DO NOT BUY anything from AV123

[Chu Gai]

Thanks to Curtis for directing me over here, and to audionut for showing that there is at least some recourse for those like me who have been owed money for years.

I don't know if it's worth it to try to recover the 1100 Mark owes me for my cancelled order, but I just wanted to drop by and say thanks.

Oh, and it's good to see some familiar names from the old forum!

Too bad there seems to be way too much Lakers talk hereabouts.

Go for it.

 

[geekinthehood]

Interesting post from Danny Richie

Go to this page (talking about the LS-6/9 cabinets available from AV123), then read from post 32 to 34:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=82531.20

 

[T2T]

Thanks to Curtis for directing me over here, and to audionut for showing that there is at least some recourse for those like me who have been owed money for years.

I don't know if it's worth it to try to recover the 1100 Mark owes me for my cancelled order, but I just wanted to drop by and say thanks.

Oh, and it's good to see some familiar names from the old forum!

Too bad there seems to be way too much Lakers talk hereabouts.

I personally thing it's pretty silly not to go after what's due to you. There's literally hundreds of people here that stand behind you 100% in going after what's due to you. Don't let people like Mark Schifter walk over you. This guy has to pay up his debts. There's a good chance all won't be paid, but from the looks of the goods he's trying to sell on Craigslist, he along with his wife are probably down to eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at this point.

Additionally, even if he doesn't have the opportunity or the capability to pay his debts, it's good to see that he's suffering. Selling off all his "toys" has got to be affecting him, as well as the possibility of an upcoming jail sentence.

 

[Hugh-Melody]

I'll have more to say later about the reason why I was forced to build LS9 myself.

It has everything to do with Schifter and his so-called words of honor.

Go to this page (talking about the LS-6/9 cabinets available from AV123), then read from post 32 to 34:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=82531.20

 

[NewOrlnsDukie]

I personally thing it's pretty silly not to go after what's due to you. There's literally hundreds of people here that stand behind you 100% in going after what's due to you. Don't let people like Mark Schifter walk over you. This guy has to pay up his debts. There's a good chance all won't be paid, but from the looks of the goods he's trying to sell on Craigslist, he along with his wife are probably down to eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at this point.

Additionally, even if he doesn't have the opportunity or the capability to pay his debts, it's good to see that he's suffering. Selling off all his "toys" has got to be affecting him, as well as the possibility of an upcoming jail sentence.

I certainly get what you're saying, but $1100 won't break me, and the amount of work that would be required to actually try to COLLECT on that amount is truly not worth my time. While I appreciate that audionut only put 2 hours into his judgment, I think that the REAL work will come down to the pains of collection of that debt.

I THOROUGHLY realize the support from similarly wronged folks hereabouts, but free time is a rarity in my life, and I'd like to spend it doing other things.

That being said, I have to admit a certain obligation to make this a@#hole pay for what he's done to the MANY folks he has wronged.

 

[gonk]

Go to this page (talking about the LS-6/9 cabinets available from AV123), then read from post 32 to 34:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=82531.20

That's a very interesting comment from Danny. Impossible to verify - if asked, I'm sure Mark and AV123 would deny it and suggest that Danny was either confused or was thinking of the cabinets built in China and Colombia -but it does fit well with the months-overdue LS-4's that were reportedly being built domestically and the domestically-built Rockets that have been so vaporware-ish.

I just checked on AV123's site again (hadn't looked in a while). The Rockets aren't even listed under "Speakers" anymore - no more static entry promising the G2 series soon. There's the X-Static, the X-Voce, the MFW-15 (in black and textured black), the three LS's (although the LS-9 is still listed as out of stock), and a ton of B-stock (UFW/ULF-10 cabinets with drivers, some ELT525's, the LS-6 and LS-9 cabinets, MFW-15's, and a bunch of other random stuff). The site would suggest that the LS-4's are in stock, but nobody on their forum has reported getting one. It makes me wonder how many people are actually still working there while they sell off whatever's left in the warehouse and write the occasional sales email.

 

[Chu Gai]

They have become the premiere site to go to if you're into dumpster diving.

Why here's an employee searching in deep storage for a replacement Ricket's midrange!

And here's The General looking for that $1100 refund for the cancelled sub order!

 

[MinusTheBear]

They have become the premiere site to go to if you're into dumpster diving.

Why here's an employee searching in deep storage for a replacement Ricket's midrange!

And here's The General looking for that $1100 refund for the cancelled sub order!

Now thats funny!

 

[Volta]

Rocket g2

So I just went over to AV213's site and saw they have put up the G2's on their speaker page, includes info on trade-ins too. I see Danny R. was involved in the design as well which is good.
Interested in seeing what everyone thinks of these.

 

[Jed M]

The end is nigh...

http://forums.av123.com/

 

[dane]

The end is nigh...

http://forums.av123.com/

 

[Jed M]

So how does that make you feel Dane? That your history there is being erased? All your memories just thrown away at a whim. Just like that... gone. Makes you feel the love.

 

[se-riously2]

A part of me is sad that it's gone. I put in a lot of time there with my posts (wife would say too much), but I knew that it was inevitable with the things that have transpired.

I appreciate and value the folks that I've exchanged posts with, PM'ed, and met in person. Hopefully, we'll find each other again in other forums.

 

[Volta]

Interesting....


Dear Friends:

Effective immediately, I am announcing my resignation as President of av123.

My family and I have decided that it’s best if I step back from my administrative role with av123 and concentrate my complete efforts on the development of the new products. This break will allow me to better focus on all of the issues before me now, and in doing so bring about positive changes for av123.

