[DemonFox]

I got a bit more aggressive last night, and he called me and admitted that he lied about having sent payment.  he said he would send the headphones back, and today i received a tracking #, so in a couple days I will receive the LCD-2 and be able to inspect it

That's great news!! Does this mean you're going to reopen the demos soon? Also, have you thought about making people give you a security deposit before they can demo whatever pair you have available?


Thanks,


D

 

[justin w.]

Quote:

That's great news!! Does this mean you're going to reopen the demos soon? Also, have you thought about making people give you a security deposit before they can demo whatever pair you have available?


Thanks,


D

 
that would eliminate just about everyone, as some already complained about shipping costs.  to be honest, the goal of this program is not to sell headphones to the people who are auditioning them.  that MAY be a side effect.  a couple have, but certainly not enough to cover the cost of even 1 lost/stolen headphone.
 
there is a reason that the person who had the headphones was put last on the list, and it appears my judgement was correct in doing that.  yes, this is a criteria in determining the shipping order and it does take some time to figure out

 

[ninjames]

Lol and of course the idiot thought that after he said he lost payment twice that you'd just be like "Aw shucks, just keep the headphones!"

 

[ninjames]

Quote:

Still sucks that you had to take it there.  I'll admit that when I first heard about this program I was very skeptical.  Who would loan out $1k+ headphones to complete strangers?  Once I started reading these threads and seeing that people were actually passing them around I was amazed.  Hope things work out justin.

Head-Fi has a lot of great people here and our mutual respect for high-quality audio generally means we wouldn't deprive someone else of it due to our own selfish reasons. Usually. I'm not even remotely close to being the most social person on this site and there's still easily 20-30 people I wouldn't hesitate to send some of my personal headphones to in a demo.

 

[Oregonian]

Quote:

Still sucks that you had to take it there.  I'll admit that when I first heard about this program I was very skeptical.  Who would loan out $1k+ headphones to complete strangers?  Once I started reading these threads and seeing that people were actually passing them around I was amazed.  Hope things work out justin.

I understand your skepticism, but this community of Head Fi folks are generally good folks and why this can even have been considered.  Awesome props to Justin for making this work.  I for one will give Head Amp any business I can. 

 

[KrunchyLex]

I'm really glad things seem to be heading toward resolution.  I've yet to meet a Head-fi-er who's seemed like a bad person and thankfully it seems that's still the case more often than not.
 
I don't think any of us would have blamed Justin if after this he just stopped the demos altogether, but he's keeping it alive and I'm impressed and thankful.

 

[Advent75]

I sent out the Stax setup to the next guy over a week ago so I imagine he's probably already sent them to the next person or will very soon. Sorry I haven't posted any impressions, I'm not very confident in my ability to describe sound in a way that will make sense to all of you but I *am* confident in how I feel about the Stax 407. My HD600 and DT880 had never sounded grainy until I tried the 407. The 407 is, no questions asked, in a different league from all of my dynamics. The difference was subtle at first but as soon as a live album came on it was obvious. I first noticed it in the echoes of live vocals off of the walls of the venue. The HD600 and DT880 just couldn't reproduce the echoes in a life-like way. The 407 sounded like I was actually at the venue and the dynamics simply did not, by comparison. As I got more used to the 407 I realized it was more accurate and detailed across the board. There were details in the bass that the HD600 and DT880 simply couldn't produce, no matter how much I EQ'd up the bass. It just wasn't there. I should mention, the 407 is probably a bit bass-shy for a lot of people's tastes but I consider it neutral and the *quality* of the bass, like the rest of the frequency range, is incredible.

The SRM-252S was also impressive. Obviously I couldn't compare the 407's connected to any other amps but the 252 definitely looked and felt like a very solid piece of kit. I love that it has RCA-outs that work even when the unit is off. That made comparing headphones connected to my Lake People G109 very easy.

The Headamp pico USB DAC was also impressive. It was immediately clear to me that my HRT Music Streamer II is colored in the mids by comparison. I plan on buying the pico DAC very soon and selling my HRT MSII here on head-fi in case anyone is interested. It is still good for the price.

After listening to the 407 setup I was convinced I wanted to purchase it. I still feel that way but I will wait to see if I can get in on any Hifiman or Audeze demos in order to compare those orthos to my experience with the 407.

The 407 is a neutral, accurate headphone that will make your dynamics sound grainy and congested in a strange way. Its not that the 407 has a *huge* soundstage, though the soundstage is adequate, but it was wider sounding than my dynamics. They sounded congested, particularly in the mids, by comparison. As I mentioned, they also sounded grainy by comparison, especially in the mids but also throughout the spectrum. The 407 are silky smooth with very little grain, great resolution, and *amazingly* realistic reproduction of sounds. Anything that will benefit from sounding organic and authentic, such as live recordings, vocals, string instruments, wind instruments, will sound absolutely amazingly authentic on the 407. I know a lot of people use the HD600 when they need a natural, authentic sound but the 407 wipes the floor with the HD600 in that regard. They're that good.

Please let me know if you have any questions on any of this equipment. I had it for a few days and got to know it pretty well. I look forward to owning the 407 and 252 one day, hopefully very soon. Obviously I will be getting them from Justin and I want to thank him again for this opportunity. Being able to not only demo these but to do so in my own home alongside my existing equipment was extremely helpful and fun. So thanks Justin, this is an awesome program that I hope works out very well for you so that you can continue doing it.

