AudioCircle
Audio/Video Gear and Systems => Owner's Circles => Vapor Audio => Topic started by: JP78 on 14 Feb 2019, 02:42 pm
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Hello,
I've been interested in some pearl white Vapors for awhile and haven't been following updates. Can you please advise on where the company is today?
Thanks!
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No idea - all I can find online is - https://www.bbb.org/us/mo/house-springs/profile/audio-visual-equipment/vapor-audio-0734-310593437 Other than that it seems quiet of recent times.
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I heard it through the grapevine that Ryan is quietly (and slowly) finishing up the order backlog. Funny that nobody has posted pictures if they have received speakers recently.
Ryan still has my deposit and I have not heard directly from him since Sep 2016.
Pete continues to answer my brief and infrequent emails which is nice.
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I heard it through the grapevine that Ryan is quietly (and slowly) finishing up the order backlog. Funny that nobody has posted pictures if they have received speakers recently.
Ryan still has my deposit and I have not heard directly from him since Sep 2016.
Pete continues to answer my brief and infrequent emails which is nice.
You my friend, have the patience of a saint. No way in hell could I tolerate that wait.
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You my friend, have the patience of a saint. No way in hell could I tolerate that wait.
I agree. People tell me I have a lot of patience but that is above and beyond.
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Huge waits were the norm with this company. Some much longer than others. I waited over 3 years for a satisfactorily finished pair of speakers.
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It is a shame, because I really like the Vapor guys on a personal level, and I like their product. But if the customer service part of the business doesn't make a 180, it's done.
In my audio journey, I have also discovered Funk Audio. For those interested in top quality subwoofing, I recommend checking them out. You'll see many similarities between the two companies, but Nathan Funk answers emails and sticks to his quoted build times. I get the sense he is successful - and my point is, Vapor can absolutely succeed, but not with the current business model.
I wish them luck.
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I had them build me a pair of custom Breezes for my office. The speaker sounds great ( I even sold my LS50 and Fritz Carbon SE) but customer service was marginal. With a good product you really need outstanding customer service. Maybe we will never know the whole story.
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Huge waits were the norm with this company. Some much longer than others. I waited over 3 years for a satisfactorily finished pair of speakers.
3 years? Seems like they are living up (or down) to their name......
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I got a pair of demo Auroras and couldn’t be happier. They sound so good paired with an Odyssey Cyclops and Suspiro Phono and am not in any search for a replacement. I did have an issue with a woofer on one after a few years, but Ed and Pete were super quick to get me a new one and help walk me through replacement. I wish them the best! Their support was top notch.
We all make choices in this life and sometimes bad things happen to good people. Some folks seem quick to kick people when they are down, let’s not be like that. If you are still waiting for a set of speakers, I’m sure there are better ways of handling this. Put yourself in someone’s shoes, I can’t even think of where I’d be in the same circumstances. :|
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Ed and Pete were super quick to get me a new one and help walk me through replacement. I wish them the best! Their support was top notch.
... sometimes bad things happen to good people. Some folks seem quick to kick people when they are down, let’s not be like that.
Amen, GB, Amen, and nicely said.
I put my Tuonares and Stiff Breeze back in rotation just yesterday, temporarily replacing the big Spendors. (In my soul, I’m a British guy.) Vapor makes very, very good, and very special, musical speakers. I understand the frustration for those experiencing extended wait times. Hang in there. My hope is that Vapor will find solid footing soon.
Cheers,
Lester
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Some folks seem quick to kick people when they are down, let’s not be like that. If you are still waiting for a set of speakers, I’m sure there are better ways of handling this. Put yourself in someone’s shoes, I can’t even think of where I’d be in the same circumstances. :|
Well GB, I've always been happy for you on your Aurora purchase.
In terms of your post, the OP asked for an update and I matter of factly shared what I know with zero malice intended. I'm certainly not kicking Ryan when he's down and in fact I hope he gets his life together and is able to move on.
After nearly 4 years of waiting (my order was placed 1 April 2015), I simply hope to get my deposit back someday.
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I have mixed feelings on continuing to post on this topic, as I have no real company updates but also feel that the opinions here are relevant and important for the guys at Vapor to hear.
I don't believe that anyone in the above posts is denigrating Ryan, Pete, or Ed. I would reiterate that I am pulling for all of them and wish for them to succeed - their product, personalities, and know-how have, at one point, made me want to spend more money on their stuff. But business is a cold and sometimes cruel mistress. It's just not doable to ignore customers phone calls and emails, or to withold a refund for an unfinished product as in Todd's case.
In other words, none of this is necessarily personal. However, it is getting difficult to escape the gravity of what has been a negative trend. I say again: I want Vapor to succeed, and would go out of my way to help and support them if I could. My opinion on the outlook for the company, however, is not as warm and fuzzy as it once was.
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I didn’t mention names in my response, it certainly wasn’t aimed at you toddc2. There are certain people who seem to enjoy posting short negative responses with no real value to the thread. I hope you get the chance to hear and see the speakers you ordered.
