[germanturkey]

knowing joker's sound sig of preference, i think it would make more sense to shoot for the miracle.  just my 2 cents.

 

[12345142]

I got an e-mail back from Brittany at JH Audio and she confirmed that they do, indeed, accept PayPal. Just sayin'.

 

[JoetheArachnid]

I hope that all parties on this thread can settle down and be adult about this, since it is a great cause. As far as I personally can tell, the only problem with the LCD-2 would be the amping, but it is a very easy option in terms of ordering. Customs are fiddly and require some time and effort of Joker's part as well (somewhat ruining any remaining chance of a surprise) and there's also the chance that the impressions or moulding may be bad. In that case there's a whole lot more thumb-twiddling whilst things get sorted out.
 
I dunno, to me it just seems like bringing in a massive birthday cake without the candles lit. Or something.

 

[rawrster]

I thought they didn't but that's fine then. Whatever the end goal is and if I'm organizing I'll get in contact with JHA and asking how to proceed with payment sometime before payments are accepted.
 
Of course interest needs to be determined as well as the product

 

[ljokerl]

Okay, I feel like I should maybe chime in here. This thread was actually pointed out to me last night by a senior member but I haven't had the chance to read through it and reply until now. 
 
First off, I want to say that the display of generosity here is astounding. It's pretty clear that Head-Fi is a great community both when it comes to taking care of its own and welcoming newcomers - I remember stumbling on the krmathis Beta22 build thread back when I was only lurking and being amazed but this is something else. I don't suppose saying that I'm unworthy will do any good so I'll just address some of the recurring questions in case everyone does decide to go forward with this.

I guess this is the part where I admit to being sightly dense as I did not think twice about 12345142's PM yesterday, figuring it to be just another info-gathering PM from someone  who probably hears the way I do, of which I get a dozen or so per day. To be fair "what would you buy given a budget you've never dreamed of" is also not the most unusual PM I've gotten. Anyway, I did say that I quite like the LCD-2 (as one of only three ~$1000 headphones I've auditioned) but did not take the question to be loaded in any way. I also mentioned four customs that I would be looking it with a budget of that size - JH13Pro, UM Miracle, UE Capitol Reference, and Westone ES5. None of these have ever really been on my radar due to the ridiculous expense associated with them, though people are correct in pointing out that I probably have more funds tied up in the cheaper gear I buy for the review threads.
 
I remember having a conversation with Poetik many months ago on this issue and I think he brings up a good point yet again - I would feel very selfish accepting an LCD-2 from the community as it is unlikely that my input on its sound would be of great value to more than a few members. I feel that if Head-Fi chooses to go forward with this, the choice should be put to a vote to see what people would like to see reviewed/used as a benchmark for future reviews. I realize that the JH13Pro is the communal favourite but it is both the oldest and priciest earphone listed. I also don't know if JH or any of the other customs manufacturers would be willing to match the generous discount offered by Audez'e. Either way, I would be grateful for any high-end headphone or earphone given to me by head-fi and if the community can benefit from it, all the better.  
 
Lastly, I think that a thanks is due first and foremost to 12345142 for the work already put into communicating with the community and the vendors as well as everyone else who has chimed in - my heart quite literally skipped a beat when I read through the OP last night.

 

[12345142]

Quote:

I thought they didn't but that's fine then. Whatever the end goal is and if I'm organizing I'll get in contact with JHA and asking how to proceed with payment sometime before payments are accepted.

Well, by requesting that you organize things, I didn't want to impose on you, but I would indeed like you to, as you probably have one of the highest post counts and best trader feedback out of the people on this thread, not to mention the Head-Fi community in general. I haven't read much into the feedback archives, though, and Poetik seems like a plenty trustworthy member as well.
 
I think starting a new thread, with a poll, would be a great idea. ljokerl has responded and it seems to be in both our, and his, best interests to get a high-end custom for him to review, and more importantly, enjoy listening to. I'm really glad to see things finally coming together.
 
I've also sent e-mails to Westone and UE asking if they accept PayPal.

 

[Poetik]

I don't mind stepping up and organizing as I just want it all to happen, however, it would be better for the person receiving the money to actually do it so they could update the thread whenever a new donation is presented.  I do have over 4 pages of positive feedback on head-fi but I've done so much business on these forums (over $10,000+) that paypal will no longer let me accept gifts as payment to avoid the paypal fee.  They knew I was doing it to avoid paying them so they ending up giving me a warning on my account. 
 
