At a loss with JJ Audio...

[goldendeathmusic]

pretty frustrated after finally receiving an email back from Jim from JJ audio today, here's the story:

I've been a happy Oktavamod customer for a while now, but ran across the JJ audio mod on ebay and thought I would give it a shot as I had a bit of extra money to spare. I was excited to use the modded 219 when it arrived, but when I plugged it in it generated a large amount of background electrical noise, making it unusable. Disappointed, but just chalking this up to damage in shipping, I try to get a hold of the seller as usually one does in such cases. Now, I should say at this point that I have a large collection of mics, and a yamaha n12 as my interface, and NONE of my other mics give me a problem (I own other stock 219s and a modded 319) so I know the problem is with this particular mic and at no other point in my signal chain. After an initial email and response concerning the problem, further attempts at communication seem to be ignored until "coincidentally" I mention the experience in passing on gearslutz. The morning after the post, I receive a partial refund (covered half the cost of my unexpectedly exorbitant customs fees, as i live in canada), and a message from Jim. I say thanks for the refund, and could he please send the mic to my address in the US, as I don't want to pay the customs again. He says sure, and the mic arrives a while later - at my address in Canada. Frustrated by this, but really wanting to use the mic for a project, I begrudgingly pay the customs fees and take the mic home, where I discover that the problem still persists...to a lesser degree than before, but the mic is still unusable! I talk to Jim on the phone, and he says that when he tested the mic he heard no problems. We agree to disagree I guess, and he makes me the very generous offer of a free microphone which I decline, but certainly appreciate - I really just want the rest of my money back. He agrees to this, and I send the microphone back to him, paying shipping charges for the 4th time (twice sending, twice receiving) on the damn thing. After a month passes with no refund and several ignored emails, I get a response from Jim saying that he is going try to resell the mic I returned to him, and only then will I get my refund....

what am I supposed to say to that?

[ajs]

Originally Posted by goldendeathmusic

what am I supposed to say to that?

"Sorry, OctavaMod, can I come home now?"

Actually you've already said it by opening this thread and now the reader knows one side of a story.

[Storyville]

could the power voltage difference between the US and Europe effect this?


Anyway, regardless, sounds like you got your refund. I have 6 JJ Mics, including a 219 mod, and I have a 7th and 8th on the way - haven't had any problem with one of them.

[joelpatterson]

Well, I will arm wrestle anyone on this subject, anyone at all, all takers are welcome.

Because I have SIMILARLY had good cop/bad cop luck with these guys, who are, I should boldly italicize WONDERFUL PEOPLE, but I also have wondered about a Jeckyl/Hydism or a good dayism/bad dayism or a paying attention at sometimesism/and not other timesisms.

The MXL V57M's I had modded were, for a month, the absolutest best mics I owned, they were incruckingfedible, the words don't exist to describe how ultra-clean and vivifying they were. I think there might be a review, somewhere, with clips.

But they developed a humming little buzz. I put together an mp3 for Langston that demonstrated this, switching out a Rode NT1 back and forth-- the modded mics, when you plugged them in, started up this soft seashell/seashore whooshing. He said to send them back and they'd fix them, as I emphasize WONDERFUL PEOPLE,, but it has been a few weeks, and you know when you are experiencing a lull?


Does everyone know what I mean by "lull"? Like, you're waiting for someone to call you back, say, and the lull drags on, and it's hours later... you want to have every faith that they haven't "forgotten" about you, but... well...


It's just that kind of lull with waiting for these mics... Langston said Jim didn't hear any whooshing with them, but anyway he'll install some, I think he said ferrite beads or something, some extra cautionary guard against RF interference... God, I love the ellipsis, the three little dots, ..., because they just capture this sense of waiting, kind of hopeful, kind of disgusted, kind of "what can you do," kind of the opposite of reassurance and faith, kind of on the edge of... just, you know...

