Amp for Fyne f1-12
- Thread starter RaChiK
- Start date
Hello,
Several days ago I came across an old (9 years ago) YouTube video of Myles Astor announcing that previous to the video he was unaware of the Audio Flight brand and went on to praise it.
There was a link to the distributor and when I clicked on it I was brought to a page that said we are no longer the distributor for Audio Flight contact the manufacturer.
Strumento is their top of the line. Is there a reason you were selling them? Ron was kind enough to speak with me by telephone and said he simply does not understand my concern about the length of warranty offered by a manufacturer.
It has been about 8 weeks since our conversation.
I was reading many wonderful reviews about the Audio Flight FLS-10; with the phono module the suggested retail is around $14,300
Imagine my surprise when I came across this fact inside the review by Soundstage Ultra:
“The FLS10 carries a two-year warranty, which is disappointingly short for such a premium product.”
Accuphase – 3 year warranty
Luxman – 3 year warranty
Esoteric – 3 year warranty
Pass Labs – 3 year warranty
McIntosh- 3 year warranty
Mark Levinson- 5 year warranty
5 years parts & labor - Boulder Amplifiers
Sim Audio - A valid product registration provides a non-transferable extension for up to 10 years.
For me the number of warranty years a manufacturer offers reflects the confidence they have in their product.
2 years is simply not competitive
In year number 3 you are on the hook for shipping, parts and labor.
Mr. Marzi is a one man show.
I am concerned about warranty length because I worry about purchasing from companies that are headed up by single individuals, regardless of how well the products perform.
Ole Møller, the designer of Copland tube and hybrid amplifiers in Denmark was born in 1954.
James Bongiorno told everyone he made arrangements for his brother to take over the company after his passing; the company is essentially no more.
Nelson Pass is 72.
Frank Van Alstine has got to be 80.
I am guessing Dan D’Agostino is in his 70’s.
Dr. West of Soundlab, well he is very old and I do not see a future for that company.
Ralph Karsten of Atma- Sphere?
It is rumored that Bob Carver has dementia and is not in charge of the company.
I could go on regarding the owners of boutique companies; what I call mom and pop shops.
I worry that after they are gone, owners of their products will not be supported.
When a company goes out of business, resale value plummets when that happens, but more importantly, service can be a question.
Even if Pass Labs did offer a 5 year warranty (and people do say it is a real business meaning it will go on when he passes no pun intended), Reno Hi-Fi, Inc. was the number one Pass Labs dealer in North America and they have closed, the owner retired.
From what I gathered they were primarily mail order.
I reached out to Pass for a local dealer and the reply from Kent English was a dealer in another state and “most of his business is e-commerce / mail-order.”
To me these people are dealers in name only; they are in the drop ship business.
Should a service issue arise how is it handled? Sent to a service center?
Consumer Reports has Frequency of Repair ratings for automobiles for the first four years of ownership.
Rankings based upon feedback from owners are Much Better Than Average, Better Than Average, Average, Worse Than Average, and Much Worse Than Average.
I have long believed that frequency of repair is the dirty little secret that no one in this "hobby" wants to discuss.
I have been in forums where people share the failure of ribbon tweeters and/or the lack of customer service when it comes to repairs.
Other people rejoice in product failures and love shipping the product back to the factory because they broadcast the piece was returned to me upgraded no charge! This shipping back to the factory for warranty work is not my idea of a good time or time well spent.
Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend - Theophrastus
The person who creates a not for profit that addresses this issue would be doing, IMHO, a great service to the industry; especially for new people entering this strata of purchases. Perhaps too it would put some manufacturers on notice that they need to upgrade their quality control. The exposure of these issues would send the message that customers are no longer willing to accept frequency of repairs that were previously understood to be the price of admission.
Consumer Reports said at the time the Fiat 128 was one of the best handling cars they tested. I had it after I graduated from college. That was true, when it worked. I had an intimate relationship with my Fiat mechanic.
Performance is one thing and reliability is another.
Concern about product reliability should not be so cavalierly dismissed.
Many of us are not fortunate to be living driving distance from the factory of product origin.
A long winded preamble to asking:
How many years did you own those Audio Flight pieces?
Did you have any operational issues with them and if so how were they handled?
Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
Christopher Frank
aka soundman
I like your eloboration and detail oriented approach and thinking. I will try to be brief. I bought demo Audia flight strumento no.4 mk2 and used it for may be 1.5-2 years. I had no issue what so ever, They are built very strong and unless something internal circuit issues, I don't see if they can have structural problem. I changed the amp after I changed my speakers from Monitor audio PL500II to Fyne F-12. Fyne speakers are very efficient and I did not feel like they needed that much power delivered by strumento. The strumento are powerful and drove monitor audio PL500II speakers (relatively inefficient) with ease. I wanted tube amp and hence the change. I highly respect audiaflight strumento amps: I felt like they did everything right: no fault in sound whatsoever. Only issue with this amp (may be not issue for some) that I thought was, its low input impedence (7.5 ohm) and might not work best with certain pre-amps with higher output impedence (most of the tube preamps).
Thank you for your reply. I am heartened to learn you had no issues at all with the Audio Flight integrated.
Here from the conclusion of the Sim Audio Moon 700i v2 integrated:
Here’s what makes Simaudio’s Moon 700i v2 worthy of your consideration. First and foremost, it offers terrific clarity and transparency throughout the audioband, shortchanging or spotlighting nothing at all. If you want an integrated amp that comes admirably close to the ideal of a straight wire with gain, this model should be at the top of your shortlist. Add to that the best volume control I’ve ever used, and thoughtful functionality that lets the user tailor its inputs as that user sees fit, and the package becomes even more compelling. The Moon 700i v2 also has significant if not bottomless reserves of power, even into 2 ohms. Ally all of that to a beautifully built case and a ten-year warranty, and there’s little left to quibble about. In this second generation of their flagship integrated amplifier, Simaudio hasn’t messed with its winning formula. It’s easy to see -- and hear -- why.
Since a 10 year warranty is nothing to sneeze at, I went to their web site and discovered, it is no longer in production!
Oh boy back to the drawing board.
When you bought the demo may I ask how much of a discount did the dealer give you? I am asking because if I decide to go with Audio Flight after all (we have the Martin Logan Expression 13A ESL) I would like to know how much I can expect to ask if I too find a demo piece.
Our speakers have amplifiers in the bass cabinets; having active woofers means we don't have to worry about any dips in impedance in bass region. Nevertheless I am still looking for more power for the panels even though: Speaker sensitivity: 91dB
Thank you again.
Christopher Frank
I see you have AC pre and DAC...why not AC Essentias or Conceros as final amps? Both are outstanding...like the pre and DAC...
That's my eventual goal, provided funds are available. My ultimate goal will be to change preamp to impera ref or ageto and amp to ianus essentias.
I have not heard the simaudio but have heard great things about them from audiophiles who had their taste. There is something about all the Canadian products: very well made but under recognized. Almost all the Canadian brands in audiophile world are well respected but does not get enough credit.
Coming to audiaflight, I don't want to put it out in open forum how much discount I got, but got reasonable discount that I was happy with.
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