Will split this post into multiple replies:
We're looking at refining our shipping options and will post a revamped shipping policy in the new year.
The reason for the current shipping policy is that it is not actually direct US shipping for most items. We keep a few things in our US office, but what we've found is that logistics is easier if we coordinate it with our Shenzhen office (which coordinates all international shipping). And due to the weight and size, shipping costs aren't actually much different. We will look at absorbing shipping costs for certain items over a cost total, for instance $200 US (just a random number), in which we can absorb all costs directly. We are still working things out and looking at various couriers that can help us achieve the lowest shipping cost without compromising on shipping speed and quality. There will be a select few items that we will continue to stock locally, such as cables and some of the smaller items, but for most items, they will be sent from Shenzhen.
In the near future, hopefully during the first half of 2020, we'll be working our way back to Amazon in the US, which will make sales and returns easier for us.
Yes, Vivian is very much still a big part of our operations --- she's just not on the Head-Fi side of things these days because it's difficult for her to use VPN all the time. If you still need service with your DN-1000 (or any DUNU product you purchase), Vivian will be the first line of assistance! We now have a handy support form (
https://www.dunu-topsound.com/support) that allows us to gather the necessary basic information first, and Vivian will ask for any additional information via e-mail if necessary.
There are multiple reasons for this, in which
@buonassi 's excellent reply is included. The main reason is that our sales in mainland China have taken off over the past few years. We're now among the top five leaders in domestic Chinese sales for enthusiast level personal audio products. Unfortunately, because we concentrated on shoring up the Chinese market, our international service has suffered over the past few years. That's why we're redoubling our efforts to try to rectify this situation. We want to rebuild the close-knit interactions we've had with members here in the past, speed up customer service, time to shipping, and the overall brand experience as a whole. Doing so will take some time. But we're definitely back and, not to toot our own horn, but ever better!
Fortunately, for international enthusiasts, the increased demand in the Chinese market has helped us broaden our portfolio and bring out a more diverse set of features for every kind of audio taste.
Our DM series is an affordable product line, in which we will offer diverse types of sound signatures on a shortened release cycle. We're looking to add to that portfolio with a range of affordable BA-only IEMs soon.
Our DK series will pretty much stay as is for some time, barring mid-cycle refreshes. We think the DK-2001 will be a hybrid that appeals to a diverse range of people because it's a fun little chameleon. (Changes colors, adaptable to different genres of music...). The DK-3001 will be phased out soon, in favor of the DK-3001 PRO, which is designed for longer term listening and just fundamentally sound all-around characteristics. The DK-4001 will undergo a refresh during the second half of next year because its amorphous Zirconium alloy construction is difficult to maintain a consistent production schedule with. We may consider an entry-level DK model, but there haven't been concrete discussions around it.
Similar to the DK-4001, our FALCON-C, because of its metallic glass construction, will be phased out. We'll be looking at a replacement for it, but the timeline is unclear.
On the high end for single dynamics, the 17th Anniversary Limited Edition model is exactly what it is --- a limited run. There will not be any more of these in the future. However, a similar model that we're dubbing 'Zen' at the moment, will use its driver and be re-tuned for a new housing design. LUNA is our flagship --- the very best of what we can offer from our engineering team. We believe its pure beryllium foil and speaker-like driver design will make it a performance benchmark for years to come. Through LUNA, we're looking to unify our design language across product lines, so expect more cohesion between products in the future, from concept to sound to packaging.
