Bugle Pro

alkan · « **on:** 28 Feb 2006, 11:00 pm »

I purchased a Hagerman Technologies Bugle Pro kit in December 2005. It is a really wonderful piece of equipment, inexpensive, well designed, musical and at the same time flexible. It is so flexible that you can use the correct equalizations for pre 1954 LPs and 78s.
Unfortunatelly Jim Hagermann's support is practically non-existent, you will e-mail him and he will not respond, so you will have to figure out how to solve any problems that may arise in the construction of the kit. This will make you spend endless hours building it and a lot of frustation.
My advice is look elswhere (a Kab EQS MK12, a Graham Slee Jazz or an Esoteric Sound requilizer), or perhaps you should purchase a fully built Bugle Pro from Hagerman himself...

rotcoddam · « **Reply #1 on:** 1 Mar 2006, 12:49 am »

He's on vacation.

PatOMalley · « **Reply #2 on:** 1 Mar 2006, 01:43 am »

members on this board will help if they know the answer.

i have asked Jim questions before and he has been quick to answer and given me alternatives. in some ways he has gone beyond the call in several instances.

hanguy · « **Reply #3 on:** 1 Mar 2006, 05:09 am »

I agree with Pat. Jim has gone way beyond his responsibilities to help me with my HagClock. He has always been quick to answer my email and has good suggestions.

Mike

Yoda · « **Reply #4 on:** 1 Mar 2006, 05:41 am »

I have found Jim to be extremely responsive by phone, email and the forum. I usually post questions to the forum since not only will you usually get an answer in less than a day from Jim, but several opinions on the matter.

The best part about hagtech products is that you get tech support from the designer/engineer/prototyper/techsupport/webmaster master.

duff138 · « **Reply #5 on:** 1 Mar 2006, 01:21 pm »

your only 2 posts are to complain about his support. Why did you not post any questions you had in his forum? I posted a few and Jim responded immediately. I sent him several emails and he replied every time with an answer.

"My advice is look elswhere (a Kab EQS MK12, a Graham Slee Jazz or an Esoteric Sound requilizer)" How do you know their support is better than Jim's?

robertwstephens · « **Reply #6 on:** 1 Mar 2006, 01:29 pm »

Ditto here. I asked about 20 questions on my Cornet II and received about 200 responses, including a response everytime from Jim. Peace. Robert

alkan · « **Reply #7 on:** 1 Mar 2006, 03:53 pm »

I didn't ask you because I thought that the person better qualified to answer my questions was Hagerman himself (I purchased the hal-kit from him), and by the way, I tried to get in touch with him before he was on vacation. I even telephoned him (just think about a long distance call to Hawaii)..
So, may be I caught him on a bad moment and you had better luck. Who knows? I just wanted people to know what had been my experience in building this half-kit.

PatOMalley · « **Reply #8 on:** 1 Mar 2006, 04:10 pm »

i would post here first before sending to Jim. I hear he checks this often ... i guess when he is not on vaca. i guess we can ask him when support will be be off-hook for a while ... but then he will see this when he gets back and probably reply.

alkan · « **Reply #9 on:** 1 Mar 2006, 04:19 pm »

I forgot to mention that this is the first kit I build and that the only phono preamp kit I know of that is available on the market and that can adjust its equalization for pre 1954 LPs and 78s is Hagerman's Bugle Pro... The others I mentioned are phono preamplifiers that are sold fully built, albeit at a price.
I own both a Graham Slee's and a Esoteric Sound requilizer, in my opinion the Bugle Pro does a better job than the Esoteric Sound requilizer and is comparable in musicality to the fabled Graham Slee Jazz (which is several times more expensive than the Bugle Pro). In conclusion, I think that the Bugle Pro is an excellent option, and as I stated above, perhaps I was unlucky in my communications with JH.
I am glad that he has so many friends in this community.

