[REVIEW] Aurisonics AS-2's - Like being a kid in a candy store with a bag full of quarters

[Cassadian]

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In the emial I received, I was told the company doesn't want the back of the CIEM to be clear so as to avoid people being able to look into them from that angle. 
 
It might be a patent thing or something, I don't know. 
 
Struck me as a bit odd, but hey, it's not my company.  I'm sure they have a good reason for it.

 
I don't understand.  Then why allow it to be clear at all.  I honestly see no point in them not wanting it to be clear unless you're willing to pay extra money.  It would make more sense (logically) to have clear shell options or no clear shell options.
 
Ugh.  Again, I will try to refrain from posting.   
 
On a positive note, I'm extremely excited to hear the fidelity that the AS-2 will bring.

 

[kenman345]

Aurisonics methods are patented, good luck trying to find a company willing and capable of a reshell of them. It won't sound as good and will cost more, 100%. If you read many manufacturers sites, they wont touch a dynamic driver reshell.
 
@AudioDwebe, yes, patents. Aurisonics has them....
 
EDIT: One final thing. I have worked it out that I have about 200-250 hours of in head use of the AS-2's since I originally got them. This means at the full cost of $1200 it would work out to 4-5 dollars an hour. That's after two months. I plan to have these for years. The only thing showing signs of wear is the cable, which is greening, but I'm working on getting a replacement IEM cable to help alleviate this issue which plagues all CIEM's with the stock silver colored cables.
 
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You might be right and I should be more measured when posting- especially because Aurisonics hasn't even made an official announcement.
 
My impression was that their frost was sort a blurry-opaque shell.  All I and I think many others wil want are the standard options for shell colors + artwork for a reasonable price.  I think the ones wanting the exotic materials are in the niche market, and most of us just want to be able to pay an additional reasonable price for the regular aesthetic IEM options, which I really hope will be made available.  Otherwise, I'll have to get the $800 basic frost option then get it reshelled with another IEM company for the shell color and artwork I want, which will be a huge and unnecessary pain in the... (I could care less about adding faceplates- in fact, I probably don't even want them  because it seems like they'll make the whole IEMs protrude a bit more from the ears)
 
Anyways I'll stop making noise until more developments come forward.

 

[ChrisSC]

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Aurisonics methods are patented, good luck trying to find a company willing and capable of a reshell of them. It won't sound as good and will cost more, 100%. If you read many manufacturers sites, they wont touch a dynamic driver reshell.
 

 
I know a manufacturer who I trust who can reshell dynamic drivers just fine, and it'll cost $150 for reshell + art.  If I'm going to spend big money on CIEMs, I want them to look the way I want.  I have no desire to spend an additional $500 on 24k gold, $600 on chrome, or $700 on rhodium + polish.  If I wanted jewelry for my ears, I'd wear earrings.

 

[kenman345]

Good luck with that. Please make sure to point out what you've done if you give people advice about them. I feel like you're not going to have the same experience. 
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I know a manufacturer who I trust who can reshell dynamic drivers just fine, and it'll cost $150 for reshell + art.  If I'm going to spend big money on CIEMs, I want them to look the way I want.  I have no desire to spend an additional $500 on 24k gold, $600 on chrome, or $700 on rhodium + polish.  If I wanted jewelry for my ears, I'd wear earrings.

 

[ChrisSC]

Thanks for the well-wishes and if I give people advice about them I'll make sure to point out what I've done.

 

[kenman345]

I don't think UM has the capability to replicate the AS-2'seven given their special internals from you. and good luck with the wait, sounds like it's gonna take months for you to have the final product you want. This is Head-Fi, sorry for your wallet...
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Thanks for the well-wishes and if I give people advice about them I'll make sure to point out what I've done.

 
 
Lets get back to the point, Prices seem to be a bit confusing, but reports are that the group buy will be announced officially sometime soon. 

 

[ChrisSC]

Excited about the group buy announcement...not sure why you're bringing up UM??
 
 I never said I was having them reshelled by UM, and I wouldn't be- were you just assuming that's who I was talking about?

 

[kenman345]

They're the only manufacturer I know that'll touch others IEM's and does dynamic drivers in CIEM's. 
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Excited about the group buy announcement...not sure why you're bringing up UM??

 

[Aurisonics]

Hello Head-Fi community.
 
Please excuse my intrusion into the thread. Let me begin by thanking you the head-fi community for such a wonderful response to our products and for the continued passion many of you have for our products and their unique design and sound signature.
 
We, here at Aurisonics, have been building a company whose products are unlike anything else out there; the IEM market is crowded, and we didn't simply want to build like everyone else and hope that people caught on. We have also been building a customer base like none other - focusing on providing excellent customer service and responding to the requests of the individual rather than the masses. We want every Custom IEM that leaves our HQ to go to an owner that will respect the time and effort that has gone into crafting their personal product. No customer is dealt with as a number. Every customer has a name; their wants and needs matter. As such, we trust, that when we build for someone that they are going to be exceptionally thrilled with our craftsmanship, our service and, above all, the unique sound of our monitors.
 
