[MomijiTMO]

I also think people compare Chinese made amps to US made amps and eyeball the difference in price. Firstly there is the difference in cost of living, secondly you can't pay Justin $2 per hour for labour and finally, QC is much better when one bloke is doing all the work.

 

[logwed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibis99 /img/forum/go_quote.gif So then maybe you can explain to me how I would know anything about his customer service BEFORE I make a purchase? Also, I do not think spending $375 for an smp is cheap. I had far better service from HeadRoom when I purchased my $99 Total AirHead. So you point is moot. Price and customer service are completely seperate issues.

Headroom has seven employees, I believe. Most of them spend a large part of their day working on customer service, or there are at least a couple that are dedicated to CS. It is not in any way fair to compare Headroom (primarily an online retailer) to Headamp (an amp manufacturer and seller, one man operation).

 

[grawk]

Far better service for a far worse amp. Price and customer service are 100% related. It's all part of the price. The way you know is by reading this forum, by emailing him, or by paying attention. If at any point you don't feel satisfied, look elsewhere. No one will think less of you. Not everyone has to have the best amp, sometimes good enough fast enough is what you need.

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

I love how you are comparing a 99 dollar amp to a 500 dollar amp. Headroom's Microstack, 600 dollars, is roughly comparable to the Pico. The Pico wins hands down if you dont need other imputs besides optical. The Pico is also like a 10th of the size( ok maybe a little over exaggerating). So you are paying 100 dollars less, for an amp/dac that is very small. iBasso amps are good, but it took them a while to catch up to HeadAmp, and I still perfer the Pico's sound and form factor the the D10.

 

[akwok]

The long wait makes it sound even better when it finally arrives!

After all these years, there's no other amp manufacturer I'd rather buy from. Justin's a no-BS kind of guy: he could just as easily skimp on parts, copy others' designs, or start selling cables, etc. and rake in much more money than he's currently making, but that's not the way he rolls. He's a perfectionist, and you can't rush perfection.

Besides, it's not that bad. Getting no emails at all is better than being told lies over and over again (Singlepower).

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibis99 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well all is well as I've finally heard from Justin. He seems like a really nice guy and explained that he has been away for a few days. On a similar note I just ordered a pair of SE530's from HeadRoom (dam this hobby is making me poor). I immediately received an auto generated email confirming my order and providing full details. Seems to me like a great idea. I can totally understand if HeadAmp does not employ a CS Rep, but MS Outlook may be the way to go. I'll say it for the upteenth time, I'm sorry I started this thread and hope that my poor judgement does not cause any problems for HeadAmp- not that I have that much power anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibis99 /img/forum/go_quote.gif So then maybe you can explain to me how I would know anything about his customer service BEFORE I make a purchase? Also, I do not think spending $375 for an smp is cheap. I had far better service from HeadRoom when I purchased my $99 Total AirHead. So you point is moot. Price and customer service are completely seperate issues.

So, which is it dude, are you sorry for ever starting this stupid thread or do you want to argue over and over again that Justin is a terrible businessman compared to you? I hope he cancels your order now that he knows who you are, but that's just me.

 

[wuwhere]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott_Tarlow /img/forum/go_quote.gif I love how you are comparing a 99 dollar amp to a 500 dollar amp. Headroom's Microstack, 600 dollars, is roughly comparable to the Pico. The Pico wins hands down if you dont need other imputs besides optical. The Pico is also like a 10th of the size( ok maybe a little over exaggerating). So you are paying 100 dollars less, for an amp/dac that is very small. iBasso amps are good, but it took them a while to catch up to HeadAmp, and I still perfer the Pico's sound and form factor the the D10.

I just now connected my Pico amp from my D10's aux out after months of not listening to the Pico. The difference, at least to my ears through an ER4P, with the Pico, the stage is closer compared to the D10. The D10 is cleaner, less veiled, much more focused. The Pico's bass is not as deep and solid.

However, my D10 has BG caps and a topkit.

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wuwhere /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just now connected my Pico amp from my D10's aux out after months of not listening to the Pico. The difference, at least to my ears through an ER4P, with the Pico, the stage is closer compared to the D10. The D10 is cleaner, less veiled, much more focused. The Pico's bass is not as deep and solid. However, my D10 has BG caps and a topkit.

