AsciLab speakers are about to launch

[pat355]

The CEO of AsciLab should have jumped on this thread and address the mounting PR nightmare that was unfolding from the biggest voice of this community. And a powerful KOL at that.
I know some will say well that's not how certain parts of the world address these types of business challenges, communications issues blablabla. That's not true - I have been in international business for 28 years and when business is at stake, funnily enough people start to speak the same language when there is a vested interest in doing so. When there isn't, people obfuscate and talk about miscommunications, errors in translation etc. Let me call bull on this.
Seriously, how many of us have been CEOs of small/mid companies before and seen this type of issues play out exactly like that? and what do you do? you jump on your keyboard (/phone), you address the issues that create fracas head on and you over-communicate.
The line "CEO is too busy" yesterday made me feel extremely nervous. I'm sure he was, yet deep down for me it's like this: if 80% of my business relies on 20% of my customers and a big one is extraordinarily unhappy, maybe (just maybe) I should stop what I'm doing for 15mn and address the brewing sh*tstorm. That unfortunately didn't happen and so I made my own decision. Others will be more patient and understanding than me, good for them.
This paints a story to me about leadership, priorities and that is what will make this company sustainable...or not.

 

[pat355]

Erin from Erin's Audio Corner has published the C6B review on June 2nd, same day as Amir published the F6Bs review.

I get it, it's frustrating, but can everyone just take a deep breath and try to get back into the "objective" mode of operation? This thread has gotten way too hysterical for a science club.

you're so right. Now that I don't have my chump change of $10.5k on the line anymore, I can absolutely do that...

 

[amirm]

This paints a story to me about leadership, priorities and that is what will make this company sustainable...or not.

It pains me to say this but we made them such heroes of our world that they thought they are untouchable. CEO's email response to me was incredibly rude. This is how he ended his email to me:

"We know that AsciLab will achieve significant growth in 2026, and we need partners who are passionate and capable of proving their performance on this journey."

In other words, not you (Amir). Above that statement, he literally complained about us not selling as much as other regions, when all they shipped to us for the entire 6 months was two dozen speakers! We could have sold 10 times as much if not more if they just sent us bloody products.

We sold what they sent us in just days... literally days. And they think they need someone more "capable and passionate?"

So as you see, I haven't shared everything with you. The real story is even more sad.

 

[BeeKay]

It pains me to say this but we made them such heroes of our world that they thought they are untouchable. CEO's email response to me was incredibly rude. This is how he ended his email to me:

"We know that AsciLab will achieve significant growth in 2026, and we need partners who are passionate and capable of proving their performance on this journey."

In other words, not you (Amir). Above that statement, he literally complained about us not selling as much as other regions, when all they shipped to us for the entire 6 months was two dozen speakers! We could have sold 10 times as much if not more if they just sent us bloody products.

We sold what they sent is in just days... literally days. And they think they need someone more "capable and passionate?"

So as you see, I haven't shared everything with you. The real story is even more sad.

Simply pathetic how this CEO acts. What a train wreck.

 

[Mort]

will achieve significant growth in 2026

That might not be hard if they shipped little product in 2025.

 

[pat355]

to build a reputation you have to take the stairs. A lot of them. To destroy it, an elevator generally does it for you.

 

[BeeKay]

To destroy it, an elevator generally does it for you.

Especially when you cannot resist to press the "delusions of grandeur“ level button

 

[emmodad]

I’m currently using speakers from this company, and to be clear, the product itself is exceptional. In terms of performance and sound quality, there is very little to criticize.

The issue lies elsewhere.

This company operates at what feels like a near hand-built, cottage-industry level. Waiting periods of six months or more are not uncommon. It appears to be a brand founded and driven almost entirely by engineering passion, with limited capital and little structural preparation for scaling or operating in the global market.

In Korea, many customers have been unusually patient. People often say things like, “For the price, the level of engineering is remarkable,” or “The fact that a Korean company is making something this good is already worth supporting.” As a result, customers wait months, sometimes quietly, out of goodwill rather than contractual expectation.

From an outsider’s perspective, the company feels heavily engineer-driven, with little evidence of a dedicated business, logistics, or customer-relations function. This becomes especially noticeable when customers are asked not to make delivery or communication issues public, rather than being met with transparent explanations or even a simple apology.

