[godofmetalguita]

I'm an audio engineer. I do FOH at a Casino in Michigan, have ran FOH and monitors at many venues/events over the years, worked as an engineer in recording studios for the past 10 years, and have also been a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist in dozens of bands. Back in February (5 months ago) I decided it was time that I get a set of IEMs. I ordered a set of G8's from Alien Ears. This is their 4 driver model. There weren't a ton of reviews out there so I figured I'd take a gamble and see what they were all about.
 
They sent me an impression kit, which was very easy to use, and I shipped the impressions in. About 2 months later I got the G8's in the mail. The fit felt good, but they didn't sound very good. The left and right sounded very different, and there wasn't as much high end as I was expecting. For my needs they were unusable. I sent a couple emails in, called a few times, and after about a week of trying to get a hold of them someone finally called me back. I described the issues that I had and they said it sounded like a fit issue. I went to an audiologist to get new impressions done and shipped them in for a remold. I decided to upgrade to the G10 model (5 driver) because I was worried they G8 wouldn't have enough highs even after a remold.
 
Another couple months go by, and I finally got the G10's in the mail. Immediately when I opened them up I noticed that the imprinted name on the right ear had worn off. These were brand new, I expected them to look brand new. The fit was good, but I noticed that the right side was quite a bit quieter than the left. When I gave them more volume I could hear a good amount of crackle in the right side. You can imagine my frustration after waiting 4 months to get my in ears which had been paid for back in February.
 
I called immediately, with no answer. The next day I called and talked to Yolanda. I told her what had happened, and that I couldn't wait another 6-8 weeks for replacements. I requested a refund and she told me that they don't do refunds, period. I've bought a lot of stuff from a lot of different manufacturers, boutique, custom, you name it. I've never heard of a company that simply will not do refunds regardless of the situation. She told me that it's possible that a solder joint came loose during shipping, and that's why the right side is crackling. I told her that having them fixed wouldn't make me happy at this point, and she said my only option was to ship them back and have them look at them. So now I'll wait who knows how long for them to fix them.
 
I will report back when I get them back, but so far, I'm not impressed.
 
My warning to anyone considering Alien Ears:
 
STAY AWAY!!! 

 

[Deviltooth]

This isn't the first time I've read bad things about Alien Ears.  I hope they get your CIEMs sorted out.  You should also know there are a lot of great customs companies available now; so if you're going down that road again in the future you have many options.  Scan head-fi for the assorted threads.  Average Joe's reviews are especially informative.

 

[Ivabign]

Damn that sucks - I hope you get this resolved. The tough thing about CIEMs - even if you pay with a credit card, the time between purchase and the time you know something has gone terribly wrong is so big, you can't go back and reverse the charge. Maybe put something in writing - find out who the owner is - write a detailed description of what happened and let them know you will be vocal - this will cost them much more in bad press than it is worth for them to stonewall you. They might not give a damn, but you never know.
 
I have gotten further with a strongly worded text to the right person than I have ever with a phone-bound customer service rep.

 

[davidcotton]

Ouch, heard nothing but bad things about alien ears and this reinforces that.  Good luck getting the situation sorted.  There are plenty of good ciems manufacturers out there so don't get put off by this experience.

 

[Blakentd]

I am a vocalist for the band North Til Dawn and use Alien Ears. First off you wont find better people to work with. They have gone above and beyond. Second I love my ears. They sound great and are comfortable. I could not ask for more. They also don't charge an arm and a leg. Great pricing, great sound, great support. I would highly recommend them

 

[Deviltooth]

Quote:

I am a vocalist for the band North Til Dawn and use Alien Ears. First off you wont find better people to work with. They have gone above and beyond. Second I love my ears. They sound great and are comfortable. I could not ask for more. They also don't charge an arm and a leg. Great pricing, great sound, great support. I would highly recommend them

Three posts, three comments about how fantastic Alien Ears are.  Even if you're not a shill that doesn't change or lessen other people's posted negative experiences

 

[whitedragon551]

Quote:

I am a vocalist for the band North Til Dawn and use Alien Ears. First off you wont find better people to work with. They have gone above and beyond. Second I love my ears. They sound great and are comfortable. I could not ask for more. They also don't charge an arm and a leg. Great pricing, great sound, great support. I would highly recommend them

Sweet. You had a good experience. The OP didnt. This post is irrelevant and doesnt negate the fact that they dropped the ball twice so far on this order.

