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

[thewas]

By the way I don't see a reason why a 901K cannot be used in similarly short distances as a 8361, a friend of mine has the just a bit smaller 921K (which replaced his KH420) and enjoys them in less then 2 meter nearfield.

 

[Pearljam5000]

By the way I don't see a reason why a 901K cannot be used in similarly short distances as a 8361, a friend of mine has the just a bit smaller 921K (which replaced his KH420) and enjoys them in less then 2 meter nearfield.

901K yes it's intended for 2-4 meters
But 801K is for 3-6 meters

 

[prestigetone]

One more update on the Geithain front. They don't seem to care about keeping any American business and I would be surprised if Vintage King continued to carry them. Offered no concessions and I bowed out of getting another replacement they will most likely improperly pack, after waiting 4 months. Suffice it to say my initial post stands. I would advise anyone in the US to not buy any product from them unless you want to be left holding the bag. Germany is probably a great place to own great speakers like this but it's too much of a risk with nearly $16K invested. Buyer be extraordinarily aware.

Passives do not carry the same risk and I would love to check out the Kii 7

 

[Purité Audio]

Perhaps they are simply content with the home market, I remember approaching another manufacturer ( who also happened to be German) he made really smart direct drive turntables, he didn’t want to export, just thought it too much hassle.
The MEG situation has remained exactly the same for the last twenty years, I don't expect it to change unless the company radically changes its retail model which would almost certainly increase prices.
Keith

 

[poopy]

One more update on the Geithain front. They don't seem to care about keeping any American business and I would be surprised if Vintage King continued to carry them. Offered no concessions and I bowed out of getting another replacement they will most likely improperly pack, after waiting 4 months. Suffice it to say my initial post stands. I would advise anyone in the US to not buy any product from them unless you want to be left holding the bag. Germany is probably a great place to own great speakers like this but it's too much of a risk with nearly $16K invested. Buyer be extraordinarily aware.

Passives do not carry the same risk and I would love to check out the Kii 7

Who packed your speakers (pictures you provided)? This looks a real amateur job to me. Anyway this is unacceptable. You're right to send them back and get refunded.

By the way, couldn't KMR Audio London ship directly to you?

 

[Pearljam5000]

One more update on the Geithain front. They don't seem to care about keeping any American business and I would be surprised if Vintage King continued to carry them. Offered no concessions and I bowed out of getting another replacement they will most likely improperly pack, after waiting 4 months. Suffice it to say my initial post stands. I would advise anyone in the US to not buy any product from them unless you want to be left holding the bag. Germany is probably a great place to own great speakers like this but it's too much of a risk with nearly $16K invested. Buyer be extraordinarily aware.

Passives do not carry the same risk and I would love to check out the Kii 7

Kii 7 is is kind of a downgrade from Geithain
Why not 8351+W371 ?

 

[Berlin]

Why not 8351+W371

I had the opportunity to compare the 8351 and 8361 yesterday. I think that the 8351 would already be OK without the W371 (if placed close to the front wall). However, they are not Geithains...

 

[Pearljam5000]

I had the opportunity to compare the 8351 and 8361 yesterday. I think that the 8351 would already be OK without the W371 (if placed close to the front wall). However, they are not Geithains...

What do they lack compared to Geithains ?

 

[Berlin]

What do they lack compared to Geithains ?

Unfortunately I did not have them in my listening room. If I recall correctly , the reverberation time of Genelec's listening room is 0,25s - this is a bit too dry for my taste. So it's hard to say if it's the speaker or the room that makes me prefer the Geithains...

P.S.
They also lack nice veneer...

 

[Pearljam5000]

Unfortunately I did not have them in my listening room. If I recall correctly , the reverberation time of Genelec's listening room is 0,25s - this is a bit too dry for my taste. So it's hard to say if it's the speaker or the room that makes me prefer the Geithains...

P.S.
They also lack nice veneer...

Lol
That's exactly what I like about them, they dry sound
I guess you have other alternatives , KH420, Kii 3, D&D 8C etc

 

[prestigetone]

Perhaps they are simply content with the home market, I remember approaching another manufacturer ( who also happened to be German) he made really smart direct drive turntables, he didn’t want to export, just thought it too much hassle.
The MEG situation has remained exactly the same for the last twenty years, I don't expect it to change unless the company radically changes its retail model which would almost certainly increase prices.
Keith

Bingo

Who packed your speakers (pictures you provided)? This looks a real amateur job to me. Anyway this is unacceptable. You're right to send them back and get refunded.

By the way, couldn't KMR Audio London ship directly to you?

Geithain! For most cardioid, or K model, there is an option for the K1 variant. This puts the amp in an external box for smaller spaces. After my 930K (no option to put the amp separately) was damaged and the box arrived battered, I opted to go with it separately. I figured the speakers would be easier to move, the weight would be less per box with the amps in separate packaging, and if the amps did stop working I simply ship one back instead of having the whole monitor make the trip.

