Audiopile... goes the extra mile.

[SteveE9C6]

I recently purchased a 32/8 150 ft snake on a reel, a 8 channel 150 ft send snake, and a few other goodies from audiopile. I bought a used flight case as well that the snake is in.

 

The first snake that came was literally destroyed by fedex. They had dropped it in its flight case, apparently from at least ten feet up. Anyway, the case and snake were pretty much totally lost.

 

Audiopile/Mark, arranged for Fedex to come pick up the damaged material. He and Liz took all the charges off my credit card. He then sent me a new snake flight case which arrived undamaged.

He did not have another used flight case so he REPLACED MINE WITH A BRAND NEW CASE AT NO ADDITIONAL COST!... Only after I received the new stuff and indicated it was fine did they recharge my card. One other thing... I ordered some short xlr cables for interconnection duty on my power amps. He threw in an extra set of these a few inches longer because he wanted to make sure that I would have no problems. He did this FREE and unasked.

 

Now... regarding these snakes. I believe them to be of excellent quality. I bought these for a Christian music ministry. My other band uses a custom built Whirlwind Medusa 32/8 with splitters. It is 200 foot long and cost around $2k. While I do see some differences in construction, I think that these EWI snakes are very good and compare favorably with other common off the shelf snakes.

 

Anyway... two thumbs up for the great service and the great product!

[B. Adams]

I have had good experiences with them as well. My snake is great, and holding up quite well. I will be buying a couple other ones as soon as I can.

 

When I ordered my snake, I also ordered a ton of adapters, XLR turnarounds and such, and they threw in a bunch of different ones for free, including a couple of those inline impedence converter things, and a bunch of regular adapters. I actually use the free ones more than I use the ones I bought. I have had some problems with a couple mic stands I bought from them, that I haven't gotten around to telling them about yet. I don't know what they'd be able to do about it anyway though.

 

But really, Mark and Liz will go out of their way to make sure everything is perfect. Service doesn't get much better than these guys.

[Scodiddly]

Another endorsement for Audiopile!

 

I've bought a few things, including a used console that Mark went to a lot of trouble to ship affordably. I don't always want what he sells... but when I do, he gets my business.

[tremendo]

If Audiopile has what you need, get it from him. They are great to work with. I just ordered more cables yesterday, active direct box and speaker stands. Their cables are awesome for the price.

[Guest Anonymous]

 

Originally posted by B. Adams I have had some problems with a couple mic stands I bought from them, that I haven't gotten around to telling them about yet. I don't know what they'd be able to do about it anyway though.

 

 

Thank you for the endorsement.

 

However, (sigh)... what is (are) the problem (s) with the mic stands? Have the bases turned pink and starting to glow? Are they uncontrollably reproducing and eating the garden or running amuck... knocking over liquor stores and joy riding in the sheriff's car (with his daughter)? Is there some kind of green slime oozing out from under them... and they smell bad? You can't keep their batteries from going dead and they bark incessantly all night long at nothing?

[kerOseen]

Yup, one more for Audiopile. There service has always been very dependable and honest, I never have any qualms about doing buisness with Mark and Liz.

 

Again, if you're in the market for SR gear with a limited budget (who isn't?), you should check them out; they've got quite a selection of worry-free-quality products. I've ordered one 16 channel snake, two insert snakes, tons and tons of XLR and patch cables, a few drum mics, an 1841 driver, a few DI boxes, etc. They've really helped to make my dream of having my own decent PA system a reality...I'd still be saving my pennies if it wasn't for them.

[B. Adams]

Hey Mark, no, the stands haven't been commiting felonies...yet. And actually, I've only opened 3 of the 6 so far, so I can't comment on all of them, but here's what's been going on.

 

The first one I opened was fine, no problems.

The second one wouldn't screw into its base. I think the threaded hole in the base is too large and/or tapers slightly, but in any case, the base won't screw on securely enough to stand up.

The third one I opened was fine, which was good because I'd left my normal straight stands at home.

 

However, the clutches seemed to slip a little during the performance, and the performers claimed that they felt like they were going to fall to the bottom at any time, that they just didn't have a solid feel overall. I didn't know what could be done about it, since it will cost too much to ship them back to justify returning them, and the boxes of the 3 unopened ones are pretty beat up now anyway. I'm still using my old mismatched straight stands, and I don't know what to do with these others. I figured I'd just sell them eventually, and keep a few around to use for my own rehearsals, but I don't know.

