Feedback on Shipping from Manufacturing

[four_strings_good]

I may be wrong (I sometimes am ), but it looks as though a Canadian customer would get dinged for both the US tariffs on Korean imports, and then again for the retaliatory tariffs by Canada on US goods! Hands up everyone who likes tariffs!

To my knowledge, tariffs are based on the country of origin, meaning where the product is actually made. Canada Customs should not treat these loudspeakers as Made in USA products, because they aren't.

 

[gabo4au]

If you are interested in these speakers, especially if you have already contacted me, please post whether you would pay a premium of say, $70 to have your order shipped by air. Nothing is a commitment. I just need to know which route we need to take as far as our first order.

I would gladly pay the extra $70 for an all black pair of C6b's. Count me in!

 

[J0my]

Yes, in a very slow deliberate, curated way. Ultimately, I like to offer anything that I would personally recommend.

A lot like Crinacle with iems and hangout audio (pre CrinEar).

 

[Billy Budapest]

Yes, in a very slow deliberate, curated way. Ultimately, I like to offer anything that I would personally recommend.

I’m all for this, but keep in mind that even with testing backing up the lines you sell, some people will nonetheless accuse you of bias in your reviews. Kind of like what Audioholics faces.

 

[EJ3]

I’m all for this, but keep in mind that even with testing backing up the lines you sell, some people will nonetheless accuse you of bias in your reviews. Kind of like what Audioholics faces.

Damn those "some people".

I would venture to say that they are likely on the wrong side of common sense.

 

[antisuck]

I’m all for this, but keep in mind that even with testing backing up the lines you sell, some people will nonetheless accuse you of bias in your reviews. Kind of like what Audioholics faces.

When Amir posted a thread announcing the new venture, it turned into pages and pages of dire warnings and people insisting various things needed to be handled differently.

I expect you're probably right (people will always find reasons to get upset about anything) but there's probably little point in rehashing all that here.

 

[Grenadine]

I'll pay for Air, I PM'ed you my order a while back. And Congrats!

 

[amirm]

I’m all for this, but keep in mind that even with testing backing up the lines you sell, some people will nonetheless accuse you of bias in your reviews.

As noted, all of these worries were expressed in the original announcement. Many told me I should not measure speakers as it would be nothing but grief (hard to ship, broken products, etc.). Yet here we are. At some point folks need to trust me that I can manage these risks.

 

[wad0]

Hey you all...

[[ ... ]]

We have a choice in shipping from Korea to us. Standard shipping will cost half as much as air freight but will take a month or more to get here (and then we have to ship it to you). Air freight on the other hand gets here in a week! Further, for ocean shipping, we have to wait until all the speakers are ready whereas with Air, they can be shipped immediately, letting us fulfill orders almost immediately.

Another aspect is that if everyone come through with their pre-order commitment, we have already pre-sold our first order! Staying with ocean shipping means waiting a month or more for production of the next batch, then another month for shipping. So follow on orders will likely take us to end of the year if not beginning of next year.

If you are interested in these speakers, especially if you have already contacted me, please post whether you would pay a premium of say, $70 to have your order shipped by air. Nothing is a commitment. I just need to know which route we need to take as far as our first order.

If it were up to me, we would go all Air and eat the cost but we just don't have that kind of margin. Hence the quest to find out how much you value the faster and more flexible delivery.

Thanks,

I personally don't mind waiting, but I can see the business case of air freight providing better ordering flexibility, delivery timeframes, and inventory costs. And I wouldn't be put-off by the modest incremental cost associated with air freight. That said, being in the Pacific NW, I would be appreciative of an option to "will call by reservation" an order at your location, rather than have it shipped domestically. ;-)

 

[DanTheMan]

Personally I know where I'm getting my future speakers from and if the store opens up to more recommended products, the rest of my future audio gear.

 

[ChrisW]

Does anyone have any idea of whether Ascilab is planning to release a center-channel speaker, or alternatively a single of one of their existing speakers? Thanks!

 

[amirm]

I think they have plans to build every kind of speaker. For the store, I am being very conservative and waiting to fully tests new products before carrying them.

 

[Gremlins]

As noted, all of these worries were expressed in the original announcement. Many told me I should not measure speakers as it would be nothing but grief (hard to ship, broken products, etc.). Yet here we are. At some point folks need to trust me that I can manage these risks.

I believe bias will be difficult as you actually dont review by subjective comments, but by measurements with a klippel...

Listen stevehuff speaking about the new best in the world dac, amp, speaker ... That's what we dont want as a seller company
Reading measurements tells us exactly what we purchase, and the best dac on the world can only cost 200 euro... Not 12000 from switzerland

 

[Jole]

I agree with Billy Budapest 100%. But at least from my experience you as founder and contributors (as well as members) are nice community, that give to people an objective technical and engineer opinion. Billy Budapest gave good Audioholics example but I belive them, as well as ASR and Archimago. People need some income so good luck with import and distribution and problems with transport.

 

[MKreroo]

Very interested in this, is shipping to Canada currently feasible? Planning on getting a pair of F6B one day

 

[thewas]

Just imagine if Amir got klippel data for Gravelsen speakers...
We'd get to see just how the best DIY stacks up against the major manufacturers!

Gravesen loudspreakers are not even even close to best DIY, just use good drivers and been long in the business and thus more known in the broad public.

 

[Morpheus]

The price point is relevant to shiping costs. If you are buying Ascilabs entry offering, you are probably on a "budget" or buying one of your first speakers and 70$ may be a dealbreaker..Not so much if you are springing for their Purifi equiped models wich probably cost the same to ship, but are multiples in price.

 

[gabo4au]

Gravesen loudspreakers are not even even close to best DIY, just use good drivers and been long in the business and thus more known in the broad public.

Troel has been doing it a long time. Something to be said for that level of success, I'm sure he's learned a lot.

However, I do have the question as to whether he embraces and/or has a good knowledge of the technological advances that have taken speaker building to new levels. Things like Vituixcad (or similar commercial options), Klippel or the manual way of measuring speakers with REW.

These tools allow builders to test and model small tweaks in a design that just weren't possible in years past. This has really upped the level of accuracy and smoothness in modern speakers.

DIY options like the Mechano23, which was designed using modern tools using pretty low cost components and simple box design are incredibly good compared to DIY of years past. And commercial options like these Ascilab speakers that have been meticulously designed with modern tools and test out better than almost any speaker of their class.

These speakers have eclipsed anything in their respective price range going back to be beginning of time. If Troel hasn't kept up with these technological advances or if he doesn't have the expertise to effectively use all these tools, then his speakers just aren't going to be as good from a sound perspective. His woodworking skills are incredible and his speakers are solid performers. Do they match the best of today? Until some of them are put on a Klippel, we won't really know.

I'm looking forward to the next generation of tools. There is no reason why something like Vituixcad can't iterate through thousands of designs to automatically come up with an optimum design given a set of drivers or even a set of criteria. Basically an AI automated version of the tools that does it automatically for you and gives you the drivers, box, and crossover to meet your goals.

Even though "audiophiles" are a rare breed any more, it's a great time to be one!! I just wish my ears were as good as they were 40 years ago!!

 

[thewas]

Experience shows that when people just show on-axis plots or very few off-axis ones (which often even reveal some issues) than the engineering hasn't been done in the current state of tech, namely considering the full radiation and things like multitone distortion. This doesn't of course make such designs automatically bad, but just not state of the current engineering.

 

[Henryk]

Gravesen loudspreakers are not even even close to best DIY, just use good drivers and been long in the business and thus more known in the broad public.

Could you take me to school and name some - that you believe - are the best?