GIK alternatives


Last month, an audiophile colleague inquired about GIK acoustics on this forum. I shared my experiences as a longtime customer. I pointed out episodic challenges with build quality but a highly responsive staff. I have changed my impression and would not recommend them. GIK has recently changed CEO and several longtime colleagues appear to have left. Their prices have increased, especially for shipping. I’ve been attempting to place an order by phone without success. And their product lead time is extraordinary. For example, I was informed that routine scatter plates would not be shipped out for 2 months. They’re having problems. Any recommendations for alternative companies?

wfowenmd

I'm going to pile on GIK a bit here, too.  I simply cannot recommend them.  I can understand the manufacturing delay due to availability of materials.  All I ask is that you be up front and transparent.  They were not.  I corresponded back and forth with one of their designers for weeks getting product recommendations.  At no point did he even allude to the ridiculous lead times.  It wasn't until several weeks after I placed my order and paid them that they revised their delivery time from 1 month to 3 months.  Every time I reached out to them for an update I got a different excuse.

That wouldn't have upset me as much had the product been of decent quality when I finally got it.  It was not.  The items were not packed properly and the diffuser plate on every one of the 4 bass traps had damage, from deep gouges to corners broken off, all from sliding around in the box during shipping.  That's what happens when you leave 3" of empty space at the top of the box instead of filling it with packing material...  GIK was apologetic and sent replacement panels, which of course took another 2+ months to arrive.  Almost 5 months all said and done to get a finished product.

Bottom line, I'd avoid them unless nobody else makes what you're looking for.  It's unfortunate because I was going to buy additional panels from GIK, but not now based on my first experience.  Seems like I should check out ATS and see what they offer.

Well, from GIK I ordered 4 bass panels and 2 corner traps two months ago. Packed perfectly well, delivered on time. The one issue was that about 3 weeks after ordering I tried to add diffusion plates which didn’t actually get shipped.

Their e-mail communication throughout the process was great and they shipped within about 4 days of the original estimate.  About 6 months before this I ordered 4 mondo/narrow traps, 2 of which had scatter plates and again, had no issues at all.

I am sad to see so many negative experiences.