[goldendeathmusic]

Originally Posted by Greener

"How does get ****ed sound?"

hahaha, definitely sounded good to me right after i read the email

Originally Posted by Storyville

could the power voltage difference between the US and Europe effect this?

nah, I've used the same exact type of mic before (not modded by JJ) and had no problems whatsoever. I also own other oktava stuff that has no problems whatsoever with unreasonable self-noise.

Anyway, regardless, sounds like you got your refund. I have 6 JJ Mics, including a 219 mod, and I have a 7th and 8th on the way - haven't had any problem with one of them.

Yeah, I'm sure the vast majority of their customers are happy ones, I'm just not satisfied with my personal experience. And I most definitely did not get my refund yet.

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

Because I have SIMILARLY had good cop/bad cop luck with these guys, who are, I should boldly italicize WONDERFUL PEOPLE, but I also have wondered about a Jeckyl/Hydism or a good dayism/bad dayism or a paying attention at sometimesism/and not other timesisms.

Hey Joel, hope you are doing well. Kind of a relief to know I'm not the only one that had similar problems. Sounds pretty much like the sound I was getting, except I was getting it right off the bat. Also, the self noise of the mic was as loud as or louder than the actual recorded signal the first time I got it. I really do wish I had been able to hear the mic in its proper state, and really could have used it for lead vocals on the project I was working on. Hope you don't have to wait too long...

[joelpatterson]

Originally Posted by goldendeathmusic

... Hope you don't have to wait too long...

I kind of in-the-back-of-my-mind imagine Jim noticing this thread and going, "Oh, yeah...."

[Blast9]

...

[illacov]

Originally Posted by goldendeathmusic

pretty frustrated after finally receiving an email back from Jim from JJ audio today, here's the story:

I've been a happy Oktavamod customer for a while now, but ran across the JJ audio mod on ebay and thought I would give it a shot as I had a bit of extra money to spare. I was excited to use the modded 219 when it arrived, but when I plugged it in it generated a large amount of background electrical noise, making it unusable. Disappointed, but just chalking this up to damage in shipping, I try to get a hold of the seller as usually one does in such cases. Now, I should say at this point that I have a large collection of mics, and a yamaha n12 as my interface, and NONE of my other mics give me a problem (I own other stock 219s and a modded 319) so I know the problem is with this particular mic and at no other point in my signal chain. After an initial email and response concerning the problem, further attempts at communication seem to be ignored until "coincidentally" I mention the experience in passing on gearslutz. The morning after the post, I receive a partial refund (covered half the cost of my unexpectedly exorbitant customs fees, as i live in canada), and a message from Jim. I say thanks for the refund, and could he please send the mic to my address in the US, as I don't want to pay the customs again. He says sure, and the mic arrives a while later - at my address in Canada. Frustrated by this, but really wanting to use the mic for a project, I begrudgingly pay the customs fees and take the mic home, where I discover that the problem still persists...to a lesser degree than before, but the mic is still unusable! I talk to Jim on the phone, and he says that when he tested the mic he heard no problems. We agree to disagree I guess, and he makes me the very generous offer of a free microphone which I decline, but certainly appreciate - I really just want the rest of my money back. He agrees to this, and I send the microphone back to him, paying shipping charges for the 4th time (twice sending, twice receiving) on the damn thing. After a month passes with no refund and several ignored emails, I get a response from Jim saying that he is going try to resell the mic I returned to him, and only then will I get my refund....

what am I supposed to say to that?

He offered you a modded and painted V67G (Greyhound) which retails currently for 399 which is going to go up another 100 dollars in a brief period (promotion about to end) and I believe that a 500 dollar microphone more than pays off one that sold for under 300. However you refused it, didn't want it and now we are working on getting you refund.

BTW the modded 219 mic works fine, is up for sale and all takers are welcome.

I spoke with Jim about this today, I feel that while you have had a bad experience with a situation, I don't feel we are all to blame here. We remedied the issue with your mic, there was a shipping error and you received the mic ( apparently at the wrong address and yet a right address) but got hit with fees that deal more with where you live than strings we can pull from here. Taxes are part of where you live in every country. They are part of being a citizen in our respective countries, we are all too aware of that.

