What would you think of a manufacturer (BMC) and distributor (Aaudio Imports) who refuse to support their products when after identifying, notifying, and working with them to correct the sonic defect and then waiting 12 more months for the problem to be corrected receives the following email?
On Jan 7, 2013, at 10:47 AM, Brian Ackerman wrote:
Dear John,
I tried to reach out to you many times and you ignored me.
Also both Carlos and I felt that you were over-driving the amplifier.
If we find out that you are spreading rumors about BMC or Aaudio imports I can assure you that we will take legal action against you..
You received special pricing on the C1 amplifier, which is now discontinued and has been replaced with the CS2 amplifier.
I suggest you sell your C1 and buy something else that you think will be a better match for your speakers.
Talking trash about us wont get you anywhere but in trouble.
Regards, Brian
From: Brian Ackerman [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, December 26, 2011 12:24 AM To: John Subject: RE: snippet 3
Hi John,
I guess that I am asking you to wait for the upgrade since this should not also solve your problem, but also improve the sound of your amp.
Stehno, could you enlighten me as to the nature of the engineering flaw with respect to the BMC C1 integrated as it is a piece I am considering for purchase. I have had direct experience with the S1 power amp and am not quite prepared to make the financial commitment of the partnering DAC1 linestage in order to implement both the CI (current injection) and DIGM gain module features (of which the C1 has the latter). DIGM would only be possible with the S1 using the DAC1 as I understand it and I would expect the C1 to exceed the performance of the S1 when the latter is partnered with anything outside of the BMC brand.
Florianw, you seem a little presumptuous if not unbright in your knowledge of BMW's, and M5's in particular.
I swapped out the orig. M5 wheels for late model M5 wheels because the originals really dated the 2000 model and the late model M5's are some of the coolest looking wheels I've ever come across.
If you look closely, you'll see the red leather inserts throughout the interior. As far I know, only the M5 models offered this feature, but I could be wrong.
The previous owner had swapped out the original spoiler for a carbon fiber spoiler, which I despised but it was permanently mounted.
I sold the car about a year ago, so it really doesn't matter.
But for whatever it's worth, I still have the original spoiler in my garage. You dork. :)
Hello, I am interested to know why you got rid of the P30. I am concidering buying one. I am on a very limited budget and wonder if I am making the right decision. I do not want to give up anything in 2-channel while adding 5.1. Thank you in advance fo any input. Steve
Hi, Tboooe, and thanks for the compliment. Funny enough I never was a big fan of BMW until a couple of years ago as I always thought they were just a slightly refined yuppy car slightly better than a Cadillac. Yes, I'm feeling pretty dumb.
But my attitude started to change when my best friend whom I've known since grade school purchased a cool black 645i coupe. After 2 years he didn't hesitate to 'downgrade' to a 2006 M3 with comp pkg and today he owns two 2006 M3's with comp packages but the cars reside in different cities and one's a bit more purist or classic than the other.
Please keep me posted on the M6.
BTW, if anybody runs into Dbld (David Donohue), a top flight professional race car driver whose postings you can see above, please tell him I'm waiting for him outside. :)
Hey nice ride. I used to own a BMW M3 which I loved! Alas, family and kids forced me to replace the M3 with a minivan...but all is not lost. The wifey and I are talking about getting the new M6!!!!!! Yeah baby!!!!!
Dan, yes there seems to be quite a buzz about the P-9. But again, 15% to one person and his playback system could well be 5% in the next system, or 25%.
Email me about the line conditioners, which ones you have, and how much you wish for each as I may have a buyer.
But I would also suggest your reconsidering before selling. I've actually had a several customers do just that and then 3 or 6 months later contact me asking if I had any others because they realized the significants of their benefits.
In some ways, it's may be like going from a 19" TV to a 50" TV. Sometimes we don't appreciate what the 50" TV does until we go back to a 19" TV.
Wow, I would have expected the P-9 to be a more significant improvement for all the hoopla they have put forth about it.
I still have the two FR conditioners but removed them from my system a few months ago when I decided to go with stock cords on everything as a way of resetting my "baseline", if you know what I mean. But I have yet to get around to reinserting anything. If you or anyone needs a couple of them, I'd be willing to sell.
Hi, Dan. In my opinion, the cost is well worth it. Especially since the 20% improvement I mentioned was not exactly comparing apples to apples as that was right out of the box and within 48 hours burn-in. In other words I do a few things with my components to extract more performance out of them and it takes time for this process to settle in.