Cheers,
Devin


Here's a pic of how I had it situated alongside my other equipment (on top of my PC). The 407s are sitting on the Sennheiser HH10 headphone holder that is clamped to the edge of my desk:

 

[Advent75]

Excuse error w no reply. Yes they are on way to next person. Enjoyed listening and came to similar conclusions. Will add that they are polite and could be strengthened w more bass. Can only compare to HE400, HE500 and Audeze LCD2. My hearing liked Stax 407 over HE400 and bout even w HE500. Audez'e which I still own are my favorites at this time.

 

[johnman1116]

I read this an was so confused... why would someone do that? Some people just cant let it go lol. I admit it was sad to ship off "the headphone of my dreams" but the privilege of being part of the this program is much more satisfying and an opportunity for future demos is priceless...
Quote:

I got a bit more aggressive last night, and he called me and admitted that he lied about having sent payment.  he said he would send the headphones back, and today i received a tracking #, so in a couple days I will receive the LCD-2 and be able to inspect it

I dont really understand why people are complaining about shipping.,.. they know they have to pay for it before they sign up. What service doesnt make you pay for shipping? Amazon Prime lol
 
If there were a hypothetical security deposit, I would have to reconsider..but probably still would lol!. I am a student though and yadda yadda. Oh if you were to do something like that, maybe a refunded deposit? Anyways I like the principle of the only shipping method. Shows so much trust in the community and a smooth run would return that trust to the vendor, cherished individual, Justin.
 
get intuition btw. Thats funny because since you have all the user ids up, we can now blacklist people... :0
Quote:

 
that would eliminate just about everyone, as some already complained about shipping costs.  to be honest, the goal of this program is not to sell headphones to the people who are auditioning them.  that MAY be a side effect.  a couple have, but certainly not enough to cover the cost of even 1 lost/stolen headphone.
 
there is a reason that the person who had the headphones was put last on the list, and it appears my judgement was correct in doing that.  yes, this is a criteria in determining the shipping order and it does take some time to figure out

+1
believe in this community  
Quote:

I understand your skepticism, but this community of Head Fi folks are generally good folks and why this can even have been considered.  Awesome props to Justin for making this work.  I for one will give Head Amp any business I can. 

 

[LNCPapa]

I'm not saying it wasn't a very pleasant surprise.  I'm thrilled that this program can exist and that users will abide by the rules.  I even tried to sign up for the LCD-2 at one point but just got too impatient and purchased them instead.  I'd really like to check out some Fostex 600s and 900s since I'm now on a search for some closed cans.  You guys (head-fi) have all been really awesome so far and I really hope it stays that way.

 

[Asr]

Justin: not sure that the 1-year join date criteria would really be necessary, maybe 6 months at least, but I think it wouldn't be unreasonable to set post count (>50?) and transaction feedback criteria (+1 or greater) in addition to that. Or something along those lines.
 
Quote:

that would eliminate just about everyone, as some already complained about shipping costs

 
You actually have complaints from people on the cost of shipping? What, do people seriously expect to receive expensive headphones on loan for free? Full insured shipping is the absolute least that everyone should do to ensure a contingency in the event of loss or theft. That and the recent report on the loaner HE400 smelling like cigarette smoke just leaves me at a loss for words. These reports on so-called Head-Fiers maltreating manufacturer property are absolutely appalling and the offending Head-Fiers should be banned IMO.
 
I still can't believe there are Head-Fiers who have the audacity to complain about shipping costs on a manufacturer loan or smoke around manufacturer property, or even lie directly to a manufacturer (that last one especially blew my mind). When did respect & courtesy of others' property go out the window?

 

[justin w.]

most (90%) have been fine

 

[Frank I]

I am sorry to hear that Justin is getting this grief with his loaner program. This is a tremendous privilege for the community and people disrespect Justin by not paying for headphones and then smoking and mistreating the product.   I cant blame Justin for not wanting to do the loaner program. He put his money out there and works hard to let members try headphones without any conditions except that you send on to the next member and take care of the product while it is your possession.  It pretty much what I have to do with all the gear I get for my reviews. Reputation is everything and Respect needs to be earned, and when your given the trust you need to keep your word. Without that your nothing. Everyone should thank Justin for all he does to make this community an better place. Hopefully he is not out of pocket for the LCD2 headphones that someone decided to keep. That member should be ashamed of himself.  I for one would like to thank Justin for all he does for this community.
 
 
 Sad that a few irresponsible individuals ruin a valuable program. People need to be accountable to themselves first and foremost. Values are an important part of  a human beings existence. Sadly people don't respect other people and dishonesty has no place in this community or in life in general.

 

[TMRaven]

If the one year membership doesn't work out, maybe even a minimum post requirement or at least 1-2 trader points to show that the specific member has good experience with shipping items out fast etc.

 

[justin w.]

i wont name who it is that has hopefully sent me back the LCD-2 in good condition, unless there are further problems.  at the time of sign-ups, he had been a member about 3 months, and currently has ~150 posts (not sure how many were before sign-ups started).  He also is +1 in trader feedback though it is for a purchase.  In my opinion, there should be no trader points for purchasers if they paid by paypal/credit card, as the risk is taken by the seller.  Huddler should change this so that trader points are listed separately for buying/selling