You received a refund towards your fees of almost XX dollars and I see that as Jim trying to help more than hinder you in that regard. You received back a mic which according to our tests does not hum but which you feel still doesn't work properly. We tested it again (after you sent it back for the 2nd time) and it works fine with no issues, no hum, no electronic interference etc.

Point blank we will send you the refund, however you were offered nearly twice your expenditure in value. A mic which is extremely useful and popular on this site.

Again we offer our apologies in this regard.

Peace
Illumination

[illacov]

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

Well, I will arm wrestle anyone on this subject, anyone at all, all takers are welcome.

Because I have SIMILARLY had good cop/bad cop luck with these guys, who are, I should boldly italicize WONDERFUL PEOPLE, but I also have wondered about a Jeckyl/Hydism or a good dayism/bad dayism or a paying attention at sometimesism/and not other timesisms.

The MXL V57M's I had modded were, for a month, the absolutest best mics I owned, they were incruckingfedible, the words don't exist to describe how ultra-clean and vivifying they were. I think there might be a review, somewhere, with clips.

But they developed a humming little buzz. I put together an mp3 for Langston that demonstrated this, switching out a Rode NT1 back and forth-- the modded mics, when you plugged them in, started up this soft seashell/seashore whooshing. He said to send them back and they'd fix them, as I emphasize WONDERFUL PEOPLE,, but it has been a few weeks, and you know when you are experiencing a lull?


Does everyone know what I mean by "lull"? Like, you're waiting for someone to call you back, say, and the lull drags on, and it's hours later... you want to have every faith that they haven't "forgotten" about you, but... well...


It's just that kind of lull with waiting for these mics... Langston said Jim didn't hear any whooshing with them, but anyway he'll install some, I think he said ferrite beads or something, some extra cautionary guard against RF interference... God, I love the ellipsis, the three little dots, ..., because they just capture this sense of waiting, kind of hopeful, kind of disgusted, kind of "what can you do," kind of the opposite of reassurance and faith, kind of on the edge of... just, you know...

Ferrite beads my friend. Made by Vulcans, smuggled by Romulans. Highly coveted by Humans.

Peace
Illumination

[fezza]

Originally Posted by illacov

I spoke with Jim about this today, I feel that while you have had a bad experience with a situation, I don't feel we are all to blame here. We remedied the issue with your mic, there was a shipping error and you received the mic ( apparently at the wrong address and yet a right address) but got hit with fees that deal more with where you live than strings we can pull from here. Taxes are part of where you live in every country. They are part of being a citizen in our respective countries, we are all too aware of that.

It's a bit unfair to blame another country's taxes if you sent it to the wrong address? I'm sure there are two sides to this story, but to lecture him about taxes caused by shipping it to the wrong address seems unjust, and also patronising.

That said, it does sound like you made good efforts to resolve the problem, so I hope you take this message in the spirit it's intended.

[illacov]

Originally Posted by fezza

It's a bit unfair to blame another country's taxes if you sent it to the wrong address? I'm sure there are two sides to this story, but to lecture him about taxes caused by shipping it to the wrong address seems unjust, and also patronising.

That said, it does sound like you made good efforts to resolve the problem, so I hope you take this message in the spirit it's intended.

Please let me apologize if I came across that way.

I am only pointing out that shipping to an international country incurs fees. I don't see how that places any pressure on a vendor in regards to shipping. This is understood by all individuals on both sides of the table that shipping internationally can cost money.

The mic was shipped several times back and forth. For whatever reason after the mic was repaired from damages incurred during shipping, the customer requests a refund.

My concern at the moment is the refund issue. However the mic works, so that's my other concern. Considering that we have a perfectly good working microphone and an unhappy customer, we just need to make nice and move on from here.

