[TigzStudio]

 

 
I currently do have people helping get stuff done besides myself of course. However one of them is full time braiding D2 and that is all he does along with some adapters, which speaks to the labor on this one.
The biggest wait issues are due to the D2 copper (24-wire, hand braid, no machines), plus its high demand level.  Because of the wait on this cable, and because folks get frustrated on the wait caused by this cable,
the copper version will be eliminated around 2nd quarter of this year.  I have tried to keep it alive a bit longer, but the price causes there to be too many orders for such a labor intensive cable. 
In its place will be a more expensive model, and of course also the pure silver version is already released (flagship).  So ultimately complaints on waits for D2 copper have caused it to get eliminated and a higher priced Draug cable to take its place. 
So without the copper version in the lineup it should help out immensely with waits, free up my full time D2 guy, and allow all of us to get much more output each day.
Of course D2 and D2C copper will be kept on hand for people that need adapters in the future. 
For the folks that really have a hard time waiting, I have considered offering a "rush" option for larger added cost, but I feel this might be unfair to others and upset
folks so I have never offered it officially.  Anyone have thoughts on this let me know.  My goal is always to try and be fair, do not want to upset folks.
 
With the boutique cables business it is not easy to have a large amount of employees at all (due to so many costs), so this is why the waits are longer everywhere for complex hand made stuff as well.
There are many costs that a lot of folks do not think about unless they are actually doing the business, etc.
For example just a single new connector type costing about $4,500 to source in large enough quantity, silver occ litz is very expensive to develop cables with, etc.  Every headphone tends to have different connector types.
You need to own most of the top gear, and most of the headphones as well (also you need to stay current on it).  For example new 4.4mm type, you now need to own the sony gear to test with, etc.  New gear is popping up all
the time in this industry in general. 
Emails alone take hours out of a work day as there are always a ton to answer.  So while spending time explaining to people in email why the Draug is taking long to ship, your losing out on potentially getting one
more cable out that day.  There are tons of other things that would take too long to list as I need to get back
to making cables soon, but just trying to paint the picture. 
 
So there is definitely a high degree of difficulty, with large amount of time and money that is spent day in and day out (I work 17-18 hour days myself, 7 days a week often).  Most folks doing hand made cables out there really have no time for anything else
but their business, which causes other factors to suffer in day to day life with their families.  Literally if you take 3 days off from this business to try and take a break you will get tons of emails, and as soon as you get back
it can take lots of hours to answer all the emails.  You really have to keep going every single day without taking any breaks to keep it all at bay when doing complex hand-made stuff with these demand levels.  
So it is a high stress, non-stop thing and requires a certain kind of person or personality to be able to deal with it. Really I have a passion for this all which is why I actually love doing it and why I keep going strong.
 
Unfortunately if folks want Amazon prime type of waits, it would be having china make all the cables and retail package them.
Something I will never do.
Either way I am always doing the best I can to make people happy, of course your not going to make everyone happy all the time.
That is the nature of it.  This is where the "you can cancel anytime you want" factor comes into play if the wait is too frustrating.
I also have the best possible policies I feel I can offer, and as mentioned of course I have compensated folks plenty.
Really like I said before I do not stay in business for going on 7 years without actually delivering product to customers in the end,
but with the D2 copper on the way out it will help a ton on wait.
 
Any questions email me anytime, more than happy to answer questions in detail there. 
All pending emails should be answered by days end (including all folks asking about status). 
 
Thank you everyone for the feedback and support as always, I wouldn't be able to do it
without you guys.

 

[Mardrommar]

Current and potential customers should appreciate your honesty, Trevor! Not many people will give a cut and dry explanation of their thoughts on their own business.

Because you asked for an opinion, I don't think it would be a great idea to offer a rush option for a custom cable, only because it would likely transform into another backlog. Those deep in the hobby (to the point of purchasing an aftermarket cable) probably can front the extra money, so in the end it wouldn't make sense if most all orders were rush orders.

Honestly, and I've said this many times in this thread, I see your cables are being works of art (I personally find them to be the most unique and appealing ones I've seen being offered). It might be better to put a disclaimer on your website and in the order details stating that these cables are individually hand made and are time consuming works of craftsmanship. Let potential customers know that there may be delays and extreme wait times and if they can't be patient then maybe they should look elsewhere or purchase a cheap cable off eBay that gets the job done, so to speak.

