[Tuberoller]

If any of you guys read the posts from the Chicago meeting you heard about the problems I had getting a functional Twinhead for the meet.I tried to borrow two that were either DOA or had other major problems(non-working remote,volume control inop,ETC.)I finally ended up having to buy one and got it just in time for the meet.It too had problems including a hum through the OTL jack, a poorly fitting case and a non working remote volume control.I returned it to my dealer and asked for the demo they had only to find it with some of the same problems.I am now on Twinhead number 5.This one is the worst of all.The humm is much louder, There is buzz in the left channel through the preamp and headphone modes and the case is awful.I sold all three of the Mg Heads I owned because of this stuff.The Tulip amps that I have are both wonderful and sound great.The quality control of those two amps was never a problem.The twinhead is just a stinkin' disaster.I'm gonna try this one more time.Until then,I would strongly suggest you guys pass on the Twinhead.This is all really shameful and I hate that this preamp sounds so amazing but suffers from the problems that it has.We'll see.............

 

[nebuchadnezzar]

ASL has really impressed me with their MG-HEAD OTL. It sounds great and sold/sells at a great price. I read of the trouble many had with this amp, and thought either I got lucky, or the people, like myself, who got good units didn't have anything new to say....so kept quiet.

Alas, it seems the talk is true: The QC just isn't there....

Another case of ...you get what you pay for???

although, at $1300 I would expect more! Good luck, tuberoller

 

[mcgino]

I'm planning on getting a Twinhead to drive my R10s and HP-1. I had lunch with Joe Lau last week and he said that there were some issues with hum in the first batch, but they had been fixed in the second batch of units. He also said that they made some minor changes to help better drive low impedance headphones.

He'll be bringing a Twinhead to our meet here in Hong Kong on the 23rd and will be able to audition the amp with my phones (if I like what I hear, I'll talk to him about taking that unit home with me!).

ASL is aware of the quality issues and has taken measures to improve production. They have a factory with 80 people dedicated to making amplifiers!

 

[darkclouds]

Tuberoller,

That's quite a shame that QC is so terrible. If I had taken the plunge on the twinhead, I would have lost a load of money just in shipping cost.

Thanks for keeping us posted on the Twinhead saga.

 

[andrzejpw]

Hopefully, these qc control issues will improve. I was a bit scared of buying an MG Head because of some of the reasons you listed. Mainly, the dreaded "hum."

 

[Joe Lau]

Quote:

Originally posted by mcgino I'm planning on getting a Twinhead to drive my R10s and HP-1. I had lunch with Joe Lau last week and he said that there were some issues with hum in the first batch, but they had been fixed in the second batch of units. He also said that they made some minor changes to help better drive low impedance headphones. He'll be bringing a Twinhead to our meet here in Hong Kong on the 23rd and will be able to audition the amp with my phones (if I like what I hear, I'll talk to him about taking that unit home with me!). ASL is aware of the quality issues and has taken measures to improve production. They have a factory with 80 people dedicated to making amplifiers!

We have additional a Electronics Filter section on driver stage to improve Hum problem. We may be consider to eliminated OTL output in this amp due to it is hard to match gain on OTL output and transformers output.

remote Problem : We had solve it already.

 

[freethetree]

Not to be an ass but arent these sort of problems suposed to be worked out before a product is released to the public? Or are these units tuberoller bought preproduction betas? Im not that familiar with the audio industry so this may be common but that would kinda suck.

 

[RGA]

Quote:

Originally posted by freethetree Not to be an ass but arent these sort of problems suposed to be worked out before a product is released to the public? Or are these units tuberoller bought preproduction betas? Im not that familiar with the audio industry so this may be common but that would kinda suck.

Why would you expect this? American Car makers have been doing it forever and don't seem to be improving in the slightest...I'm just thankful their cars don't explode when they get hit from behind...Ohh Wait a minute...the new Crown Victorias are still exploding and Explorer's wheels are so badlydesigned that tires keep exploding...sure they tried to blame the tire manufacturer(Firestone or Bridgstone?)...apparently the new tires are exploding as well. D'Oh

I have found many amps to be susceptable to hum from TV cable...my Arcam and SUgden hum like mad...the ASL headphone amp however is dead quiet????

I have since bought a TV/VCR ground through cable which eliminated all my hum issues.

 

[mkyy]

Quote:

Originally posted by freethetree Not to be an ass but arent these sort of problems suposed to be worked out before a product is released to the public? Or are these units tuberoller bought preproduction betas? Im not that familiar with the audio industry so this may be common but that would kinda suck.

ha, think M$.

Joe should start making patches, and release service package one in a while.

 

[Orpheus]

well, i know i'm just repeating myself... but really, a good company should not release a product until it is perfected, no matter the price point. i am on my 3rd mg head now. i was planning to buy some ASL Waves... but i was told they also have humming problems.

ASL continues to disappoint... they're only saved by the fact that people who were lucky enough to receive good products naively praise the product's performance.

now, maybe i just have bad luck,... really bad luck. but 3 mg heads... giving up on the Wave.... can't be all coincidence right? welp... i've invested too much time in my mg head to let it go, but if i had the chance to take back my original order, i would gladly do it.

so, tuberoller... 5 twin heads huh? no, this is not an isolated incidence. us head-fi'ers should demand more from this company... even if the majority of their products are defect free (which they are not)... i have only been able to turn on my mg head for maybe 2 weeks since my purchase 1/2 year ago!

 

[mcgino]

My Cosmic hums whenever I touch the case. I called them up and they said that it was normal.

 

[millerdog]

just speculating cause I don't have the funds, but for that price why not try the zeus? At least we can get a review?
just a thought
md

 

[Joe Lau]

even Microsoft release software with Bug ! It is hard to release a prodcuts 100% no problem but I think TwinHead may be too much problem. I don't have enought Cans to test all condition.
It seem to be no problem when I test it with onhand Cans. It also very difficult to set a standard How much Hum is too much ? I only say I will try my best to improved our products in our Limited resource !

I only can sure ! Our prodcuts can 100% replace if it have qulity problem.

 

[pigmode]

Thanks, it's admirable to see that you'll stand by your product.

 

[kelly]

Joe Lau
Again, I very much appreciate that you come here to Head-Fi to help resolve these issues. I know it must be frustrating and I know how it must be heartbreaking to see such negative comments about something you obviously put so much work into.

There seem to be two issues of complaint here. One is in regards to quality control and I imagine that has to do with the actual assembly of the amps. You've mentioned before that steps were taken to improve quality control with the MG Head. What can be done now? $1300 is too much for people to have concerns with proper assembly.

The second issue deals with design and that's the one you're addressing with regard to saying that you don't have enough headphones to test, etc. Here I recommend a lengthier beta period with a couple of enthusiast testers. I know you fixed some issues after Nick Dangerous' audition and I imagine that must have helped you. I'm sure there are others here who would willingly volunteer their time and a couple of them have quite large headphone collections. I thought the TwinHead was an awesome amplifier and I list it among my favorites. I'd hate to see your higher end components go away when these problems seem solvable.

One other issue, as I'm sure you know, is the distributor/dealer available to us. Experiences with Divergent have been mixed. Some people have had problem free ordering while others have had a pretty rotten time trying to get a basic order or return handled. I don't know what options you have here and I wouldn't dream of trying to guess at your business model. Be aware, though, that this is having a dramatic impact on both your sales and your public perception. If there are alternatives, I'd suggest exploring them. As it stands for me personally, this above all else would stand as the greatest barrier to my ordering ASL products.

Thanks again, Joe.