[Phoenyx1]

I'll chip in - who do I send the money to?

 

[Poetik]

I talked to joker about setting up a fund for him to get a pair of JH audio customs before.  I feel that in the end it would be better to buy him another custom so he could at least compare them to his already huge list of universals.  There is no one else on the forum who has done comparisons on IEM's to the extent that he has and it would be an EXTREMELY worthy cause for head-fi to be able to read his results on the customs which most people feel are one of the best, if not the the best out there right now. 
 
This is however my opinion and I would gladly donate if it were to go towards a pair of JH audio customs.  The real question is why wouldn't we just paypal joker the money directly so he could buy them himself?  Why would we have to go through a middle man such as yourself that has absolutely no feedback on this site?
 
While I agree your cause is noble I'm just addressing concerns that I'm sure people, including myself, want answered.  You have a great cause but I know there are people out there who are willing to help but wouldn't just give just anyone money.  Even if we "have" to give money to a middle man, I personally would only feel comfortable giving it to a respected head-fi member with quite a bit of feedback. 
 
No offense to you but in the end I think people would feel way more comfortable just paypaling joker the money directly.  At least that way everyone on head-fi who donates will be 100% guaranteed that it'll be going to the cause.

 

[rawrster]

There's also ClieOS who would be quite deserving as well but outside of those two no one has done iem comparisons to the same extent.
 
Poetik, you do raise up an excellent point and I knew eventually it would be brought up as I have no familiarity with the OP but that may be different for some others but then again I don't know everyone who visits head-fi. If a middle man is needed I wouldn't have an issue dealing with it as long as I am not organizing anything. I'll happily accept the funds and then transfer the rest to either joker (who will then proceed to buy whatever it is that is decided) or a company that accepts paypal since I have no desire to wait for payment to transfer and then go and buy whatever is decided. I'd prefer option 1 however as it is a bit easier.
 
I would have no issues donating for this cause as long as there is a clear end goal in mind as well as properly set up.

 

[Painful Chafe]

I would like to mention how much joker has helped me. If it weren't for him, I would be stuck floundering around, buying IEM's that didn't suit me. Before joker, I had a set of Shure E3's and Klipsch Custom 2's. At the time I thought they were great. The next set I got was M6's based on his review. For $30 they were better for me than either the Shure and C2's. Since then I have purchased DBA-02's(love them), M11+(love them), Panasonic HJE-900(love them) based on his reviews.
 
He wasn't a big fan of some of the IEM's above, but because of his detailed insightful reviews I knew I would like them.
 
I figured he has saved me a few hundred dollars in purchase mistakes. His reviews have helped to make this hobby extremely enjoyable.
 
I"m in for $10.

 

[Poetik]

Quote:

There's also ClieOS who would be quite deserving as well but outside of those two no one has done iem comparisons to the same extent.
 
Poetik, you do raise up an excellent point and I knew eventually it would be brought up as I have no familiarity with the OP but that may be different for some others but then again I don't know everyone who visits head-fi. If a middle man is needed I wouldn't have an issue dealing with it as long as I am not organizing anything. I'll happily accept the funds and then transfer the rest to either joker (who will then proceed to buy whatever it is that is decided) or a company that accepts paypal since I have no desire to wait for payment to transfer and then go and buy whatever is decided. I'd prefer option 1 however as it is a bit easier.
 
I would have no issues donating for this cause as long as there is a clear end goal in mind as well as properly set up.

I wouldn't mind sending payment to you as you have a nice amount of feedback.  What would you propose the end goal would be? Joker is someone who has compiled a TON of IEM reviews and I feel that it would be in greater interest to buy him a pair of jh13's, jh16's, or quite possibly even the JH-3A's.  At least with that he could compare those to the universals and his current custom (1964-T) to better help head-fier's decide on what to get.  In the end joker would get one of the best custom IEM's out there and the head-fi community would benefit greatly from his impressions of it. 
 
That would totally be a win / win situation.

 

[12345142]

It seems like we're off to a rough start here, so I'll publicly address some concerns and state my own views.
Sending money to ljokerl to buy customs for himself is by no means a bad idea, but I find it somewhat impersonal.
Yes, a comparison of JH13s to other IEMs would be welcomed, but this cause is more about acknowledging the amazing work he's done for this forum, rather than finding more work for him to do.
I'm sorry that I don't have much of a reputation here, but if anything, here's some Ebay feedback.
 
For those of you intent on helping out, I'll just repost here:
 
It's been decided that our goal is a brand-new Audez'e LCD-2. I'll start accepting payments now. PM me and I will give you an address to make the payment to.
Remember - $10 USD or more if you're feeling generous, but please make it a solid amount (so no payments of $10.01 or the like).
Please make the payment as a gift. Please pay the PayPal fees, if applicable.
Make sure you indicate your username in the 'email to recipient' box. Also, I am located in Canada, not the US. Sorry for any inconvenience.
The LCD-2s are $945 USD plus $22 domestic shipping, making a total of $967 USD. I would like to aim for $970, although I am not sure if there are any other fees surrounding the purchase.

