UM56

[Nu_Omega 0]

From a neutral point of view, you do not seem to be neutral. Especially with your threatening comment which disgust me more the what Mr.Troll posted.

 

How would you feel if someone said you are a communist and you defame your fellow competitors without any evidence? I'm just stating the fact that we need to watch what we say and be sensitive to people. I bet we've all learnt something from the past G. Elections.

 

Maybe you got the wrong impression of what i meant but i'll apologise if you viewed my comments as threatening and digusting. The posts are there for all to see and people can make their own judgement.

 

With that, i close my case and hope all things will go well from here.

 

Peace

[Absolute0 0]

First an foremost, the banning of Jaben is already history, and despite baits from certain members to revive the discussion, they might be disappointed that we won't be biting. We have already said and clarified all there is to say and clarify, so let's leave it as that.

 

Secondly, some people might have taken too many pills to realise that BOTH sides of the issue have been covered in this forum. Aron's correspondence with Westone as well as the custom's owner's clarification have been added to the Announcement. The title of that Announcement thread has also been changed. Since I am the only moderator posting in this thread, I dare say personally that I have not shown any bias toward any side. Please enlighten me if you think otherwise.

 

Thirdly, with regards to unmoderated parts of the forum, we have not received any complaints so far. There is a REPORT button at the bottom of every post, so use that if you need to. All the mods are also just a PM away. Most of the time we respond in a timely manner to all reports, I am sure those who have done so before can testify. Ususally we leave the threads alone unless anyone makes a report, or discussions take a wrong turn, like in this thread.

 

Finally, all dealers are welcome to participate in our forum and advertise their products as long as they do not violate our rules and regulations, such as "creating multiple accounts in Sgheadphones with purpose of deceit, mislead or to further vested interest under a seemingly different identity", for example. But this does not mean we condone their business practices - it's just that we do not interfere since they have not violated any rules.

 

I am tempted to close this thread but lest I be accused of trying to silence anyone, I would keep it open. Please read this post carefully and ruminate well before replying.

[Stereo_Electronics 0]

Let me try to explain in layman terms.

 

1. I posted a neon yellow Westone UM56 as I've yet to see this earmould colour done before, so I thought I share it with everyone.

 

2. On my birthday, a few members starting questioning about the imitation UM56 which some demanded concrete proof.

 

"Fake UM56's from other forums, and the user concerned apparently does not know? Pray tell, which forum this supposed counterfeit was posted? Inquiring minds want to know

 

Yeah, I saw this supposed announcement from the dealer. I would strongly advise that he checks his facts more thoroughly before posting lest he appears foolish."

 

And

 

"So I guess customer specified UM56 is counterfeit customs is it?

 

Acutally the pic of the earmolds here looks like big pieces of earwax, looks damn cheapo.

 

I do not think it is very professional to go around making snide remarks about other retailers, especially unsubstantiated ones.

 

Buyers please do check your facts too from supposed offers from this dealer as there are hidden costs involved."

 

And

 

"If SE made such an announcement as a dealer in the "announcements" section of this forum, it SHOULD be substantiated with links, or at least pics so that potential buyers here could be warned...Its not like there are too many UM56s being posted around in "other" forums.

 

If SE had the intention of warning us readers here, he SHOULD have stated earlier(before actually being questioned) regarding the "earmolds from audiologists/dealers from HK" being the counterfeits in question and not leave feeble minds to wander which is real and which is not. Its not exactly too many "other" dealers who actually deal extensively with Westone earmolds."

 

3. The interesting thing is, shortly after someone in another forum posted this.

 

"Reviewer note:

 

Perhaps I have not emphasised this clearly enough in my review. Do note that my customs are strictly a ONE-OFF from Westone. That is why the colouring and the shape is a little different from the ones posted at their site. So my customs are truly "customs"

 

Kindly bear this fact in mind - because I DO NOT want ignorant people who only looked at the photos and never bothered about reading the text to go round saying these are "imitations" or "counterfeits".

 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me via PM "

 

Which I think its clear enough to mean he thinks he bought a Westone UM56 special edition and is very very sure of that.

 

4. So right after my birthday and reservist, I double check again with Westone ( in case Westone made a mistake) and confirmed they don't make any so call "special edition" UM56.

 

So if he paid and is so sure its the real thing and Westone says its not.... it better be cheap.

 

5. I sent 3 PM to 2 people.

 

- Ah Dui the mod of the forum to request permission to post pictures of UM56, he reply me shortly to contact scanfiend instead.