I've written this to unify an ongoing discussion about the current pricing for the new AS-2 - in a hope to silence the speculation and return to a discussion of impressions, reviews and reactions. I could break everything down and explain why the prices have come to be the way they are. But all that really needs to be said is, they are priced where they need to be. I'll explain further in a moment.
 
We put our generics and our original AS-1 at prices that reflected the cost efficiency of our production process and passed that on to our customers. The base price of the AS-2 reflects that same intention. The "classic frosted" finish that has been discussed is merely the familiar look of the Aurisonics brand. Up to this point it is what all generics and customs have looked like. So the $799 price reflects the best price we could offer for our production costs on the AS-2. Inside every AS-2 is a purpose-built dual balanced armature tweeter - alongside our traditional 15mm dynamic that has been one of our brand-defining features thus far. The combination of these two is not merely a case of dropping them in to a shell of someone's ear impression. The two have to be balanced with one another, timed to perfection so that sound from these drivers driven simultaneously arrives at your ear drum in-phase. Fitting this technology into varied and unique impressions is a task that takes a lot of time to get right and with some extremely unique software and algorithms that assist us with tuning each set.
 
For our initial foray into more interesting designs we decided to provide three options. These probably won't always be the only options available, but for now, it was what I am confident we can provide to the same standard that I have always insisted upon for Aurisonics products. These options are Chrome, 24k Gold and Black Rhodium. We are using genuine precious metals over metalized plates that are hand polished multiple times throughout the process to jewelry like perfection. This is not plastic chrome like on mass produced off-shore manufactured inexpensive earbuds...
 
Obviously there is a cost to fine-crafting with precious metals. And again we have set our price to reflect the cost of materials, the time taken and technical ability required to produce these beautiful hand-crafted aesthetically pleasing features. We made the decision to provide these with a polished shell as this reflected our promotional material. I wanted everyone to know that we can sell in quantity what was being seen in images online. However, pictures really don't do them justice.
 
The options we are providing, at this time, are Frosted, Polished w/Chrome, Polished w/24k Gold and Polished w/Black Rhodium. As I hinted above, these may not always be the options that are available - but they are what is available right now and the pricing for these reflect the cost of materials, the time taken and technical ability required to produce these to jewelry quality perfection.
 
I hope that this clears up any confusion regarding our latest product. Once again, I thank you for your enthusiasm and look forward to more of you getting your hands on these beauties and filling up this forum with your genuine reactions. That to me is the reward for the hard work that we put into your Custom products.
 
One final note, you may have noticed we have not yet posted official pricing or the ability to purchase the AS-2 online or have released the group buy on-head-fi. I can only say the NAMM show took us completely off guard. The reactions from the pro musician community and the amount of sales generated was mind boggling. I ask that you are patient with us as we work through orders. We would rather have you wait a bit longer to ensure everyone is treated with the same care and personal attention we pride ourselves in giving to our customers. Thanks once again for your continued support of our products we truly appreciate each and every customer and are honored that you have chosen to be a part of the Aurisonics family...
 
Dale Lott - CEO Aurisonics, Inc.

 

[AudioDwebe]

Thanks, Dale.

What do you anticipate the turn-around time to be once things get settled down?

Cheers

Mamoru

 

[jrkong]

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Hello Head-Fi community...
 

Well when I think about it we get both jewellery and great audio? Why not kill two birds with one stone, it's much more economic then a gold necklace.

 

[kenman345]

I imagine we'll find that out when they do the group buy. I assume they are waiting for it to calm down a bit to normal before starting the group buys and get those made. 
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Thanks, Dale.
What do you anticipate the turn-around time to be once things get settled down?
Cheers
Mamoru

 

[Q Mass]

These look amazing, and sound like they may well crap all over at least some of the competition.
If there were an option for polished shell and polished aluminium (that's aluminum btw) plate, and I could afford it, that's what I'd go for.
But I think I'll just have to settle for getting my TF10s reshelled and gluing on a shiny button.
Unless of course the group buy turns out to be 50 percent off!.
 
Oh well, anybody got any used buttons to sell?, shiny preferred, but I'd consider anything at the right price.

 

[kenman345]

Email Dale, never know if he's working on it. Maybe he might even try doing it to see if he can do it for you
Quote:

These look amazing, and sound like they may well crap all over at least some of the competition.
If there were an option for polished shell and polished aluminium (that's aluminum btw) plate, and I could afford it, that's what I'd go for.
But I think I'll just have to settle for getting my TF10s reshelled and gluing on a shiny button.
Unless of course the group buy turns out to be 50 percent off!.
 
Oh well, anybody got any used buttons to sell?, shiny preferred, but I'd consider anything at the right price.

 

[jrkong]

Quote:

These look amazing, and sound like they may well crap all over at least some of the competition.
If there were an option for polished shell and polished aluminium (that's aluminum btw) plate, and I could afford it, that's what I'd go for.
But I think I'll just have to settle for getting my TF10s reshelled and gluing on a shiny button.
Unless of course the group buy turns out to be 50 percent off!.
 
Oh well, anybody got any used buttons to sell?, shiny preferred, but I'd consider anything at the right price.

I would be patient. It's just the beginning so there will probably be a lot more to come.