Another concern is the pace and volume of new product announcements. New models are introduced frequently, even while existing products have significant backorders. From a customer’s point of view, it would make far more sense to first fulfill current orders, stabilize production, and then move forward step by step. Instead, the company appears far more focused on product development than on how those products are actually sold, delivered, and supported.

This creates the impression of a strong engineering mindset without a corresponding business mindset. It is difficult to avoid the feeling that the leadership itself may come from a purely engineering background, with limited real-world experience in running and scaling a commercial business.

The irony is that this is a company whose products deserve global attention—but global business requires more than world-class engineering. Clear communication, realistic lead times, disciplined product rollout, and basic accountability are just as important. Without those, even the most patient customers will eventually reach their limit.

thoughtfully-written post.

having been active for decades in helping long-time-horizon, large, engineering-driven organizations evolve to be more technical-marketing-driven, large, customer-collaborative development partnerships; it was an interesting challenge being recruited to catalyze similar evolution in an adjacent-industry, large, engineering-driven company having an intense 3-month time horizon mentality: quarterly revenue was everything.

perhaps I could add the following as a coda to @sameas' musings re: pace of product introductions (especially for a small, early-stage, supply-chain-limited organization):

• not all perceived opportunities are serviceable opportunities: you can't boil the ocean
• so pick two and absolutely kill them via excellence and execution

cp

 

[Purité Audio]

Wait, how are we supposed to pronounce it?

As SI ( science) labs.
Keith

 

[Chr1]

The glass half full to all of this, for me:

I no longer have FOMO for all the folks who were buying AsciLab.

Got plenty of speakers anyway...
Hard pass.

 

[829]

Interesting progress. Alarming? Maybe; but definitely beneficial to the well established competition. Though I personally would let the situation calm down and give AsciLab a chance to achieve excellence in service, as well.

The company seems not to understand how fragile their position is on the international market and *to underestimate how much it depends on ASR (for USA and EU/UK at least). Parting ways with TESTED AUDIO, probably because of egos being hurt, would certainly not be beneficial for the future and provide an abrupt halt to "We know that AsciLab will achieve significant growth in 2026, and we need partners who are passionate and capable of proving their performance on this journey."

Just to be clear, while these matters should have been dealt with promptly and professionally in private, it is not amirm who is at fault. The next steps taken by AsciLab will pretty much pave the way for a future or render it unnecessarily challenging for the company.

Working with many different nationalities on a regular basis, I do understand that there are fundamental cultural differences which also here stand in the way. Yet, conducting international business has no room for that.

@AsciLab
Now is the time to build up trust! Towards your dealers and towards your (potential) customers. I hope the current pressure you experience because of your own actions will not compromise quality, especially not for the pre-ordered C8C & BX8C, which naturally have a higher failure probability compared to passive designs. Make sure there are enough spare parts available when needed and provide them within days - internationally (through your dealers and via direct shipping, where required). Sustainability is one key word, all your products should still be serviceable within reasonable time even in 20 years. I'm not exaggerating; especially in Pro Audio, life cycles are rather long as you know. Communicate your plans of action and make them believable by sticking to and executing them. Yes, communication is another BIG key word...

Whether you like it or not, you put yourself in a position where you are directly competing with brands like Genelec or KEF and you can learn much from them. Also, put faces to your company. It helps build trust and you should be proud of being able to present your excellently engineered products. No extra money for PR/marketing required - for a start, put some photos on your website of the CEO presenting new product(s) with the lead engineers or something like that. That's even more important for a young company like yours.

Overall it should be understood that your community, especially including ASR, wants you to succeed! This is a fragile privilege you achieved over a short amount of time and hence, every criticism should be addressed objectively and with the sole scope of improving short- and long-term relationships with your audience.

 

[pat355]

Interesting progress. Alarming? Maybe; but definitely beneficial to the well established competition. Though I personally would let the situation calm down and give AsciLab a chance to achieve excellence in service, as well.