Peace
Illumination

[joelpatterson]

Originally Posted by illacov

Ferrite beads my friend. Made by Vulcans, smuggled by Romulans. Highly coveted by Humans.

Peace
Illumination

Beam me up, Scotty!

[goldendeathmusic]

Originally Posted by illacov

He offered you a modded and painted V67G (Greyhound) which retails currently for 399 which is going to go up another 100 dollars in a brief period (promotion about to end) and I believe that a 500 dollar microphone more than pays off one that sold for under 300. However you refused it, didn't want it and now we are working on getting you refund.

Illumination

Actually, Jim very kindly offered me both the refund AND the microphone. And you are faulting me for not accepting the mic too? I really would have loved to take it, but felt like it would not be appropriate given the situation...felt like a bit much to me, so I declined. Plus by the time that offer had been made I was kind of sick of delays and just wanted to get my money back and move on. Also, please try to understand that though you may think I'm crazy for returning what in your perception is a perfectly good mic, I at that point did not want to continue dealing with a company who in my perception had sent me the equivalent of two bad ones.
As far as the shipping thing goes, it was an admitted mistake on your guys' part to ship it to the wrong address, and I was frustrated to have to pay for that mistake out of my own pocket.
And as far as the microphone not working goes, I really don't know what to say besides what I already have. I'm sure you guys know what you are doing and I think I do as well...so take from that what you will, though Joel posted that he was having some problems with mic noise too that he could hear but Jim said he couldn't. I would really try maybe more thoroughly testing the mic I returned before rushing to put it up for sale again, but that's your business.
I appreciate your responses here, and your efforts to resolve this.

All the best to you

[Teddy Ray]

he offered you a refund AND the mic??

what is your complaint again?

[illacov]

Originally Posted by goldendeathmusic

Actually, Jim very kindly offered me both the refund AND the microphone. And you are faulting me for not accepting the mic too? I really would have loved to take it, but felt like it would not be appropriate given the situation...felt like a bit much to me, so I declined. Plus by the time that offer had been made I was kind of sick of delays and just wanted to get my money back and move on. Also, please try to understand that though you may think I'm crazy for returning what in your perception is a perfectly good mic, I at that point did not want to continue dealing with a company who in my perception had sent me the equivalent of two bad ones.
As far as the shipping thing goes, it was an admitted mistake on your guys' part to ship it to the wrong address, and I was frustrated to have to pay for that mistake out of my own pocket.
And as far as the microphone not working goes, I really don't know what to say besides what I already have. I'm sure you guys know what you are doing and I think I do as well...so take from that what you will, though Joel posted that he was having some problems with mic noise too that he could hear but Jim said he couldn't. I would really try maybe more thoroughly testing the mic I returned before rushing to put it up for sale again, but that's your business.
I appreciate your responses here, and your efforts to resolve this.

All the best to you

In regards to Joel's microphone we couldn't replicate what he heard, so I called him up and asked him about how he'd tested the modded V57m for noise issues.

This apparently didn't happen here, I was never involved in the whole situation unfortunately and I didn't get a chance to speak with you.

However considering that you apparently had written us off at a certain point, I can see how making peace offerings would be a bit useless at this point.

Again my apologies for your bad experience. I don't know why the mic was still humming at your studio and not at ours? It did hum when we got it back the first time (when it was damaged in shipping), in regards to when you claimed it was unusable I'm completely at a loss.

I would be hard pressed to say we have some magical equipment over here for testing; for example one of our little preamps that we test stuff with is a modded DMP3. Not exactly some 3000 magic mystery box, but it is a good unit. As well so is (from what I've heard) the Yamaha N12.

Take care.

Sincerely,

Langston Masingale
Sales and Customer Support
JJ Audio Mics, USA

Peace
Illumination

[joelpatterson]

"Lull"

1 archaic : something that lulls; especially : lullaby
2 : a temporary pause or decline in activity <the early-morning lull in urban noise>: as a : a temporary calm before or during a storm b : a temporary drop in business activity

[goldendeathmusic]

Originally Posted by Teddy Ray

he offered you a refund AND the mic??

what is your complaint again?

