[Spakka]

Well those are some crazy wait times, can't believe they are actually just a Chinese company with a UK front, not exactly what they emphasis on the website... Doesn't seem particularly honest.
 
Also, I emailed them with a very simple question, and never received a response.  
 
Glad I went with ACS now, and good luck to you poor waiting-forever people. 

 

[fuzzy1969]

I think they are a English company from the design side but must have them shelled somewhere else, I had to wait a while for the C5 and communication got a bit bad but its not worth getting stressed over, and they do sound rather good.

 

[EveTan]

Quote:

Well those are some crazy wait times, can't believe they are actually just a Chinese company with a UK front, not exactly what they emphasis on the website... Doesn't seem particularly honest.
 
Also, I emailed them with a very simple question, and never received a response.  
 
Glad I went with ACS now, and good luck to you poor waiting-forever people. 

Yea, I felt that their "cheap UK product" motto was a little dubious. China's labor is really alot cheaper, hence their prices.

 

[fuzzy1969]

I think its a bit complicated, frog beats also run 2 music events a week in Glasgow and I think they had some help voicing the customs, your really paying for the time taken to design them, the build quality seems good on mine no air bubbles etc.

 

[EveTan]

Quote:

I think its a bit complicated, frog beats also run 2 music events a week in Glasgow and I think they had some help voicing the customs, your really paying for the time taken to design them, the build quality seems good on mine no air bubbles etc.

Not to mention, they're also a dealer for various audio products.

 

[23t23dS]

I get the impression that Frogbeats only outsourced some parts of their custom production, and the rest of the company is based in the UK.

Honestly during my communication with them, I did feel they were trying their best to get things done but the distance between the headquarters and their factory does work against them.

But all else said they really do sound rather good and all.

 

[uelover]

Quote:

My pair took about 3 weeks under rush order, but that was during the CNY period.

 
3 weeks from the day the impression was received in the UK till the day it was sent out from the UK? Or?
 
Quote:

@uelover: Sorry to hear that, I understand the frustration that comes with waiting as I'm already looking forward to it even though it only got picked up today! As for Frogbeat's response time, David has been answering my inquiries within a day or two so it's not too bad. I've been promised that I'll get the pair by the end of the month per rush order.
 
Given that I work in a small manufacturing company that deals with international suppliers, I can understand the time frame required to make something like this. I was considering a pair of UERM because I live in California where UE is based so it's probably easier to deal with but that darn review by LFF... well you know how it goes.

 
I should have picked up the UERM instead. The price difference for me between these two was just USD100. UE could guarantee a much better dealing experience and a shorter turnaround time. The quality of the UERM is well proven. On the other hand, there is no guarantee that the C4 will sound good. LFF's sole review could be just hype.
 
I ordered it thinking that it was a British made custom only to learn that it is actually made in China and sold by a British company Frogbeats. So, we are actually paying for more since the price would incorporate the to-and-fro shipping fees from the UK to China as well as the premium markup since it is sold by a British company (agency fees). Imagine how much cheaper if we could get it direct from the factory in China.

 

[uelover]

Quote:

Yes, the PL-50 (or any other EIM) that I might have sounds a lot better than C4's that I don't (and may never) have.  I'm not whining, $800 wasted isn't a whine, it's an outrage. I guess I don't have more important stuff to worry about.
 
I'm a pensioner who loves music and $800 is a lot of money to me.   I would think it's at least worth a prompt response to an email.

 
Yes I can empathize with you. The way Frogbeats treats its buyer is an outright disrespect to them who actually trusted in their products and paid big bucks for it. $800 isn't a small sum. Not to me at least.

 

[fuzzy1969]

Frogbeats designed the driver and crossover configuration. they weren't designed in China, It took me 6 weeks from receiving my impression and Im in the UK a lot of people are taking advantage of the discount and applying the rush order which creates delays.

 

[23t23dS]

Quote:

 
3 weeks from the day the impression was received in the UK till the day it was sent out from the UK? Or?

They received my impressions on 5th Feb and shipped the final product on 19th Feb

 

[uelover]

Quote:

Frogbeats designed the driver and crossover configuration. they weren't designed in China, It took me 6 weeks from receiving my impression and Im in the UK a lot of people are taking advantage of the discount and applying the rush order which creates delays.

 
Wasn't it said of the C4 that the drivers are the same as those in Heir 4A? If that's the case the drivers are just proprietary drivers that Frogbeats bought from elsewhere. 

 

[fuzzy1969]

Most of them do knowles or sonion, the crossover will in house though.

 

[glassmaple]

Quote:

Frogbeats designed the driver and crossover configuration. they weren't designed in China, It took me 6 weeks from receiving my impression and Im in the UK a lot of people are taking advantage of the discount and applying the rush order which creates delays.

 
Outsourcing to China is just a typical way of cutting down costs that have it's own drawback as well. Although labor and material is typically cheaper, the amount of quality control you have to do after the parts get back is no fun to deal with (I know this too well at work). 
 
Eventually they might have the infrastructure and personnel to make everything in house but that might be a while off. I do feel that they should be a bit more transparent about what's going on over there to quench all this waiting anxiety here though. While I certainly understand their long lead times, I can't say I agree with how they are doing on the customer service side.

 

[zenpunk]

Very disappointed to learn they are manufactured in China. I think that should be made clear on their website. I nearly ordered a pair after finding out they were in the UK and thinking I would avoid delays and complications often associated with ordering CIEM from overseas. 

 

[fuzzy1969]

I think they've over stretched themselves, I think I sent a email at 5 weeks got no response then just got a email out of the blue saying they'd be with me the next day, It didn't really occur to me they might be outsourcing, some form of communication would set peoples minds at rest. I managed to get a order placed at the first discount offer back in November but I think they are probably still playing catch up from the Christmas discount because of the rush order option.