[supergroverd]

I ordered a whole system a while ago from Nicholas. Apollo, Dac, Phono, 2a3-amps and 300B amps. Also interlinks and powerblocks/cables. This has been around November/December 2007 ...!!!!

I have contacted Nicholas a lot of times and sometimes even get a responce. But the thing, is no system yet. Nicholas did have some amazing stories why the system takes so long to get at my place. The last one was the best. Apparently my system was send to a guy in the US, and his system was on is way to me.  , but luckily so he was trying to get it all sorted out with DHL.

I really have very high hopes I will get a great system (when it ever will arrive), but...

I just wounder how long did you guys have to wait (or are you also still waiting)? Any other experiences with Nicholas (hopefully positive ones)?

Any info is welcome,

Ciao,
Supergroverd

[toledo]

You dont' happen to live in Holland, do you?

[tanchiro58]

Hi,

I am one of Nicholas Chua's long time customers and do know he is very reliable and very very busy. You should contact him by emailing and/or PMing him and wait for his answer. Sometimes he is not answering right away but when he finished building your stuffs then he will contact as soon as he can. I had never missed any of his answers when I got questions about purchasing and technical support.

[NewBuyer]

...no system yet. Nicholas did have some amazing stories why the system takes so long to get at my place. The last one was the best... I just wounder how long did you guys have to wait (or are you also still waiting)?...

It can sometimes take between 6 months to a year after order, to get a product delivered from Nick. Very difficult to reach him by email as well, especially lately. I hope he is ok...

[munosmario]

Seven months waiting and still no solution in sight!! And an order of such magnitude. I am sure that there are many reasons why it happened... but there is no excuse in keeping a customer waiting for such a long time. Not a good business practice. Nick should have made  supergroverd a production priority  putting him ahead of other orders and remaking and resending months ago what he ordered last November...making the dealings and trouble-shooting with DHL totally his problem intead of keeping the customer waiting endlessly for a resolution from DHL's end. DHL was chosen and engaged as a carrier by Nick, not by supergroverd. Doing the former would have been good business practice and true customer service. Lets hope this  oversight from Nick in dealing with a situation of such magnitude is just a fluke and that Nick can manage succesfully the growth of his business maintaining his hard earned custtomer service reputation.

[Randy]

It can sometimes take between 6 months to a year after order, to get a product delivered from Nick. Very difficult to reach him by email as well, especially lately. I hope he is ok...

If people are waiting that long for products, pretty soon there won't be any orders. I am the happy owner of an early TVC, was thinking of upgrading, but won't if it's going to take that long to get what I want.

[Milenko27]

Remember that Promitheus audio products are handbuilt upon order, Nicholas never sends a product to a customer unless he is 100% satisfied himself.

I hope you get your system soon though, i believe it will sound amazing

[supergroverd]

You dont' happen to live in Holland, do you?

Indeed I am that guy from Holand.

I just wish Nicholas is straight with me, but I am getting the feeling he is sometimes looking for excusses just to keep me happy (which off coarse I am not on the moment)

[Brown]

New to passives. Was thinking of taking the plunge but it appears that something is up. The TVC and other gear may be good but the customer service so far is lacking big time.
   I'll look for a used TVC instead. Hope you like your system when you get it. You are taking a big chance buying without listening. Good luck

[toledo]

You dont' happen to live in Holland, do you?

Indeed I am that guy from Holand.

I just wish Nicholas is straight with me, but I am getting the feeling he is sometimes looking for excusses just to keep me happy (which off coarse I am not on the moment)

It seems you and I have something in common. My shipment went to Holland and your shipment was on its way to me.
So it appears this was a valid reason for shipment delay.

I have been waiting a very long time for my order. In my case it is understandable as Nick built a custom DAC for me with tube output stage, separate tube rectified power supply and C-Core trannies in an ebony case with copper plates.
Throughout the design and tuning phase of the dac, Nick usually responded to email in a few days.

Lately, he has been harder to get in touch with.

I think he needs to hire someone to handle his day-to-day order and admin questions. This would alleviate some of the frustration his clients are experiencing. Typical growing pains for a small company ...  but a problem none the less that needs to be addressed.

Edit: After reading my post I need to add:

Promitheus Audio is not for the audiophile type who has to have immediate satisfaction and get their product on a whim's notice. What you get from the occasionaly long wait time is a hand built component made by a fellow audiophile which would cost many times more from a more marketing-savvy, cost and profit-margin oriented company. Also, one must not equate long build/delivery times with a shoddy company.

The company is what it is ... a small shop that produces excellent built-to-order products at a fraction of comparable mainstream products.
In fact the products are in-comparable to other manufactures ... try finding ebony cases with copper plates from any other manufacturer. Audionote uses copper plates on their mega-buck products or try to find C-Core trannies in any affordable components.

[munosmario]

Toledo said: "It seems you and I have something in common. My shipment went to Holland and your shipment was on its way to me.
So it appears this was a valid reason for shipment delay."

Question here is: did you guys (Toledo or supergroverd) recived any of the misrouted shipments? The answer seems to be not at all since neither of you said in your postings having received any thing from Nick. Only thing you appear to have gotten is the story of the cross-shipments....so, if neither one of you received any shipment, then, the two shipments either went nowhere and were lost in transit by DHL or there were never any shipments to begin with. It is as simple as that. How long ago did you get Nicks story of the crossshipments? Now, if Nick is trying to collect insurance from DHL before remaking equipment and ship it to Toledo and supergroverd, that would be totally absurd from a customer service perspective.

