[warrenpchi]

Wow, I guess they're taking the authorized dealer thing seriously.  Almost everyone kind of is these days though.  Sony is on a rampage to stop all unauthorized dealers from seeling their stuff.  And both Sony and AKG won't honor warranties unless you can prove you got it from an authorized dealer.  Guess we're back to fixing it manually.  Do you have access to a Dremel by any chance?

 

[HiFiGuy528]

It's a real shame these companies aren't looking at the big picture. Ultimately the customer bought their product doesn't matter who they bought it from. Leaving a sour taste in your customer's mouth is not a good way to do business.

BTW, AKG stands behind their product. Their customer service is First Class.

 

[warrenpchi]

Did your "headphone guy" get it from an authorized dealer?  Maybe he can process the warranty for you?

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Did your "headphone guy" get it from an authorized dealer?  Maybe he can process the warranty for you?

He will take care of me. It's just strange that Pioneer won't.

 

[tinyman392]

I reached out to Pioneer about the defect on my unit. They will not warranty it because I didn't buy from an authorized reseller. They are not gonna stand behind their products. Too bad....

It's not that they aren't willing to stand behind their product, it's that they don't even know how the person got their product.

Being authorized also ensures that the product not only is legit, but was handled correctly. For all you know, your reseller could have kicked the box up to FedEx Pioneer doesn't know what this retailer did to their product, so they can't take responsibility.

That said, contact the reseller about a refund/exchange.

There are lots of companies that deny coverage from unauthorized dealers: Sony, Sennheiser, Ultimate Ears, Moshi, Altec Lansing. Apple also does this to some extent (but they have transferable warranty). It's not that they don't stand behind their product, it's just they don't trust the source.

Sent from an iPod touch with TapaTalk... Autocorrect may alter the meaning of this message

 

[warrenpchi]

Quote:

BTW, AKG stands behind their product. Their customer service is First Class.

 
Thankfully I haven't had to put that to the test.  I do remember seeing a thread somewhere about AKG warranties not being valid in the US/Canada, could be mistaken.
 
Quote:

He will take care of me. It's just strange that Pioneer won't.

 
Yeah, bit weird.  I could understand if it were a cheapo low-end product but this is their flagship.  Still, I can certainly understand their point from a business perspective as well.  It's just one of those unfortunate situations.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I got the replacement unit from my headphones guy today. It's better than the old one because it's not rough, but the joint is on the same spot. I wish it was a smooth (no joint) finish. Oh well...

 

[warrenpchi]

Might just be like that on all units.  Lemme take a pic of mine so you can compare.  BRB
 

Okay, here's a pic of mine.  As you can tell it's not COMPLETELY smooth, but not jagged and certainly no protrusions.
 
Not perfect, but then again the unit is only $300 MSRP.  It's not like we're paying Ed8 prices or anything.
 
BTW, all four joints look pretty much exactly like that.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Might just be like that on all units.  Lemme take a pic of mine so you can compare.  BRB



Okay, here's a pic of mine.  As you can tell it's not COMPLETELY smooth, but not jagged and certainly no protrusions.

Not perfect, but then again the unit is only $300 MSRP.  It's not like we're paying Ed8 prices or anything.

BTW, all four joints look pretty much exactly like that.

Thanks for the pic. My replacement pair looks the same as yours. At least it's smooth on this one. I guess I am expecting too much. My HDJ-2000 seems to have better build quality than these "audiophile" headphones. Pioneer should come out with an Elite branded headphones.

 

[warrenpchi]

Quote:

Thanks for the pic. My replacement pair looks the same as yours. At least it's smooth on this one. I guess I am expecting too much. My HDJ-2000 seems to have better build quality than these "audiophile" headphones. Pioneer should come out with an Elite branded headphones.

 
Yeah there's an idea!  Heck, might as well shoot for the stars and come out with TAD Reference headphones.  I'm sure that would pique the interest of more than a few people.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I'm not sure about you guys, but the sound of this headphone is starting to grow on me.  It's comfy for being On Ear and the sound is smooth enough to enjoy for hours on.  Anyone else?

