Happy Anniversary!
Today is the 3 year anniversary of Geek Soul campaign IGG launch on
Nov 5, 2014 @ 9AM PST.
BTerry’s nostalgic IGG comment of watching the clock prompted me to take a fond look back at some of the "highlights" since I was among the very first to pledge towards a “
Geek Soul Tube TradeUp (Lot 1)”. My contribution was processed 3 minutes after the link went live and believe I was among the first five. It had an “
Estimated delivery date April 2015.” I remember it very clearly as it was a welcome excuse to step away from my mother's bedside on the first of what turned out to be a series of hospital visits. (Ironically she passed away April 2015.)
Yes, I knew the April 2015 delivery estimate was wishful thinking especially after the Pulse delays, but keep in mind in Oct 2014 we were seeing photos of the first Pulse units being shipped; after all, how long could it take since the Geek Soul was initially described as combining the Pulse Xfi w/LPS in same chassis with a few enhancements. We even were shown a photo of the initial chassis prototype on Nov 6, but looking back now there was an ominous warning: “Geek Soul’s chassis for the time being is a prototype, and our fabricators are concerned about how to develop the process to get the chassis built at a much lower cost than is typical for the prototype stage. Want to see their progress?...”
By March 2015 I had incrementally added all the various upgrades towards a fully loaded Vi DAC Tube Special Edition w/CCX #8 module, a total investment of over
US$3400. (Yes, realize many out there who have much more money sitting with LH, but fortunately I decided to stop.)
On
Dec 18, 2015 LH Labs Customer Happiness Agent Stephanie Rodriguez informed me
I was #6 in the queue for the Vi DAC Tube Signature Edition. This was when I was being invoiced for the additional shipping cost as Stephanie reported: “The Vi DAC Tube units will be available to ship out at the beginning of
February (2016), the signature edition will take a bit longer since Larry is adding his special touch
”
The
March 16, 2016 IGG update Larry reported: “We are finalizing the CCX modules with different caps and tweaks. It's really amazing process to see the sound getting better and better for different CCX types.” This was followed by the
June 6, 2016 update that: “We just sent out the CCX Balanced Module gerber to PCB factory.”
[
Sept 24, 2017 Update reveals: “We will make another production plan dedicated for CCX only. The CCX #2, #4, #6, #8 will have balanced output which needs LL transformer. We plan to do it all in one shot with one P.O to make sure the vendor would provide all at one time.” – in other words,
18 months later not only have the “finalized” CCX modules not been produced, there’s still no vendor or production plan in place. In Nov 6 2014 IGG Update LH was bragging about publishing a “product roadmap”: what good is a roadmap if no one is looking ahead?]
May 19, 2016 Customer Happiness Agent Manny Torres sends out Google docs spreadsheet link to “start customization” of the Vi DAC Tube Special Edition. Then
July 14, 2016 Larry posted an IGG Update reminder: “Just want you to know, we hope to finish the configuration survey by the end of this month. And there are roughly 15 days left” suggesting production was imminent.
On
Aug 1, 2016 when I discovered that my comments on the Google spreadsheet had been deleted by someone else, Customer Happiness Agent Gina Stewart assured me:
“Your Vi IS being worked on though..”
Then radio silence for 8 months broken only for a couple of
Jan 2017 updates that there was (another) new order management system. Finally
April 4 2017 we get by what my count is at least the fourth time LH reports that the Vi chassis production challenges have been resolved: “we should be able to pick up the speed on May for 20 ~ 25 ship out per month.”
Which brings us to the present where we just learned:
- “The chassis problem has been fixed (IE, no more production glitches) but that doesn't mean the production rate was necessarily a ton faster.” Okay, sorry Jarek but this makes no sense: for literally years we’re being told that the production delay is due to chassis manufacture difficulties, but then we’re told that the chassis issue is fixed but the production rate is not appreciably improved. Huh?
- So, now, years later, a new chassis design is first being developed!?
Bottom line:
- LH Labs received over $3400 from me towards a Vi DAC Tube Special Edition in payments dating back over 4 years to initial November 2013 Pulse DAC pledges.
- Since then all I have received in return is a series of lies.
- If even one of the above communications had the slightest iota of truth, I would be listening to a Vi DAC Tube SE w/CCX balanced output right now.
