I don't have time for this nonsense, but guess, I have to respond to some moronic statements again. Here is goes in short form:
- I really don't care as to what other companies do about attacks / bogus reviews, etc. against their company.
- However, as for us, I do have my fingers on the pulse on a daily basis. As for AR, we check every day, and try to keep it clean and honest at all times. I also know that we're not the only company doing so.
- This means that there aren't any bogus reviews. In the past couple of years, quite a few of these bogus reviews have been deleted. These were rated from 1 stars up to several 5 stars. How do I know if these 5 star reviews are real ? Well, for one, we pretty much have every owner in our database. Because we have the 20 year transferable warranty, and because there were relatively few units for sale over the last couple of years (less than 5 %), and because we only sell direct, we have a good handle on where each unit is.
- As for me asking not to say anything bad about us, what a crock. If there's a person that had bad experience with our products or with me, then by all means, go ahead. It's your right to voice it.
- However, by posting BS bogus in order to damage our business in any way, shape, or form, be it by posting a bogus review, spreading a rumor, making accusations (see in this thread above the remark that we've written all the reviews ourselves, etc). is indeed a pretty shttty way to deal with somebody's livelihood. Be it ours or any other manufacturer's. It's just wrong, and unfortunately, I see it everywhere.
- As for some of the previous (about 15 months ago) postings on AR, we've decided to go legal against one individual, due to the extent of the lies and the potential damage. Hehe, kind of surprise to find out who that person was, and where the motives came from. We finally accepted an apology instead of going forward with damages, (which is not that easy, believe me. Not easy, but possible) to get that unpleasant situation behind us. However, sometimes I'd recommend this legal route to other manufacturer as well, as this BS is out there way too much. Of course it's ok to disagree and to be cautious.
- Which brings me to MFB, or Joel. He openly insinuates that we have a bad reputation in this very thread. Also, looking at the last 4 weeks, he initiated several discussions about the Stratos amp. He overwhelmingly received positive responses, I've answered his questions, and several of my customers mailed me that they've personally emailed him to answer all of his questions. Well, after all of this, he openly attacks us with the issue of the removed reviews pretty much stating that we're unethical. Your guess is as good as mine here.
- I hope that for once and all, I explained the issue with the reviews. Yes, I'm proud of the 5 star ratings, of course, and I'll always try to have false reviews identified, as (and stated in the user policy of AR) reviewers will have to verify that they're indeed legitimate owners. BUT, what I'm really proud of is that our customers are happy with the amps and with my service. Yes, I'm having fun, but it's also my livelihood, true. If I'm awake, you can get ahold of me. I have the phone always forwarded, late at night or at the weekends. I want to be available for anybody as much as I can, and that seems to be appreciated. I also talk pretty much how I see it, torpedos be damned (however, I never bad mouth another company or product. there really isn't that much rip-off in the $ range that we're in) This is my opinion and my experience, but people seem to appreciate this very much as well, even if they might disagree. Ultimately, however, and keep in mind that I still make money, and as corny as this might sound, I truly believe that I offer a service to our customers. The way in which we were able to shave off 70 % off the Symphonic Line designs by improving the amps, and finally making this kind of performance available for this price range and a wider range of potential customers, is unique to my knowledge.
- The question then becomes if everybody is happy with the amps and / or my service. Well, out of every 100 amps shipped we receive a bit more than 2 amps back under our money back guarantee. Of course we don't hit a 100 %, and of course the Stratos isn't the best amp out there or suited for each and every system. that's why I take so much time talking to the customer, making sure that everything fits nicely, and that's why I also refused sales in the past. Having said that, hardly any of the people who sent back an amp had something really bad to say about the amp. In nearly every case, it just didn't fit the taste 100 %. Did I have to deal with customers from hell ? Hell yeah, but thankfully only a couple of them so far.
- Again, I want to make sure that this is understood before I get more moronic responses here, and that's why I state it again: no, I don't think that the Stratos is the single best amp out there. there are many amps that are better, no matter what. Just for what price ??? Is the Statos the perfect amp for the money in every system ? No, of course not. Synergy, synergy, synergy. However, I do swell with pride by saying that it's pretty darn good in most systems. Does a 5 star rating on AR mean that people think it's better than anything else ??? No, read the guidelines carefully and see what the rating is all about.
- So, here you have it. Repeating pretty much my answers from above responses in the very same thread because some people just couldn't get the point. I truly hope that this answers all the issues once and for all. And mfb, I really hope that you'll be happy with your system once you've settled on an amp that suits you. There are many good choices out there for you.
Later,
Klaus
