New Custom Color for the 9's.

JEaton · « **Reply #60 on:** 14 Jun 2014, 03:45 pm »

VSA should have refunded his money and taken them back, no questions asked. IMO.

After all, with so many backlogged orders, there must be people waiting in line to buy a pair of these. The champagne color may have been a special order, but it's also fairly common. It's not like they're painted lime green or something.

> we audiophiles are a strange bunch

No. People with more money than brains do odd things.

gammajo · « **Reply #61 on:** 14 Jun 2014, 05:02 pm »

It is a free country, but if someone chooses to purchase a custom order, then they must also take responsibility for the decision. I am a small business person - why should I absorb the consequences of such a customer's decisions? If the agreement is clear that custom jobs are not returnable, then this has been a proper transaction. And I hear no complaint from the purchaser otherwise.

Personally, if I were looking at such a purchase I would audition the exact model in someone else's system or showroom, then purchase the stock item so I would have the generous VSA return policy allowing for me also to try it in my system and my room. If I preferred a custom color then, I would arrange for a stock color audition in my own home at my expense for shipping both ways, before ordering my custom purchase.

Given the current customer and manufacturer seem both happy and treated fairly within the current transaction, all is well, and someone else will get a great discount on a beautiful new pair of speakers.

JEaton · « **Reply #62 on:** 14 Jun 2014, 05:12 pm »

Quote from: gammajo on 14 Jun 2014, 05:02 pm

It is a free country, but if someone chooses to purchase a custom order, then they must also take responsibility for the decision. I am a small business person - why should I absorb the consequences of such a customer's decisions? If the agreement is clear that custom jobs are not returnable, then this has been a proper transaction. And I hear no complaint from the purchaser otherwise.

You wouldn't have to, of course. It would come under the heading of good customer service. I would think that with VSAs extraordinary success and a waiting time of months to receive a set of speakers, there would be people lined up to buy these VR-9s.

Quote

Given the current customer and manufacturer seem both happy and treated fairly within the current transaction, all is well, and someone else will get a great discount on a beautiful new pair of speakers.

The manufacturer doesn't seem terribly happy to me. Not when he feels he has to come in here and tell such a convoluted story to explain why one of his products is being resold without ever having been uncrated.

fplanner2000 · « **Reply #63 on:** 14 Jun 2014, 05:34 pm »

There is WAY more to this story than Von Schweickert's lame attempt to slander me.

No, I am NOT happy. The speakers were not delivered to me until over 7 months from when I ordered them and put down a deposit. Instead of doing the right thing and just buying them back, he sent me a pair of prototype speakers to keep for all the trouble I had gone through. Later, when he found out I was going to sell the 9's, he demanded that I return those speakers, saying he had only "lent" them to me. He subsequently recanted his demand when he re-checked his "facts".

The only reason I even looked at other speakers after the 9 order was because it had taken so long. About 5 months into my order, with the speakers STILL in CT at the painters', being painted a SECOND time, I e-mailed some friends around the world asking for suggestions. It was through that process that I came across a pair of speakers I wanted instead of the 9's.

Those of you who know anything about sale and resale of high-end speakers must realize the sales advantage of not opening up the crates and merely selling these speakers, which have been upgraded, to a new buyer. No telling how long it might take to order a new air of 9's - I know what I was told, and then I know what happened.

Albert sent me a PM wanting to dissolve our friendship over this. I told him it was his prerogative.

Apparently, Albert wants to dissolve our friendship over this. I think his best move is still to buy them back. I have said nothing negative about the 9's for him to feel so defensive over - my preference is just exactly that - my preference. It's not my fault that Albert is taking this so personally - I certainly wasn't, until he just decided to try to impugn my credibility on a public forum.

fplanner2000 · « **Reply #64 on:** 14 Jun 2014, 05:45 pm »

Also, gammajo, the demo situation for 9's that you mention in your 2nd paragraph is not offered for VR-9's - they are not "stocked" and are built to order. Obviously, that is what I would have done if it were available. I did listen in other systems - it is not the same as in my own. I already am very familiar with the VSA sound, whcih I like, from my years with the 7's.

I have other issues with how the sale was handled, and really did not plan to share even what I have shared, but I also didn't expect to have my credibility attacked by AVS on a public forum.

Delacroix · « **Reply #65 on:** 14 Jun 2014, 06:21 pm »

Folks

we have a 'no dirty laundry' policy on AC which is aimed at avoiding the sort of public squabble I feel this thread is descending rapidly towards. Differences of opinion are to be expected but a public spat will have this moved to the wastebin. Thanks for your collective understanding

P.

fplanner2000 · « **Reply #66 on:** 14 Jun 2014, 06:29 pm »

Hi Patrick-

I am just defending myself and correcting a few "facts" so that readers are not mislead at all about what I did and why I did it. I have no intent of continuing to make comments about this. I'm just sorry Albert chose to make this public and to use our difference of opinion as a reason to end our long friendship.

