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Warning about Kyle of Reference Audio Mods - Page 4

post #46 of 73
8/18/11 at 1:10am

-- reply deleted by my better half -- 


Edited by tvrboy - 8/18/11 at 1:29am
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post #47 of 73
8/18/11 at 7:30pm

more than a few people have told me that they have had negative experiences with RAM.

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post #48 of 73
8/20/11 at 9:41am


FYI, EMMA and IASCA are a lot more than dB meters. I've listened to a system with insane stage depth - it's like some of the percussion is coming from behind the windshield. Forgot what drivers though, but for my own car I use car I use Focal/JMLab mids, Vifa tweets, DDAudio amp, Pioneer processor/CDreceiver (with active crossover and time alignment) and NO SUB, no rear speakers. Sharp roll-off at 70hz but hearing the bass coming from behind me is annoying; no time alignment can fix all the acoustic imperfections in my car. There are real extremists for SQ too and they will gut their rear board to install a sub firing up inside the cabin, or better yet, find some way to install it up front. Some people even buy a car with audio installations in mind - the current Civic and Yaris for example are great platforms because of the dashboard shape. Aside from the obvious fact that you'd probably drive a sports car on open roads more than through downtown traffic, they're also the worst for audio installs: the instrument clusters are too large and get in the way of the sound.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post

Car audio? Please, the extremists are mostly interested in making the loudest bass burp. Fidelity means nothing.
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post #49 of 73
8/21/11 at 4:37pm
Thread Starter 

Just as a follow up on this audio journey, Kyle came by yesterday with a cashier's check settlement for the Carver AMP and picked up the Marantz to repair. I had him sign a second document to our agreement regarding my receiving of his check, that he will return with the Marantz repaired within 14 days. Also, giving me a 140 days warrantee on his work. So, the ball is in his court to follow through so we may sign off a Mutual Release agreement I have prepared.

Please, if possible, keep this thread open to credit the seller for satisfying his obligation to repair or refund these two components of my commissioned system.


Edited by Diamond_Jim007 - 8/21/11 at 5:52pm
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post #50 of 73
8/21/11 at 8:24pm

Sorry to hear about this, im amazing it came with a puny warranty for a $28,000 system!

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post #51 of 73
8/21/11 at 8:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cifani090 View Post

Sorry to hear about this, im amazing it came with a puny warranty for a $28,000 system!


Indeed. The Upgrade Company offers five years - not that I would actually trust them with anything.

 

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post #52 of 73
8/22/11 at 7:51pm

^^^

 

Jim, 

 

I note that you've posted versions of this thread on several other different audio forums (AVS, AA and so on). Here's my question: what does your case have to do specifically with the subject of this particular subforum (dedicated source components for headphone systems) and how, besides gaining for you larger audience for your grievance and perhaps shedding light on an unpleasant business transaction, does this thread contribute to the headfi community? I'm a bit confused.

 

o


Edited by orkney - 8/22/11 at 7:54pm
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post #53 of 73
8/22/11 at 9:57pm

To be fair, as we are all consumers, it is a service to let follow head-fiers know of business experiences, both good and bad. How else would we decide who to do business with?

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post #54 of 73
8/26/11 at 5:17pm

A Mikhail protégé!!

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post #55 of 73
8/27/11 at 2:35am
I'll take your word for it, ProtegeMagic.

The difference for me is that driving is important me me and audio is far down the list. I also roll on two wheels, where I don't even want audio. Being in a cage, something that simply gives me audio is most important. Hi-Fi would be nice, but the road takes precedent.
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post #56 of 73
8/27/11 at 3:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post

I'll take your word for it, ProtegeMagic.

The difference for me is that driving is important me me and audio is far down the list. I also roll on two wheels, where I don't even want audio. Being in a cage, something that simply gives me audio is most important. Hi-Fi would be nice, but the road takes precedent.

 

I find that the top level systems that luxury car makers are using these days are more than good enough for the amount of time I'm in the car. The latest Lexus/ML, Audi/B&O, and Porsche/Burmester systems are really impressive, and you don't have to tear the dash and doors apart, and start messing with incredibly complicated electrical systems. The other problem with car audio is that the money you spend especially for the installation goes into a black hole. It doesn't increase the value of the car one iota.