I think Trevor can vouch for how patient I've been. I don't mind. I really enjoy using my headphones with my Draug2s. For me it makes them more enjoyable and they really are unique!

 

[fzman]

   

Trevor,
 
I hope you understand that I was not 'attacking' you, but just posing some thoughts.  It is tough to be in this business in general, and it is even more difficult to offer personalized service in a world of mega-corp impersonalism. That said, you are a victim of your own success.  I hope your situation levels out - so you have some time to "smell the cables"  (bad rework of a cliche)

 

[kino lau]

The only thing I ask is for you to figure out a way to squeeze a Draug Silver or Arcane cable into a pair of MMCX connectors...lol.
 
Walt

 

[ltanasom]

be patient for a special product.
I think Trevor already delivers his cables relatively faster than some other cable sellers.
And due to black friday discount, the orders would be huge so be a bit more patient, guys.

 

[TigzStudio]

 

 
A very good point yes about the rush option, I agree with you here, likely not the best idea.
I have site updates finally finishing this weekend hopefully with SG-S2 and Draug Silver, so I will add the disclaimer to be sure during this update.
I appreciate the thoughts, feedback and support Mardrommar
 

 

 
Totally understand, I definitely appreciate all thoughts and feedback of any kind.  My goal is to always improve every aspect that I can when it comes to service and support, so all feedback helps.
I was just merely trying to help explain what goes on a bit behind the scenes to paint a general picture for people waiting for orders.
I want people just to know that I am definitely hard at work every day to try and improve efficiencies and get it all out the door without issue.
 
 

  The only thing I ask is for you to figure out a way to squeeze a Draug Silver or Arcane cable into a pair of MMCX connectors...lol.
 
Walt

 
funny!
You would have to ditch barrels for that one, those would be some mighty big ciem cables Kino....
 
 
 
edit:
In a few hours I will be able to work on getting all the replies out, probably will be emailing for about 3-4 hours tonight.
So for those waiting the replies are coming soon.

 

[froger]

Trevor is a great guy and will always deliver at the end of the day with fantastic product. I think he might have over promised on the delivery at times which probably led to people getting upset when they don't receive the cables by the promised dates.

My advice to folks who are new to ordering customized cables: if you want a cable which is good and reasonably priced, do not expect a short wait time. It is just impossible.

I ordered a Bellatone cable more than 3 years ago and until now, it was not delivered despite the maker repeatedly promised that he would. Worse, he said he had no money to refund me.

On the other hand, from the Norse Audio days, Trevor had never failed to deliver. Those who suggested PayPal protection are probably the new customers who have little faith with Trevor.

 

[mudhole]

I have been off from this crazy community for about 5 years to focus on music itself. Last year I stepped into a headphone store and tried some new daps and IEMs which make me crazy again. Finally I purchased x7 and Andromeda on Christmas sale, bringing me to a new listening level. The stock SPC Litz cable of Andromeda is very good, but I still like balanced. After several days research in the forum, I decided to try occ silver which I never tried. Some models came into my head like symbiote sp, twag v3, thor silver 2 and therium. Since there's no place to "listen " these cables in Vancouver, I only can "read" them in head-fi. It's so confused me that you guys English writings are too good.

Until today, I suddenly recognized that Trevor is the gentleman who sold two pairs IC(king cobra and silver serpent 2) to me back to September 2010. Those were my first aftermarket cables and turned me into a cable believer. I had a great experience dealing with Trevor. He is a very acknowledged person with great patients. Then I have no confusion.

I wouldn't consider the silvergarde, it looks stiffer and over my budget (I usually won't spend more than 20% of the whole rig on cable). I just wondering how better is the 8 wire therium than 4 wire. And also worry about the thickness on a small IEM, the flexibility and comfortable of an otg cable. Of course the appearance of a otg cable is also important even more important than the SQ.

I probably will go to the 8 wire as I know myself. I just want hear more reason to spend 135 bucks more with confidence.