 

Anyway, that's been my experience. I guess I've been putting off telling you guys because I didn't want to inconvenience you, if that makes sense.

[Guest Anonymous]

 

Originally posted by B. Adams Hey Mark, no, the stands haven't been commiting felonies...yet. And actually, I've only opened 3 of the 6 so far, so I can't comment on all of them, but here's what's been going on. The first one I opened was fine, no problems.

 

One out of 4 a winner... that's not too bad if they were lottery tickets.

 

 

Originally posted by B. Adams The second one wouldn't screw into its base. I think the threaded hole in the base is too large and/or tapers slightly, but in any case, the base won't screw on securely enough to stand up.

 

well... crap. I had some problems with this in the past... typically due to inattentive machine tool operators... and was QC testing every stand for thread fit... and thought I had the problem corrected... I think I feel a bitch session coming on.

 

I'll go through the ones I have on-hand and replace the defective one with tested good ones.

 

 

Originally posted by B. Adams However, the clutches seemed to slip a little during the performance, and the performers claimed that they felt like they were going to fall to the bottom at any time, that they just didn't have a solid feel overall.

 

Ok... well the stands you have are the first batch with brass compression rings in the clutch assemblies. If you take your stands apart at the clutch and examine the guts... you'll see a brass compression ring around the telescoping tube (and another spare in the bag of spare parts you got). The brass compression rings are "old school" and many (most) modern day mic stands have plastic compression rings. The plastic compression rings hold the telescoping tube from slipping with less tightening force on the clutch, but are much shorter lived than the brass ones (IME). Your brass ring clutches should hold nearly as tightly as the plastic ones, but will take a more tightening force on the clutch. I dunno... maybe I didn't get the gap in the ring wide enough... or the bevel angled just right... I'll do some more testing on these here and see if there's some that seem less positive than others.

 

It sounds like I still need to refine the stands a little more... and obviously not everything is golden yet... I suspose for $15 ea. they're not bad... but it sounds like there's certainly some attention that still needs to be given to the details.

 

The input is very useful. I use samples of these stands myself and generally make the assessments based on my own experience, but it's like fixin the van... it ain't truly fixed until Liz drives it (unescorted).

[agedhorse]

 

Originally posted by Audiopile but it's like fixin the van... it ain't truly fixed until Liz drives it (unescorted).

 

Yup... my wife's van is in the shop getting ALL the recalls done on it. Not fixed till she says so too!

[tlbonehead]

Not to sound like a male pig,but sometimes it is soooo hard to figure out a vehicle or machine problem when being described from a woman's point of view. I mean,I've been told before after asking if the engine would turn over or fire,"its firing but it won't turn over". Hmmmmm. Of course,I've met guys too that don't understand the car slang terminology.

[ashivraj]

Originally posted by tlbonehead Of course,I've met guys too that don't understand the car slang terminology.

 

Hi, I'm Abhi, and I know nothing about cars.

 

seriously - i have NO clue. i spent my formative years playing guitars and (more recently) fixing audio-related things. if i ever break down, i'd either call my dad or the cops...

 

AS

[tlbonehead]

I had a next door neighbor who had a GM car with the old throttle-body injection. With Mn winter temps getting down past -20 overnight,cars don't like to start as well. And the throttle-body was notorious for flooding out almost immediately if the car didn't fire and start. I recall a few times while jumping him such comments as,I just had the oil changed,or,it was a little low on antfreeze,could that be the problem.

[Guest Anonymous]

 

Originally posted by B. Adams Hey Mark, no, the stands haven't been commiting felonies...yet. And actually, I've only opened 3 of the 6 so far, so I can't comment on all of them, but here's what's been going on. The first one I opened was fine, no problems. The second one wouldn't screw into its base. I think the threaded hole in the base is too large and/or tapers slightly, but in any case, the base won't screw on securely enough to stand up. The third one I opened was fine, which was good because I'd left my normal straight stands at home. However, the clutches seemed to slip a little during the performance, and the performers claimed that they felt like they were going to fall to the bottom at any time, that they just didn't have a solid feel overall. I didn't know what could be done about it, since it will cost too much to ship them back to justify returning them, and the boxes of the 3 unopened ones are pretty beat up now anyway. I'm still using my old mismatched straight stands, and I don't know what to do with these others. I figured I'd just sell them eventually, and keep a few around to use for my own rehearsals, but I don't know. Anyway, that's been my experience. I guess I've been putting off telling you guys because I didn't want to inconvenience you, if that makes sense.