 

[MaxwellDemon]

Is it not possible to send the money to rawrster instead? I mean, he is reputable and I am sure having someone like him collecting the money would put ease to a lot more Head-Fiers' minds. Of course, no offence intended at all.

 

[mcnoiserdc]

When the fight is over i will contribute

 

[12345142]

My initial post originally encouraged more established members to step up and act as organizer, but no one came forward so I edited that out, assuming I would do the work. I have already pre-ordered the headphones in my name, and Audez'e has made special arrangements on their side which may not be easily transferable.
 
Since no-one trusts me here, though, I will ask Audez'e and see if they can help transfer these arrangements. I'm assuming that rawrster is willing to take charge, then?

 

[blockhead]

When the fine print is decided I'd be keen to help I've got more than $10 worth from the IEM thread alone Assuming he is cool with this of course.

 

[goodvibes]

Quote:

My initial post originally encouraged more established members to step up and act as organizer, but no one came forward so I edited that out, assuming I would do the work. I have already pre-ordered the headphones in my name, and Audez'e has made special arrangements on their side which may not be easily transferable.
 
Since no-one trusts me here, though, I will ask Audez'e and see if they can help transfer these arrangements. I'm assuming that rawrster is willing to take charge, then?

I'm also in when sure about destination but perhaps you could also ask Audeze to contribute. It may make reaching the goal more attainable and they will certainly benefit a bit from the exposure and good will. Not part of the deal as it's about Joker and what he'd most like to have as a reference but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Should be a win/win.

 

[rawrster]

Quote:

What would you propose the end goal would be?

Personally I'd like him to get the UM Miracle. With everything I've ready on the  UM  house signature I think the Miracle would be something that he would enjoy and I'm sure spending $60-70 on impressions plus shipping wouldn't be an issue for him. I'd take those numbers any day (spend $70 get a $940 or so custom in return). There's not that much information on the UM Miracle out there outside of two reviews so it could be beneficial for everyone (head-fi, joker and UM). UM has been overlooked mostly (whether warranted or not is not something I am able to decide since I have no experience with them) so it could help get more info out there.
 
The JH13 would make the better reference since there's a ton of information out there since it's been out a while and it's a much more popular choice than  UM. Lots of people have also heard it whether owning them or demo version at a meet.
 
However whatever the end goal is as long as it is something that he would enjoy. As for the LCD-2 he may enjoy that but I'm not sure how comfortable people are (including myself) with having someone hold onto that much money (as the LCD-2 is not cheap) for a long period of time since there is a wait time before money can be paid to Audeze.
 
As for organizing maybe Poetik would want to do that. I have no problems collecting and handing it to a company that accepts paypal or to joker (in the event that they do not accept paypal such as JHA for example) assuming I'm trust worthy enough but I think joker would agree that I am. I don't want to organize anything however.

 

[violinvirtuoso]

^ I would also go with giving the UM Miracle.
 
2 more things to point out:
 
If ljokerl already has impressions for his 1964 Triples, does he even need to get new impressions?
 
If we got ljokerl the Audeze LCD-2, wouldn't he need a great amp for that? The Heed Canamp is sounded great to me (at CanJam), but doesn't seem like the type of amp that will drive the LCD-2s to their full potential.

 

[rawrster]

I would imagine he does. UM and 1964 Ears have nothing to do with each other and I have no idea if 1964 Ears even sends the impressions back. Also it's better just to get new ones but that's just my opinion. It's only $40 for him so not a major investment.

 

[12345142]

Maybe I'm just paranoid, but recently I think tension has been building over the details of this thread. So there are somethings I'd like to say.
 
Audez'e and I wanted to keep this secret until the fund was complete, but it doesn't seem like I'd be improving the situation if I kept this secret. Yesterday, when I placed a pre-order with Audez'e, I also informed them that the order was a collaborative buy as a gift. To my surprise, Alex responded, asking who the gift was for, and I informed him of the details and linked to this thread. As a result, Audez'e has generously offered a one-time, exclusive (I repeat: one-time, exclusive) discount of $150 off of ljokerl's LCD-2s, lowering the price to $817, shipping included. This discount is the reason for my stubborn refusal to relinquish my role as organizer, as well as why I want to stick with the LCD-2, as well as my opinion that headphones would be a more convenient and fitting gift, as opposed to customs. I apologize for this confusion this has caused.
 
Other users have voiced their opinions about this cause, and I would like to be as receptive as possible. It's true that I have no trading feedback, and no words I post can possibly convince people otherwise. I would be more than happy to yield to a more established member who will promptly step forward and assume the role of organizing the funds. Several others have also voiced their preference for financing a custom IEM, as opposed to a pair of LCD-2s. After reading your reasons, I feel compelled to agree, but am also reluctant to pass up Audeze's generous offer.
 
I don't think I am an authorative figure any longer in this matter, so I allow those interested to weigh the factors and discuss and decide amongst themselves, while maintaining interest in this cause. Hopefully we can now start on the right foot and achieve our goal.