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A great company failing terribly

trinhsman

trinhsman

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Hi all. I own an Audible Illusions Modulus 3B preamp. To say it is good is a drastic understatement. With that said, Audible Illusions is now failing terribly. Last year I ordered my preamp and was told it would take 3 weeks to build. After numerous calls and constant bugging at the 2 month level and beyond, I finally got my preamp almost 6 months from the order and PAYMENT for it. Yes, I paid in advance and in full, and it took almost 6 months to get.
The preamp is absolutely amazing. Build quality is through the roof. Sound is impeccable. But 6 months to get???
Now fast forward to this year. I decided I would like to get a new set of tubes for the preamp. Also knowing that it might take a few weeks, I ordered the tubes in June. Here we are almost to October and still no tubes from AI. I have called numerous times and been given every excuse you can think of. Understand, when I placed the order, and paid for the tubes, I was told the tubes were in stock and it would take 3-4 days to match them and I would have them in 7-10 days. Almost October, and NO TUBES. Just got off the phone again with them and was told they would send the tubes out today. Time will tell, but I am not holding my breath.
Also: On another note, since I know people will make this suggestion: Jim McShane did say he could provide me with tubes, but when I sent over the requirements and specs from AI, all I got was silence. No response at all.
Is it really this hard to get a set of matched tubes for an AI Modulus 3B preamp?
So sad to see a company that makes one of the best preamps in the world failing so terribly. IMHO.
 
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I never dealt with AI.
Jim I've dealt with half a dozen or more times and have always gotten excellent responses.
I can only guess that your message got lost in the cyber abyss or Jim has something going on. (He is a one man show).
I'd try him again

I'm happy you like your pre. I'm sorry you're getting so much grief with AI and tubes.
Keep the faith brother.
 
It is so sad to see this happen to a company that makes one of the greatest preamps of all time. On another note, I ordered a set of tubes off EBay from the Ukraine. Took about 10 days to get. Got them today. Hooked up and they are very good indeed. The seller listened to my needs and took an extra couple of days to match my tubes within 5% as AI suggests. He marked each tube and sent them laid out in order for me to put into my preamp. Also, 1/4 the cost. Now time will tell if they last, but they are the new Russina EB tubes that are supposed to be very tough. Listening to Chris Botti at the moment and sounds really nice.
 
I owned an AI 3B in the past and I didn't think the sound was all that special. Coupling that with the those pita dual volume controls meant it did not last long here. I never had the desire to try out another AI piece but nonetheless it is sad to see any company go under.
 
motorstereo said:
I owned an AI 3B in the past and I didn't think the sound was all that special. Coupling that with the those pita dual volume controls meant it did not last long here. I never had the desire to try out another AI piece but nonetheless it is sad to see any company go under.
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They aren’t going under, unless you call horrible service going under. They just don’t seem to care. Jerry says they have more business than they can handle, but even with that, they can’t tell the truth on anything. On the other hand, I love my 3B. So smooth and musical. Built like a tank. And since I’m a hands on guy, I actually like the dual pots.
 
trinhsman said:
They aren’t going under, unless you call horrible service going under. They just don’t seem to care. Jerry says they have more business than they can handle, but even with that, they can’t tell the truth on anything. On the other hand, I love my 3B. So smooth and musical. Built like a tank. And since I’m a hands on guy, I actually like the dual pots.
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The thing is, bad customer service is the start of the slippery road downhill. Too bad!
 
They are very fussy on tubes. But when right, heaven. I tried a set of very high end Amperex on a 3A that I owned. Problem was that they got very microphonic quickly. At first stunning. 4 months later, horrible. Something I was told about using the tougher Russian military tubes instead. The tubes I got from the Ukraine are the Russian EB tubes. Supposed to be tough as nails. A few hours in and they are amazing. Huge sound stage, and super detailed.
 
WaynerN said:
Audio Illusions = foney baloney.
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Come on, tell me what you really think. On an another note, I did once consider an Audio by VanAlstine item. Frank even told me everything he could about it from the serial number. Was very impressed. The seller was a bit vague on condition so I passed. I do like US stuff, hence my AI preamp, Pass Labs amp, Oppo DVD, Snell Speakers, and Morrow cables. Couldn’t find a deal on a US turntable I liked, so ended up with Music Hall. Nice thing about the table is the dealer is near me and AK member Gordonw does the tuneups on it for me. He’s the master IMHO.
 
I wonder how many people besides Art actually work at AI. My guess is not many.

I had a similar experience when getting tubes from Art for my Modulus 3, some crazy long lead time to get them.
I found the same tubes (6h23eb I recall) at Upscale Audio, and shipping time was more reasonable. After running through a bunch of other tubes, these last a while, I think it’s 2 years and counting now.
 
