[tk3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buster Sword /img/forum/go_quote.gif How hard is it to email me back? its been one week and no confirmation on the purchase of when it will be shipped. If it takes a couple of weeks thats fine but least have the decency to email me about it and let me know. Sure its easy to take my money, I mean he/she could take my money the instant I sent it (confirmed by paypal). And if they are on the computer already why not take a minute out to send out at least even a generic confirmation? Why not inform the buyer if theres an build time? If theres a build time why not state it on the Ebay auction?

Stay far away from Xin.

 

[Buster Sword]

Can you explain why? Did I do something wrong? The part about XIN.

Btw I purchased this on ebay, and since it did say SHIPPING FROM CALIFORNIA that gave me some confidence i was going to get it soon.

All I want it some communication and promise.
Why cant the guy put on his auction, item will take time to build etc, please allow 2 weeks to build. I would be ok with that, but its usually the case when theres no communication i get ripped off. I hate getting ripped off.

I'm a reasonable guy here, just talk to me.
Like "Ok sir, sorry about the delay I will be shipping your item, i needed some capacitors and my computer was down etc" . Heck I might even buy that excuse within given reason. I told him i would make a nice pretty review for him applauding the amp if he/she would answer my emails.

The part that I fear is about the Meier Audio thing. I don't like plagiarists and do not want to support a guy like that. Can someone confirm this?

 

[jgonino]

The reason he said t stay away from Xin, is because he take months to build the amp, and will not answer emails, or phone calls. He is not great with communication. If he could build his amps faster, he would make a lot more money.

 

[philthy]

So what happened with the Meier incident?

iggy2k: What are you using to hold the battery in the amp? His site stated he's not shipping any of the rubber foam out till the middle of next month.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Doctor Xin is a different/unrelated company/builder. Xin takes months to almost a year to deliver orders. Xin is not Robert. Those who waiting Xin amp, post and get your date of arrival

Robert runs PenguinAmp and Headstage (for some reason he still uses Headphonia). Any way, a couple of months ago Robert found someone in CA to warehouse the amps, but it seems there has been a big jump in orders that I assume weren't anticipated. So, the buffer (warehouse) must have run down. He builds these alone, is my understanding.

I have ordered 3 amps from Robert, and they took as long as 17 days to arrive. He has always responded within 48-72 hours for me, so I assume he is trying to build a backlog of amps and is now slow responding. If he is selling on eBay and his website, he might be getting confused about how many are left. I do also recall he was resuming some of his studies.

As for the "other" issue. I discovered after I had bought my PenguinAmps from Robert, that his original Headphonia amp circuit topology was taken from a meier porta corda III. Robert went through the ringer publicly with Jan Meier, and ended up offering to buy back all the amps that had the cloned internal circuits. His current amps are his own design (may include public domain like his crossfeed), but the event tarnished his reputation here. From discussions with him, I believe he is trying to put that behind him and do good business. I know when my Lyrix came with a different knob than on the photos, he unexpectedly sent me the correct volume knob later without my asking.

I still don't believe he is trying to rip anyone off. Here is a portion of my last email from him in November, showing that he IS concerned about the public's impressions.

Quote:

Yes, you are right. I hope I can be clean in future. I know headfi guys have an eye on me. BTW, I am just moving my warehouse to California for faster shipments. Rob

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philthy /img/forum/go_quote.gif So what happened with the Meier incident? iggy2k: What are you using to hold the battery in the amp? His site stated he's not shipping any of the rubber foam out till the middle of next month.

You could use just about anything to go between the base of the battery and the inside of the case - a rolled up tissue, a styrofoam packing peanut, fabric, cardboard, foam from the store...

 

[Buster Sword]

Thanks for the reply, Headphone addict, but somehow I still don't feel very reassured.

Like i said, if he has time to deposit my money, he has time to email me.

 

[tk3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buster Sword /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you explain why? Did I do something wrong? The part about XIN.

Hehe, it's just that everything you said describes the good Dr. Xin spot on, he is the pinnacle in those areas.
It made me laugh out loud when I saw it.

 

[iggy2k]

to be honest, the battery is quite solidly in there without any extra padding, although i did leave the bit of paper robert put in to stop the tin from getting scratched.

need to go buy a new battery now, only had a near dead one to use :/

 

[dantztiludrop]

Between what HeadphoneAddict has to say; the fact that Robert did respond to my email within the day; & that he's had a handful more positive feedbacks on ebay since we've been posting in the past few days...I feel pretty good about buying from him ATM & confident that it will all work out even if it takes a little longer than I'd like. This would not have been true recently. If it wasn't for this thread, I would have wondered everyday where the hell is my amp & been fuming.

I think it will all work out just fine for all of us. I don't believe he is out to rip us off.

 

[mark_h]

I ordered an amp, it took a while so I emailed him. He replied wothin 24 hours saying he was currently building a new batch, Lo and behold 8 days later i recieved my amp and it sounds pretty amazing to me. I have other amps to make comparisons with and it more than hold its own!

No complaints here.

 

[mas215]

I ordered mine January 23rd, got email that it had to be built in Germany and then sent as a gift (no custom charges). Received it January 30 (Florida). Excellent amp for the price.

 

[Buster Sword]

Well I just got an email:

Quote:

I responded your inquiry on January 28th but my email was send to 'UseTheYellowButton@ebay.com' because you didn't provide your email address over ebay. I am sorry, I have not seen this. I can only find one inquiry from outerdimension. I checked your order and it was send on Thursday this week from Germany because the Caffeine Ultra amps are sold out in California and you got one amp of the new batch that was finished on Wednesday. Be aware that the rubber foam which holds the battery was out of stock so we shipped without this part (it will be sent when it on stock again). You can expect your order at the end of the next week (shipping usually takes one week from Germany). Best regards Julie @ Headphonia

I promised I would be fair and honest on giving him feedback on the quality of the AMP and be fair about timely shipping deductions in points.

I'm glad I got some response back. Thats really all I need. I'll be patient from here on.
I'll let u know more when i get it

 

[facelvega]

I wouldn't read too much into that event with the reshipping mentioned above. The German postal service is awful and unpredictable; when I was living in Berlin, I once shipped two pairs of headphones to two guys in the US during a visit to the local post office, both using the same method. One pair arrived about three days later; one pair took just over a month. It's mystifying.

 

[toxicR21]

I bought this last month.The ULTRA one.
I am very pleased with it.
The only issue I find is that it eats batteries like candy.
Alkaline batteries won't last more than 15-20 hours.
I bought myself an 170mAh rechargable one to try the charger.
Has anyone else tried that?

The ULTRA model seems to have disappeared from the site and Robert doesn't seem to reply to emails anymore. Don't know if he is busy.

My kit is

PenguinAmp Ultra
SONY MDR-V500


Thanks