 

- Scanfiend rejected but says its ok to link back to ah dui's forum.

 

- Show Scanfiend all e-mails between me and westone.

 

6. The next day Scanfiend posted this in another forum,

 

" Clarifications & Corrections

 

I have received a PM from someone informing me that the pictures I had posted were NOT actually that of the Westone UM56’s.

 

I investigated further, and found out that the custom earmolds I have were indeed NOT that of the Westone UM56 custom earmold.

 

To be fair, Wilson of Jaben Network has NEVER represented to me that they were Westone UM56's. I remembered that he had merely said that they were custom earmolds meant for the Westone UM2. It transpired that the first batch of earmolds were sent to another company for fabrication.

 

I myself had made the assumption that since they were made for the Westone UM2, that they were indeed UM56 custom earmolds. In hindsight, I should have checked the facts before releasing the review. I humbly apologise for this mistake & oversight.

 

I noticed that the person who sent me the PM jumped the gun and posted about “counterfeits†and “imitation†UM56's in another forum some time ago, and that the user was “ignorant†of the fact. I regret that he did so before bothering to clarify matters with me.

 

Let me reiterate this again in case it gets misunderstood. These custom earmolds WERE NEVER represented by Jaben Network as the Westone UM56. This mistake was mine alone: I made a faulty assumption. Therefore they were definitely NOT “counterfeit†or “imitation†because they were never represented as such. If you like, they are 3rd party earmolds. However, the “ignorant user†point was well taken

 

As it is, I am still extremely happy with my earmolds. The fit and finish was excellent. They do look good. I have used it daily for close to 3 months, and there had been no dis-colouration or deformation of the earmolds. If it were up to me, I would definitely recommend it to others. However, Wilson has confirmed that this will indeed be a one-off and would not be offered again.

 

Having said all that, I have made the appropriate changes in my review. I had written the review in the hope that my experience can benefit users of IEM’s, and headphone users in general. It has not been my intention to mislead or confuse others. So do note again that this review is NOT about the Westone UM56.

 

Again, my apologies to all readers for my mistake."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ballack 0]

Jeez. Thank you Absolute0 and Stereo_Electronics for clearing things up. Can the debate cease? Some of you guys really need to slow down, have a beer and get laid.

[Stereo_Electronics 0]

Jeez. Thank you Absolute0 and Stereo_Electronics for clearing things up. Can the debate cease? Some of you guys really need to slow down, have a beer and get laid.

 

 

[replay 0]

No offence to Jaben here, but when Jaben was offering special promotions or special discounts for SGHP members everyone was simply raving about the low prices. I see most members claiming that they got a sweet deal from Jaben and very satisfied with it, and that happened when there were 2 dealers ard in this forum. Then is that a case of undercutting the other dealer?

 

When one dealer got banned the other dealer tried to provide us with the same low prices that consumers want. In addition he made a point about a supposedly UM56 which turned out otherwise. Instead of raving about it, his intent and business ethics was questioned. I see many people viewing all these negatively, which is rather bad for this hobby. I guess the only thing SE can do to please people is to raise his prices and keep everything to himself, even when consumers are unknowingly paying for something else.

 

Rather than trying to pinpoint on what this thread is all about, which is the UM56, and trying to get the truth from what or why this actually happened, most people are bashing SE instead. I see no one discussing about the so called UM56 and their source. It's easy for everyone to judge why this happened.

[Guest joi-ful]

I'm glad things have cleared up. And I must say that our mod Absolute0 has done a really good job with regards to this issue. Kudos and keep up the good work!

[zonalblitz_audio 0]

No offence to Jaben here, but when Jaben was offering special promotions or special discounts for SGHP members everyone was simply raving about the low prices. I see most members claiming that they got a sweet deal from Jaben and very satisfied with it, and that happened when there were 2 dealers ard in this forum. Then is that a case of undercutting the other dealer?

 

When one dealer got banned the other dealer tried to provide us with the same low prices that consumers want. In addition he made a point about a supposedly UM56 which turned out otherwise. Instead of raving about it, his intent and business ethics was questioned. I see many people viewing all these negatively, which is rather bad for this hobby. I guess the only thing SE can do to please people is to raise his prices and keep everything to himself, even when consumers are unknowingly paying for something else.

 

Rather than trying to pinpoint on what this thread is all about, which is the UM56, and trying to get the truth from what or why this actually happened, most people are bashing SE instead. I see no one discussing about the so called UM56 and their source. It's easy for everyone to judge why this happened.

 

 

The question is : Are the Dealers allowed to do Mass Orders? Can they claim local warrenty from imported units, by passing the local distributor company?

