Awesome man, glad to have you over here! What is great about this forum is that it is still new and developing and because of that the users here have a lot of input in choosing the direction it goes. Everyone has been super cool here and it seems like people are really working together to make this community into a unique place that many of the others lack.
That is awesome you picked up the Elex, seems like everyone is loving it right now. And you bring up an interesting topic about adding to this Community Preview Program by lending out personal gear. I think that is a great idea and maybe something we can discuss more about. I too have a plethora of gear on hand that I hardly use and would be willing to make available as a loaner.
The way SBAF’s loaner tours work is that they are only accessible to people with higher status (“Friend”") or “Contributors”. To be a contributor you have to donate at least $20 to SBAF. One of the benefits in doing so is that they can pool all the money together to either buy new gear for the loaner tours or compensate replacement costs in the unfortunate event that there is a problem with shipping during the loaner rounds. They still require that each person ship with a designated amount of insurance, but often those insurance values are less than actual value of the product and they have had enough experience with insurance claims to know that the process doesn’t always work out or can take a long time to get money returned.
I know I would feel more comfortable lending my personal gear to people that are trustworthy (which the Core team membership should take care), and if there are safeguards in place in case something happens with my gear while it is on tour. So having that type of backup/emergency funds could really help. I know I would be down to donate money to a pool for that cause if it helps get others involved and willing to offer up their gear as well.
I think it’s useful having a status level required to participate and the idea of having some reserve funds on hand to help absorb the cost of gear is smart too!
Though I disagree on the trouble around getting an insurance payout. I’ve been through a few of them my self and careful documentation, timely execution and correct verbiage often help speed up a payout. Though it’s no easy matter either way, so having something on hand to immediately absorb the cost of a damaged product is smart! So that there is no delay or immediate loss while waiting for a claim to be approved
As far as the name change, maybe instead of Loaner or Preview Program [as a lot of the gear listed is not new so it’s not being “pre viewed” ] maybe just a straight forward Community Review Program - with Previews being limited to new products only.
Headphone “Loaner Library” or maybe “Loan a 'Phone” but those sound corny… Also: What if someone donates to the program and there is a way to request headphones. I’d put in $50 to $100 to help the program work if I got to vote for what headphones get added.
great idea, with some very good additions. The idea of forming a community pool of donated gear that others can try…very nice, and also reflects well on the forum and it’s members.
okay…title alternatives for the loaner program (and don’t shoot the messenger pls)
The Sound of Music
Coffee, God and Headphones
I can hear it now.
Sweet Harmony
With a Little Help from my Friends
The Muse in the Music
This is a great idea. I’m also a massive dive watch geek, and a lot of people I follow get involved in product tours for new releases that they then all review and pass on.
Sadly I’m in the UK, but I would happily pay for shipping to me, amd back out to the next person to test something like the Campfire Atlas, £50 or so really is a small price to pay to demo something that will cost 1000 (not to mention the i.port tax you’ll lose if you decide they’re not for you and you want to sell them).
I’d even go as far as saying a small membership fee (whether a one off payment, or small monthly subscription) could work, as it would also mean all user’s addresses and details are verified.
However this works though in the end, it’s a great idea!
As promised, @andrew and @taronlissimore have added some very interesting new gear to this program - tripling the number of things available since it started. It expands the range of items to include a much broader range starting with entry-level items and going all the way up to some serious flagships.
The complete list is always maintained in the initial post, along with a lists of items that were previously in the program but are currently on hiatus. New additions are shown in italics.
Audeze LCD-4
AudioQuest NightHawk Carbon
AudioQuest NightOwl Carbon
AudioQuest Dragonfly Red
AudioQuest Dragonfly Black
Campfire Audio Polaris
Campfire Audio Cascade
Chord Mojo
Focal Utopia
Focal Clear
Focal Elear
iFi Audio iDSD Micro Black Label
iFi Audio iDSD Nano Black Label
Sennheiser PXC 550
Sennheiser HD598 SR
Topping D30
This program is a great way to expand the gear you’ve had exposure to, audition and review something you’re considering buying, or to get your ears around gear you might otherwise only see at shows/meets.
If you’re interested in participating, and meet the requirements outlined in the first post, then drop @andrew, @taronlissimore or I (@Torq) a message.
Several people have qualified to participate, with a few others very close.
Of those that have met the Core Team requirements, some of them already have gear from the program in their possession - with reviews from that pending.
Several more are either in line for an item that’s already with someone else or have time conflicts (new jobs, moving, etc.) that they are waiting to clear before taking gear to listen to (very public spirited of them).
Right now I personally have the Dragonfly Black and the iFi Nano iDSD Black Label via this program. I’ve posted a review for the Dragonfly Black already, and will follow that up in the very near future with one of the Nano iDSD.
I’ll either be returning those units, or handing them off to someone else in the program, this coming week.
And then prior to that I got both the SPL Phonitor x and the Focal Clear as part of this program as well. I’ve already posted my review of the Phonitor x (and liked it enough to buy one), and my review of the Focal Clear will be posted in a couple of days.
One of these days I’ll bother to write a real review of something. I think that’s what I’m missing from Core. I do hope that Mr. @Torq will act as editor before I submit.
I’m pretty sure it won’t be speaker cables. I’ve got nice new speaker cables. I fully expect to connect them and have no particular comment about how speaker cables sound.
Or, I could do this - “I stretched the 20 foot cables between two trees, attaching them from Lowe’s hardware eyes (3.25 inches, #10) fitted with polybutylene grommets sourced from RockAuto’s performance suspension catalog for the 1968 Cooper front struts. Then I tried to twang them, without notable results. Finally, I put my ears directly on the sheath material, and listened to the cable as 2 squirrels from the local tree colony attempted to run across the cables. GORGEOUS! Great mid-frequency, and you could actually hear the scratching of their claws at about 4000hz as they scampered. Much better than my old Monster cable, where the inferior plastic dielectric obscured the tonalty.”
Very exciting. I am wondering if you have your finger on the pulse of what would be missing from my resume to qualify for the core team? I had messaged @andrew, but the message might have gotten lost.
Yes, you’re already at trust-level 3 (“Regular”) so it’s just a case of posting a review (as opposed to a couple of paragraphs of “impressions”). And, of course, continuing to participate here as you have been!
Happily! That’s part of my new role here.
You are, of course, free to post reviews in the forums as you wish.
But I am happy to work with anyone that wants either some editorial support/review/coaching or that wishes to try for something more on the “formal” or “comprehensive” side of things - even with a mind to featured reviews on the main headphone.com site (we’ve already got a couple of people on that track).
Thank you @Torq. With my background I want editorial eyes on my writing.
Now I might mention that the trees in my earlier post are a Pin Oak and a Sweetgum. The Squirrels are grey - chosen for their neutral coloration. Red squirrels have less linear response curves…