Well Geithain put these in 933 boxes which you can see from the pic I attached. That is a bigger monitor than the 934K and a lot bigger than the 934K. Geithain also used the formed styrofoam for the larger footprints resulting in the 42lb speaker rocking back and forth inside the box. I only opened one box, you can see in the box bending at the place where the speaker kept hitting it (same picture attached). This was entirely on Geithain to put a $6,000 speaker in the right size box with the right sized padding. This likely would have happened to nearly any buyer international or domestic depending on the distance travelled. That speaker was hitting the box for 5,000 plus miles. Even the weight on their website was off 10lb per monitor. I wouldn't trust their product to be reliably shipped and serviced anywhere outside of Germany. KMR is okay, but they don't really answer questions or seem to care either, and their pricing is significantly more.

Kii 7 is is kind of a downgrade from Geithain
Why not 8351+W371 ?

I want a lightweight all in one package. Yes it's a compromise but I think they would travel well, and be easier to deal with. W371 is too big! But I love Genelec too.

 

[Berlin]

That's exactly what I like about them, they dry sound

Probably best enjoyed with plenty of water...

 

[bo_knows]

This room:

https://www.genelec.com/berlin-experience-centre

Dang! Impressive looking room. Worth of trip for sure.

 

[RobL]

Bingo

Geithain! For most cardioid, or K model, there is an option for the K1 variant. This puts the amp in an external box for smaller spaces. After my 930K (no option to put the amp separately) was damaged and the box arrived battered, I opted to go with it separately. I figured the speakers would be easier to move, the weight would be less per box with the amps in separate packaging, and if the amps did stop working I simply ship one back instead of having the whole monitor make the trip.

Well Geithain put these in 933 boxes which you can see from the pic I attached. That is a bigger monitor than the 934K and a lot bigger than the 934K. Geithain also used the formed styrofoam for the larger footprints resulting in the 42lb speaker rocking back and forth inside the box. I only opened one box, you can see in the box bending at the place where the speaker kept hitting it (same picture attached). This was entirely on Geithain to put a $6,000 speaker in the right size box with the right sized padding. This likely would have happened to nearly any buyer international or domestic depending on the distance travelled. That speaker was hitting the box for 5,000 plus miles. Even the weight on their website was off 10lb per monitor. I wouldn't trust their product to be reliably shipped and serviced anywhere outside of Germany. KMR is okay, but they don't really answer questions or seem to care either, and their pricing is significantly more.


I want a lightweight all in one package. Yes it's a compromise but I think they would travel well, and be easier to deal with. W371 is too big! But I love Genelec too.

Did they send the speakers to you on a pallet? My 8361’s came double-boxed and taped down to a pallet…I think that’s a must for large, heavy speakers.

 

[prestigetone]

Did they send the speakers to you on a pallet? My 8361’s came double-boxed and taped down to a pallet…I think that’s a must for large, heavy speakers.

A pallet will only help the exterior from getting damaged. It wouldn’t help to prevent this if the speaker can freely tip over inside the box on the pallet.

 

[RobL]

A pallet will only help the exterior from getting damaged. It wouldn’t help to prevent this if the speaker can freely tip over inside the box on the pallet.

Yes, the way they boxed them was unacceptable for something that costly, but with the way shippers throw around loose boxes, the $300 or so to send them on a pallet is money we’ll spent imo.

 

[Pearljam5000]

The only logical way to avoid this damage is probably to ask the dealer to repackage them for you for an extra charge

 

[MAB]

The only logical way to avoid this damage is to ask the dealer to repackage them for you for an extra charge

I don't follow, so you mean for extra money they will ship it to you in a fashion that it doesn't get damaged, otherwise buyers should expect damage??? The dealer and manufacturer should ship the item in appropriate packaging for whatever the sales price plus shipping and handling, no extra charges.

 

[Pearljam5000]

I don't follow, so you mean for extra money they will ship it to you in a fashion that it doesn't get damaged, otherwise buyers should expect damage??? The dealer and manufacturer should ship the item in appropriate packaging for whatever the sales price plus shipping and handling, no extra charges.

Keyword -"should"
But if it isn't the case maybe the dealer can make an extra effort , who knows even without an extra charge , and inspect the items before shipping them and making sure they are packaged well and not moving inside the box .

 

[MAB]

Keyword -"should"
But if it isn't the case maybe the dealer can make an extra effort , who knows even without an extra charge , and inspect the items before shipping them and making sure they are packaged well and not moving inside the box .

No, I couldn't agree less. The requirement for the customer is the item is delivered in new condition for the price agreed upon, you shouldn't have to bribe your way to reasonable packaging, handling, and shipping. Asking extra money to improve chances of reasonable delivery is sleazy. And, to be clear, the OP's speaker got damaged because the packaging didn't meet a minimum standard, it would have been a miracle if it made without damage. You write whimsically about various values of expensive gear, realize that transportation is a major cost of some of these esoteric (and heavy) products. If they can't get the shipping right, or turn the delivery into another round of profit-making, they don't deserve to sell product.