The text in my previous post was a cut & paste of an email I sent out over a week ago. I was not able to realize the full benefits of the V2 upgrade until last Thursday, at which point I could compare apples to apples so-to-speak. Hence, it would be more appropriate for me to say that the the final results in my system would be more on the order of about 35% improvement over the stock SEs.
Sorry for the confusion, Dan. I was just trying to save time by cutting and pasting from an old email when I posted earlier.
I should have a P-9 in about 3 weeks. A friend in the industry claims the P-9 is about a 15% improvement over the P-8. I know that Nuforce can't seem to keep any in stock.
As for the value of an upgrade, worth it, not worth it, when you consider what some people are willing to spend on far less performance gains than this, I think it's well worth it. But, like any other upgrade, the value of the upgrade has everything to do with one's budget, how much one is able to extract from their system, and an audible difference between the old and new. For example, if I replaced my speaker cables tonight with zip cord, I'd venture to guess that this or many other upgrades probably would not be worth it.
Are you still using the Foundation Research line conditioners?
Recently upgraded the Nuforce Ref 9 SE amps to V2. The V2 offers a very nice refined and musical improvement with even better bass defintion and control.
The V2 upgrade produces a very detailed, realistic, and musically pleasing presentation, and improved continuity. None of which are lacking in the stock SE amps but the V2 simply takes things further.
After just 2 days of burn-in I'd venture perhaps a 20% gain over the stock SE amps at both the micro- and macro-dynamic levels. Considering how good I think the SE amps are stock, a 20% percent improvement over an already excellent performer to me translates to excellent and exciting gains. The sense of realism is uncanny.
Rob and Garrett, thanks for the very nice comments. They are very much appreciated.
Actually, Robert, on the day you were visiting the Legacy HDs were less than 6 days old and the system itself had only been up for 2 weeks.
Things have continued to significantly improve over the last week (for several calculated reasons) and earlier today I was able to make improvements in the bass regions. Still not quite up to par with my other speakers' bass in the other room but most of the boomy regions have disappeared along with a few low frequency suckouts. It's entirely possible I may not be able to achieve quite the same extremely tight and well-defined bass in this room with these speakers. The biggest issue appears to be the corners behind the speakers just want to load up on the bass not to meniton that the 11 1/2 ft room width may also be just a little much to ask for larger speakers. But who knows, in two days or in 6 months I just may find the least compromising location. My last room took nearly 9 months to find the optimal location (if it was indeed optimal).
I too am quite impressed with the Legacy speakers. Extremely musical adding a layer of refinement and continuity that was previously missing.
Anyway, thanks again. You're compliments are indeed kind and appreciated.
I can verify pretty much all that Rstan says, as I happened to by over and helped John unbox and place the Legacy speakers a couple of weeks ago. His system sound, with the speakers right out of the boxes, was seriously impressive and among the best I'd heard of many systems on the West Coast, even before break-in of the speakers but immediately much, much better than with his old speakers. My only caveat had to do with the upper trebles and the ribbon tweeters, which, from what John tells me, began to settle in at about 100 hours. Overall, though I realize my claims sound outlandish, I'm still making them. John knows something special and is a personally modest but very wonderful explorer in our hobby, generous with his knowledge and enthusiastic to share his discoveries--some of which I myself plan to apply in a limited way in my own systems.
It is not very often that one has the opportunity to experience a world-class musical reproduction. I had just such an opportunity last Saturday as I visited John to listen to his system. John has assembled a system that truly reaches far beyond simply connecting top quality components together. What I heard was stunning, to say the leastcompletely engaging and pristine! Clarity, detail, staging, presence, immediacy, speed, depth, dynamic the level of sonic accuracy and musicality was unlike Ive ever experienced. And I have heard systems costing more than three times that of Johns. Impressive? You bet, especially considering Johns newly remodeled listening room is not even completed yet. Not only that, but the brand new Legacy Focus HD speakers were not even two weeks old; John had yet to locate the optimum placement. Once he accomplishes that, the only shortcoming I noticed would be addressed. As I heard it, on that day, the bass was a bit boomy and could have been a touch tighter and fuller. The bass was good, just not great. Now, the midrange and upper frequencies, on the other hand, were world class. The level of performance I experienced wasnt the product of a $30k amp, or $100k speakers, or well, you get the idea. Ive heard them before, this, in my opinion, was better. So, it is obvious to me at least, that John has been able to solve the challenges we all encounter in the playback of recorded music. Hes been able to take a system beyond the sum of its parts in creating a sense of atmosphere and sonic engagement. What made the reproduced music so believable? Every component was top notch, but not necessarily the best. They are even modest when compared to the cost of some. It became obvious to me that John understands something about the reproduction of music that most dont. At least those Ive come in contact with. What made the difference? How was such a superior sound reproduced by something less than the best components? John tells me that the key is line conditioning and vibration control. From what I heard, Id have to say, hes right. His system simply sounded better than it should have. He has something right very right. His rack system is indeed a work of art. The best part is how artfully the music is brought to life.