As stated above a couple times, that I haven't received the refund yet.

[joelpatterson]

Originally Posted by joelpatterson

I kind of in-the-back-of-my-mind imagine Jim noticing this thread and going, "Oh, yeah...."

[joelpatterson]

Okay, we're starting an official vigil.

DAY ONE: Nice, sunny day. Birds are singing in the trees. Hope abounds.

[goldendeathmusic]

DAY TWO: Another beautiful day...but something flickers in the distance...is that...doubt?

[drBill]

I know the JJ guys are good guys and will sort stuff out, but life's got too much stress for this kinda stuff. Hope you guys get it figured out. thumbsupthumbsup

[DaveE]

Good god. Some companies are just CLUELESS when it comes to business. Whether you're a one-man operation or huge corporation, sometimes you've gotta cut your losses early to avoid a bigger loss in the future. (They teach this in econ 101thumbsup) This customer should have received his refund as soon as they received their mic back. THERE IS NO REASON THEY SHOULD STILL HAVE HIS MONEY IF THEY HAVE RECEIVED THE MIC. Only a SKETCHY company does crap like that. In 2010, how long does it really take to issue a refund? Credit card, 2 days tops.

Give me a break, you can't have 1 mic sitting in your inventory? Sales must be pretty bad if you can't just bite it and TAKE THE LOSS. Instead you will air your laundry here in front of all the sluts who would be prime candidates to purchase your product. BRILLIANT! How much does that end up costing?!?

illacov, let me tell you how Gearslutz works... Someone buys your mic and loves it, they come here and post about it, then other people say "YAH I HAVE ONE, ITS THE BEST MIC I'VE EVER USED" then sluts like me read and say "$HIT, I WANNA HEAR THAT MIC!" then if we love it, you sell lots of mics.

or threads like this happen and we all doubt your company's integrity and BOYCOTT your products.

Hopefully these guys don't buy banner space or this thead might be gone before you even read this...

[illacov]

Originally Posted by DaveE

Good god. Some companies are just CLUELESS when it comes to business. Whether you're a one-man operation or huge corporation, sometimes you've gotta cut your losses early to avoid a bigger loss in the future. (They teach this in econ 101thumbsup) This customer should have received his refund as soon as they received their mic back. THERE IS NO REASON THEY SHOULD STILL HAVE HIS MONEY IF THEY HAVE RECEIVED THE MIC. Only a SKETCHY company does crap like that. In 2010, how long does it really take to issue a refund? Credit card, 2 days tops.

Give me a break, you can't have 1 mic sitting in your inventory? Sales must be pretty bad if you can't just bite it and TAKE THE LOSS. Instead you will air your laundry here in front of all the sluts who would be prime candidates to purchase your product. BRILLIANT! How much does that end up costing?!?

illacov, let me tell you how Gearslutz works... Someone buys your mic and loves it, they come here and post about it, then other people say "YAH I HAVE ONE, ITS THE BEST MIC I'VE EVER USED" then sluts like me read and say "$HIT, I WANNA HEAR THAT MIC!" then if we love it, you sell lots of mics.

or threads like this happen and we all doubt your company's integrity and BOYCOTT your products.

Hopefully these guys don't buy banner space or this thead might be gone before you even read this...

In America we enjoy freedom of expression.

There's two sides to every story..I told part of ours. I'm not going to stoop to low tactics to defend our companies integrity. People can make whatever claims they feel are adequate.

The refund will be issued shortly and we can move on.

Peace
Illumination

[uncle duncan]

In defense of objectivity, I received my JJ modded V67 today. I immediately plugged it in and did a recording in my mic shootout file. Upon playback I noticed a hashy sound with the S's, so I made an mp3 of the V67 compared to a U87ai and sent it to Langston. He emailed me back in less than an hour, asking for more details about the recording chain. This got me thinking, so I swapped preamp channels, and the hashy sound disappeared. In other words, my recording chain was screwed up, something Langston was astute enough to notice.

