UE-10 Pro Questions for UK Owners - $1,600 Price Tag

[Dork Knight]

Hello All,

I was wondering if any UK based UE-10 Pro owners could help me out with a couple of questions I have regarding the purchase of the UE-10 Pro from within the UK;

Who did you purchase your UE-10 Pro through?
UE have the item listed as $900 on their site while the UK distributor, Hand Held Audio, have it listed for nearly £800 which is close to a whopping $1,600. I know we have Custom Duty and VAT but after a very quick calculation I could not see it coming to more than £600 / $1,200.

How did you find the service of the company you used and if there were any issues were you satisfied with the resolution?

How did you locate an Audiologist and were they happy to follow the impression instructions provided by UE?
I notice that Hand Held Audio can provide a database of audiologists so I will also inquire through them.

If you used Hand Held Audio, actually this would go for all companies, were you able to request a Custom Design and if so at what cost?

It would be really appreciated if anyone could provide a little information on the above as this is a rather large purchase for me.

Thank You,

Jason

 

[krmathis]

You can order the UE-10 Pro directly from Ultimate Ears, at the price of $900.
Shipping and VAT will come on to of the $900, but it will end up a lot less than the £800 that your local dealer ask.

 

[Dork Knight]

Brilliant - Thank You krmathis

 

[wolfB]

As a German UE customer, I paid €1100 (about $1400) in Nov 2005, when I ordered my UE-10s through UEs German distributor.

You know, European business is generally expensive. On the other hand, you might benefit from an extended warranty (2 years instead of 1 year) and a first class service. In my case I had to send my UE-10s in for repair after 14 months due to a defective driver. It took less than 10 days inclusive shipping to have them back. And the best thing was, the service and repair was free of charge. If I where a US customer, I'd have been most likely charged for repair and shipping due to the fact it was not covered by warranty anymore. If you need a refit during the first 30 days, you'd be happy to have them back within 10 days. Express shipping charges are pretty high, and that needs to be covered for EU distributors.

As for the impressions I was lucky to get them for free, made according to UEs instructions. US audiologists charge up to $50 for this service.

You can always talk to Brad Jensen of UE directly regarding design and other wishes.

 

[subfocus]

I have used Handheld Audio before for purchasing I.E.M s (although not custom made unfortunately!) and would recommend them in terms of customer service , delivery times and general audio related advice. However that does seem a pretty outrageous mark up on price. I remember reading somewhere that many local universities have an audiology department and may provide the service you are looking for professionally, at a minimal cost in comparison to audiologist fees.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dork Knight /img/forum/go_quote.gif Brilliant - Thank You krmathis

You're welcome!

As 'wolfB' say there will be easier to claim warranty reparations from the local dealer. But if its worth the extra money is up to you to decide.

 

[jdimitri]

Or.. are you set on the UE10?
ACS T2 is priced best in the UK, might as well take advantage of that

 

[Dork Knight]

Yeah, pretty set on the UE-10 - I've taken a look at the T2 but for some reason it didn't really interest me.

I think I might phone Hand Held Audio tomorrow for a chat regarding the service they provide.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

 

[The_Duke_Of_Eli]

You may also want to contact your local distributor to see if they'll give you a better price. While haggling on headphones definately isn't very common, it's worth a shot on a one thousand dollar headphone.

 

[Dork Knight]

Oh My, I've phoned a couple of places and the only one (so far) that will make impressions for me charges £70 / $140.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dork Knight /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh My, I've phoned a couple of places and the only one (so far) that will make impressions for me charges £70 / $140.

Thats insane.
I suggest you contact GN Resound: http://www.gnresound.com
I stopped by at their local store in Oslo, Norway and got my impressions made instantly. Costing me about $40

You find them in the UK as well...

 

[Dork Knight]

The majority of places seem to be around the London area, unfortunately I'm based approximately 180 miles from London and the closest Audiologist on the books with Hand Held Audio is about 80 miles away.

I've found another Audiologist but I have to phone back on Tuesday for a price.

If the cost is more than £70 I might just bite the bullet and spend the £70, it might cost more with fuel & bridge tolls travelling to another part of the country.

.......I'm now starting to lean towards the Westone 3 again along with a AKG K1000 or an AT W5000 which will work out cheaper than the UE-10 Pro - Oh what to do.

 

[chowk]

Is waiting not an option? The Westone3 (universal + custom) will eventually show up. UE also have some secret product they've been working on...

 

[Dork Knight]

Waiting is an option, that's why I'm considering the Westone 3 again along with another set of cans.

If the UE-10 will come close to costing me $1,700/$1,750 I dread to think what their new product may cost.

I think I'm talking myself out of the UE-10 here.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Hmm, might as well get it while the dollar is weak, though.