I am stepping back in order to “step up” in several areas. I’m fully prepared to do so – and you’ll see confirmation of that in our new products in the days and weeks to come.

Mark L. Schifter

 

[Chu Gai]

http://www.av123.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=200&Itemid=153

Exciting Changes- Its People and Products


With so many new developments at AV123, we feel it’s very important to cover some topics of importance that we’re sure many of you are interested in.

Its People

Below you’ll find the resignation letter from our former President, Mark L. Schifter. Although Mark resigned from AV123 several weeks ago, he asked that his letter be included in our newsletter. We know that Mark would like to thank the many of you that have shown both him and AV123 a world of support. Below is his official letter of resignation. We wish him the very best as he moves forward.



Dear Friends:

Effective immediately, I am announcing my resignation as President of av123.

My family and I have decided that it’s best if I step back from my administrative role with av123 and concentrate my complete efforts on the development of the new products. This break will allow me to better focus on all of the issues before me now, and in doing so bring about positive changes for av123.

I am stepping back in order to “step up” in several areas. I’m fully prepared to do so – and you’ll see confirmation of that in our new products in the days and weeks to come.

Mark L. Schifter

Its Products

We also would like to take a moment and explain that our decision to begin building all of our products here in America was born out of our desire to “get it right”, and do so here in our own backyard. We have always appreciated the advantages of building products in China and/or Colombia , but we have learned through some very painful lessons that ultimately the only way we can impact the quality of our products in the way we’d like (or need to) is to proactively be a part of that process day in and day out. Our decision was a very difficult one, but one that had to be made. We are so excited to be working with artisians right here in Colorado who will be handcrafting our products with the highest level of quality and care. We hope you will enjoy the beauty of these Made in the USA products.

We have made changes to management and have decidedly moved forward in a new direction with products made close to home that still represent the heritage set forth by the original founders of this company. Nothing about that will change. The manner in which we go to market with these incredible products has been “re-engineered” to focus on quality and delivery in a timely and predictable fashion. Our new management here at AV123 has set us on this new course, and we are carefully managing those processes every day.

We are here to serve you and we shall endeavor to do so each and every day with our valuable customer always in mind. With each new decision, with each new change or course correction, we do so to better our connection to you and your needs, now and on into the future.

 

[Chu Gai]

I wonder if the reason for the 'resignation' has to do with matters of a plea deal that had to be agreed upon?

 

[gonk]

I'm glad Dane's research into UFW/ULW-10 replacement amps exists in threads on other forums now that AV123 has shut everything down.

The next-to-last sentence says a lot:

All posts will be removed but all private message histories will remain in place.

There's no technical reason to so thoroughly purge the database. It's purely to get rid of all the last 7.5 years of history and start "fresh." I think if you read between those last two lines, it says something like this in very small print:

Our president's years of criminal and unethical behavior have combined with our dreadful mis-management of the company itself to leave us with a largely-empty warehouse, almost no manufacturing partners or potential partners who will return our calls, a string of design consultants who will only call to discuss unpaid design fees, and a customer base that keeps asking really difficult questions like "how is the president's felony indictment going?" and "where are the products you've promised were coming any day now?" and "why do your sub amps keep failing?" and "where's my refund?" Since we don't have good answers to those questions, we're going to stick our fingers in our ears and push this big "DELETE" button so it all goes away. La-la-la-la-la I can't hear you!

It will be curious to see what they do next with the forum. If the site actually does come back with an empty database, I wonder what good it is going to do. They're not going to allow great minds to discuss ideas like "how to make good on $150,000 in money stolen from the community and the charities the community was trying to support," after all, even though I bet Eleanor Roosevelt would find that to be a most valuable discussion. They're going to have to be just as heavy-handed with moderation as they were before they deleted the database. All they're going to do is confuse the handful of newer members who hadn't figured out what was happening behind the scenes (or, to borrow and modify one of MLS's favorite expressions, "inside the kimono") and drive them to other forums where they're likely to get the real story. At this point, I'll be surprised to see the forum come back at all.

 

[freeride]

They sent out a email announcing their new G2 Rocket speakers, but now there is no forum to find out what's new about them or to discuss them. The webpage is full of TBD's, and no indication of whether they are in stock. The pictures look the same as the old Rockets.

Seems like the new management isn't making any better decisions than the old management, unless customer confusion is the goal.

Because I love my MFW so much, a small part of me wants this company to succeed, to develop affordable audiophile quality products. But I think I need to stop the wishful thinking, and search for an alternate source. Maybe I should start building DIY speakers.

 

[gonk]

They sent out a email announcing their new G2 Rocket speakers, but now there is no forum to find out what's new about them or to discuss them. The webpage is full of TBD's, and no indication of whether they are in stock. The pictures look the same as the old Rockets.

I found some pricing information, but there are a lot of other details still missing (including pictures for a couple of the speakers). Availability is said to be "end of July" - which, if it's anything like the LS-4's production schedule, doesn't mean much except that they don't have them in stock right now. Anyway, here are some prices:

RS950: $2499/pair
RS600: $1799/pair
RS400: $999/pair
RSC800: $1499
RSC150: $1099
RSS400: $1299/pair

 

[Hugh-Melody]

Ditto.

I can't say any better.

A part of me is sad that it's gone. I put in a lot of time there with my posts (wife would say too much), but I knew that it was inevitable with the things that have transpired.

I appreciate and value the folks that I've exchanged posts with, PM'ed, and met in person. Hopefully, we'll find each other again in other forums.