Progress of Sapphire XL production

weisong44 · « **on:** 29 Mar 2005, 01:22 am »

Hi Mike,

Haven't seen news about the the Sapphire XL lately, I am wondering how is the production progressing? When should we expecting delivery?

Thanks,
Wei

Eric · « **Reply #1 on:** 29 Mar 2005, 04:03 pm »

Weclome to the ACI forum! I'll let Mike adress this one when he gets back. Is this the same Weisong that purchased my Bryston pre?

weisong44 · « **Reply #2 on:** 29 Mar 2005, 07:07 pm »

You bet, Eric! The world is small, isn't it

BTW: I am enjoying very much the BP20, thanks!

Brenda@ACI · « **Reply #3 on:** 1 Apr 2005, 10:43 pm »

Mike is not back yet... hopefully he'll have more details to report on his return.

I do know the Sapphire XL cabinets are in the finishing stage at this time and we are anticipating a gorgeous batch of cabinets!

Cheers,
Brenda

Mike Dzurko · « **Reply #4 on:** 5 Apr 2005, 11:45 pm »

I wish I had something concrete to report but I am waiting for call backs, etc. If I had to guess, I'd say we might start shipping by around mid-late May (oldest orders first of course). I do have to have more firm dates within the week. I CAN tell you they will be WELL worth the wait

I've had the priviledge of pre-reading one of the reviews that will be published. . . .it is an absolutely killer review

weisong44 · « **Reply #5 on:** 7 Apr 2005, 04:12 am »

Thanks for the reply, Mike. Will be looking forward to it ....

Mike Dzurko · « **Reply #6 on:** 14 Apr 2005, 11:35 am »

Read this review and you'll quickly see they are well worth a long wait

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/ACI/xl.html

Brenda@ACI · « **Reply #7 on:** 20 Apr 2005, 03:14 pm »

Sapphire XL Update:

Many of you have been waiting quite a long time for your Sapphire XLs. In our first public showing of the Sapphire XL at the Las Vegas CES in January, we firmly believed we'd be filling orders by early April. As you know, we haven't been able to do that. We're getting closer everyday, but we're not there yet. What are we waiting for? The cabinets. These cabinets with their complex round-overs and piano gloss finishes are some of the most challenging we've ever had produced. Sure, we could rush it without regard for quality, but that isn't what you want. Your pride of ownership will last for many years.

Two other factors should help ease the pain of the wait:
1) You had the forethought to order at the intro price. The price has already gone up twice . . .saving you even more $!
2) The first review is already in, and it is a rave . . . comparing your Sapphire XLs very favorably with a $4000 pair of monitors and a $3000 pair of monitors.

We are hoping that within days we will have some firm updates regarding when we should be receiving the cabinets, and, when we should begin filling orders. Thanks for your patience, and again, congratulations on a very wise purchase!

Cheers,
Brenda

Mike Dzurko · « **Reply #8 on:** 17 May 2005, 11:19 am »

Many of you have asked why the first production batch of Sapphire XLs are taking so long. . . . in a nutshell, here it is:

Last December we were able to hand build a small number of the unique Sapphire XL cabinets in time for introduction at the Las Vegas CES. After the show, those original units were sent to reviewers and friends in the industry. Based on that building experience, we felt we could get the first production cabinets completed by April.

Well, we certainly underestimated the time it would take! Designing and building production fixtures to facilitate precise alignment of the combination of angles and curves took far longer than we anticipated.
Getting a perfect piano gloss finish on those angles and curves has also proven to be quite the task.

We're happy to report that the production challenges are now solved and cabinets are now being built . . . and looking just plain beautiful! By May
23 we hope to have a pretty good idea of how long it will take to get the cabinets delivered, assembled, (we have already pre-assembled and tested the crossovers), test, pack and ship.

I guarantee your wait is WELL worth it. The Sapphire XL is destined to become a classic . . .a rare combination of incredible sound, killer looks, and ACI value. We thank you for your patience.

weisong44 · « **Reply #9 on:** 17 May 2005, 06:10 pm »

Thank you for the update, Mike. The delay is understandable given the challenges you guys are facing. Will be looking forward to hearing more good news!
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Groch · « **Reply #10 on:** 17 May 2005, 11:19 pm »

This is great news Mike. It was with some trepidation that I opened the Saphire XL update I got e-mailed this morning. I was half expecting word that mass production was impossible and that the project was canceled.

The delay just increases the anticipation, kinda like waiting for Santa as a kid.

Mike Dzurko · « **Reply #11 on:** 27 May 2005, 01:41 pm »

I wanted to let you know that the first production batch of Sapphire XL cabinets is FINALLY on board ship and headed toward us. Future orders should not take nearly this long . . . We're expecting the cabinets to clear customs, ship to Wisconsin and be in our hands by the end of June . . . We already have the crossovers ready, we'll have the drivers pre QC'd, so we should begin filling backorders by early July, and boy do we have a pile of backorders

I will again apologize for how long this has taken, if there was ANYTHING we could have done to speed the process, we would have done it! EVERYONE who has seen and heard the Sapphire XL has been extremely impressed. Good things come to those who wait . . . in this case that is certainly most true. Thanks again for the kind words and patience!