 

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post #57 of 73
8/27/11 at 4:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post

I'll take your word for it, ProtegeMagic.

The difference for me is that driving is important me me and audio is far down the list. I also roll on two wheels, where I don't even want audio. Being in a cage, something that simply gives me audio is most important. Hi-Fi would be nice, but the road takes precedent.

 

I'll put it this way: traffic is horrible here some of us need audio to distract us. I remember back in the 1980s my dad actually sticks his head out the window and waves his hands all over the place, short of using his middle finger. By now I hear kids acting all shocked when they come home from a pilgrimage to the Vatican and they say Italians drive like that; they apparently weren't old enough back in the 1980s. (Which also means I'm old.) The downside of course is what you mentioned: most people who install audio systems on their cars just want to be heard from five blocks away. In any case I find I don't listen to anything at all now that I don't drive during rush hour.

 

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post #58 of 73
10/3/11 at 5:26pm

 

Jim,

 

I had a similar experience. About 4 yrs. ago I had Kyle upgrade a previous mod that he had done to my Marantz 8260. It was already fully modded with the wooden chaise made with curly maple wood and signature parts. I sent it back to him because they had the new Ultra regs, Ultra-clock, etc.... So I sent the unit in and paid everything up front. Little did I know it would be nearly three years before I would finally be taken care of after countless phone calls, ignored phone calls , unanswered messages and e-mails, threats, and complaints!

     I never got my Marantz back!!!! I don't know what has become of it!!! I never seen it again.  After nearly three yrs. of persistence and threats to go on public sites he finally shipped me a Statement Modded Oppo 83 SE with a super clock 4, which with further persistence on my part he sent me the Ultra-clock Mk2, Which I had to install my self. The player had issues the I had to trouble shoot myself. I finally got everything working properly. I fixed the problems myself because I was not about to risk sending it back to Kyle and maybe never seeing it again.

     Since then Doug Jesse at ASi Technology has taken the player to new heights by adding By bee music rails and battery supply its truly a world class player now and is currently the best I've heard at any price.  Doug Jesse at ASi Tech has been a God send he is truly knowledgeable and is a man of his word and is doing some cutting edge modifications. I can't recommend him enough.

       In the end Kyle finally satisfied me but after 3 yrs of waiting and pleading for him to keep his word and do what I paid him to do.

My cousin sent him a Sony 777es , it never got the work done to it and it was eventually sent back in peaces.

       What can I say? It was a bad experience for me. But a lesson learned. I now use Asi tech for all of my mods.

 

Apostolicman

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post #59 of 73
4/4/12 at 9:45am

reference audio mods is the worst company i have ever dealt with since 1975 in high end audio

i sent him my japanese model stax headphone srm k2 1 power amp to make a voltage conversion to us voltage. for 3 weeks he stalled on this

he gave no details on why it could not be done. i told him to go to stax in gardena ca,two hours away from him

i'm still waiting for my amp headphones and test cd's

keil tanagawa he no good

chop him up for firewood.

 

paul

nyc

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post #60 of 73
4/4/12 at 11:51am
Thread Starter 

 

 

Paul,

In my 7 years experience of knowing Kyle Takenaga of Reference Audio Mods, he is not a real tech. By that I mean he has no real electronics education nor an EE degree to help him to make any kind of repairs, mods or audio design that you may need.

 

Basically, his experience was on his own gear and grew from there working at his mother's kitchen table for the past few years. He is still living with his parents.

He may agree to take on new challenges and to some degree may have success in other areas other than his CD mods that he built his business on. That and his motto of "The best parts make the best sound", so there you have Kyle in the nut shell. Nothing takes the place of real education and experience.

 

As I tell everyone these days, check out your Modder on Goggle before handing over your hard earned cash to someone that is basically self taught and simply experimenting with your gear by changing out a few parts here and there. Otherwise, you have opened up your wallet only to be disappointed or denied for years as was my experience.

 

Find a real technician in your area where you can go to see his shop full of the real equipment such as oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzer, and a real workbench and work space dedicated to the work you are paying for. These kitchen table cottage industries equipped with little more than a multimeter and a cheap soldering iron that developed out of the past 10 years providing a basic need to upgrade cd players certain parts does not give these people the knowledge or experiance to take on this kind of work and thus not performing as one would expect of a real technician.

Dj

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