 

[Astral Abyss]

I hate to say it, but it seems like the price needs to go up to balance the demand.  Working that much will burn you out eventually, either physically, emotionally, or both.  I'm surprised Trevor hasn't needed therapy yet due to insomnia caused by nightmares about braiding an endless D2 cable that reaches around the globe.

 

[Cotnijoe]

I wouldn't consider the silvergarde, it looks stiffer and over my budget (I usually won't spend more than 20% of the whole rig on cable). I just wondering how better is the 8 wire therium than 4 wire. And also worry about the thickness on a small IEM, the flexibility and comfortable of an otg cable. Of course the appearance of a otg cable is also important even more important than the SQ.

I probably will go to the 8 wire as I know myself. I just want you guys give me more reason to spend 135 bucks more.

 
I've been with Trevor for the past few years now. Silvergarde is definitely not the most IEM friendly. The 8 braid Therium is actually pretty surprisingly comfortable. I'd personally still go with the 4 braid Therium though. It really is one of the most realistic and good portable cable. Looks nice, well built, sounds nice, super well behaved and tangle free, very little memory so it's not going to be a mess when you take it out of your case. It checks a lot of boxes for people!

 

[mudhole]

   
I've been with Trevor for the past few years now. Silvergarde is definitely not the most IEM friendly. The 8 braid Therium is actually pretty surprisingly comfortable. I'd personally still go with the 4 braid Therium though. It really is one of the most realistic and good portable cable. Looks nice, well built, sounds nice, super well behaved and tangle free, very little memory so it's not going to be a mess when you take it out of your case. It checks a lot of boxes for people!

Thanks for your advance. IMO, the andromedas are very sensitive IEMs, they are not current hungry . 4 wire should be enough for them. And no matter how thick the cable is, the tiny trrs connector is the bottleneck. But I am the guy always want the best what I can afford. I know I will keep this set up for years, and I don't want to read some reviews say the 8 wire is much better than 4 wire which will make me itch.
I know the SQ of 8 wire should be better but less comfortable and a little fat for a portable rig. Just want to find a balance. I havn't find any comparation between these two until now.

 

[mudhole]

  I hate to say it, but it seems like the price needs to go up to balance the demand.  Working that much will burn you out eventually, either physically, emotionally, or both.  I'm surprised Trevor hasn't needed therapy yet due to insomnia caused by nightmares about braiding an endless D2 cable that reaches around the globe.

Don't do that until I make my order please.

 

[Jalo]

Trevor, I wanted to ask a question regarding the Litz cable where each Litz wire is coated with enamel. Since signal travels on the surface of cable how will a coated wire affect the signal transmission?

 

[guzmanatm]

As a previous Norne customer, I can vouch for both the quality of the product and Trevor's service. In addition to providing a beautiful product, Trevor went above and beyond by expediting shipping, offering a partial refund on an accessory, and providing a promo code towards a future Norne purchase. It took around 2 months to receive my complex Draug V2 order, and it was completely worth the wait. 
 
Yes, certain orders have longer lead times than others (Draug V2 ahem). And yes, it's true that an email might get missed here or there . . . But the fact of the matter is this: Trevor isn't ignoring my message, and I always end up getting through. 
 
When dealing with high-end products, I like to recall the three basic constraints-- Quality, Cost, and Time. Of the three constraints, you can only ever pick two. Which two are you going to pick?
 
Most would ask for the highest quality and the best cost, sacrificing time. This is what we're getting with Norne, IMHO. Although, compared to other made-to-order cable manufacturers, Trevor's lead times are fairly average. And while these cables are not inexpensive, given the quality of the product you could argue that the costs should be higher. Maybe that's why it seems the copper series cables will soon be phased out and replaced with higher cost items.

 

[Fred12]

  Your first post in the forum was 2 1/2 weeks ago. Did you place your order 2 weeks before joining the forum? I'm not trying to sound like a jerk, but lets give Trevor the credit he's due. It's not very realistic to expect a Draug 2 to be built in two weeks. Be patient 

it was already more than a month that I placed my order when I joined the forum,..
he told me several days ago:
"But we will have tracking for you in the next 24 hours guaranteed finally. The cable is completing soldering process this evening on your order."
 
and still no status update, I know its probably a complicated process to make the cables by hand, but I stil trust Trevor, after I just read his first post on this page, didn't read it before