[akwok]

No, you're not. It now appears there are at least 3 of us affected. I've had a ticket open with Audeze since the day my parcel arrived and sent them multiple pictures of the parcel and labels. They're still trying to figure out what happened. In all fairness, they've been quite responsive and helpful.

If I had to speculate, I'd say it happened either while at customs or when it was sent back for not having battery stickers. The reason I say that is that the second DHL label lists a shipping weight of 1.00kg, which is less than what the parcel initially weighed (according to Audeze).

It almost has to be packing error rather than theft though, as it makes no sense why someone would pilfer just the headphones and leave all the cables and the boom mic in the case.

Exactly. I have the case and cables. Doesn't make sense since the headset is useless without them.

Ultimately this is not the Audeze quality that I was expecting, both for the headphone I received and the headphone that I did not.

I also don't want to waste my time dealing with what is a serious lack of professionalism/foresight on their part. Tempted to just let them settle it with my credit card company. 15 years in the hobby and this is the first time I've experienced something as shoddy as this.

 

[Audeze]

No, you're not. It now appears there are at least 3 of us affected. I've had a ticket open with Audeze since the day my parcel arrived and sent them multiple pictures of the parcel and labels. They're still trying to figure out what happened. In all fairness, they've been quite responsive and helpful.

If I had to speculate, I'd say it happened either while at customs or when it was sent back for not having battery stickers. The reason I say that is that the second DHL label lists a shipping weight of 1.00kg, which is less than what the parcel initially weighed (according to Audeze).

It almost has to be packing error rather than theft though, as it makes no sense why someone would pilfer just the headphones and leave all the cables and the boom mic in the case.

There were 3 people who received headphones without cables+ cases as well. We have an open case with DHL and they are investigating it. In the meantime, we are adding tamper-evident tape to seal the packages from the next shipment.

 

[akwok]

There were 3 people who received headphones without cables+ cases as well. We have an open case with DHL and they are investigating it. In the meantime, we are adding tamper-evident tape to seal the packages from the next shipment.

You've completely eliminated the possibility that it might be because there was lack of QC prior to packaging when outsourcing these headphones to China? How are you certain it's DHL?

 

[heavyharmonies]

There were 3 people who received headphones without cables+ cases as well. We have an open case with DHL and they are investigating it. In the meantime, we are adding tamper-evident tape to seal the packages from the next shipment.

Actually, that is a devious way to disguise theft: Open 2 boxes. Steal one complete set, then split the components of the other set across the 2 parcels so they're not empty.

Sombitches!

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Smells like customs folks had such a good time "investigating" them that they took that investigation a bit TOO far and "forgot" to put them back.

Seriously though, almost all headphone packages probably have a tamper evident seal of some sort these days, I know it's not the final retail package we're getting here but it's a tiny detail that can turn out to be very important that we're seeing now. Assuming this pre-retail sales package didn't have any tampering tape at all that is.

 

[Audeze]

You've completely eliminated the possibility that it might be because there was lack of QC prior to packaging when outsourcing these headphones to China? How are you certain it's DHL?

Yes. We had feet on the ground and our employees did the verification prior to shipments to the 3PL.

 

[akwok]

Smells like customs folks had such a good time "investigating" them that they took that investigation a bit TOO far and "forgot" to put them back.

Seriously though, almost all headphone packages probably have a tamper evident seal of some sort these days, I know it's not the final retail package we're getting here but it's a tiny detail that can turn out to be very important that we're seeing now. Assuming this pre-retail sales package didn't have any tampering tape at all that is.

There's no evidence of tampering on my shipping box. The DHL shipping label is placed directly on top of the plastic tape that seals the box. I don't see how it's possible to cleanly remove the tape + shipping label, remove the headphones, and then put the tape + shipping label back on. The cardboard would have shown signs of tear if they tried to do this.

So I guess those of us who were the first to buy in are the ones who are going to be punished for Audeze's mistakes? Sounds fair. I didn't know I paid for a beta test.

 

[musicday]

So I went down to Washington to pick up both of my Mobius orders -- order #106 and #145.

To start things off, when I opened order #145 there were no headphones, just a carrying case. Great. Who's doing QA again? I noticed that it shipped directly from Hong Kong and it was completely sealed when I received it. I also had to pay taxes on this. Double great.

Order #106 actually has the headphones... (woo), but the hissing is unbearable. As in, you have to be literally deaf to not be able to hear it, even with music playing. Was there really any QA done on these headphones before they were shipped out? I'm really not believing Audeze's email about the hiss anymore when they said that only those with sensitive ears would notice it. Seriously?

I have a feeling that Audeze isn't even sure what they're selling anymore. This is ridiculous, and as a previous owner of the LCD-2 and LCD-3 it's very disappointing. @Audeze: what are the next steps here? I paid for two headphones but I ended up receiving one faulty headphone and two carrying cases.

I am sorry to read this happed to you, mistakes can occur at any moment.
Rest assured that Audeze will solve this asap.
They are a great company.