The company seems not to understand how fragile their position is on the international market and how much it depends on ASR (for USA and EU/UK at least). Parting ways with TESTED AUDIO, probably because of egos being hurt, would certainly not be beneficial for the future and provide an abrupt halt to "We know that AsciLab will achieve significant growth in 2026, and we need partners who are passionate and capable of proving their performance on this journey."

Just to be clear, while these matters should have been dealt with promptly and professionally in private, it is not amirm who is at fault. The next steps taken by AsciLab will pretty much pave the way for a future or render it unnecessarily challenging for the company.

Working with many different nationalities on a regular basis, I do understand that there are fundamental cultural differences which also here stand in the way. Yet, conducting international business has no room for that.

@AsciLab
Now is the time to build up trust! Towards your dealers and towards your (potential) customers. I hope the current pressure you experience because of your own actions will not compromise quality, especially not for the pre-ordered C8C & BX8C, which naturally have a higher failure probability compared to passive designs. Make sure there are enough spare parts available when needed and provide them within days - internationally (through your dealers and via direct shipping, where required). Sustainability is one key word, all your products should still be serviceable within reasonable time even in 20 years. I'm not exaggerating; especially in Pro Audio, life cycles are rather long as you know. Communicate your plans of action and make them believable by sticking to and executing them. Yes, communication is another BIG key word...

Whether you like it or not, you put yourself in a position where you are directly competing with brands like Genelec or KEF and you can learn much from them. Also, put faces to your company. It helps build trust and you should be proud of being able to present your excellently engineered products. No extra money for PR/marketing required - for a start, put some photos on your website of the CEO presenting new product(s) with the lead engineers or something like that. That's even more important for a young company like yours.

Overall it should be understood that your community, especially including ASR, wants you to succeed! This is a fragile privilege you achieved over a short amount of time and hence, every criticism should be addressed objectively and with the sole scope of improving short- and long-term relationships with your audience.

very eloquent and exactly what AsciLab should 1. understand and 2. execute on. I hope they do.

 

[Jingles75]

Wow. I cant help but feel a little sick and disappointed having just read the last few pages of this thread.
While I sympathise with Amir and his business dealings with Ascilab & agree the situation should have been handled better before it all came to a head here, I don't believe laying out a private dispute between a distributer and manufacturer in front of a public audience is the way forward, even under the guise of being transparent with customers, regardless of the circumstances.

If you flick back 10 or more pages in this thread there's huge praise for Ascilab for answering consumer questions, providing advice and being transparent with measurements etc. On multiple occasions they have answered and re-answered the same questions because us consumers are too lazy to read the previous 100+ pages to find information for them selves. It only took a couple of negative posts from Amir & this threads snowballing in the direction of a hate fest. I'd be surprised after reading the last few pages of posts if we'll ever see the same level of involvement from Ascilab in public forums again.

One forum member I won't name goes as far as saying "I would also like to point out that none of us in ASR -and perhaps outside of it- would have heard or considered this company if Amir had not put them on the map with an enthusiastic price-value review." In an earlier post the same user says "And you might regret it very deeply if something goes wrong. This is a business where one unsupported problem makes us shun a brand forever." Who is "us"? the cult of Amir? What a load of rubbish to suggest the audio universe revolves around Amir. Grow up. I'm sure i'm among many here who learnt of Ascilab through entirely different channels. I'm positive his reviews helped build brand awareness and sales, but if he steps down as a distributer, the world isn't going to end.

I can't help but feel we've all become a mob of selfish entitled sheeple. I assumed the majority of people on this forum would made informed decisions to purchase Ascilab's products having followed threads like this and understanding your purchasing from a passionate start up with a history of supply delays. In my own case, I was happy to jump on the C8C preorder train knowing full well I'd most likely not take delivery on time. I'd much rather wait another 6 or 12 months if necessary to take delivery of a high quality, well engineered product which wasn't rushed during assembly and which is well packaged and arrives safely. There is no dealer in Australia so I've ordered direct knowing full well i'll have no local dealer support should I run into problems. Again, like the delays, this a risk I accept having done my own research. For what its worth, at the current exchange rate, we're paying almost double what you folk in the US are paying for these products also.

