[piotrus-g]

Quote:

You're going to hear of another hybrid dynamic/ba custom soon. And the customer service will be much, much better.
 
I won't say anything more, but keep a lookout on head-fi in the next few weeks.
 

I'd lol so much if it's the company that I think it is. I didn't hear any rumors but I did speak about hybrid design with one cIEM company (not UM of course)

 

[shotgunshane]

So all this secrecy and speculation is fun but if someone has information, why not say who it is?  Why the secrecy?

 

[Lidster]

Quote:

 

Yes, and it was not a very pleasant position to be in.
 
 

One thing I've noticed far too often with different manufacturers --specially those whose business depends more on what's said in these forum threads-- is that if you 'make enough noise', ie post your thoughts and get enough support from other members-- suddenly there's a wonderfully quick response by said manufacturer.
 
 
I won't "shoot you down" for your post but allow me to disagree with some of the things you've said.
 
These products may be hand-made, but it so happens that when these products were initially reviewed/marketed, said reviewers practically always got impeccably looking sets, got fantastic CS, and so on. It may be the case that for a while some customers got a similar quality product and CS. It is often the case that when as a business becomes more successful quality and CS suffers, and at times these go down badly.
 
There's absolutely no excuse for not getting a product in (near) perfect condition or at least as good as it used to be had by early customers. Same goes for CS. Someone else pointed out the all-too common phenomenon of getting excellent CS before you purchase a product and then a sudden change afterwards when issues arise.
 
I consider it not just the right thing to do, but a good --and very intelligent-- business practice, to compensate the customer whenever things go wrong on the part of the manufacturer -- just look at Amazon (or John Lewis in the UK) to see how these companies are regarded by the average consumer and how it was that these companies came to have such reputation. In the case of UM, we're talking about a Chinese-based company charging non-Chinese prices for their products -- all the more reason, in my book, for them to look after their customers. In this case, to me, it simply translates as "we'll have to make a smaller profit from a few customers, but they'll be so impressed by our response and fairness in dealing with them that they'll not only 'forgive' us, but will most likely recommend us, thus helping us do even better from a business standpoint".
 
When UM appeared in the customs scene some 3 years ago; there were just a handful of well-established companies then. These days, there are countless customs start-ups, Heir Audio being just one of them, offering very interesting products and competitive prices. Some will survive, others won't. Those who want to survive, and those who should not rest in their laurels, will have to not only offer quality products, but offer EXCELLENT customer service.
 
 

You're spot on and right to reference Amazon and John Lewis as they have exceptional customer service and have therefore earned the reputation that goes with that.
 
I hope that UM take notice of some of the issues that Customers have been voicing - in particular with respect to CS from AMPCity here in the UK.   In my desperation (whilst waiting 11 weeks for my merlins and getting ignored by UMUK) I mailed UM Global and UM Aus.  I got an instant response from UM Aus (which was very refreshing) who told me that the UK batch had been shipped from China that week and my Merlins were on that shipment.  This was great CS and I don't see why Yusuf in the UK could not have told me the same instead of ignoring me?!  UK Aus also told me that they were hearing a lot about the poor CS from UMUK and hinted that this was being addressed 

So, in summary, while I think it is fair to voice our opinions when we have been let down by CS I would also like to take this opportunity to say that I got an instant response from UM Aus and I hope that UM can sort out the UK arm of its distribution as they do make a fantastic sounding product imo.
 
 

 

[Staal]

Quote:

So all this secrecy and speculation is fun but if someone has information, why not say who it is?  Why the secrecy?

 
Well if they told the rest of us, they couldn't walk around with a smile on their face thinking "if only the peasants knew". 

 

[Insidious Meme]

So all this secrecy and speculation is fun but if someone has information, why not say who it is?  Why the secrecy?

Some are kept to secrecy as the information isn't public, and the source would shut them out in the future for any new juicy pieces of info. Probably best just to let it play out. I am.

Just going through this thread, it definitely looks like UM has bitten off more than they can chew, and are now paying the price.

 

[music_4321]

Quote:

You're going to hear of another hybrid dynamic/ba custom soon. And the customer service will be much, much better.
 
I won't say anything more, but keep a lookout on head-fi in the next few weeks.
 