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Wow, had no idea Vapor is in troubled times, but then I don't keep up with the latest word with Vapor. I had purchased some Aurora's over five years ago and was very disappointed with the paint job and paid $500 extra for the 3 step job. I've never said anything about this to anyone other than Vapor and Danny the owner of GR. Ed offered to make it right though and I didn't want to have him putting more work into very under priced speakers. I screwed up by not pursuing the issue. My bad. I didn't want to put a stain on Vapor's record. I wanted the company to make it and I knew my issue may turn a possible buyer off from purchasing a Vapor product. Yea, I know I didn't do possible buyers the right way.
I don't know what their problem is. I do know I had told them ump-teen times their prices were excessively low. I mean to get the Auroras at $3k w/o the paint upgrade was insane pricing. I see now the price is at $5k which is imo the price the speakers should have been when I bought mine. About a year later my whole system along with stuff I wasn't using was stolen, but the insurance company covered all of it at close to retail price. I had an $18k limit on my policy and that's what they paid me and they waived the deductible, don't know why but, they did. The one thing I have tried to recover were the Aurora's. I have had a couple leads but, they didn't pan out.
I still hope Vapor gets through whatever the problem is. :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:
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I think most know about Ryan's personal loss, and things of that nature can kill a small company. That as well as the silence from them over the last few years has had me worried, leading to comments above.
I think it relevant to therefore state here that I have just had an e-mail and text conversation with him, and he sounds very positive. I will not spoil anything here, but I believe that things are going to get back on track - and that is good news. Keep your eyes peeled for news.
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I think most know about Ryan's personal loss, and things of that nature can kill a small company. That as well as the silence from them over the last few years has had me worried, leading to comments above.
I think it relevant to therefore state here that I have just had an e-mail and text conversation with him, and he sounds very positive. I will not spoil anything here, but I believe that things are going to get back on track - and that is good news. Keep your eyes peeled for news.
That’s great news and I’ve always been a quiet admirer. In fact without Vapor, I would have never started my current DIY project. I can confirm a lot of effort goes into these types of speakers.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=190005)
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That’s great news and I’ve always been a quiet admirer. In fact without Vapor, I would have never started my current DIY project. I can confirm a lot of effort goes into these types of speakers.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=190005)
I have been quietly admiring your build log over on the Selah circle...very impressive. Can't wait to see the finished item!
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Like SpreadSpectrum, I use my Vapor Joules as my avatar on AudioCircle. Without the Circle I would never have heard of Vapor nor would I have been warned going in about what some of the challenges might be. However, knowing about the possible challenges, I went ahead and ordered my Joules without having ever even heard a Vapor speaker. Yes the speakers needed a touch up and yes, Ryan was behind in his delivery but, and this is a very big but, no one who sees my speakers, or more importantly, who hears my speakers isn't impressed, if not astonished.
I have had industry members who have heard my speakers asked me if I would allow them to test some of their upcoming product designs using the Vapor Joules as a test bed.
If SpreadSpectrum is correct and good news about Ryan may be coming soon, I truly hope so. I have nothing but the best to say about his work ethic and his attention to detail and I truly wish Ryan, Pete, Ed and anyone else involved in the Vapor family the very best in the future and I hope others get the chance to hear his/their speakers.
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Ah man, I wish nothing but the best for Ryan and the guys at Vapor to make a come back. I can still hear in my head that pair of Nimbus that I was able to sit in front of back at RMAF in 2015, really awesome. I bought a pair of used Cirrus Blacks from csmgolf a few years back and still have them and love them, great speakers. Always thought Ryan was on the verge of something big, seeing how his first ten years building speakers yielded some incredible performers I thought his next ten years would be even greater. Time will tell I guess.
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Hey guys. Sorry it's taken me awhile to get things going. I'm working on 2 new prototypes. One is a smaller 2-way. The other is a tower slated to have either a beryllium dome or RAAL tweet and Audiotech mid. Possibly 2 woofers would round it out.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=191982)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=191983)
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Sorry for the lack of detail about these two new prototypes. I attempted my above entry with my tiny phone! The smaller stand speaker will be around 19.5" tall, 14.5" deep and 9" wide. It will use a 6" Tang Band woofer and a Morel silk dome tweeter. The components and crossovers are finalized for this cab. It's name for now is the "Mini-VonOtto". The big tower is my next attempt at a larger cab, but will be able to fit in a smaller room without overpowering it. Both of these cabs are based on the construction methods that I worked out with my VonOtto prototype. I know that the look of these cabs is different from the Aurora and Nimbus. I wanted to remove wood from the build, to eliminate swelling and shrinking from moisture changes, which can lead to finish issues. These new shapes are designed with efficiency and performance in mind. Instead of building a cab with wood then adding vibration reducing materials, the walls themselves are cast from those vibration eliminating materials. Curves are used throughout the shape to add strength, eliminate internal standing waves, and give visual balance to the form. I'm very proud of these two new cab designs. If anyone has some feedback, I'd love to hear it!
Thanks!
Ed
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Ed - it would be nice to get an update on where the business stands now. I know that Ryan raised his prices. Did Ryan hire some help? Is the lead-time getting smaller? Has he scaled-up his shop and made some investment? Who covers customer service? Are his more affordable speakers still being made by the other company?