Just a few ideas I had on the payment process:
 
-It's better to send a payment as a personal gift to avoid the paypal fee.
 
-Probably at least a $5 minimum donation so people who aren't as financially sound can donate.
 
I'm sure there would be more so we can compile our ideas on this thread.
 
 
Also I will definitely put my vote in for the JH13's though as that's something I've always wanted him to do impressions from. The JH16 might be a little better though as he already has a pretty neutral custom but we'll see if he wants that or not. 

 

[rawrster]

I guess I'll do most of the organizing and put up a thread sometime in the next couple of days but just keep in mind that this will take quite some time and probably won't be ordered until early Feb at the earliest from my estimate but I won't collect anything until the end. However if I'm busy and need help organizing I'll ask Poetik.
 
Maybe we can find out which would be most preferred and thus negating the need for a vote? If not we can spend the next page or two deciding which custom to get.
 
So far I think its: Miracle -2 JH13 -1
 
 
@12345142: can you edit the OP to reflect that this thread will be focused on figuring out what to get and when there's an indication that it is going in one direction I'll make a new thread, ask this one to be locked and then contact a dealer to see how to proceed when it comes time to make a payment.

 

[12345142]

Quote:

Also I will definitely put my vote in for the JH13's though as that's something I've always wanted him to do impressions from. The JH16 might be a little better though as he already has a pretty neutral custom but we'll see if he wants that or not. 

Nice pun.

Anyways, that was fast - Ed from Westone already responded, saying they do accept PayPal payments. Granted, that might have been somewhere on their site but I didn't feel like searching. I'm still awaiting UE's reply, though.
 
rawrster - Sure thing, thread title and OP changed.

 

[Andrew H]

Mike, I say go for the LCD-2s. They're a great frame of reference, which is never the case for customs, and hardly the case for universals.
 
Yes, this is the "portables" forum, but so what?
 
(And never mind that Alex and Sankar are my bro's...)

 

[Andrew H]

IOW, they'll do more to make you a better listener than any iem will. So there may be more value than many people realize.

 

[Poetik]

Quote:

IOW, they'll do more to make you a better listener than any iem will. So there may be more value than many people realize.

Yea, they'll magically make the bulge in your pants bigger too so it's extra value like getting tacos from jack in the box.

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

"As for those who do not know who I am and may be worried about sending some random person on head-fi money I think I've been here long enough to deem trustworthy and I have dealt with joker a good amount of times and if you ask him I'm sure he will agree. Mike does know my address if anything was to go wrong (which won't be the case here) however "
 

And I know what you look like!    

 
I'm designated spotter in case anything goes wrong.  =]
 
This post is in jest / sarcasm. (in case anyone here lacks a sense of humor)

 

[rawrster]

Quote:

Quote:

"As for those who do not know who I am and may be worried about sending some random person on head-fi money I think I've been here long enough to deem trustworthy and I have dealt with joker a good amount of times and if you ask him I'm sure he will agree. Mike does know my address if anything was to go wrong (which won't be the case here) however "
 

And I know what you look like!    

 
I'm designated spotter in case anything goes wrong.  =]
 
This post is in jest / sarcasm. (in case anyone here lacks a sense of humor)

except you don't know my address
 
I'll create a new thread around the weekend and if there aren't enough votes I'll ask joker. I've also asked Poetik to help but I'm not sure how or if that will even work since no one but me will be collecting anything. I'll be pretty busy esp towards the end of January (got an exam that's quite important at the end of Jan) so maybe early Feb this could all come together depending on interest.

 

[12345142]

Quote:

I'll create a new thread around the weekend and if there aren't enough votes I'll ask joker. I've also asked Poetik to help but I'm not sure how or if that will even work since no one but me will be collecting anything. I'll be pretty busy esp towards the end of January (got an exam that's quite important at the end of Jan) so maybe early Feb this could all come together depending on interest.

This might be obvious but I'll ask anyway: the new thread will have a poll, right?
Seems like you were the right guy to do this organizing, though. After all, we even have guys to "hunt you down" if things go awry.