[toledo]

Toledo said: "It seems you and I have something in common. My shipment went to Holland and your shipment was on its way to me.
So it appears this was a valid reason for shipment delay."

Question here is: did you guys (Toledo or supergroverd) recived any of the misrouted shipments? The answer seems to be not at all since neither of you said in your postings having received any thing from Nick. Only thing you appear to have gotten is the story of the cross-shipments....so, if neither one of you received any shipment, then, the two shipments either went nowhere and were lost in transit by DHL or there were never any shipments to begin with. It is as simple as that. How long ago did you get Nicks story of the crossshipments? Now, if Nick is trying to collect insurance from DHL before remaking equipment and ship it to Toledo and supergroverd, that would be totally absurd from a customer service perspective.

I heard from Nick 2 days ago. Nick stated that the items are all accounted for (which was his concern) and that they are on their way back to him and will then be re-shipped accordingly.

[Oscillate]

I don't usually post, but... this is something I know about.

From 4/1/07 through to 6/27/07 I ordered and paid for the following items from Promitheus Audio:

-Reference Dual Box TVC
-Tube Active Preamp with Output Transformers
-Power Energizer
-Balanced Power Supply (2 x 1000VA)
-Custom Push-Pull tube amplifier

In January 2008, Nicholas sent everything except the amplifier (which is still being completed).
There was a also a shipping error (sent to my previous address). But everything did eventually
arrive in good condition and fully working order. I am a happy customer

I too, wish Nicholas was more accessible via E-mail and/or kept up more of a presence here on
the forum. As that would be good for both Promitheus Audio and it's customers. If you have the
luxury of time and the patience to wait, then Promitheus Audio offers excellent value for the money.

I have no hesitation in ordering more from Promitheus Audio.  Nicholas and I have already
started talking about building a custom tube based DAC... 

[munosmario]

I guess, after all, given the level of customization and personal zeal for perfection, what Nick does is more like art inside science and, as such, each one of his units is like one of a kind work of audio art...so, having to wait 6 or 7 months plus an occasional shipping misshap is well worth it...even more if over half a dozen such pieces are involved.....problem is (I just can imagine) the anticipation and the expectations for their arrival: not just of a bride but an entire harem of audio masterpieces 

[toledo]

... problem is (I just can imagine) the anticipation and the expectations for their arrival

.... that is why you ask for photos during the build process . It doesn't help with the anticipation, but, at least you get some eye candy along the way.

Check out my gallery with pictures of TVC with Brass plates (later swapped with copper), C-Core trannies and silver rca and DAC with 6n1p output stage, C-Core trannies  in initial build stage.

Those C-Cores are huge!!!

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery;area=browse;album=1524

[supergroverd]

I am very happy to hear that Nicholas has got some happy customers.

The contact I do have with Nick has been very pleasant and informative and I have very high hopes on the outcome. I never bought any audio without listening first, but I just felt very confident Nick would make something I will really like (and for a very sharp price off coarse).

The only thing with Nick is that he is not very informative about progress and timeschedule of delivery. If he was very clear about why things take longer without me having to ask for it I would be a lot happier.

And toledo that system really looks nice. I allmost cannot wait   

[munosmario]

supergroverd said: "I just felt very confident Nick would make something I will really like (and for a very sharp price off coarse)."

Oscillate said: "If you have the luxury of time and the patience to wait, then Promitheus Audio offers excellent value for the money."

The answer is there, right in front of us...if it were a snake we would already be bitten and probably dead : As supergroverd and Oscillate say, Nick's masterpieces have a "very sharp price"  and "offer and excellent value for the money" but that is "if you have the luxury of time and the patience to wait". Bottom line is that in addition to their monetary price, Nick's unique products have and additional cost: the waiting time, the anxiety, the anticipation, the risk of trouble shipping such precious (delicate and often massive) pieces across continents. Not too hard on the pocket or wallet but not a bargain on the emotional department. Nick's products are a work in progress. The extra cost of the R & D from all that customization and the cost of Nicks personal involvement in the production and  fanatic quality control have to show somewhere, if not in the price of the goods: the waiting time...the added emotional price!! In mainstream high-end audio (how boring) designers charge full price and then more, which cuts down customer cues  or lines and, so, there is no waiting time to get a product. There you have it.  Now, sit tight and keep drooling (seriously)

[munosmario]

Forgot to add . If in addition to all he does we also ask from Nick to give each of us all the quality time needed to calm our anxieties while we wait for an order, although ideal, since there is only one Nick in this unique audio-art studio (as we know and like it to be...no mass production outfit), that, seems to me, will make the waiting time longer for all...I guess, one more compromise to think about:wink:

[supergroverd]

I cannot agree more. A very nice piece of proza munosmario.If money is no issue like for all of us , the real sacrifice we can make and have so little of is, time. Nevertheless, It would help If Nick was a little more organized and clear in his business.


I guess a liitle more waiting won't harm 

[munosmario]

Thanks, supergroverd, and glad to see we both are and ended up on the same page. Remember, I started my postings in your thread totally on your side, with a  prelude to a harsh criticism pointed at Nick's head...but after a little reflecting and reading other postings on subject, a different picture and perspective emerged. I am sure Nick is struggling to become more organized and he will eventually do so within the limitations of the hours of the day humanly allowed to a person--given the customization and Nick's high personal involvement in each product which we so much love. Meanwhile we have to share his growing pains  .