Sonic Frontiers has my vote!
I had a problem with my SFP-1 signature phono stage as it was going into mute when in opperation so I sent unit to SF and they found the problem with some solder joints and caps, they fixed and shipped back to me at no charge, WOW!! I'm not the original owner and it's 3 years out of warrantee. My down time was only 14 days I say that's pretty good considering I'm in California and the unit was shipped to Canada. Much thanks to Frank and the gang at SF!!!!! |
Jzzmn88....haven't you noticed that ML has ceased its operations in CT and previous to that, they seem to be having timely delivery issues with repair gear. Although ML and other great manufacturers can claim state of the art in many aspects of sound reproduction, as long as they are working reliably, once they take the path of becoming more "efficient"...there is not turning back. ML is one of the major manufacturers that have taken this path...People will defend their gear, if they have ML, but after these announcements, I think Agoners are unloading their MLs quietly.
PS: No world class manufacturer can claim that position unless they back their gear with as great or better after sale services, as their reputation allows. |
I've had two experiences with Krell on equipment I bought used - both times the service was exemplary. Quick turnaround, worked perfectly, little or no cost to me. Coupled with liking Krell amps a great deal, I'm not surprised Krell is an industry leader. |
I am glad to hear that Krell provides good customer service and that people have had a good experience with them. I can't say the same with Mark Levinson. Had to send in an amp for repairs and they took 6 months to do it. I just got it last week, hooked it up, and it still doesn't work. Now I have to send it back in. I would have thought that a company like this would have better service. I am extremely dissapointed and would not buy another Mark Levinoson component ever again. On the other hand, I've had great customer service from Classe and Plinius. |
Bemopti123, yep..thats what I am going to do. The bass driver is not set-in which will make the job much less a pain.
I do still find that any company that does not stock replacement parts at only 1 year out of warranty to be somewhat poor as compared to a company that can still service a 12 year old amp as if it were one of their new products. Five star's for Krell--Three star's for VMPS.
Dave |
Dave, very few companies will stock specialized parts for their older products. I once read that Quad did this for their classic planar speakers, but for the majority of the other manufacturers, it is a non issue. Asides from this, some speaker manufacturers match their drivers to a certain spec that eventhough you might be able to get a replacement, not from the manufacturer, unless you change both the left and the right and someone is willing to match them to close tolerances, your speaker will sound faulty. Are the VMPS speaker drivers sticking out of the cabinets or are they sunk in? If they are sticking out, it should not be too difficult to cut a larger hole with a electric jigsaw...just need to be very careful. If you like the speakers so much, why don't you get a small router set to make the job easier...and you can use it later for other DYI projects.....Another option, check Madisound and tell them the specs of your driver, I am sure they can help you match something close.
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The best customer service I have ever experienced is the Etymotic research people. I bought a pair of E-6 ear isolator earphones, and one of the silicon body molding became frayed, I do not know how. When I called them, they sent me an RA number, I shipped it to them, I got the back the week after. Both of the body molds had been replaced, as well as the ear tips and they ran a full test. All free of charge and out of warranty. |
My Ksa-250 took about 6 weeks for rebuild, not sure if this is bad or good as compared to any other company. I was just glad that Krell treated and serviced this old amp.
I have a pair of VMPS speakers that lost a woofer. Paid almost $2,000 for them (great speakers), EXCEPT, at around 1 year out of warranty (warranty was 5 years), VMPS no longer makes this woofer..now thats what I call crap service!! Now I have a 200lb. speaker with a 15 inch whole were the woofer should be. And to top it off, VMPS didn't tell me they no longer made this woofer until after they told me to pull it out and send it to them (I thought they were going to fix it!) Now this is a speaker that is only about 6 years old at the time, and VMPS has no replacement woofer and didn't offer any help of any kind. To be fair, they did offer to sell me one of their new LARGER woofers..but left it to me to figure out how to cut the larger hole these would need (of course I would need two of these to match the other speaker). You would think that VMPS would have offered a little help ( Like: I'll have the dealer install these new woofers for you if it will help). Now thats poor service.
