Attn. Stax owners, potential buyers!!

[Andrew Pielet]

I wanted to notify everybody that buying Stax from Japan saves you $$, but you could be out of luck if they ever break, or have issues (as mine did). USA repair only repairs Stax sold in the USA. They do repair if you are an owner of USED USA purchased Stax. There is no way around it either, due to the serial # on the equipment. I guess if they would repair them, they would have 400% more work to do, and they would'nt get reimbursed by the offshore side of the Stax company. My SR-001 worked lovely for about a year (everyday commuting) then all of the sudden lost the signal in the left earpiece, and the right is not at full signal either. I am guessing it is the earspeakers, but it might be the amp. You might be saving $$ now, but in a year or 2 you would be SOL. If you do not know where your set were purchased, you can call the USA repair in California and they can tell you by the #s on your equipment. I think it is very important to have a warranty or be able to fix items such as Stax because they are delicate, and everybody who buys them hopes they will have them forever (IMO). I treat my headphone gear like gold, and they still had this minor issue which cannot be remedied unless I send them off for more then they are worth. I think I will buy another set at Audiocubes, but now I know what I am getting into. This in no way undermines Stax and their reputation for durable headphones, just be aware that it is possible for anything to break or have problems.

 

[ipodstudio]

I think it's the same for most such products these days. Photographic companies like Nikon, Canon and Leica have the same policies...

 

[davidmiya]

If you're got the scratch to pay $1600 (price at EIFL Japan) for a pair of Omega II's, repair costs are probably a sneeze to you. Though, thanks for the heads up for those of us who are concerned about warranty terms and such

 

[Andrew Pielet]

I wasn't thinking about the most expensive Stax available, I was speaking more on terms of buying used on Head-fi, about %50 off the price. My SR001 cost me $120, which I think is a good solid price, but new they are $250. Sending them to Japan, costs could be $200 and up (labor, parts, shipping). Obviously if you have enough money to buy Omegas, a few hundo would be worth the price to fix.

 

[Canman]

When I bought my O2s from EIFL, Koji, said my warranty still applies, but I would have to send my headphone to Japan for repair. Shipping to Japan is not a huge deal, it just has the potential to take longer.

Look at it this way, I can buy two brand new Omega II headsets for less than the cost of buying one new in the USA. That doesn't give the US warranty any value at all. I would suggest anyone who is considering a Stax purchase to make the same cost/benefit analysis to see if the US warranty is worth it.

 

[Snake]

Try not to panic

. If the units still have a warranty then you just must get them back to a point where that warranty will be honored, that being Japan. Shipping only then applies.

If they are out of warranty then you would have to pay parts and labor, no matter where the repair occurred - either Japan or America. Then, again, the only difference is shipping.

And, having experience with Stax repair quotes, trust me, it's expensive no matter the location

Although if you do wish to have them repaired, in the Americas, maybe try Mori****a. When I dealt with him, long ago, he was well priced, professional and nice to deal with.

So, essentially, buy where ever you feel comfortable. Usually I am the very last person to purchase electronics "grey market" - that is, imported and not from the official American 'arm' of the manufacturer - but the price difference was a chunk, for sure.

 

[minya]

I really don't understand why Stax are so overpriced in America. Really, wouldn't they overall increase profit by decreasing prices to about equivalent to Japanese retail? I imagine a lot more people would buy Stax if they knew they could get them for a reasonable price.

- Chris

 

[TrevorNetwork]

That's why you should buy mine.

I'm selling a Canadian bought, North American set of Omega II / 007t to finance an engagement ring.

 

[minya]

Sell me the headphones only and you got a deal.

- Chris

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

my repair problems with audiocubes were like pulling teeth. i was told to send them back priority mail, which i did at my expense, 30+ dollars. only to have audiocubes refuse delivery of them for more than one week due to what they called an "import tax" issue, this was very frustrating for me seeing that i paid for the priority mail, i could have sent it by boat and it would have arrived in the same amount of time. next, getting updates by email from japan were very few and far between, i often had to contact kohn, then he would contact the guy in japan, then i would get a response. and lastly, the repairs took alot longer than promised to me. eventually all was done and i got the phones back and they work, thank God. who else besides headroom supplies stax headphones in the US? and can they be had cheaper than headroom?

 

[Spent&Bent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrevorNetwork That's why you should buy mine. I'm selling a Canadian bought, North American set of Omega II / 007t to finance an engagement ring.

I have seen your ad, great deal....
Stax is overpriced here as well, to the point I really don't care taking a risk of having a problem, since I could almost buy two Omega II from japan for one here, it's a no-brainer.

 

[Snake]

It's not just "cheaper", it is (as Minya notes) the HUGE price discrepancy between Japan and America. I believe many people would indeed pay a small premium to get the goods through the proper American channels, for the photo industry has the same business paradigm and standard, "authorized" dealers still do very well, but most will not pay the huge differences involved.

I really, really shouldn't drop the hat here. I edited this info out from my original post to keep any Stax dealers, and Stax itself, calm if they are listening to this forum. But the fact is that the importers (no names here ____ ) sell their Japanese-imported goods to consumers for less than (or about the same) as American dealer cost. I know this since I still have dealer contacts...who got back to me after I placed my importer order. The price quoted, 'dealer', was more than I had paid out already for my order.

So, exactly, what is going on?

This looks like a multi-tiered problem:

(a) Stax is selling their goods at a single price, with no distributor discount. That means that a Japanese retailer, one with access to purchase Stax goods direct from Stax, pays the same amount as a foreign, higher-volume distributor with full service facilities.

If true, this is a huge mistake.

Distributors should, and in almost all other retail businesses do, get discounts based upon their increased volume and the fact that they will be dealing with problems for the factory.

(b) The foreign distributor markup seems to be somewhat heavy. This is, most undoubtedly, to cover the expenses of supporting a distribution channel, service facilities, sales representatives and warranty claim support. But, exactly as Minya notes, lowering the price, in many instances, increases gross overall profits through the mechanism of increased sales. This is a careful balance, and some channels do not wish to investigate this option (that is when they sell more on "name" and "status"), but it works many times.

So therefore there is the possibility that the foreign distributors keep the foreign retail prices high to maintain the "cachet" of the Stax name. The products are good, and always have been, so it may be that the marketing plan is to keep that image, almost at all costs. Don't be surprised, many businesses which function (either actually or self-perceived) in the "high end" of markets work like this.

A lie, but fools pay plenty for goods inside those "appearances". Each and every day.

Stax may wish to keep themselves inside a limited, "better by cost" market due to their low production numbers. Stax is now a smaller company than ever, since the employee buyout, and by keeping the cachet up profitability is assured irregardless of low outputs.

But it ends up a mental exercise to wonder if this whole thing should just blow over, prices reduced, and end up with more happy, Stax-owning customers.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

That's a given when you buy grey market stuff. But, given the fact that the US price is $4000, compared to $1600 from Japan, you could buy two and still save money. The nice thing is that Koji and others will work to get things fixed for you, so all you need to do is send the cans to them and all you pay is shipping.

 

[Andrew Pielet]

SIE, Are you sure all you have to pay for is shipping? I find that hard to believe, I would think labor and parts would be part of the price for repair. Otherwise they would just be fixing for free.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Pielet SIE, Are you sure all you have to pay for is shipping? I find that hard to believe, I would think labor and parts would be part of the price for repair. Otherwise they would just be fixing for free.

It is free, it's under warranty. If you buy from Japan, once it is sent to Japan it is fixed under warranty. fyrfytrhoges sent his SR404s in for repair, and IIRC it only cost him round-trip shipping.