 

If you agree in this way of business ethics, very well you go.

 

If you want the truth of the UM56 from Jaben, why will it have to come from Stereo Electronics? Why Westones did not address the issue themselves? Only Westone themselves is fit to address the issue.

 

So what is a method used in this issue between produce from the 2 Dealers? I call this unhealthy competition displayed by one.

 

Another question is : Are we bashing Stereo Electronics for this issue and what makes you think so? If so, who else was attacked too?

 

If you do not believe in a ONE-OFF produce by reputatable audio companies, it's fine with me. Do not name them fake or imitations.

 

Now look on the other side, Jaben offered short-term promotions, not the long term dealer's price to spoil the market.

 

Once again, "There is a REPORT button at the bottom of every post, so use that if you need to. All the mods are also just a PM away". We have noticed the use of the Report button, however we may lose count of how many times we need to hit that button.

[absolut 0]

I don't think any of the fault here is on Jaben and Wilson. He never said that the customs were made by Westone. When i asked him who made them when I got my impressions done, he did not say Westone. Simply, what happened is a customer got the customs, thought it was a UM56 or a "Custom One Off" and described it to others as a such. Stereo Electronics investigated and created the announcement.

 

Did Jaben or Stereo do anything wrong? No, they did not, in any way you look at it, lie.

 

Was Stereo's announcement unethical? In my opinion, no. They were simply telling the public that not all custom earmolds are UM56's.

[ayeosq 0]

Hey look at this thread Announcements/Offers>>Third Party Westone Customs, Possible UM56 Imitations

It is pointed out that one of the shop is selling custom earmold that are possible UM56 imitation...

And in that thread, there is a link to review of a custom earmold by another shop...

So what SE is trying to say is that that shop is selling IMITATION earmold???

Envy other shops who sells a nicer and professional earmold <- I dont know...

All I can say is remove that POSSIBLE UM56 IMITATION...

[Stereo_Electronics 0]

The question is : Are the Dealers allowed to do Mass Orders? Can they claim local warrenty from imported units, by passing the local distributor company?

 

If you agree in this way of business ethics, very well you go.

 

If you want the truth of the UM56 from Jaben, why will it have to come from Stereo Electronics? Why Westones did not address the issue themselves? Only Westone themselves is fit to address the issue.

 

So what is a method used in this issue between produce from the 2 Dealers? I call this unhealthy competition displayed by one.

 

Another question is : Are we bashing Stereo Electronics for this issue and what makes you think so? If so, who else was attacked too?

 

If you do not believe in a ONE-OFF produce by reputatable audio companies, it's fine with me. Do not name them fake or imitations.

 

Now look on the other side, Jaben offered short-term promotions, not the long term dealer's price to spoil the market.

 

Once again, "There is a REPORT button at the bottom of every post, so use that if you need to. All the mods are also just a PM away". We have noticed the use of the Report button, however we may lose count of how many times we need to hit that button.

 

I thought this was all over.

 

"I will be considering to do future MO for people here since some things can really be cheaper abroad, furthermore I can even provide local warranty. But since I'm overloaded with work lately, I'll probably do any MO later.

 

Meanwhile, feel free to give any suggestions.

 

Cheers..

Aron"

 

That was what I posted regarding mass order, I did mention about provide local warranty support but it's thru the same foreign company where the mass order came from. And if no one tells you, what makes you think that AKG K501 in some shops came from a local or foreign source? Anyway, I don't think its fair you comment anything before I even started any MO yet, I'm not a Beyer dealer so I suppose if I mass order DT880 or DT990 it would be ethical.

 

Westone is aware of someone posting a earmould which claims to be UM56 but not. As a Westone authorised dealer in Singapore I should do something. I suppose Wilson would have pointed out the same if he saw that post in the forum, don't you think?

 

In regards to bashing, no worries.

 

Everyone believes its a one-off earmould from some company, the issue here is that it was previously said to be a WESTONE UM56. ( No one seems to be reading this in)

 

Short term or long term promotions is for members' benefit, whether it spoils the market or not, I don't think you're in the position to comment unless you know how much are my cost, you mention under pricing but you didn't mention anything about over pricing, which is which and I wonder how you can tell them apart. I am a businessman not charity, I'm well aware of my profit and loss.

 

Some people visit counsellors more often, some people don't. I guess that's the same for the report button.

 

That should sum up everything.

 

 

 

 

Hey look at this thread Announcements/Offers>>Third Party Westone Customs, Possible UM56 Imitations

It is pointed out that one of the shop is selling custom earmold that are possible UM56 imitation...