Dave
Dave |
Jimwitnauer,
Please keep in my mind that my story did not involve a piece of Krell equipment breaking, it involved me dropping and breaking something. Beyond that, the cd player has operated flawlessly and is a joy to use. As far as high end equipment in general breaking down, I would hazard a guess that it's a pretty small percentage of gear that fails. Since it is the nature of people to speak out when something goes wrong we end up hearing a disproportianate amount of negative stories. |
I have some serious concerns. I think service should not be an issue. For instance: jjmali's KRC was a $6700 preamp. IMO, a piece of this cost should see years of absolutely trouble free use. Upestateaudio has had to send two different pieces back to Classe. This equipment is not quite as expensive as the Krell, but should still be EXTREMELY reliable. I am somewhat disappointed. I feel as though I have been pretty unlucky with my equipment. My equipment ranges in age from 6 mos. old to 7 years old. And every last piece I own, except for my B&W matrix 802's, has given me trouble. This truly bothers me. A friend's father has had a Fisher integrated amp for 25 years. It still works, and was but a mere fraction in cost. Vegasears, I believe you are among the lucky. Any experience I have had with Krell has been VERY slow, similair to jjmali's experience. |
A few years back I purchased a 3 year old used Krell 200 FPB here on the Gon. A couple months later the amp started to smoke and shut down. I called Krell and told them what had happen and how I had gotten the amp. They asked for the serial number and gave me an RA number for return shipping. Two weeks later I called and asked if they had looked at it and if so how much would the repairs cost? The nice lady told me my amp had just shipped out and there was no charge. If and when I give up my tubes Krell will be my first choice. |
I have always had great service from Krell. If they
can do something for you they will.
To Jjmali: If you are waiting for caps, it is because
you are waiting for the right caps. On a KRC it is
quite possible the caps have to meet a specific spec
and they have to be hand picked to match other components
in the unit. I know I would wait.
diode
|
Thanks for sharing, you help us all. |
Tuko 2 sorry you have had problems with Classe. I have had just the opposite experience. I had some problems with a DR6, I sent it in to them and they checked it out. Sent it back and did not charge for shipping!!!
I also called them on a problem I had with my CDP 1.5 , they did some troubleshooting with me over the phone.
Perhaps calling them works better than emailing.
I have no affiliations with Classe, just a happy owner of their products, that I did not even buy new. |
I also am very pleased with the service and attention I have received from Krell. As mentioned above, email responses to my questions and concerns have been promptly. Prices were reasonable considering the work I had done. Two summers ago, I contacted Krell, packed up the mono blocks, pre-amp, & phono sections, and headed east. Since I delivered the equipment to their location (with Nrchy's help) we got to spend some time in their plant, and got a tour of almost the whole place (they would not let us into the super secret testing area where their new speakers were being checked out). All in all, a fine bunch of people, and a great company. |
Service will definitely enter into my future decisions to buy. I've had great encounters with some folks (like Pass Labs). Others who treated me without goodwill, compassion or honesty will remain unnamed, but my dollars will speak for me in the future. Indeed, I will consul others to avoid several companies and dealers whenever I get the opportunity. |
Its good to hear.I had a problem not long ago with my pre,emailed company 4 times and still got no reply.This is the first and last time i will ever buy one of their products,good pre but customer service a joke.The company in question.....CLASSE. |
Yes Krell service was very good when I needed them. Another thing I like is their super fast E-mail response to questions..they must have someone staff E-mail full time. If you leave a phone # they even call.
Dave |
Krell is second to none IMO on customer service. I bought a used 300il with a non working remote, they asked if I was the original owner which I replied no. They entered my name and address in their data base, within a week they sent me 2 new remotes at no charge! |
I am in the process of having them service my KRC. I am having a nightmare of a time getting it back from them. I was originally told my KRC would ship before Xmas, now I am being told they ran out of caps and it should ship this coming Tuesday. If I ran my business like this, I would be out of business. |
Wow, I'm impressed. That's how it should be, but rarely is it found to be like that! |
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