| Originally Posted by Elephas /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm an owner of a Single Power ES-1, and also have a Supra-XLR still in SP's possession awaiting modifications. My take on the situation is this. We all have our own experiences dealing with SP. They might be good or bad. A number of bad customer experiences have been made public, and it seems obvious by now that they are not isolated instances but a pattern. Single Power has lied and deceived its customers, including me, about payment and delivery issues. In particular, it has been particularly negligent regarding making delivery promises and continually breaking them. I have first-hand experience of the frustrations. Besides the issues with business practices and customer service problems, some more info about product design and build quality have come to light. In particular, the power supply of Icarium's SS1 is... I don't know what to think about this, a shock, a disappointment, a rip-off, obvious in retrospect, what? I don't know how the SS1 sounds, but I definitely didn't expect an amp at that price to contain those parts. My ES-1 was formerly Icarium's. My troubles with SP began when I sent it in for upgrades in Oct. 2007, was promised delivery and made payment in Feb. 2008, and then waited with increasing frustration until I finally received it in Oct. 2008. Since then, I've been pleased with the amp. I know, this sounds like a repeat of the other SP owners who complain, complain, and then everything is cool after they receive their "best I've ever heard" amp. But this is the truth of my experience. I think the ES-1 is the best-sounding amp I've heard, better than my Aristaeus and also my Zana Deux, though the ZD drives dynamic headphones of course. I've also bought a few tubes and some adapters from SP recently. Now, one may ask, why am I still dealing with SP after they treated me badly (see my previous posts in this thread), plus all the other customer complaints and Icarium's SS1 power supply? Well, my ES-1 works fine, and as I said before I think it sounds superb. True, I may open up the case and find crap parts inside. It may be a bad or unstable design. It may break at any time or destroy my tubes. I'll still be at SP's mercy and may be forced to endure more frustrations dealing with them. I might be ripped off (or continue to be ripped off, depending on point of view). But for now, I'm pleased with its sound and I don't think I paid too much for it. The only one with the power to resolve all this is Single Power. They can get their act together, change and improve their business practices, and stop lying to their customers. They can take steps to reassure current and future customers that they stand by their products. They can do many other positive things, for themselves as well as us. Or SP can continue their erratic and unethical ways. Treat some customers well, others not so well. Continue to break promises and lie. Maybe continue to sell arguably sub-par products with questionable value. I hope for the former, but I'm not fully optimistic. I think people should be well-informed about the potential risks before dealing with SP, which has happened with this thread and other warnings. Potential customers should be aware of all the risks. We current customers will make our own individual choices and continue or stop dealing with SP. But stopping all association with SP would require selling our SP amps, and I think that's not very easy to do anymore, for us as well as for Single Power. Mikhail, what are you going to choose? |
| Originally Posted by rsbrsvp /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have waited a long long time before getting into this delicate issue. I don't plan to get to involved either. This particular post struck me hard because it describes much of my feelings. I don't want to get into the full story of my relationship with SP- but the basics are the same as others- lie after lie after lie. Delay after delay after delay. I was taken on a ride for many many years and ended up having to sell a defictive amp. at a huge loss. You would not believe what I went through. I do believe that Mikhael is at heart a good person it is just that business and money is pulling him and molding him. I really Like Mikhael- and I wish he did not put me through the torture which he did. I do agree at the end of the day- (this is not a rationalization)- just a truth- that my ES-1 provides the most incredible music experience I ever could of imagined. Two things I wanted to mention to fellow head fiers. 1. If you want a Singlepower amp.- they are the best sounding amps in the world. Never order and pay money up front. Tell Mikhael what you want and to have it built for you- then go to Denver and look at it, listen to it, play with the volume knobs, bias it with different tubes, turn it on and off 20 times and experiment with it for 2-3 days. If it is perfect- pay then and only then and take your amp. home with you. Call it a 72 hour personal burn in- if you wish. This is how I bought my ES-1- and it worked out well. (I was cheated on another sale 2 years earlier) 2. I have not followed this thread totally at all but if I am not mistaken, Mikhael has not spoken up. I do not really see any need for him to hide. It makes him look worse. I request of Mikhael to show up as a responsible adult and a grown man and post some words regarding the issues brought up here. I wish Mikhael for his own sake would admid publicly in this forum to his lying, cheating and misconduct; then apologize to all he harmed; then make arrangements to recompensate all those hurt and than make a promise to change- to all of us. It would be such a shame if Mikhael went under. His amps are the best sounding amps in the world- just stunning beyond belief. MIKHAEL- PLEASE SPEAK UP- SHOW UP- WE CARE! WE WANT YOU TO MAKE IT FOR YOU AND FOR US. |