There's no way I'm going to let the negativity of one distributor (haven't personally seen anything negative from the other 6 yet) cloud my opinion of a company who's already earnt my admiration for spending the time and energy to design and begin manufacture of multiple class leading products, which, if they sound as good as they measure, are set to be comparable or better than many high ticket alternatives. Frankly, it doesn't bother me that Ascilab's may not be good business people. They are great engineers. If they were good business people, their speakers would wrapped in walnut veneer and be priced well out of my reach. They'd have sold half as much at three times the price and be laughing all the way to the bank.

I very much look forward to receiving my order in good time, whatever that might be, to appreciate the thoughtful details of their design, and to judge them with my own ears. If they are as good as I anticipate, i'll show my support for the brand but placing further orders.

 

[krsp]

Wow. I cant help but feel a little sick and disappointed having just read the last few pages of this thread.
While I sympathise with Amir and his business dealings with Ascilab & agree the situation should have been handled better before it all came to a head here, I don't believe laying out a private dispute between a distributer and manufacturer in front of a public audience is the way forward, even under the guise of being transparent with customers, regardless of the circumstances.

If you flick back 10 or more pages in this thread there's huge praise for Ascilab for answering consumer questions, providing advice and being transparent with measurements etc. On multiple occasions they have answered and re-answered the same questions because us consumers are too lazy to read the previous 100+ pages to find information for them selves. It only took a couple of negative posts from Amir & this threads snowballing in the direction of a hate fest. I'd be surprised after reading the last few pages of posts if we'll ever see the same level of involvement from Ascilab in public forums again.

One forum member I won't name goes as far as saying "I would also like to point out that none of us in ASR -and perhaps outside of it- would have heard or considered this company if Amir had not put them on the map with an enthusiastic price-value review." In an earlier post the same user says "And you might regret it very deeply if something goes wrong. This is a business where one unsupported problem makes us shun a brand forever." Who is "us"? the cult of Amir? What a load of rubbish to suggest the audio universe revolves around Amir. Grow up. I'm sure i'm among many here who learnt of Ascilab through entirely different channels. I'm positive his reviews helped build brand awareness and sales, but if he steps down as a distributer, the world isn't going to end.

I can't help but feel we've all become a mob of selfish entitled sheeple. I assumed the majority of people on this forum would made informed decisions to purchase Ascilab's products having followed threads like this and understanding your purchasing from a passionate start up with a history of supply delays. In my own case, I was happy to jump on the C8C preorder train knowing full well I'd most likely not take delivery on time. I'd much rather wait another 6 or 12 months if necessary to take delivery of a high quality, well engineered product which wasn't rushed during assembly and which is well packaged and arrives safely. There is no dealer in Australia so I've ordered direct knowing full well i'll have no local dealer support should I run into problems. Again, like the delays, this a risk I accept having done my own research. For what its worth, at the current exchange rate, we're paying almost double what you folk in the US are paying for these products also.

There's no way I'm going to let the negativity of one distributor (haven't personally seen anything negative from the other 6 yet) cloud my opinion of a company who's already earnt my admiration for spending the time and energy to design and begin manufacture of multiple class leading products, which, if they sound as good as they measure, are set to be comparable or better than many high ticket alternatives. Frankly, it doesn't bother me that Ascilab's may not be good business people. They are great engineers. If they were good business people, their speakers would wrapped in walnut veneer and be priced well out of my reach. They'd have sold half as much at three times the price and be laughing all the way to the bank.

I very much look forward to receiving my order in good time, whatever that might be, to appreciate the thoughtful details of their design, and to judge them with my own ears. If they are as good as I anticipate, i'll show my support for the brand but placing further orders.

The core issue isn’t simply the delivery delay; it’s their communication and the way they’ve handled the situation

you defending AsciLab doesn’t mean they’ll ship your speakers any faster. Hang in there.

 

[Chr1]

No doubt the engineering is good. Personally, I am holding off final judgement until I see how their reliability and consequent customer support pans out. They are not cheap products.
However, the condescending attitude from the CEO simply means that they still have a lot to prove for me. YMMV.

 

[Jingles75]

You defending AsciLab doesn’t mean they’ll ship your speakers any faster. Hang in there.