PatOMalley · « **Reply #10 on:** 1 Mar 2006, 04:40 pm »

and thanks for the comparison to the Slee Jazz. I was wondering about that and it is very good to hear that this Bugle Pro is comparable.

alkan · « **Reply #11 on:** 1 Mar 2006, 04:52 pm »

I have just received an e-mail from JH. As you mentionned he was on vacation...

alkan · « **Reply #12 on:** 1 Mar 2006, 06:02 pm »

Duff,
It is interesting to see the way you quoted me. Why did you leave out of your quotation the way I endend the paragraph? Didn't I end it with this?: "... or perhaps you should purchase a fully built Bugle Pro from Hagerman himself..."
Alkan

alkan · « **Reply #13 on:** 1 Mar 2006, 06:37 pm »

Actually the Bugle Pro is a lot better than the Jazz for playing 78's and early LPs, because it is more flexible. The Jazz has only three turnover settings (275 hz, 350 hz and 500 Hz), whereas the Bugle Pro has six (150 hz, 200 hz , 300 hz , 400 hz. 500 hz and 700 hz).
In terms of performance the Jazz is more transparent, I would prefer it above the Bugle Pro for playing LPs in pristine condition since it possesses a CD like clarity, but has the fault that it tends to expose my turntable rumble... The Bugle Pro is extremely musical and to my ears has a better defined bass than the Jazz and is very good at covering some of my turntable faults and defects on the vynil surface.
Of course my opinions are enterily subjective. My listening was done on my Garrard 401 with two tonearms: a Hadcock tonearm with a Decca Gold cartridge and a SME 3009 with a SHURE V15VxMR (I use a Shure 78 for playing 78s). I used a pair of QUAD II valve amplifier and a QUAD QC-twenty four preamplifier to drive a pair of QUAD ESL 57 electrostactic loudspeakers that were refurbished by Wayne Picquet .
In conclusion, Hagerman has in my opinion done a wonderful job in the design of this phonostage and it is perfect for people -like myself - that have a record collection that includes 78s and LPs. In the end I think that I will be using both phonestages for listening to records, and I am now planning to sell the Esoteric Sound requilizer since, though useful, is in another league.

duff138 · « **Reply #14 on:** 3 Mar 2006, 02:27 am »

Quote from: alkan

Duff,
It is interesting to see the way you quoted me. Why did you leave out of your quotation the way I endend the paragraph? Didn't I end it with this?: "... or perhaps you should purchase a fully built Bugle Pro from Hagerman himself..."
Alkan

I just did it like that because you had already stated that Jim's support was non existant, so I was just curious if you had dealt with any of the other companies you had mentioned. I was just trying to quote the company names really, I guess I could have left the end of the sentence.

alkan · « **Reply #15 on:** 3 Mar 2006, 04:28 pm »

Duff,
You are doing it again! It is not the same to same to write that “Jim’s support was non existent” (as you misquoted me in your last reply) than to say, as I did, that “Hagerman’s support is practically non existent”. With this I was referring to the frustrating experience of sending many e-mails and not receiving a reply.
Alkan

duff138 · « **Reply #16 on:** 3 Mar 2006, 06:52 pm »

Quote from: alkan

Duff,
You are doing it again! It is not the same to same to write that “Jim’s support was non existent” (as you misquoted me in your last reply) than to say, as I did, that “Hagerman’s support is practically non existent”. With this I was referring to the frustrating experience of sending many e-mails and not receiving a reply.
Alkan

If he never responded to any of your emails why would you use the word "practically" anyways?

alkan · « **Reply #17 on:** 3 Mar 2006, 07:41 pm »

Because he responded to my first e-mails...

alkan · « **Reply #18 on:** 3 Mar 2006, 07:45 pm »

Duff,
But anyway the bottom line is that in my opinion the Bugle Pro is an excellent product.
Have a good weekend!!!
Alkan

woodsyi · « **Reply #19 on:** 3 Mar 2006, 08:03 pm »

Glad you like the Pro. I use it for 78s and I think it does it well. I get better sound on my post 54 LPs but I haven't really cleaned the 78's as well as I do with my LPs. Jim was never a problem to reach by phone, email or PM. I am of the opinion that we should use a long fuse before airing out complaints -- at least give the manufacturer a chance to reply in private or public for the delay.

What I really want to know is what do Hawaiians do for vacation. Would anyone out there want to swap places with me for a week? I can offer you a chance to freeze your butt protesting in front of White House if you want to..........