 

Ok... I've been hard at it... with power tools.

 

I have a batch here I've machined up. I'll send you a 6 to replace the ones you have. They should be a considerable improvement. I've discovered some basic design short-comings that are easily corrected, but it takes more than basic hand tools.

[B. Adams]

Wow, if you're going to send new ones, what should I do with the ones I've got? Just let me know.

 

And thanks for working on them like that. I'm sure the price you charge for them doesn't make it worth your while to be fixing them, and I appreciate the extra effort.

 

But if you want to you can wait a bit to send them. I plan on ordering some cables and maybe a short snake soon, so if you want to you can wait for that. But if you want to send them, jsut let me know and I'll get you my address.

 

Thanks again,

Brian

[soul-x]

 

Originally posted by Audiopile Ok... I've been hard at it... with power tools. I have a batch here I've machined up. I'll send you a 6 to replace the ones you have. They should be a considerable improvement. I've discovered some basic design short-comings that are easily corrected, but it takes more than basic hand tools.

 

 

Wow...

I think goes the extra mile is a gross understatement!

 

--Sean

[Guest Anonymous]

 

Originally posted by B. Adams Wow, if you're going to send new ones, what should I do with the ones I've got? Just let me know. And thanks for working on them like that. I'm sure the price you charge for them doesn't make it worth your while to be fixing them, and I appreciate the extra effort. But if you want to you can wait a bit to send them. I plan on ordering some cables and maybe a short snake soon, so if you want to you can wait for that. But if you want to send them, jsut let me know and I'll get you my address. Thanks again, Brian

 

Hang on to the old ones if you want. If you want to bundle up the tubes and send them back here... I'll rework them and ship them back. Some of the threads in the bases were not cleanly cut, but most are tolerable. The tubes are more likely to require attention. Basically it's a simple process.

 

1) Some of the threads were over or under cut, which is easily corrected by lobbing off about 3/8" of the over cut threads and re-cutting them; however, this requres 7/8" x 20 taps and dies and 5/8" x 27 taps and dies.

 

2) The bevels were inconsistant on the compression rings and need a sharper and smoother bevel. The plastic insert sleeve below the compression ring needs to be removed and the top of the lower tube needs to be beveled to match the taper of the compression ring less about 2 to 3 degrees.

 

3) Apply a dallop of high pressure lithium grease to the compression nut threads.

 

Then they function... like a dream.

[Stingray5]

Yup I got a 16 ch. snake and his kick drum mic. works just like i expected. I will say this again that little $35.00 dollar mic. is worth every penny. I don't know how he can sell it so cheep! (Maybe he has Behringer make it for him) Denny

[B. Adams]

If behringer made his mics, you'd be posting about how it worked great for half a show, then started making some sort of mysterious whirring noise and exploded in a cloud of green smoke, destroying the drum and vaporizing the drummer. Or something like that.

 

My guess is that the manufacturing process is somewhat similar to what Behringer does, except that Mark has quality standards that he holds his products to, and takes care of any issues quickly and effectively when they do come up.

 

Isn't that kind of insulting to compare his stuff to Behringer? Especially after raving about the mic like you did.

[Scodiddly]

I brew my own beer, have been for years.

 

Back in the late 80's when I started brewing, I bought a brew kit which came with a really good little book on basic brewing. One of the most interesting parts talked about the cost of brewing vs. commercial beers.

 

It broke the cost of commercial beer down as follows:

1/3rd of the cost is packaging

1/3rd of the cost is distribution

1/3rd of the cost is advertising

 

So how much does it cost to make the actual beer, then??? A few cents a bottle, apparently.

 

So the big difference between Behringer and Audiopile is... advertising! Mark doesn't really advertise, while I can't even imagine what Behringer spends on ads, kickbacks to Gitbox Center and other retailers to carry the Behringer line, etc. Of course there's Behringer's lack of customer service, but I don't think customer service is actually that expensive compared to repeat business.

 

For that matter, what about repeat business? I've lived in two kinds of apartments: those that try to keep tenants, and those that figure they can advertise and get more suckers each year. Right now big corporations in general seem to be operating on the "any expense outside of advertising is wasted" model, but from my long-ago class on marketing I seem to recall that it was a heck of lot cheaper to keep a customer than to get a new one.