 

[tinyman392]

Sorry to hear about this. Actually, there area my companies that don't offer refunds on their products on in the custom world. It's unfortunate, but true

 

[tophermanning]

[size=10pt]I purchased the C3 - Triple Driver w Dual Low End Detachable Cord from Alien Ears after much research. I wanted triple drivers and every other company I looked at was double the price. I have always subscribed to the “you get what you pay for” philosophy, but figured I would risk it this one time. [/size]
 
[size=10pt]The order process was seamless, in fact I screwed it up and when I called in they were very nice in helping me make a few changes. Everything from the impression kit, to the return shipping of the impressions to actually getting my new in ears was great. My new C3’s fit like a glove. The quality was impeccable, the printing on the monitors was crisp and clear and the sound is amazing. I have always ended up with a headache after playing with my cheap monitors because I had to crank the volume so loud and I have played twice with these and no headache. I was able to adjust the master volume down by over half and ended getting a better cleaner mix than I have ever had before. [/size]
 
[size=10pt]I know there are other reviews slamming AE for certain things and I just wanted to add my two cents as I am extremely happy. [/size]
 
[size=10pt]Chris Manning[/size]

 

[kipnuk1952]

I'm new to the game here but thought I'd make a post about my new in ears. I just received my new Alien Ears G8 monitors a couple of weeks ago and I am impressed with the quality and customer service from them. I first tried them with my cell phone (galaxy s3) to see how they sound. These are quad drivers with 2 low, 1 mid and 1 high. I play bass guitar so I want to hear it clearly in my mix. The sound is very smooth with a great low. I have only used them for 1 gig and they did what I expected. I use a Nady PEM 1000 , which I know isn't all that great, but it does what I want. I have a Crest monitor mixer but have not used them with it. I'll report on that when I have used them together. I know a lot of people are not sure about Alien Ears and their service but they were good to work with. I went to an audioligest to have impressions made after not doing a very good job trying to do it with my wife. The first set I sent in were supposed to be good but when they got ready to start the build it was discovered there were some problems and I was notified by email. I made a call to Alien Ears and was able to talk to Andre about the problem. He told me he would send the impressions back and I could have them re-done. He also said when they received them back he would put them to the front of the line. I took that in stride and got them back as soon as I could. Once they received them they actually did do a rush on them and I had them back the next week. They state a 3 to 5 week turn around from when they get good impressions and even with the problem I had them back in time. I can't say anything bad about Alien Ears. I hope this helps some one who has questions about Alien Ears.

 

[bassface2]

I just purchased and new set of C3 monitors from alien ears.  I am a bass player and wanted a set of monitor for my situation. I used the rush service which to my surprise was faster than promised.  The quality is great and they sound fantastic.  I have not used them for stage yet but in the studio its nice to have monitors that keep up with your play back.  I am very happy with the fit, the sound and the service, I will tell my friends about this company.
 
Larry Hart
 
Montrose
King Kobra
Northrup
Haze Experience

 

[Currawong]

I've moved all the 1st-post Alien Ears reviews into one thread. For the suspicious, the reviewers all appear to be different people. 

 

[godofmetalguita]

Update: I got my replacement ears in the mail last week. The right side is still blown and the cord sockets weren't inset as per my original order. Time for round 3 of returns. It took me a week to get a hold of Andre this time after being told 3 days in a row that he would call me back in an hour.

Horrible customer service. Terrible communication. I hope these come back usable this time. I paid for these a long time ago and just want to get what I paid for, or a refund, neither of which are a viable option at this point.

 

[gav007]

I had a really good experience with Alien Ears. I read a lot of negative feedback with this company, so I knew what I was getting into when I placed my order for a pair of G8s that were on sale in May 2013. I initially sent them an email with questions and it took them 3 days to reply, but when I called them they answered immediately. I placed my order online, but screwed up because I selected pay later which is only for U.S. customers. The next day I sent them payment and Yolanda confirm receipt when I called. Two weeks later I noticed my order wasn't processed so I called Andre and he processed my order within 10 minutes. One week later I went to get my impressions done at my audiologist, then I sent them in. The turn around time was 7 business days. However, I noticed there was some light scuffing on the faceplates and the tips were not heat-activated tips as ordered, so I emailed Andre. He inform me they were unable to do heat-activated tips and he refunded me. Also, he advised me to send my G8 back to them and he would fix the scuffing for me himself, so I did. It took about a week and a half before my G8 were fixed and I'm a happy camper. My G8 fit perfectly and they sound really good with the Whiplash TWag v3 cable. I believe people need to have some patience with Alien Ears to have a better experience.

 

[acarter316]

Worst experience ever with a small company!!! not only did it take forever to get my monitors. Once I got them, the color that I had chosen looked nothing like the picture. They did not fit or seal. I called back to get them to try to understand how their products were misleading about the color and that it is not the consumers fault for the company not relaying that information properly, and they would not remold or refund my money when they have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee!!! I ordered a ruby color with out sparkles and received a pinkish purple color that had sparkles in it. I had intended on purchasing several more sets of them for my band, but now I would have gladly gone with Westone or gorilla ears. I do not understand how they are still in business. If you buy from these guys, you have been warned. I hope they get it right the first time because if the do not, your screwed