 

[warrenpchi]

LOL, is it really growing on you?  Or was the P3 that disappointing? 

 
No, I know exactly what you mean.  We both have a bunch of portable cans to choose from . . . and yet when I'm leaving the house and facing that long commute, I tend to reach for these instinctively.  I was having the hardest time trying to figure out why, hence the earlier posts in the thread.  They're not so much stellar is any single way, but they make up for it by not offending in any substantial way (no fatal flaws).  I think that once we got past the "audiophile-quality" hype and just spent some time with them, we started accepting them for what they are:  a decent pair of portable cans.
 
I am definitely with you on the pricing issue though.  i think that if it came down to $199 it'd be a compelling contender for a lot of people - people that would usually be considering a Klipsch portable (or something along those lines).

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I have the Klispsch Reference One and these Pioneer is A LOT better in terms of sound. I agree that they should not have marketed it as an "audiophile" headphones. $199 would be a sweet spot and perhaps an iPhone control cable.

Are there any alternative "better" cable that will fit this headphone? I was looking at the Monster i800 cable. It looks to be better made than the stock. It looks to have the extended part where the jack is like the stock cable.

http://www.monstercable.com/productdisplay.asp?pin=5150

 

[warrenpchi]

Okay cool, I was wondering about how it fared compared to the Reference One as that was another pair of cans I was originally considering.  Bit OT, but you wouldn't happen to have any insights on how the MJ591 fares again the Mode M40s would you?  Probably a remnant of my overclocking days, but I find copper to be pretty darn sexy.
 
I don't think we'll ever know how much the self-proclaimed audiophile moniker influenced people, but I can't help thinking that it just wasn't the best overall tactic.  The same goes for the SE-A1000, which I also have.  Regardless of other people's impressions - which tend to be relatively positive anyway - I enjoy both immensely for certain genres.  I think that if they had let the consumer be the judge, many would naturally say that these reside in the upper mid-fi and lower hi-fi border.  As a result, the public would confirm what they are trying to emphasize.  I'd love take a crack at marketing their cans - but alas that would put me in a position of being a "member of the trade" here, and I wouldn't have as much fun posting.  But enough about that, on to the cable... 

 
I know you noticed it too (as it was in your unboxing), but right when I saw the red sleeve I was thinking that it was for some kind of early generation iDevice.  I'm not sure if the Monster cable would work diameter-wise, but I would wager that somewhere out there a stock cable exists that would work.  I was at Monoprice the other day looking at some USB cables, and I came across these:  http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021816&p_id=9297&seq=1&format=2
 
They also come in 3ft and 10 ft lengths.  And all three lengths also come in TRS-to-RCA versions as well.  Again, don't know if it would work, but I was gonna give it a try since I have a few other odds and ends to pick up there as well.  if you don't decide to try it as well, I'll report back on the success (or failure) rate once my shipment comes.
 
UPDATE 1:  Dammit, they're out of stock on the 3ft one - which just happens to be the one I want...  I'll have to do the auto-notify thing.
 
UPDATE 2:  Well, we know that the iCables have an additional 6mm diameter shank.  So now the question becomes, does Pioneer's jack take a 6mm shank?  I'm trying to eyeball the cable with a ruler.  It really seems like it's 6mm dead on, but I can't be sure.  You wouldn't happen to have a pair of digital calipers would you?

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I don't have a way to measure the cable. I think I'm gonna go to Best Buy tomorrow and buy the Monster Cable to try. I'll report back.

I have the Klispch Reference One and the Image One coming next week. I'll compare the three. The M40 looks fantastic to me as well, but the NC "feature" is the deal breaker. I tried it at a store and thought the weight was too much. It felt like wearing a helmet. Yeah, it's that heavy. The sound was decent but the weight and NC turned me off.