[Guest Anonymous]

Well... I don't know about making beer... but I know something about making bread: Bread is basically flour, water, a pinch of yeast, salt, and sugar, and maybe a little fat... kneed it a few times and let it rise... then flop it in a bread tin (or not) and stick it in a hot over until it's done. Wheat is about $5 a bushel (60 lbs to a bushel... figures out to about 8 cents a pound). Water is maybe $1 per 10,000 gallons (less than a penny per loaf)? Yeast is maybe a few pennies per pinch. Salt is maybe $100 per ton (surely less than a penny per loaf). Sugar is also maybe another penny per pinch. I'd say making bread is a competition sport. The basic input costs are maybe 15 cents per loaf... possibly 20 cents a loaf for "the good stuff". A cheap loaf of white bread in the grocery store is about a buck. A loaf of multi-grain health food bread is somewhere around $2.50. A loaf of boutique bread is maybe $4.00 or more depending on the fancy ribbon used to tie the bag closed.

 

Similarly, a straight mic stand weighs... oh... about 11.10 lbs (without the mic clip). It's made primarily of steel. Scrap steel goes for... oh... maybe $80 per ton. If you could make a straight mic stand out of scrap steel... we're talking maybe 40 cents worth of steel. A ton of hot rolled coil steel just hit an all time high of $482 per ton... so even at that, maybe $2.68 worth of steel in a mic stand (or $723 worth of steel in a 3000 lb. car... or $36 worth of steel in a 150lb. refrigerator).

 

No doubt the basic stock is not the real expense of a product... it's "making it and making it right"... and getting it into the hands of the folks that have a use for it that are the hurtles. "Getting it right" sometimes is a bit daunting (and humbling)... as I'll bet it was with more than one batch of that home made beer.

[Stingray5]

Hey B. you need to lighten up a little. I was kidding about his mic. being made by Behringer. When I talked to him on the phone and made my order, I introduced myself as the one, who gives him a hard time about the Behringer products. So, I was hoping I would get a rise out of him, knowing full well, how he dislikes that company. Although, I admit I don't believe Behringer is as bad as many of you think, from my experince anyway. PS, any of you going to the Namn show in Tennessee hope I spelled Namn right? I'am going, maybe I'll see ya there. Denny

[lucho_84]

i got the thinkin' when i read this last post about namm. do any shows like that ever ever come to houston? if so please hook me up with some sites. anything:( gracias:)

[B. Adams]

I wasn't trying to give you hard time, really. Just having some fun. I think I need to use more smileys in these posts.

 

And actually, I use an old Behringer compressor all the time. I bought it about 5 years ago, and it's never given me any trouble, so I continue to use it, just because it works. However, if it ever gives me any trouble at all, it won't take long for me to chuck it. Until then, it can stay, and I'll use it when I need to.

 

I own a few things from that period that I wouldn't buy again, including a powered mixer, 2 Carvin monitors, and a cheap FX unit. All the "crappy" stuff I have from then still works, although not to a high enough standard for me anymore, but it does work properly after all these years. So there is something to be said for that type of thing, but it's all on the list for replacement ASAP.

 

And if Mark's mics outperform ones costing 2 or 3 times as much, which they probably do, then they are great values. I'd use one of his over any other "budget" brand, and I'd probably be more than happy with the results. I'm incredibly impressed with everything I've bought from him, with the exception of these mic stands I guess. And Mark and Liz have been nothing short of fantastic to deal with, on all levels.

[Chickentown]

The machine gun kitty just sent me some cases and doo-dads. I'm very happy with the items, but it's the other stuff about shopping Audiopile that puts it over the top.

 

My cases were on back-order, I knew it and was fine with it. Liz still called around to fanaggle a way to get them to me quicker. She also checked a bunch of shipping options and brainstormed ways for me to save money.

 

And you have to appreciate the merchandising. Big clean photos on the site that are shot with an eye toward what we actually want to see. Easy navigation. Product descriptions are a breath of fresh air compared to most of the ebay stuff. Nothing is over-sold as the worlds greatest this or that, but the relative value is emphasized. The vibe of the whole site is, "these are my people."

 

It's just all really well-done. If I started an online business, it would take cues from audiopile.net. Thanks for being great, you guys!

 

Jamie

[Unalaska]

I know they make a shorter tripod stand, hw about the round-base straight? I buy 4 or so a year from GC since they break at the base. The shorty heavy base ones break too but I hate tripod shorty stands...