I am always impressed by prompt email responses, especially when accompanied by knowledge and quality work, so I'll give JJ Audio two thumbs up. On the other hand, I'll have to give my tech skills two thumbs down. No wonder the bass DI was sounding a little hashy the other day. Ooops.

[goldendeathmusic]

Originally Posted by DaveE

This customer should have received his refund as soon as they received their mic back. THERE IS NO REASON THEY SHOULD STILL HAVE HIS MONEY IF THEY HAVE RECEIVED THE MIC.

Thanks Dave, took the words right out of my mind.

Originally Posted by uncle duncan

I am always impressed by prompt email responses, especially when accompanied by knowledge and quality work, so I'll give JJ Audio two thumbs up.

Yeah, I'm sure I'm in the minority when it comes to people who have had dealings with the company. I think how you deal with that minority though can make or break you.

[Yago]

I am I incorrect at thinking that "ferrite bead" thing sounds a bit clutching at straws ?
I mean they aren't the most expensive part , and if , in the opinion of the company , they are the magic bullet , f*ck it , fit them in every mod .

Apologies if I got my tech backwards .

[illacov]

Originally Posted by goldendeathmusic

Thanks Dave, took the words right out of my mind.



Yeah, I'm sure I'm in the minority when it comes to people who have had dealings with the company. I think how you deal with that minority though can make or break you.

I'll only offer that we have not made any requests to close or remove this thread in any way shape or form. You are well within your rights to voice a complaint. I really wish you would have contacted me directly about it.

As I said before your refund is in the process of being issued. The perfectly good working microphone is already pending for sale and once it sells the remainder of your refund is on its way.

If you have any further issues beyond that point, you can continue to use the internet to voice your complaints or contact me at

langston.jjaudiomics@gmail.com


This has also been a lesson well learned for me as we have not publicly posted a return policy regarding situations like this one.

That will be remedied shortly.

Thanks

Peace
Illumination

[illacov]

Originally Posted by Yago

I am I incorrect at thinking that "ferrite bead" thing sounds a bit clutching at straws ?
I mean they aren't the most expensive part , and if , in the opinion of the company , they are the magic bullet , f*ck it , fit them in every mod .

Apologies if I got my tech backwards .

Not really. Ferrite beads are actually a very nice icing on the cake for things like sensitive electronics.

Of course low noise parts preceding them doesn't hurt either.

But adding ferrite beads can be that last bit of perfection you might be seeking for low or next to no noise performance.

As far as putting them in everything:

We're working on it. But they do add some costs.

Peace
Illumination

[goldendeathmusic]

Originally Posted by illacov

If you have any further issues beyond that point, you can continue to use the internet to voice your complaints or contact me at

langston.jjaudiomics@gmail.com

Sorry, none of the emails i sent to Jim about the matter that he actually did respond to (about half maybe?) received an answer mentioning that I should contact you. So I was actually unaware of your existence until this thread, or otherwise would have contacted you as well. No need to subtly suggest that I'm a fool for returning a perfect mic, that point is moot by now I think, I'm just still confused as to the reasoning behind the resale of the mic prior to the refund. You can continue with me here or at goldendeathmusic@gmail.com, either is fine with me. I only started this thread out of the frustration of being ignored, not because I really wanted to bad mouth your company - I definitely would have praised the hell out of the mic on a thread here if it had worked out.

[DaveE]

Originally Posted by illacov

The perfectly good working microphone is already pending for sale and once it sells the remainder of your refund is on its way.

Pathetic. Unacceptable. GIVE THE MAN A REFUND. YOU HAVE YOUR MIC, HE SHOULD HAVE HIS MONEY BACK ALREADY. Your mics might be the best thing since sliced bread, but your service is absolutely disgraceful.tutt