 

[Runo]

There's no evidence of tampering on my shipping box. The DHL shipping label is placed directly on top of the plastic tape that seals the box. I don't see how it's possible to cleanly remove the tape + shipping label, remove the headphones, and then put the tape + shipping label back on. The cardboard would have shown signs of tear if they tried to do this.

So I guess those of us who were the first to buy in are the ones who are going to be punished for Audeze's mistakes? Sounds fair. I didn't know I paid for a beta test.

Come on, calm down. Mistakes happen, and as far as other people stated, Audeze's support team is more than willing to help you out. And, then, both Audeze and you will be happy. No gain in being upset.

 

[heavyharmonies]

Come on, calm down. Mistakes happen, and as far as other people stated, Audeze's support team is more than willing to help you out. And, then, both Audeze and you will be happy. No gain in being upset.

I agree. While I was a tad disappointed about only getting a case and some cables to enjoy , Audeze has been responsive and assured me that they will make it right.

Since I would have likely sent them back to be fixed anyway, I don't mind a bit longer wait. I just hope that I still end up somewhere at the front end of the queue for fixed shipments.

Given the value, I'm willing to be patient.

 

[bungles]

There's no evidence of tampering on my shipping box. The DHL shipping label is placed directly on top of the plastic tape that seals the box. I don't see how it's possible to cleanly remove the tape + shipping label, remove the headphones, and then put the tape + shipping label back on. The cardboard would have shown signs of tear if they tried to do this.

So I guess those of us who were the first to buy in are the ones who are going to be punished for Audeze's mistakes? Sounds fair. I didn't know I paid for a beta test.

I believe they will make it right with you.

 

[akwok]

Come on, calm down. Mistakes happen, and as far as other people stated, Audeze's support team is more than willing to help you out. And, then, both Audeze and you will be happy. No gain in being upset.

I agree -- mistakes happen. Sure. So let's just ignore the order where I didn't get my headphones and say it's just theft during shipping.

It still doesn't excuse the headphones that I did receive for my other order. The noise floor is _very_ high on them. Any other headphone manufacturer wouldn't have let something like this out the door, and definitely not the Audeze that I've known in the past. What infuriates me is the email that they sent out about the hiss:

"The noise floor on Mobius is quite low for an active headphone (-110 dB), and lower than the threshold that would otherwise cause concern. When we made the prototypes and beta tested them, the noise level was not noted by any of our users and beta testers. This group comprised of block-buster movie composers, sound engineers, Audiophiles, gamers, and everyone in-between".

I have a serious problem believing this statement. It's not something you can't notice.

 

[heavyharmonies]

I agree -- mistakes happen. Sure. So let's just ignore the order where I didn't get my headphones and say it's just theft during shipping.

It still doesn't excuse the headphones that I did receive for my other order. The noise floor is _very_ high on them. Any other headphone manufacturer wouldn't have let something like this out the door, and definitely not the Audeze that I've known in the past. What infuriates me is the email that they sent out about the hiss:

"The noise floor on Mobius is quite low for an active headphone (-110 dB), and lower than the threshold that would otherwise cause concern. When we made the prototypes and beta tested them, the noise level was not noted by any of our users and beta testers. This group comprised of block-buster movie composers, sound engineers, Audiophiles, gamers, and everyone in-between".

I have a serious problem believing this statement. It's not something you can't notice.

Did you miss all of the discussion about how they halted shipment, are fixing all units and you can arrange to have yours fixed?

You sound like the hiss is a new revelation. It isn't.

P.S. Depending on your age and quality of hearing, I'm sure it's possible to not notice it, as hiss tends to be primarily in upper frequencies. I'm 53 and I already know that my upper frequency hearing isn't what it used to be. I'll never know whether I would have heard the hiss or not. *shrug*

 

[MICHAELSD]

So I went down to Washington to pick up both of my Mobius orders -- order #106 and #145.

To start things off, when I opened order #145 there were no headphones, just a carrying case. Great. Who's doing QA again? I noticed that it shipped directly from Hong Kong and it was completely sealed when I received it. I also had to pay taxes on this. Double great.

Order #106 actually has the headphones... (woo), but the hissing is unbearable. As in, you have to be literally deaf to not be able to hear it, even with music playing. Was there really any QA done on these headphones before they were shipped out? I'm really not believing Audeze's email about the hiss anymore when they said that only those with sensitive ears would notice it. Seriously?

I have a feeling that Audeze isn't even sure what they're selling anymore. This is ridiculous, and as a previous owner of the LCD-2 and LCD-3 it's very disappointing. @Audeze: what are the next steps here? I paid for two headphones but I ended up receiving one faulty headphone and two carrying cases.

Somebody on Reddit also posted about receiving no headphones in the carrying case. Maybe an instance of customs stealing headphones? Would like to believe not but there aren’t seals anywhere on the case other than the outer seal on the box to verify.

Also yes the hissing is noticeably annoying but is being fixed.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

I have a serious problem believing this statement. It's not something you can't notice.

There's always a chance there's something that makes you hear a louder hiss than those beta testers did. At least I wouldn't rule out that possibility just yet.