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post #136 of 7724
12/24/08 at 4:48pm
Indeed but it will be too difficult to ship it worldwide from my region (Asia). There's also the fact that no one here has heard the Compass yet. Lastly, I think my upgraded Zero with a dedicated phone amp will surpass the Compass.
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post #137 of 7724
12/24/08 at 5:12pm
ONE huge box to the US shipped to one reputable member. then cross shipped to other members here. let's huddle in groups of five, so the commercial quantity tax does not kick in. Do it with other members you have dealt with or those with good feedback. we all save shipping that way. Same procedure applies for other countries.

Thoughts?
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post #138 of 7724
12/24/08 at 5:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by glitch39 View Post
ONE huge box to the US shipped to one reputable member. then cross shipped to other members here. let's huddle in groups of five, so the commercial quantity tax does not kick in. Do it with other members you have dealt with or those with good feedback. we all save shipping that way. Same procedure applies for other countries.

Thoughts?
The shipping cost for just opamps is $21 from Hong Kong to the USA, so there can be people interested in other things besides the compass who could do the cross-shipping.
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post #139 of 7724
12/24/08 at 5:53pm
I am curious what the shipping cost to the USA would be for the Compass. Hopefully they can get shipping estimates figured out.
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post #140 of 7724
12/24/08 at 7:48pm
Quality components (no more recapping or Franken..., excellent QC, NOS, customer service equal to Little Dot.

Come to think of it, if Little Dot made a DAC, I would buy it.
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post #141 of 7724
12/24/08 at 8:31pm
Component-wise and sound-wise how would this thing compare to the DAC 100 that kingwa sells? They are roughly the same price but the DAC-100 doesn't have a headphone out obviously.
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post #142 of 7724
12/24/08 at 11:33pm
Thread Starter 
There's no point in trying to get shipping cheaper, as the price includes shipping and isn't making a profit for him. That is, he's trying to get it out the door as cheap as possible initially. Also, even if there was a benefit to bulk shipping (which I doubt would be significant) it would be negated immediately by having to re-ship each unit.

Quote:
Originally Posted by crumplertm View Post
Gee thanks for your advice, I quess I was overly excited to wait for the 1st batch to launch for reviews. Kingwa is really doing a great job tuning the system with his cans. Sadly dt880 wasn't one of the cans he used.
I personally don't think adding DT880s to the list would add anything to the list I suggested. There are also so many variations of Beyer models that you can't nail down anything with one pair. As it is, I've suggested popular and finicky models.
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post #143 of 7724
12/24/08 at 11:47pm
Realistically, is this going to be good value?
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post #144 of 7724
12/25/08 at 1:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ciphercomplete View Post
Component-wise and sound-wise how would this thing compare to the DAC 100 that kingwa sells? They are roughly the same price but the DAC-100 doesn't have a headphone out obviously.
[

I put the same question across to him, as I was keen on the DAC100.
What he said was that the DAC section of the Compass will be nearly the same as the DAC100, and would be using the same high grade components.
You have to also keep in mind that the Compass is actually a NO PROFIT product, and maybe he is also taking in some loss for the initial promotional pricing of USD250..
So if you ask me, it is practically the same in the DAC area and much more than that in the Compass..


Quote:
Realistically, is this going to be good value?
It depends on what you exactly mean by value ;

1) if you look at the design, components used, so much that it is going to be no profit, seems a good value to me.
2) The fact that Compass is both a DAC and headphone amp without compromising on either - also add to the value
3) It comes from a manufacturer who is well respected for his quality gears - adds to the value too.

On how it perform in reality, as far as my thinking goes, the 3 points above logically makes me believe that Compass is a superior piece of gear.
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post #145 of 7724
12/25/08 at 2:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by sandchak View Post
I put the same question across to him, as I was keen on the DAC100.
What he said was that the DAC section of the Compass will be nearly the same as the DAC100, and would be using the same high grade components.
You have to also keep in mind that the Compass is actually a NO PROFIT product, and maybe he is also taking in some loss for the initial promotional pricing of USD250..
So if you ask me, it is practically the same in the DAC area and much more than that in the Compass..
Hi,
Ok, Let's not kid ourselves. The average Labor rate for factory workers in China is 64 cents an hour. They don't have workers comp insurance or any of the other benefits of the US. Who says there will be no profit here, and who believes them?

Let's not say it is the greatest thing since sliced bread till we've seen and HEARD it.

Let's not believe that Audio-gd is so altruistic as to produce these things at a loss for just us.
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post #146 of 7724
12/25/08 at 2:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by csroc View Post
I am curious what the shipping cost to the USA would be for the Compass. Hopefully they can get shipping estimates figured out.
Ok, here is the confirmation you require ;

Kingwa only ships express through DHL, UPS, or TNT, for Compass, where the package weighs around 4-4.5Kgs, shipping to USA through the mentioned couriers will cost around USD50 if it comes within 4kgs, and maybe a little more if it is 4.5kg.. Mind you this is again a very heavily discounted shipping cost, that is because Kingwa is a bulk shipper and as a result he gets significant discount (officially it costs USD125 for 4kg)..

Btw, shipping does also vary with global oil price ! - guess at the moment its rock bottom..
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post #147 of 7724
12/25/08 at 2:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by les_garten View Post

Let's not believe that Audio-gd is so altruistic as to produce these things at a loss for just us.
Actually, he isn't doing it only for us.. he is a smart business man apart from being a very respected manufacturer.. maybe you missed out the price is only promotional and he will raise it later on as sales pick up..and I think thats a smart way of doing your business, only shows the confidence he has on his product..

Maybe its better than a piece of bread - to me it looks like a cake !
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post #148 of 7724
12/25/08 at 2:31am
From the product page, thats a lot of stuff for such a unit. I'm gonna be honest, it looks too good to be true. I'll wait until I hear objective reviews maybe I'll pick one up.
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post #149 of 7724
12/25/08 at 2:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GUINNE55 View Post
From the product page, thats a lot of stuff for such a unit. I'm gonna be honest, it looks too good to be true. I'll wait until I hear objective reviews maybe I'll pick one up.
good approach I must say.. If people recall (maybe its forgotten now), Bursson audio HDAMs were selling close to 80 bucks (dual), when Audio GD came up with the same and if not better HDAMs for around 20 bucks, people did grab it like it was the best thing after the sliced bread- no questions asked.. so its not a wonder with Audio GD coming up with such things..

Finally I do think we ought to give some credit to Kingwa, for coming up with Compass upon the request of many headfiers and of course particularly the efforts of members like Currawong for initiating the entire thing..
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post #150 of 7724
12/25/08 at 3:16am
Hmm, this looks very interesting.

I might be going to guangdong, so I may well audition this.
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