and no support for them except from Korea. Not a great prospect...

 

[Sokel]

Amir's fair point about it is that he literally created this demand with his review.

Speakers that measure VERY well (and I mean at the most basic metrics, on and off axis) as an engineering endeavor is just Tuesday at diyaudio and out of it for decades.
Trying to get them to the market is maybe Saturday and a very small fraction of it made it.

Asci was lucky to have this support, right at the right time and by the right people.
The really small ones of the range are just that, some small nice speakers and I hope the buyers hopes are just that, cause upgrading from something similar at size and power handle won't make any staggering difference.

The trend however, along with the high expectations can give the dopamine hit for a while and for that alone is well spent money.

I would suggest Asci to be more humble, is of the Korean qualities I really valued when I visited.
Trends come and go...

 

[w277]

I said he is busy so he can’t answer now and we are discussing about your last email.
Do you want to keep this conversation here?
We need time to prepare proper answer for you and us to solve this problem.

Please kindly wait for our next answer. I can’t answer you now about full of your questions. aloneI'm quite intrigued.

I'm quite intrigued by this statement!

A company should not sell products it can't deliver.

BTW: I'm glad (and surprised at the same time) that audiophonics doesn't accept credit card payments over EUR3K, because otherwise I would have ordered/paid something that would or would not be delivered. Other companies have fine products, too.

 

[PatentLawyer]

I was a potential customer, waiting for some of the later models to make it to market. But I'm deeply reluctant to do that without a US-based dealer. And forget about buying an active model without some kind of support system here in the US. It would have been very nice for that dealer to have been Amir.

 

[w277]

As long as you are repeating the same non-starter arguments your CEO made in email this weekend, yes. As I sit here, I have no indication that you are working on responding to anything. You haven't sent me any communication to that effect. It is first I hear that you are working on "this problem."

Your tone and style of communication is consistent with what I read this weekend so please excuse me for not keeping up hopes that the proper resolutions are forthcoming. But maybe you surprise me when I wake up tomorrow and I hear we have something to sell for the next few months as you and others will.

Thank you, Amir, for being frank and clear.

 

[pablolie]

But this means I would end up with speakers and no support for them except from Korea. Not a great prospect...

That is exactly why scoring good, experienced distributors is gold to a small tech company. Scaling up customer service and support is vital to gain credibility and have mid term success. What I read here mystifies me from a business perspective.

Another vital aspect for a small company is that a great distributor network simply can save your b*tt as a small company: Let's say you have a bad quarter and you know your investors are going to lose faith in you - but a trusted partner will invest in longer term mutual success (if you created a solid partnership) and can place a big order and save you... instant revenue for your company, your distributor acting as a buffer. Direct sales don't do that as reliably and -if they do- it's only because you have a desperation sale (which hurt your margins).

I'd guess it's easier to go direct B2C if the USA is your native market. Succeed in the US and you basically are addressing +50% of your total addressable global market revenue. But for a tech company operating in a smaller local market, it seems utterly counter-intuitive to me why they'd want to deal with the complexity of trying to succeed in the USA while staying remote. It seems very questionable that customers would have a satisfactory experience longer term...

Note I speak about tech business strategy in general. My background is more in B2B stuff, but I think some basic business rules in technology are pretty universal.

 

[amirm]

But this means I would end up with speakers and no support for them except from Korea. Not a great prospect...

I will guarantee you personal support even if it means I fly to Korea to buy parts for you! Please don't worry. For anything we sell, you have my neck to squeeze forever.

 

[amirm]

On the flip side, large volume simple sales (tag and release) with an emerging small batch manufacturer without hiccups seems optimistic for a new dealer venture?

Company announced here the release of these products back in April of last year. We reached out to them and started negotiation for a container of them in June of last year. We were promised 30 to 45 days lead time with that shrinking as time went by. All of this led us to believe that company was ready to produce at least half decent volume. Yet our initial order of two pallets is just getting completed this week! One came late last year and then this one now.

Now, if this is all that the company could have produced, well, we could maybe, kind of, understand it. But I am confident far more product was sold direct than what we got.

The next batch of products with respect to C6B was due mid January with volume order for us in the first half of February. That promise has been completely broken and stock allocated elsewhere. In other words, product existed, but none were pre-allocated to our market.

So yes, I am all aware of the hell that is manufacturing, small or otherwise. Far more involved here than just that.

 

[Grimoire]

Company announced here the release of these products back in April of last year. We reached out to them and started negotiation for a container of them in June of last year. We were promised 30 to 45 days lead time with that shrinking as time went by. All of this led us to believe that company was ready to produce at least half decent volume. Yet our initial order of two pallets is just getting completed this week! One came late last year and then this one now.