Which is fine and dandy ( have you compared the DACs ?). All sound is subjective, I don't think it debunks my argument. For you, maybe it isn't worth it. For me, it is. I had the Micro stack, D10, and Pico all side by side, listening via USB. The pico won for me, as I could put it in my jeans pocket as well much easier than the rest. The Micro stack is very close to the pico. The D10 via USB I thought was pretty far from both the Micro Stack and the Pico. I haven't tried optical, but I needed a USB DAC/Amp.

 

[wuwhere]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott_Tarlow /img/forum/go_quote.gif Which is fine and dandy ( have you compared the DACs ?). All sound is subjective, I don't think it debunks my argument. For you, maybe it isn't worth it. For me, it is. I had the Micro stack, D10, and Pico all side by side, listening via USB. The pico won for me, as I could put it in my jeans pocket as well much easier than the rest. The Micro stack is very close to the pico. The D10 via USB I thought was pretty far from both the Micro Stack and the Pico. I haven't tried optical, but I needed a USB DAC/Amp.

My Pico is amp only. I doubt that the Pico amp/dac combo's amp would sound any different, I could be wrong. I agree, we all have our own individual personal preference. I have fed my amp only Pico from a PCDP and a Cowon D2. It sounds warm and liquid. But, it is not as focus. I have a harder time placing where the instruments are. With the D10, I can focus on an instrument and follow it easily. I value this and other traits of the D10 as well. Again, these are preferences, YMMV. Cheers.

 

[wuwhere]

I would like to emphasize that these differences are not night and day. And I could live with either unit, in my case, both.

 

[rsbrsvp]

Besides, it's not that bad. Getting no emails at all is better than being told lies over and over again (Singlepower).[/QUOTE]

Agreed. Poor communication and deceit are in a different category. And I do believe Justins amps are the best there is. He is the first person I would buy from if I wanted another amp because I know he does it right and is straight.

Nevertheless, e mails and calls must be returned in a reasonable amount of time. There is no excuse. A business must respond and reply to their customers- especially the ones who have already paid and have warranty issues.

 

[qusp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibis99 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i get no reply from them over the past few days either by email or phone.

yes, well this is not unusual; I was in your position a bit over a year ago when I ordered my first pico; people who visited that thread asround that time will attest to the testy and generally frustrated and annoying person I became

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsborken /img/forum/go_quote.gif Absolutely reputable. He's just not so good on emails etc. so it is best to give him a call if you are concerned your emails aren't noticed.

email is probably better or PM on here, but sure give a call if in this situation again; you had already done that before you posted thought; a point some seemed to have missed

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibis99 /img/forum/go_quote.gif look im not going to turn this into a flame war, but get your facts straight. once a customer PAYS you for a SERVICE than the BEST thing YOU THE OWNER can do IS CONTACT that person after THEY HAVE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO CONTCT YOU VIA PHONE AND EMAIL OVER A THREE DAY PERIOD TO work out the shipping complications and whatnot.

indeed; since that time back then, my business has become more and more busy. sometimes i'm slower to reply then I used to be, but in general I usually get at least an email telling the person that their communications have been noticed and I will get back to them with a more thorough reply in X amount of time. I dont have an automated response set up yet either, but I will be very shortly.

Quote:

I appreciate Justin and his great products. I also believe deep down that he is a very reputable guy?company?artist if you will. But it is hard to beleive that he is not able to use a phone or email in 72hrs for a one minute correspondence to clarify some minor issues.

hmm, well I dont know about a phone call for the reasons that have been touched on here, but some sort of confirmation at least, then an email or call after that. I certainly agree that it takes much more than a few minutes out of your day to take yourself away from a very concentrated headspace, often with multiple threads going on inside your own mind and picking the pieces of that up again is not immediate and sometimes not even complete. I do believe perhaps he should do something about a part time or even contract basis person to take care of 'simple' things like the OP mentions. Now though; with the MASSIVE response to the slim I certainly hope so, i'm now part of the throng too for a second time. I have a slim on the near horizon. that should give you an idea of how good the products are though; that he can do this as business as usual and have one of the most highly thought of products around. also in fact I do tend to get email responses from him fairly swiftly; I would imagine that things improve once you are part of his database.



Quote:

Originally Posted by ibis99 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Moderator Please Remove This Thread. I do not wish to jeopardize anyones reputation.

no need to worry about that, head-fi is very tolerant of whimsical geniuses as long as they come up with the goods

he really is a truly stand up guy, just a mixture of how busy he is and just not having that kind of sense.