Making a good product does not mean the company selling them is "great". If somebody tells me that a guy owning a company has "all the business he can handle" as a reason for giving poor service then that is a HUGE red flag. Either they are too lazy to hire some help or they dont have the business sense to do so......either way, I doubt that company will be around for the long term.

I know a lot of people like to buy from a small company, but stories like this are a good reason to be wary. The guy who is a genius building widgets in his garage may be awesome at designing those widgets, but an idiot in selling them. There is a reason that when companies grow, they break into divisions for handling sales, after sale support, shipping etc. Even if those divisions only have one employee each they still are needed. A one man band that refuses to hire more band members will soon be gonesville.
 
Bodyblue said:
Making a good product does not mean the company selling them is "great". If somebody tells me that a guy owning a company has "all the business he can handle" as a reason for giving poor service then that is a HUGE red flag. Either they are too lazy to hire some help or they dont have the business sense to do so......either way, I doubt that company will be around for the long term.

I know a lot of people like to buy from a small company, but stories like this are a good reason to be wary. The guy who is a genius building widgets in his garage may be awesome at designing those widgets, but an idiot in selling them. There is a reason that when companies grow, they break into divisions for handling sales, after sale support, shipping etc. Even if those divisions only have one employee each they still are needed. A one man band that refuses to hire more band members will soon be gonesville.
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You are aware that Saul Marantz had to sell the company to Superscope after misjudging the costs of building the 10B?

It's easier to say how to run a company than to actually do it. For my part, I prefer to work with the smaller companies, where I can actually talk to the guy who designed and built the gear.
 
Sounds like severe cash flow problems for AI. Using your advance payment to catch up on other orders that are ahead of yours? Could be that they are behind in paying vendors and must cough up the cash before any more orders are filled? In any case it's a signal that you should be aware of to not to risk any of your funds in the future.. Kind of similar to the sense that you should respond to when walking into a dark alley in a questionable neighborhood late at night.
I ran into a similar situation several years ago with a company that will go unnamed (out of business now but I still occasionally run into the owner, who's actually a pretty nice guy). I waited and waited until I just got fed up with the excuses. Took several weeks to get my money back, but eventually I did. With these kinds of businesses, to paraphrase a TV court judge - " money doesn't leave the right hand until the merchandise arrives in the left".
 
kirk57 said:
You are aware that Saul Marantz had to sell the company to Superscope after misjudging the costs of building the 10B?

It's easier to say how to run a company than to actually do it. For my part, I prefer to work with the smaller companies, where I can actually talk to the guy who designed and built the gear.
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What does that have to do with what we are talking about?

And I was a store manager for both Sears and The Home Depot and ran a $40,000,000 and a $60,000,000 unit with hundreds of employees. So yeah, I understand very well what it takes to run a business.

Successful business dont grow without a plan for expansion. And being an good engineer has zero relation to being a good business person. Shitty service is shitty service. Any company that treats it's customers like the above will not be around long.
 
Bodyblue said:
What does that have to do with what we are talking about?

And I was a store manager for both Sears and The Home Depot and ran a $40,000,000 and a $60,000,000 unit with hundreds of employees. So yeah, I understand very well what it takes to run a business.

Successful business dont grow without a plan for expansion. And being an good engineer has zero relation to being a good business person. Shitty service is shitty service. Any company that treats it's customers like the above will not be around long.
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Audible Illusions has been in business for 38 years with Art Ferris at the helm. Sure, it would be great if they could turn stuff over faster, but he’s doing something right you must agree.
 
kirk57 said:
Audible Illusions has been in business for 38 years with Art Ferris at the helm. Sure, it would be great if they could turn stuff over faster, but he’s doing something right you must agree.
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They were not treating customers like the above 38 years ago or they would not be here now.
 
This has been the way things go at AI for a long long time. They are a small shop, and demand for their products have always been great ever since they were brought to the spotlight for the early AI pre amps by Stereophile and Absolute Sound in the 80's.

Friend of mine who was a reviewer for Absolute Sound had an AIM 3A in for service due to a stepped attenuator issue back in the 2000's. It took him over 3 months to get it back, and you would think he would be on a fast track due to his association with Absolute Sound.

This has always been a difficulty for AI, and given the popularity of their latest version I doubt its going to get better. They have only so much capacity, and lots of folks want one.

Cheers
Mister Pig
 
kirk57 said:
Audible Illusions has been in business for 38 years with Art Ferris at the helm. Sure, it would be great if they could turn stuff over faster, but he’s doing something right you must agree.
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I agree on amazing product. Just tell the truth. Order something and tell me you have a 4-5 month lead time up front. As to Art being at the helm, I have made at least 30 calls to AI over the past year and half. Art has never answered the phone. Only Jerry.
 
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