Anybody living in the greater Portland, Oregon area owes it to themselves and their pocket to check out Johns system before they spend another cent on stereo equipment. Ill even go one step further. If you are anywhere in the Pacific Northwest (or plan to be), youd be money ahead to hear the results of Johns efforts. But then, I just might be out in left field, youll have to find out for yourself.
John, thanks for an incredible experience. I look forward to implementing some of your ideas to achieve the most from my own system.
John you are an inspiration...really...that's where the amp stand came from. That's not entirely true, as we had discussed some time ago, I have had my own plans on building various bits and pieces.
I still have yet to commence on my equipment rack though. I have all the raw materials [luckily since metals prices have sky-rocketed], but just never get around to it. My garage is a mess right now, so embarking on a Stainless Steel/Brass/Maple project that involves drilling, tapping, cutting, planning, polishing, waxing, welding Its just not in the cards real soon.
Looking back at the date of my last post, you are right, I did have the Whispers back then.
I have cryod all my cables too, but not double cryod. I have been using Fountainhead. Conveniently, they are not too far away, one day of cheap shipping. Their price per cable is reasonable too.
Id like to try the Audio Tekne ICs. Ill send you an email.
Hi, Dave, it's good to hear from you. BTW, real cool looking amp stand you have there!!! :) I was browsing a'gon about a week ago and came across your system and meant to comment then.
The BPTs are a fine cable especially for the price. But I just have not met a cable yet to meet or exceed the full out performance, refinement, and smoothness of the Audio Teknes. They also add a real sense of musicality and magic that I've not yet heard elsewhere. But the double-cryo-treatment versions are phenomenal. I can put you in contact with someone if you're interested. I have been meaning to contact Audio Tekne to become a dealer for their cables. Also I do have 2 extra sets of ics and one pair of scs lying around here somewhere if you'd like to audition them. They're not double-cryo-treated but they may still be the best you've ever heard.
Dave, I don't know if you recall but I became a dealer a about 18 months ago. In addition to the Nuforce products I also carry the Foundation Research line conditioners, a few other mfg'ers, and most recently Legacy. I just received the Focus HDs a few days back and in about 4 weeks I should receive a pair of Whispers. But I've had somebody already contact me about the Whispers so who knows I may never see them.
I could have sworn that you owned the Whispers when you auditioned the Nuforce amps, especially since I never knew you once owned the Focus 20/20s.
My understanding is that the HD version is a significantly faster speaker than the 20/20s. Legacy did away with the rear woofer and replace the cone mid-range with a ribbon for several reasons.
Hey, shouldn't you be out there running laps or has racing season not started yet?
All my best,
-John ps, I'll let you know how the Nuforce SE amps match up with the Legacy HDs. The Nuforce amps had no problem whatsoever driving my inefficient Aerial 10T speakers (86db into 4 ohm loads) at casual listening levels of even 104 - 110 db. I know the HDs are much more efficient, but efficiency ratings don't always tell the whole story. I'm not anticipating any issues here but one never knows.
Long time no talk. Where do you get the Audio Tekne cables? I know you sent me a link some time ago but I cannot find it. Didn't you also like the BPT cables too? I have been meaning to try those for a long time...I thought based upon your recommendation.
I am now curious about the Foundation Research stuff since I am on that PC search at the moment.
Soooo... your getting some Focus HDs. I had some Focus 20/20s before getting the Whisper System. When I tried the NuForce amps you loaned me I had them. Feed them current and they'll reward you in spades. I know the new HDs use different drivers, but I would suspect many of the characteristics are similar. I hope you enjoy them.