| Originally Posted by Icarium /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah I used to believe that Singlepower amps are the best sounding amps in the world. I don't believe that anymore. I do not believe that even if you dumped 50k into a SDS-XLR that it would necessarily sound as good as a TTVJ 307A or a EC Balancing Act. It may for some people, but it does not to my experience. Yet I do not believe that Mikhail would have any qualms with selling you a 50k SDS-XLR. I mean sure it's subjective and maybe for some people they are the best sounding amps... but it is not a universal truth and I'd advise anybody who wants to buy into that but has not experienced it for themselves to verify it themselves before entering in any sort of relationship with a used Singlepower amp let alone Mikihail/New Singlepower amps. Moreover.. even if his amps were the best sounding out there... reliability is an issue and will continue to be an issue. It's really not that I don't believe your experiences. I myself have owned solid/good sounding operating Singlepower amps.. but if you really delve into this thread and others like it I think you will detect that Singlepower/Mikhail has only deteriorated in service/quality/performance in the last couple of years. I don't know if its strain/financial issues or what.. but at some point there was a tipping point and the sad stories started outweighing the success stories. I don't doubt that there still are some success stories of happy satisfied customers... but it simply is not enough imo for any sane person to embark on. Until he really gets his affairs in order then I really would not advise anyone I actually like to get involved regardless of what good experiences you've had with him 2-3+ years ago. Moreover... given my own experiences and what I found in my amps I DO NOT believe that Mikhail knows what he is doing when it comes to solid state. He built his reputation on tube amps and unfortunately experience designing tube amps does not necessarily translate into designing solid state amps even though I both wished for it to and believed that it did when I purchased my amp. Ironbut has a good point. Tube amps are not complex designs by nature (At least not Mikhail's OTL designs) so yeah.. a local tube amp repair tech probably could help you better than Mikhail can. Lastly.. Mikhail is a dishonest man. For a long time I chalked up the inconsistencies to absent mindedness, but I stopped giving him any credit after he stole feet off my amp. I have documented evidence that he did this. If it was for "sonic improvement" or whatever then he should have run it by me. Sure it was only 40 dollars or so worth of black diamond racing feet, but it really opens up the door as far as what else he might have stolen from inside the amp. That was the tipping point for me... after all the lies about deadlines/work done/cost/everything. I mean the guy told me that there were mosfets on my amp. Between 12 and 16 of them (He's told me both numbers on different occasions)... in fact he attributed a channel imbalance issue to these "mosfets." Well I've had the insides examined by diyers/an amp designer and two members of the trade and they tell me that there isn't a single mosfet anywhere. Either he doesn't know what a mosfet is... or he was lying. Which is more comforting heh? I suppose he could be using magical mosfets that are labeled as other parts and resemble those parts.. but if you believe that then I have a bridge to sell you. |
| Originally Posted by rsbrsvp /img/forum/go_quote.gif By the way, when all the troubles surfaced with SP- I wrote Kevin Gilmore and asked him if I should sell my ES-1 due to their being no service for it should it be needed. He told me that if it has been working for 6 months- the chances of anything going wrong for years to come was very slim and I should not worry. |
| Originally Posted by kevin gilmore /img/forum/go_quote.gif As long as you don't tube roll till your eyes pop out of your head. The standard tube sockets can't handle that. And that also was before the issue of the filament to cathode voltage on the output tubes problem came to light. |
| Originally Posted by rsbrsvp /img/forum/go_quote.gif I should be more careful with my words. I have not heard every amplifier in the world and the ones you mentioned may also sound fantastic- maybe even better. But certainly- report after report and review after review for years- yes years hold consistently that SP amps are of the best sonics ever. I have experience with only two amps- the Aresteaus and ES-1. Again- it is well known and accepted fact that almost everyone who ever heard the Aresteaus was very impressed- I was as well- but to my ears the ES-1 far exceeded it sonically- especially with the 02; it was and remains a clear obvious sonic knockout to my ears. Personally- I agree- as I said erlier- SP has been deceiving, falsifying etc. many people for a long time including me-- there is no excuse. I just wanted to make mention of an option to get a SP amp should anybody want one. I still await and ask others to join me in asking Mikhael to step up and make some oublic statements regarding his behavior and if he plans to change or not and how we can be expected to trust him. By the way, when all the troubles surfaced with SP- I wrote Kevin Gilmore and asked him if I should sell my ES-1 due to their being no service for it should it be needed. He told me that if it has been working for 6 months- the chances of anything going wrong for years to come was very slim and I should not worry. |
| Originally Posted by kevin gilmore /img/forum/go_quote.gif And that also was before the issue of the filament to cathode voltage on the output tubes problem came to light. |
