Build Your Own R70x Refine – Apos x Audio-Technica Refine Pads Now Available

[Apos Audio]

So let me get this straight Apos you’re saying you collaborated with a million dollar company but “only” their NA side and then they “gave” you (Apos) permission to make this upgraded version but decided you have to manufacture the whole headphone from scratch and after a last minute conference call you guys decided to make 1000 throw away and waste material used for ear pads until you got messages from audiophiles who were interested after all the hype you started with all the units Apos sent to youtube reviewers despite the fact that the plan was never to go mainstream because you don’t want to make more.

This is just speculation and my own opinion but I believe Audio Technica sent you fresh pairs of r70x’s from the factory without the outer box sleeves or stock ear pads and you guys just contributed new pads, gold spray paint and a printed paper sleeve for the box, the original plan was to provide a enthusiast upgrade for small audiophile circles but someone in marketing became greedy and decided to send units to headphone reviewers who they know will push this headphone to regular mainstream buyers and then the marketing department plastered their reviews on your website slashed the production to 1000 for artificial rarity and when people ask for a rerun or just the pads marketing pulls this out in the conference call “1100 limited edition pads”. And the cherry on top is that you answer serious criticism and dissatisfaction from customers by saying it’s not are fault we can’t make more even though we are a thousand dollar company blame Audio Technica or yourself for being ill informed and you should be grateful we didn’t throw away these pads that were being sent to disposal.

Apos has no excuse you don’t market a product you plan on making a small batch for small enthusiast circles to everyone on youtube with the hype you produce with the headphones you sent to reviewers than deny customers access to the product and increase the price and decrease the quantity and when consumers show their dissatisfaction the representatives start a blame game and act as if Apos is a tiny beautique that crafted an already existing headphone with “rare” materials and that we should be grateful for the refines existence APOS you should be grateful with us for buying your products and still being in business because of are hard earned money.

I regret buying the refine and giving Apos my money I don’t care what this brand does anymore and I’ll be letting people know that this company doesn’t care or respect it’s consumers.

Hi @FlacPak,

From the get-go, the teams at Audio-Technica and Apos put a lot of work into making the original Refine collaboration happen (and are working on more collabs), and I know they are saddened to have their good intentions misconstrued as corporate machinations but I personally can understand your frustrations and would be happy to sit down and talk them through with you.

Why was the production run reduced at the last minute? Audio-Technica is one of the few companies that remain privately owned after 60 years, despite many of its compatriots going bankrupt and/or being purchased (Akai, Aiwa, Sansui, Denon, Onkyo, etc.). They have survived in part because they have made great products and in part because they have been careful and disciplined in their decision-making. The reduction was made after preliminary production began as there was a desire to reduce the overall risk associated with the project and its potential impact on their product lines and retail network. At the same time at Apos, this was our first major headphone collaboration, and despite being extremely excited with the product, we weren’t sure what the community response was going to be. We are a small company, we have reinvested 100 percent of our profits since inception into developing new products for the community, but one big misstep in excess inventory could have brought hardship to our company. We didn’t want to risk people’s employment on a bet gone awry, even though, in hindsight, it may have looked like a “no-brainer.”

Why are the pads so expensive? The pricing reflects the cost at which we have to purchase the pads. We actually already reduced the price internally because the team felt it was high. This reduction comes at the cost of our own margin, which we would have reinvested in making more products.

Do we want to make more R70X Refine in the future? Of course we do, because the community wants it.

Should I buy these pads or wait for another run of the R70X Refine? My honest answer is that I don't think there will be another production run of the R70X Refine or the R70X Refine pads by Audio-Technica within the next 2 years. While it may seem obvious that this product is such a hit, there are also a lot of considerations for how any additional run would fit into their future product and retail plans for Audio-Technica. And while we continue to push on behalf of the community, we respect their decision as they have built a successful legacy as a company. Will we have future collaborations with Audio-Technica? Absolutely.

Was there too much marketing and demand? We always believed that the R70X was a product that was under-appreciated and fell through the cracks and just needed a bit of refinement to become a benchmark product, so we felt that, once reviewers and customers got their hands on it, they would notice it for what it was. We knew we would feel no regret in ever making a good product known and we didn’t want to keep this a secret or an exclusive offer behind closed doors (plus, this is not how we operate as we believe audio and music is the lingua franca of the world and should not be behind gated communities).

I hope this provides more context. I know we are not going to make everyone happy, but our hope is always that people understand that everyone here at Apos is deeply passionate about realizing good products and experiences for the community.

- Kunal

 

[evanft]

Is there anything stopping Apos from collaborating with a pad manufacturer and developing a pad with similar sonic characteristics that isn't made by Audio Technica? It's such a shame that what is probably Audio-Technica's best headphone is essentially limited to production run of the actual headphone plus whomever was able to get pads for their regular R70x.

 

[Apos Audio]

Is there anything stopping Apos from collaborating with a pad manufacturer and developing a pad with similar sonic characteristics that isn't made by Audio Technica? It's such a shame that what is probably Audio-Technica's best headphone is essentially limited to production run of the actual headphone plus whomever was able to get pads for their regular R70x.

We worked with ZMF at time of the launch to provide optionality to the community and are exploring other options as well. A lot depends on how the current pads sell. If the community demand is there, we will always try to make things happen. We would also want to get Audio-Technica's blessing if we were to go with another vendor.

- Kunal

 

[apagumila]

We worked with ZMF at time of the launch to provide optionality to the community and are exploring other options as well. A lot depends on how the current pads sell. If the community demand is there, we will always try to make things happen. We would also want to get Audio-Technica's blessing if we were to go with another vendor.

- Kunal

Hi Kunal, I just wanted to ask since you're on the topic of the pads. Will the stock Ori pads from ZMF fit the Refines? I'd love to get the Ori pads specifically for the Refines but they're already sold out on your website.

 

[Apos Audio]

Hi Kunal, I just wanted to ask since you're on the topic of the pads. Will the stock Ori pads from ZMF fit the Refines? I'd love to get the Ori pads specifically for the Refines but they're already sold out on your website.

Hi! Yes, the stock Ori Pads will work for the Refine. - Kunal