 
Sorry Kunlun, but I'm afraid this time I'll have to say that I disagree with the contents of your post, namely with what I perceive as the not very nice intention behind it.
 
As you well know, I've been very critical of some of the business practices by some of the companies we often discuss on HF, and specially those specialising in custom IEMs. At one point I was even critical of Westone, one of the most reputable companies in the industry, and recently --although I didn't say so publicly-- I got the impression Future Sonics did not respond appropriately to some issues one HF'er was having -- granted, it was just one case, but still. And granted, I don't like what I've seen happening in the last 4-6 months to several HF'ers in their dealings with UM.
 
You know I think you're a fine HF'er, but to simply state that people will hear about a new hybrid IEM and that "customer service will be much, much better [than UM's]" is just... not right, or it just doesn't seem right / fair to me. If you're not prepared to say which company it is, perhaps you should have waited until you were prepared (or allowed) to say so. I suppose one can't help but speculate that perhaps you have some kind of involvement with said company -- perhaps you'll be reviewing this new IEM?
 
Yes, if it's a new product and/or a new company, good CS is practically guaranteed -- that is the norm if the company (new or otherwise) wants to get some attention and succeed in introducing a product on HF. And I won't be surprised if whoever reviews said product will be raving about it. That is practically ALWAYS the case.
 
Yes, the impression I get is that UM should get their act together, but that's no excuse for anyone to tell people now in this thread they should soon be looking elsewhere to get a similar product with "much, much better" CS.
 

 
 

 

[Vulpix0r]

I was thinking of going with UM until I read all the complaints in this thread... Now I have no idea what I should get because the Merlins sounds like something that will fit my needs...

 

[svyr]

look for what it's worth, I had the same experience with UM/UMAus (great a year ago when orders just started (except for referral to a crap audiologist), progressively worse culminating in the 'um global specials/ny period'), but I think part of the screw ups are on the part of UMLab (and while fixing those UMAus was nice enough to let me use an AERO and Mage demo at different times when my order had problems). That said, if UMLab and the dealers could make sure NONE of those problems happen, BY SIMPLE EXTRA COMMUNICATION BETWEEN EACH OTHER AND OR THE CUSTOMER (or tripple checking colors/art works before starting/sending). (It's so simple it's beyond sad). Sure it may add a day or even a week to an order, but it would be much less frustrating in the long run. It was bad enough for me to switch to ciem.com/Stephen and that was better (tho it was a simple order and my first order, but it was what UMAus used to be a year ago) I hope Matt/UMGlobal and Aus and UMLab get their things sorted. (let alone the things I hear about UMUK)


Build quality wise, I've had several units (Mage, SM3x6/8, now the merlin demo), where a driver touches the acrylic and there's a warp around it (and it looks like the layer of acrylic over the part of the driver that touches isn't particularly thick)/that kinda looks ugly and in case of the merlin there are tiny bubbles around it (can't remember whether that was the case on SM3x8 or Mage).

I can understand it's hard to fit 8 drivers into the mould, and the bass CI drivers in mage are huge, but I'd still rather not have that. '

I've uploaded some pics of the strange places where drivers/etc form the warps/bubbles into an album: http://www.head-fi.org/gallery/album/view/id/581961/user_id/125162



So um, is that normal, or not really? EDIT: ok it's all good'ish http://www.head-fi.org/t/443197/unique-melody-remold-appreciation-and-impressions-thread/3075#post_8290942



On the bright side I got a new Merlin demo mold to try, before getting my SM3x8, mage and 3 driver/3way xover ciem: http://www.head-fi.org/gallery/album/view/id/581800/user_id/null (pic gallery)

Thanks for that Matt/UMAus/Global

I really like it. The faceplate is large (tho that Might not fit everyone? not to say UM don't have 2-3 demo molds), and the nozzle is long, so you get excellent isolation and seal and a range of comfort/insertion options when it's supported by the memory wire. (good isolation even at moderately deep insertion and it not falling out)


I quite like the way Merlin sounds as well. The mids/highs similar to Miracle which is probably my favourite IEM/Full size sound to date (refined, sweet, detailed, full, crisp. seemingly mutually exclusive descriptions, eh?). The bass depends on the tips. To be honest I prefer SF-50 silicon ones vs comply T400 or Tx500. Not sure what the CIEM version is meant to sound like, but comply tips in case of the new demo mold make the mid bass too prominent/bleeding into mids (muddy and crap).