Harve

Holli82 · « **Reply #67 on:** 15 Jun 2014, 06:04 am »

FWIW

My MK 1 VR 9's took over 6 months from deposit to delivery in 2007(no paint issues that I know of). I still feel it was worth the wait...especially now that they have been upgraded to mk2.

Harve , I wish you all the best with your new speakers. Sorry things didn't work out with VSA.

fplanner2000 · « **Reply #68 on:** 15 Jun 2014, 12:06 pm »

Thanks. I really appreciate it. I'm hopeful my brand-new 9 Mk2's will sell quickly, as they are available NOW.

es347 · « **Reply #69 on:** 15 Jun 2014, 02:46 pm »

Same here Harve. I hate it that you and Albert are on the outs. Albert is one of the good guys in this business and you no doubt are one of the financial icons!

best of luck with your mystery speakers..

fplanner2000 · « **Reply #70 on:** 15 Jun 2014, 03:09 pm »

Thanks Gavin - I appreciate it.

Please understand that this "ex-friend" as Albert now calls himself to me, was purely his doing, not mine. I was hoping to maintain our friendship and be professional about things; apparently that doesn't work for him. Too bad - I'm disappointed.

gme109 · « **Reply #71 on:** 15 Jun 2014, 03:17 pm »

Quote from: es347 on 15 Jun 2014, 02:46 pm

Same here Harve. I hate it that you and Albert are on the outs. Albert is one of the good guys in this business and you no doubt are one of the financial icons! best of luck with your mystery speakers..

As a VSA owner, I also don't like to see this kind of conflict being played out between Albert and one of his good customers, and wish that something could be worked out to make both parties reach a amendable conclusion.

JackD201 · « **Reply #72 on:** 15 Jun 2014, 04:36 pm »

Albert is a scientist but he's also an artist. A lot of love goes into each of the speakers we use. Someone else might have tried to ship the speakers off and maybe blame the forwarder for the blemish but not Albert. FWIW my custom Bronzes were also redone when the finish didn't pass Albert's QC. When he and Damon were here working on our 9 and 11 upgrades, we witnessed drivers being uninstalled because there were things they could hear that didn't sound right to them that we couldn't even hear ourselves. Albert had done the 9s for Manny but this was the first 11 Mk2. We witnessed the crossovers being ripped out and redone by hand by Albert himself, soldering iron in hand. 14 hour days and while young at heart, Albert is not a young man anymore. We were only watching and we were exhausted. I have no doubt that Harve's Champagne 9s underwent the same maniacal attention to detail. So I guess what I'm saying is that I can understand how he might have felt not even having his babies be given a shake before going up on the block. On the other hand I also understand the implications on Harve if the crates were opened. I also understand how these choices are all extremely personal and while I love my own 9 Mk2s, I can understand Harve falling for something else. We all have different hot buttons.

It's always hard seeing two of your friends having problems. My only hope is that in time things will work out for the better. Life is too short.

fplanner2000 · « **Reply #73 on:** 15 Jun 2014, 05:22 pm »

Thanks Jack - I appreciate your friendship.

I'm sure I would have caught the paint imperfections had they sent the speakers without redoing the paint. The process simply took a lot longer than it should have, a lot of time was wasted and I finally ran out of patience and looked for something else. No need to go into details - what's done is done.

Sorry Albert chose to end our friendship over this. You are so right - life is too short. The fact that I choose to go in another speaker direction is tied to this as well. I don't ever want to go "what if" I didn't try to get these other speakers? Life is full of choices like this. If I'm making a mistake, its MY mistake and I will deal with the consequences. (I obviously don't think I am or wouldn't be doing this).

Once again, I really appreciate your friendship and guidance over the years.

fplanner2000 · « **Reply #74 on:** 16 Jun 2014, 12:06 am »

Thank you P.

fplanner2000 · « **Reply #75 on:** 29 Jun 2014, 01:26 pm »

***SPEAKERS STILL AVAILABLE***

jab · « **Reply #76 on:** 1 Jul 2014, 02:03 am »

The search for perfection can be an expensive journey. Its the speakers, no, its the amps,, no, its the source, the cables, the room. I've read many of your trials as owner of the VR7's. I hope you find what you're looking for. I wish you peace of mind and satisfaction with your new speaker system purchase. And btw, did I read this correctly, that you have a pair of speakers that Albert gave you? Should you decide you want to sell them, pls email me... I believe I viewed them on static display at a CES, maybe 15 yrs ago. Anyway, I might be interested. Jack

fplanner2000 · « **Reply #77 on:** 1 Jul 2014, 04:40 am »

Thanks Jack - I appreciate it. Check your e-mail.

fplanner2000 · « **Reply #78 on:** 8 Jul 2014, 11:48 pm »

*****BRAND NEW 9'S STILL AWAITING THEIR NEW OWNER!!***** YOU CAN BE ENJOYING THEM IN AS LITTLE AS 1 WEEK!!!

Delacroix · « **Reply #79 on:** 9 Jul 2014, 09:39 pm »

Harve

you'd have better viewing numbers if you posted this as a listing in the Trading Post than here on the VSA Circle at this point.

Patrick