[n_maher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif sorry, but that's a lame excuse. there are other amp manufacturers who order parts from vendors, yet still get their amps out on time.

Why that's "lame" is beyond me, but thanks for the observation. Justin isn't trying to be anyone other than Justin, either you like the way he does business and see its merits or you don't. As a buyer you can continue to vote with your wallet and give your money to whoever you choose. I'm just trying to give some perspective on why things are the way they are.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif sorry, but that's a lame excuse. there are other amp manufacturers who order parts from vendors, yet still get their amps out on time.

You're not talking about custom manufacturing here, obviously.

-Ed

 

[itsborken]

sorry, reply was about pico, not the other amps. Deleted.

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're not talking about custom manufacturing here, obviously.-Ed

The products on Headamp's website are not custom. They are stock products with minimal options available, if any.

Even if the amps are built upon order, the basic parts to make them should be on hand for at least one of each amp shown. I can't imagine having a business where I had to order parts from vendors every time a single order is placed by a customer.

I gave Justin a lot of crap back when the Aristaeous was delayed for so long. I told him that, as a potential customer, it was a big deciding factor how long it took to make an amp & how he kept his promised delivery dates. He said that he hoped to get to where he had at least some stock of every amp pre-built, ready for delivery. He's not there yet. I'm sure that focusing on the Pico has had a lot to do with that.

Still, I think that everything that has been said is correct. These last few posts summarize the situation & the various opinions on the subject particularly well. Depending on what side of the coin one falls determines where one's opinion lies. Hopefully Justin can use this information to allow him to accomodate his customers better.

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by n_maher /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why that's "lame" is beyond me, but thanks for the observation. Justin isn't trying to be anyone other than Justin, either you like the way he does business and see its merits or you don't. As a buyer you can continue to vote with your wallet and give your money to whoever you choose. I'm just trying to give some perspective on why things are the way they are.

look. i think justin is a good guy. i owned a GLite for a good while and liked it. i have heard some of his other amps as well and thought they looked good (build-wise) and sounded the same. and i would have no problem buying another one of his products in the future. but here is the issue. when people are quoted a certain timeframe for a product and yet repeatedly (this is not an isolated incident) that timeframe is not only missed but missed by 1 or 2 or 3 times over the quoted delivery date, that is a problem. and if the fault, as it always seems to be, is really waiting for parts from another vendor, then justin should use another vendor or expect there to be the same delays and include that waiting time in his estimates. i think this is reasonable - is more reasonable that what goes on now - and would lessen the likelihood of these types of threads.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're not talking about custom manufacturing here, obviously. -Ed

what's custom about GLite, GLite PSU, GS1, GSX? Read the complaint posts. Those are the amps that people are generally waiting for.

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpelg /img/forum/go_quote.gif The products on Headamp's website are not custom. They are stock products with minimal options available, if any. Even if the amps are built upon order, the basic parts to make them should be on hand for at least one of each amp shown. I can't imagine having a business where I had to order parts from vendors every time a single order is placed by a customer.

x2.

Quote:

Still, I think that everything that has been said is correct. These last few posts summarize the situation & the various opinions on the subject particularly well. Depending on what side of the coin one falls determines where one's opinion lies. Hopefully Justin can use this information to allow him to accomodate his customers better.

yes. i totally agree. and i am not trying to be critical in my posts and i do not have anything against justin or his products - as some would have you believe. just being honest about the situation.

 

[earwicker7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warrior05 /img/forum/go_quote.gif earwicker7 - I know this is going to sound like one MOT sticking up for another but I'm going to attempt this anyway. I think you are painting an inaccurate picture of Justin/Headamp. You paraphrased his response that he couldn't keep to your requested 30 day turn around in a rather negative manner. He was up front about not being able to guarantee a 30 day build time and you paraphrase that as "I don't know, sometime"? That is leaving out a key piece of information.

Maybe you're missing something here... I requested the 30 days after it was already 2 months past the original date I was quoted. So, basically, I was saying "Am I going to have it by the three month overdue date?"