And in that thread, there is a link to review of a custom earmold by another shop...

So what SE is trying to say is that that shop is selling IMITATION earmold???

Envy other shops who sells a nicer and professional earmold <- I dont know...

All I can say is remove that POSSIBLE UM56 IMITATION...

 

Please read again.

 

I DID NOT mention any shop selling imitations. The fact is someone posted a earmould and claim to be a WESTONE SPECIAL EDITION UM56. (Read post 63)

 

Please get your facts right.

Edited November 28, 2006 by Stereo_Electronics

[ayeosq 0]

Didnt you yourself said that the person who posted in the other forum admit its 3rd party earmolds.

So is all 3rd party earmold imitation???

[Stereo_Electronics 0]

Didnt you yourself said that the person who posted in the other forum admit its 3rd party earmolds.

So is all 3rd party earmold imitation???

 

That was after I posted the e-mail between Westone and me. Check the dates on the post, the user himself had admit he made a mistake and nothing to do with anyone.

[Guest joi-ful]

Didnt you yourself said that the person who posted in the other forum admit its 3rd party earmolds.

So is all 3rd party earmold imitation???

 

I'm appalled.

 

If the earmolds are not the UM56 and the seller claimed that it is, then I suppose it's a UM56 imitation.

 

Westone didn't invented earmoulds for IEMs.

Hence, earmolds that aren't UM56 and simply.... earmolds that aren't UM56! Should a user mistook them to be the UM56, then it's simply just a case of incorrect information by the user. Simple as that.

 

Stop crying wolf, for goodness sake!

 

[zonalblitz_audio 0]

This is my reply to Stereo Electronics's reply. It shall be my final opinion I will make from this issue.

Since the forum is clear and open for opinions as mentioned by Moderator, I shall address mine.

 

DO NOT read if you find my statements offending. IF you think you might be offended, skip the post.

I have already warned before you (reader) has decided to click on the spoiler below.

The reader will have no rights to address flames to my post.

 

I will also not entertain further replies to my post.

 

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

And if no one tells you, what makes you think that AKG K501 in some shops came from a local or foreign source?

 

However you said you would provide local warrenty from foreign MO goods. Local warrenty will means I will be able to send back to the local distribution centre for repairs or sorts (without charges within warrenty period).

IF you said you would provide warrenty covers over the MO products by your shop, so be it.

 

On another hand, you said you would do MOs when you're free. I rest my case here.

 

Westone is aware of someone posting a earmould which claims to be UM56 but not. As a Westone authorised dealer in Singapore I should do something. I suppose Wilson would have pointed out the same if he saw that post in the forum, don't you think?

 

I suppose another dealer would react differently to this situation.

1. Inform Westone about possible 'imitations' (if you think they were)

2. Sit and await reply. Not take charge of the situation yourself.

3. There is nothing you can do as a competitive dealer. Westone will have an solution on addressing the issue if found to be an 'imitation'.

 

Everyone believes its a one-off earmould from some company, the issue here is that it was previously said to be a WESTONE UM56. ( No one seems to be reading this in)

 

The other forum has amended to Westone Customs. It has been claimed a One-Off from Westone, believe it or not, your choice. It's only courtesy to respect their word, whether or not anyone ever believes it.

 

Short term or long term promotions is for members' benefit, whether it spoils the market or not, I don't think you're in the position to comment unless you know how much are my cost, you mention under pricing but you didn't mention anything about over pricing, which is which and I wonder how you can tell them apart. I am a businessman not charity, I'm well aware of my profit and loss.

 

We can easily check the Recommended Retail Pricing (RRP) from the product's website. The fellow forumers have been posting the prices all around the forum. Any consumer will be able attain the pricing of a certain dealer by word of mouth from anyway. Anyone of us would be able to know which pricings are higher than the other. Lower prices have liability to gather more sales, especially in a regional forum. One retailer's sale have benefited from the attractive prices, other retailers have bitten the bullet with it. Retailers will start dropping the particular product one by one. Local distributor would not be happy if the retailer jeopardize the market.

 

My worries about over-pricing. As a consumer, if you find the pricing at a particular place is over-priced (pricing way up higher than Recommended Retail Pricing), don't buy from them! Simple.

 

If a lurker (with no intentions to become a member) who surfs along the forums, saw things that ought to be moderated or corrected will leave them a very bad impression. It will only reflect on the style in the forum. However, if they liked it that way, so be it.

 

That should sum up everything as well