Ha, I know they wont. I ordered at the tail end of the pre-order so I'm not expecting them for months yet

 

[Mocie]

The company seems not to understand how fragile their position is on the international market and how much it depends on ASR

I know people in here feel (and have been!) wronged but this is an insane statement to make, plenty of brands that aren't ASR 'approved' do perfectly fine and thrive. Keep the delusions of grandeur to a minimum and just focus on the fact distros (and paying customers) are getting screwed over - reading stuff like this gives second-hand embarrassment and definitely doesn't garner sympathy.

 

[Purité Audio]

‘Screwed over’ I can only speak for myself, but that is simply not true.
Just the growth pains of a new company, I sincerely hope both parties can reach a mutually beneficial solution.
Keith

 

[Mort]

Wow. I cant help but feel a little sick and disappointed having just read the last few pages of this thread.
While I sympathise with Amir and his business dealings with Ascilab & agree the situation should have been handled better before it all came to a head here, I don't believe laying out a private dispute between a distributer and manufacturer in front of a public audience is the way forward, even under the guise of being transparent with customers, regardless of the circumstances.

If you flick back 10 or more pages in this thread there's huge praise for Ascilab for answering consumer questions, providing advice and being transparent with measurements etc. On multiple occasions they have answered and re-answered the same questions because us consumers are too lazy to read the previous 100+ pages to find information for them selves. It only took a couple of negative posts from Amir & this threads snowballing in the direction of a hate fest. I'd be surprised after reading the last few pages of posts if we'll ever see the same level of involvement from Ascilab in public forums again.

One forum member I won't name goes as far as saying "I would also like to point out that none of us in ASR -and perhaps outside of it- would have heard or considered this company if Amir had not put them on the map with an enthusiastic price-value review." In an earlier post the same user says "And you might regret it very deeply if something goes wrong. This is a business where one unsupported problem makes us shun a brand forever." Who is "us"? the cult of Amir? What a load of rubbish to suggest the audio universe revolves around Amir. Grow up. I'm sure i'm among many here who learnt of Ascilab through entirely different channels. I'm positive his reviews helped build brand awareness and sales, but if he steps down as a distributer, the world isn't going to end.

I can't help but feel we've all become a mob of selfish entitled sheeple. I assumed the majority of people on this forum would made informed decisions to purchase Ascilab's products having followed threads like this and understanding your purchasing from a passionate start up with a history of supply delays. In my own case, I was happy to jump on the C8C preorder train knowing full well I'd most likely not take delivery on time. I'd much rather wait another 6 or 12 months if necessary to take delivery of a high quality, well engineered product which wasn't rushed during assembly and which is well packaged and arrives safely. There is no dealer in Australia so I've ordered direct knowing full well i'll have no local dealer support should I run into problems. Again, like the delays, this a risk I accept having done my own research. For what its worth, at the current exchange rate, we're paying almost double what you folk in the US are paying for these products also.

There's no way I'm going to let the negativity of one distributor (haven't personally seen anything negative from the other 6 yet) cloud my opinion of a company who's already earnt my admiration for spending the time and energy to design and begin manufacture of multiple class leading products, which, if they sound as good as they measure, are set to be comparable or better than many high ticket alternatives. Frankly, it doesn't bother me that Ascilab's may not be good business people. They are great engineers. If they were good business people, their speakers would wrapped in walnut veneer and be priced well out of my reach. They'd have sold half as much at three times the price and be laughing all the way to the bank.

I very much look forward to receiving my order in good time, whatever that might be, to appreciate the thoughtful details of their design, and to judge them with my own ears. If they are as good as I anticipate, i'll show my support for the brand but placing further orders.

You just defended Ascilab better than they defended themselves, their surprise notwithstanding. They clearly did not know how to handle public shaming. (Tip: don't act like nothing is happening.)

Still. It reads smugly. And it is still not true. It's a low blow to use one person's response to form the core of your objection against an entire site! You know better.

The entitled sheep are anyone that thinks this should be glossed over because they will (eventually) get their nice piece of audio engineering.

 

[Sokel]

There's one small detail (nothing about audibility) about at least one Asci speaker who speaks volumes about the low understanding of the market they try to exist in.
Can anyone guess?