My point in all of this is not to get people to not buy HeadAmp, because everything I have heard makes me believe they are awesome amps. My purpose is to get Justin to realize that he can't do this all on his own. He needs to either make this a real business or, if he can't look at it as more than a hobby, give it up. I'd hope it would be the former, which could lead to him being more of a Ray Samuels type, which is someone who gets top quality equipment to you in a timely manner. Then everyone wins.

 

[grawk]

I'd personally rather he keep making the amps he makes with the attention to detail he uses and does it in whatever time it takes, than have him take on the business model of others suggested. High inventory and high volume shops compromise in other areas.

 

[barmar46]

It seems that right now the biggest problem is not so much the gap between placing an order and receiving shipment (not to inimize the problem in that), but more the uncertainty and discontinuity of communication. If you know it's going to take "x" amount of time then there's an agreement. If there is a delay, however long, and there is contact and interaction there is the high likelihood that though disappointed, the customer will feel respected. I understand how Justin, with his standards of refined excellence, might not want to bring in anyone else to even touch any technical aspect of his work. But it would be so good for his own well being (Justin, I'm mean this as support here) to have someone to help organize the communication by organizing and maintaining customer lists, accurately, timely and available for review and possibly take more pressure off Justin by handling some of the correspondence. Maybe there's a Charlottesville headfier who could volunteer a few hours a week to get Justin started and then enlist a student part time untill he gets a handle on all this demand especially while the Pico passion is so high. This step wouldn't really change the business model, it would still be a one man totally hands on shop. Still it may bring more peace of mind to all...Just a thought and it all has to do with Justin's own comfort zone.

 

[ojnihs]

I, for one, don't get everyone's need to tell Justin how to run his business and how he should hire this many assistants and what not. He's been running headamp his way for a while now, and he has been doing it extremely well. His amps are some of the best built pieces of audio equipment that I've seen and heard and like Grawk said, I'd rather have him keep to his current standards than change it up into high volume and high inventory shop. You paid for one of his amps, so if you're not willing to wait for something as high in quality as his builds are, then stop complaining, get a refund, and look elsewhere. Everyday there's more and more people joining this forum, and more and more people means more business for Justin, so more waiting for the rest of us. Let him do what he does best and leave him alone. He'll get you your amp.

 

[earwicker7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd personally rather he keep making the amps he makes with the attention to detail he uses and does it in whatever time it takes, than have him take on the business model of others suggested. High inventory and high volume shops compromise in other areas.

That's assinine. It took me one week to get my HeadRoom Balanced Desktop amp. It's a really good amp. It took me five or six weeks to get my Ray Samuels B-52, and that is a mind-blowing amp. And, just a few minutes ago, I got an email from RudiStor telling me that my Egmont Signature is finished and ready to ship... ordered 1/22, finished 2/13. I have no doubt whatsoever that this will be a great amp.

The idea that you can only make good amps if you have poor business practices... where did this come from? It seems a little fanboy to me

 

[grawk]

I said there were compromises donkey cap. I like justin's compromises. Headroom is MUCH larger than headamp. The other two makers you mentioned don't compete in my opinion in terms of value.

 

[mercman]

Earwicker7, please let us know how your new RudiStor amp sounds. I'm really looking forward to hearing your review of this product.

The order of the KGBH SE is my first interaction with Justin. Sorry folks, Justin may build great stuff and be a great guy, but his business practices are unique and quite idiosyncratic in nature.

 

[grawk]

They're hardly unique. He builds to order. You'll find most 1 man operations do the same. It's a tradeoff that allows him to keep his prices lower and quality higher.

 

[earwicker7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I said there were compromises donkey cap. I like justin's compromises. Headroom is MUCH larger than headamp. The other two makers you mentioned don't compete in my opinion in terms of value.

HeadRoom I could give or take... their stuff is what it is, which is mid priced with above average sound.

But saying that Ray Samuels can't compete with HeadAmp is insane. There's a reason that you never see a B-52 for sale, and that is because it's one of the best there is.

Why do some people act like Justin has some magic sparkle dust that no other amp maker has access to? I'll never question the guy's amp making skills, I'm sure his reputation as one of the best is deserved, but I don't think he's got "tricks" that other amp makers just can't aspire to.