The speakers are outstanding, but it' s hard to recommend them when the wait was so painful.
Thanks,
Steve N.
Nimbus owner
Empirical Audio
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Hey Ed! Nice to see you still working at it!
Any chance you could tell us how Ryan is doing overall?
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Ryan is doing better. Thanks for the continued concern guys.
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I don't mean to be vague, but while I think things are finishing up, I don't know any particulars. Ryan mentioned a possible meeting coming soon. He has so many things to finish that he can now get done, that I think all of us don't know the extent of. His passion for building world beating speakers is still there. Of that I am sure.
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I miss Ryan kicking my @$$ at audio shows. He made strive to up my game again and again.
Hey Ryan if you see this, you better bring it next show we both do! 'Cause I intend to make you work for another one of those "Best In Show" titles!!
All of my best wishes to you and yours.
Duke
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Both of these cabs are based on the construction methods that I worked out with my VonOtto prototype.
That's an amazing name! :)
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I'm not an employee of Vapor, he's just a buddy of mine. That being said, I've personally helped transport multiple pairs of speakers he's building in recent past.
So Ryan is still there, he's still building, and still shipping speakers.
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Bob,
That is totally awesome on all accounts. :thumb: :thumb:
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Any updates to this thread? I'd love to see more Vapor Speakers!
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There’s a beautiful pair of Vapors for sale on the Trading Post right now! :wink:
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Just checking in to see if anyone has spoken to Ryan and if Vapor still plans to continue building speakers. Hope he is well.
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Just checking in to see if anyone has spoken to Ryan and if Vapor still plans to continue building speakers. Hope he is well.
I heard from Ryan 16 Feb 2019. At that time he was trying to finish up his previous commitments before announcing his plans for Vapor. I have not heard from him since although in all fairness he mentioned he would reach out again when he was in the position to refund my Cirrus deposit.
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With all the questions about Vapor, I thought some of you might want to know why we all care. Ryan Scott made (hopefully still makes) amazing speakers. Almost all of the owners with whom I have been in contact appreciate how good they are.
last weekend, the local Audio Society had a few open houses for members to visit different member homes and get a sense of their setups. I had 14 people visit over three hours and the least complementary statement I got was " wow, very revealing system", which ironically is exactly what Ryan said would happen. "As you improve your system, these speakers will reveal more and more inner detail, detail that you are not yet hearing". He was correct, every effect of change I have made has been immediately obvious through these speakers. I truly wish him well.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=196747)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=196748)
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With all the questions about Vapor, I thought some of you might want to know why we all care. Ryan Scott made (hopefully still makes) amazing speakers. Almost all of the owners with whom I have been in contact appreciate how good they are.
last weekend, the local Audio Society had a few open houses for members to visit different member homes and get a sense of their setups. I had 14 people visit over three hours and the least complementary statement I got was " wow, very revealing system", which ironically is exactly what Ryan said would happen. "As you improve your system, these speakers will reveal more and more inner detail, detail that you are not yet hearing". He was correct, every effect of change I have made has been immediately obvious through these speakers. I truly wish him well.
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=196747)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=196748)
Are those JC-1 monoblocks? Have they been modded?
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Wow, good eyes, no, they are a pair of JC5 stereo amps, each of which is driving one speaker. the amps were on loan to me from Parasound for this event. They have a way where a speaker that is bi-wireable can be driven by say the left output going to the tweeter, and the right output going to the woofer. The sound with JC1s is great (really great), the sound with 2 JC5's is staggering.
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Just a headsup, guys. The newest speaker I've put together is a proof of concept. There is no wood used in this speaker. It will be at Grand Rapids on Friday and Saturday for listening sessions and crossover discussion, all hosted by Meniscus Audio. Thanks guys. I'd like to meet more AudioCircle people! Come check out this little show!
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=198601)
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=198600)
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They look great and I'm sure they sound pretty good as well. Is this a speaker that will be under the Vapor brand? Good luck at the show.
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These speakers were very well recieved in Grand Rapids this last weekend. The impact the Acoustic Elegance woofers were dishing out was fun to hear. And the Transducer Labs ceramic dome tweeters were accurate, crisp but non-fatiguing. One of the best speaker designers in attendance said "they are just fabulous". These are a complete 2-way!
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Congratulations on the great show!!
Are these ready for production?
Price? Turn around time?
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The VonOttos were a "Proof of Concept". The production set will have a 10" woofer with a magnesium oxide Transducer Labs tweeter. After hearing the VonOttos, the goal for this set will be total domination of the monitor world. I think 9899.00 would be a fair price for this beast. It will differ slightly from the VonOtto architecture. The front and back lines will not be parallel. The back line will be at a 4° angle. The baffle will be at a 10° angle. It will also have a left and right side, coming to a point in the back. I have 2 sets of mini VonOttos to finish, then I'll build the VonOtto II, or the "Big 10 Inch".
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It makes me happy to see your passion in making unconventional speakers continues Ed. Still loving my Auroras. Thanks for keeping us in the loop.