With silicon ones it sounds like a bass-boosted miracle, (depth/amount) which is nice (but SM3x8 tuned like miracle had a different quality to the bass - impact is different, can't describe it).
I let 2 of my friends have a listen, and both of them thought these were the nicest IEMs they've heard, and better than most speakers they tried.

I enjoyed Miracle/Mage and Merlin more than I enjoyed smeggied thunderpants, Stax SR507/SR404 and GMP450 pro. (plus they're portable and easily amped). The 3 UM IEMs are exceptional for Heavy/Power/MD metal or Classical (soloist + orchestra or opera). (with Mage being more mid bass forward, Merlin - more fun and bass boosted, and Miracle/Sm3x8 - reference/fun (more mutually exclusive terms ))

Wish I didn't have to return them on Tuesday (only borrowed to assess fit of the new demo mold that will replace the 'new one with short nozzle used for SM3x8 and mage')/Matt let me try them over easter)

Hopefully I can get 2.5k of CIEM universal molds from UMLab in no time, and without any more incidents.

 

[jsohn]

How do these compare to the Heir audio 4.a 6.a and 8.a? 

 

[Kunlun]

Quote:

How do these compare to the Heir audio 4.a 6.a and 8.a? 

Both kckc and project86 have compared the 8.A with the merlin and both find the 8.A to be a little better (but you should read their reviews in the Heir Audio thread to get a sense of the relative strengths and weaknesses and how those interacted with their personal tastes). Also, keep in mind that Heir Audio has excellent customer service while UM has been having serious issues lately--that's a big concern for a custom iem.
 

 

[jsohn]

yeah thx i saw those but it was directed more towards the 6.a and 4.a. shouldnt have put 8.a in there haha

 

[Kuroda Tsubasa]

That really sucks. I was planning to get some reshelling of the Miracle and my TripleFi 10 through UM, but now...I am not sure if I should do it. I hope by the beginning of this summer things will be better...Otherwise, I will have to consider other options.

 

[soalexx]

I'm looking at getting a set of customs (after I sell my current universals), and I too find this all quite worrying. It's put me in a pinch because I'm interested in a dynamic driver and the only two headphones in my sights were the Merlin and the MG6PRO. I'll be waiting for shotgunshane's review and comparison of the two, and this news about a new hybrid also has me interested. 
 
 
 
 

 

[Staal]

 
Quote:

I'm looking at getting a set of customs (after I sell my current universals), and I too find this all quite worrying. It's put me in a pinch because I'm interested in a dynamic driver and the only two headphones in my sights were the Merlin and the MG6PRO. I'll be waiting for shotgunshane's review and comparison of the two, and this news about a new hybrid also has me interested. 
 

Aurisonics are coming out with the AS-2 in June. It features dual dynamic drivers (1 x 15mm and 1 x 10 mm) if I recall correctly.
 

 

[ChrisSC]

Regarding the 8.a vs. Merlins-
I actually emailed kckc about a comparison a bit ago and he ended up preferring the merlins over the 8.as.  This is from a PM that he sent me (I don't think he'd mind that I make this public):
 
The Merlin has very clean bass that reaches deeper into the sub-bass with no mid bass hump, while the 8.A has a noticeable elevation in the mid bass. Personally, I prefer the lows of the Merlin more and also because yes, it does push lots of air. The drivers are actually 9mm I think and they produce the best bass I have heard for in-ears. What the 8.A does better is the overall smoothness and coherency of the drivers. The Merlin can sound too spaced apart and not as coherent between the bass and mids/highs, although UM did a great job and it's hardly noticeable. The Merlin does not sacrifice much details if any, but instrument separation is still better on the 8.A. But because of the dynamic drivers, I definitely find that the Merlin sounds more organic and natural with the perfect amount of decay. Another thing to note is that the Merlin has a more crisp treble than the 8.A, but it is no where near fatiguing (I am very sensitive to harshness or sibilance). They also have a largest soundstage and really gave me the "wow"' feeling the first time I listened to them; whereas the 8.A grew on me gradually. So all in all, I would take the Merlin over the 8.A.