Now, if this is all that the company could have produced, well, we could maybe, kind of, understand it. But I am confident far more product was sold direct than what we got.

The next batch of products with respect to C6B was due mid January with volume order for us in the first half of February. That promise has been completely broken and stock allocated elsewhere. In other words, product existed, but none were pre-allocated to our market.

So yes, I am all aware of the hell that is manufacturing, small or otherwise. Far more involved here than just that.

I think that AsciLab would be fools to walk away, but maybe you'd be a fool if you stayed...

 

[krsp]

This photo shows a post made by an ASCILAB employee in a Korean community. The title is Either Way, and the message is 'No matter what you say, we're just going to keep doing what we're doing'. This employee is essentially mocking ASR users.
Despite receiving constant feedback about various issues, ASCILAB has shown zero improvement. They have failed to deliver on their promises, and they are completely ignoring both shipping and release schedules.

There is also significant frustration toward ASCILAB in Korea, but there is no sign of resolution or any meaningful feedback. Most comments on that post criticize the employee for being completely out of touch and failing to read the room. Korean community users agree that ASCILAB is clearly crossing the line.

 

[AsciLab]

Bringing a new product to life requires a long time more than it requires a large amount of money. There is plenty of trial and error, but it doesn’t require countless samples the way mass production does. As one person pointed out, development has to be continuous—because it takes a long time for a product to be born.

For example, the recently announced C8C already had a completed prototype more than a year ago, but after repeated improvements, we are only now able to present the final, fully completed physical product.

Our agreement with Amir is still being discussed internally. It seems that a lot of speculation and misunderstandings are arising. I sincerely hope this situation stabilizes as soon as possible.

Even today, we are continuing production beyond regular working hours. We could offer many explanations, but for now, we are simply doing the best we can in the present.

View attachment 508896View attachment 508898

This post carries the same meaning as my previous one.

Someone is trying to provoke conflict by overinterpreting a message that simply meant, “There seem to be many issues, but production continues.”

Please note that this community is relatively informal—similar to Reddit—rather than a formal platform.

 

[Grimoire]

This post carries the same meaning as my previous one.

Someone is trying to provoke conflict by overinterpreting a message that simply meant, “There seem to be many issues, but production continues.”

Please note that this community is relatively informal—similar to Reddit—rather than a formal platform.

Hmm...

 

[RexrothPigeon]

Please note that this community is relatively informal—similar to Reddit—rather than a formal platform.

Can confirm that this at least is true

 

[krsp]

I’ve attached an English translation of the comments on this post. Please understand that the tone has been significantly toned down/softened due to translation. The comments help you get a sense of what kind of vibe this post was written with. Just so you know, [Mcna] is one of the ascil staff. Most of Ascilab’s sales and promo activities actually happen right here in this community.

 

[testp]

oh wow, not great.

yeah, there is such a thing as debt from "bad" decisions that shows its face later, especially for companies that looks to be going to places..

i dont know exactly whats going on here, but the way i see for a company that's just becoming successful: will we maximize profits now (shareholders) or take a longer path/approach making sure reputation stays in good order. -i mean these decisions are textbook examples in college learning material.

so my 2cents, for longer path: if a prodcut is (hot), distribution (75%) - direct sales (25%). adhere to this when products are in high demand, and all is good. because let's face it, selling in bulk is eventually companies bread&butter (this is what gets you loans in bank's, if needed), ...rest is cream.

also regular order/shipments for large_scale production is smart.


all the best for all involved, i sincerely really mean it!

 

[AsciLab]

oh wow, not great.

yeah, there is such a thing as debt from "bad" decisions that shows its face later, especially for companies that looks to be going to places..

i dont know exactly whats going on here, but the way i see for a company that's just becoming successful: will we maximize profits now (shareholders) or take a longer path/approach making sure reputation stays in good order. -i mean these decisions are textbook examples in college learning material.

so my 2cents, for longer path: if a prodcut is (hot), distribution (75%) - direct sales (25%). adhere to this when products are in high demand, and all is good. because let's face it, selling in bulk is eventually companies bread&butter (this is what gets you loans in bank's, if needed), ...rest is cream.

also regular order/shipments for large_scale production is smart.


all the best for all involved, i sincerely really mean it!

Actually we’ve set the ratio of distribution : direct sales quantity almost as same as you wrote, 7:3. In our capable stocks.

 

[testp]

Actually we’ve set the ratio of distribution : direct sales quantity almost as same as you wrote, 7:3. In our capable stocks.

ok, that looks good!