Quote:

Originally Posted by omigawsh_lollercoaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif Long waits, slow emails, good products.* *By general reputation and personal experience.

indeed!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsborken /img/forum/go_quote.gif Probably because non-brainy people think that one can resume a train of thought immediately after answering an IM/email/phone call. One can be interrupt-driven and not make progress or one filters the inputs to get things done.

LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valens7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Folks, as many people (including myself) have pointed out before, there is no reason to panic if Justin doesn't get back to you right away. He hasn't taken your money and fled to Hong Kong; he's just very busy. On top of what is probably a fairly high volume of regular business, he also has to contend with the impending launch of the Pico Slim. While it's a shame that he doesn't get back to some people in a timely manner, the fact that he remains a rather active member of these forums (especially for a MOT) ought to give you some indication that he isn't going anywhere. I don't intend any disrespect to the OP, as I've been where he's been with quite a few companies in the past. Getting frustrated when a business doesn't get back to you is a very normal reaction. But I would encourage everyone in general to take a few deep breaths before you take to the Head-Fi forums and start bellowing your outrage. And if you do want to get his attention via Head-Fi, what's the harm in doing it in a non-incendiary way? Anyhow, that's just my 2 cents.

well said; and some advice I hope to /and intend to follow this time round. I dont know how it went down with the OP, but I did try without success in the threads. Justin would as you might expect pick a couple of many posts at random and reply to them. I was a bit noob here too then though and not well versed in the micro-economy

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibis99 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree completely with your statement. But let me say this. I sell very expensive, complicated products and have a large customer base. I work out of an office. I work out of my house, I work out of an airplane, I work out of my bathroom, I work off the park bench and grocery line. The point is I contact my customer to confirm thier order. I then follow up 2 days after delivery to ensure there satisfaction. I then call the two months later and the every six months after that. Now even I admit that that would be excessive in most cases in many cases including this one. But any form of response within 24-48 hours would be the right thing to do. I'll say it again. Justin is probably a great guy and certainly has a stellar reputation on this forum which I'm sure he deserves. But me being a new customer who has never dealt with him, and being the anal sales pro I am I expect top notch customer service. Once again I am sorry to have started this post, and no one should consider my experience as the norm considering HeadAmp. So my appologies to Justin, but I would have prefer better communication from the beginning.

hmmm, I know you think you know what it is to be Justin, but i'm really not sure you quite know the headspace at all. things like this do sound like easy things to do from the other side, but its not always the case in reality. by now you will have seen that I agree in part with you, but i'm also seeing a lot of me back then in your posting and knowing now what I do, hell even when the heat of the moment had passed at the time I regretted not handling it with a bit more calm.
Quote:

Originally Posted by MomijiTMO /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's never a win win situation. Seeing people are already whinning over the recent increases, I'm sure they would not want yet another increase. I'm not saying you employ someone full time to handle the sales front - the volume probably is too low.

yes, you will get people saying he should contract someone to do this; and IMO he should; not full-time, but some-time. Then though some of those same people will have a cow if the price goes up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibis99 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well all is well as I've finally heard from Justin. He seems like a really nice guy and explained that he has been away for a few days. On a similar note I just ordered a pair of SE530's from HeadRoom (dam this hobby is making me poor). I immediately received an auto generated email confirming my order and providing full details. Seems to me like a great idea. I can totally understand if HeadAmp does not employ a CS Rep, but MS Outlook may be the way to go. I'll say it for the upteenth time, I'm sorry I started this thread and hope that my poor judgement does not cause any problems for HeadAmp- not that I have that much power anyway.

yes outlook at a minimum, but it may just be enough. its amazing how much peace of mind is given by even an automated response to let you know its all good.

glad it worked out, wow what A long reply mine was, perhapos i'm still feeling some guilt from last years rantings

 

[krmathis]

The HeadAmp feedback thread may not be all that -> http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f92/headamp-423033/
But still I really think most of us consider it to a reputable company.

 

[qusp]

indeed KR, I do regret not handling it better, but I did wait almost 4 months and several dealines before I became self-righteous and angst ridden

there is certainly room for improvement; but FWIR he has made changes for the better since then

 

[WalkGood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by omigawsh_lollercoaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif Long waits, slow emails, good products.* *By general reputation and personal experience.

+1, but I would say the products are much better than just good

Edit: although I would like to say that I don't have any complaints as I understand the size and number of employees, I can live with it ...