Tonian Labs


Anyone know the people at Tonian Labs? I seem to be having a difficult time with returning a pair of demo speaker cables that they sent to me. The cables arrived in 1.5M length but were advertised as 2M so too short for me. I tried to sell them to a friend of mine but he liked the CRL cables more in his system so I sent them back for a refund. Now I am being told that the ends are custom ends and wires came loose under the shrink wrap. My friend and I connected them to our speakers for a few songs each and took them out of our systems. No abuse what so ever. Now I am being told that they want me to pay to repair the cables. I am being told that wires under the shrink wrap are loose. Tonian no longer carries the cable line and I feel that I am being taken advantage of since they probably cannot sell them and if they get a few hundred for the cables, they probably cover their original cost. I would have kept the cables if they were 2M but they weren't so I returned them.

Anyone else have any issues with this dealer?

Thanks
bigkidz
I know Tony Manasian from buying a pair of his speakers through Acoustic Image (owned and operated by Elliot Midwood) and even had him over to my place to see if I had it set up correctly and had him make a coax cable for me as well. He even sourced an old Audiolab 8000A for me at a great price since it pairs so well with the speaker but I went with another brand. I found him to be honest and straightforward to deal with so I have no idea what's the matter here.

All the best,
Nonoise
Thanks Nonoise. I should have immediately sent the cables back when I found that they were 1.5M instead of 2M like advertised. I already have a pair of the cables that my friend now wants back so I already knew I wanted them. It isn't a matter of I tired them and didn't like them. The are just to short. When I told him that I was going to return them, he then advised me that the sale was final and 15% restocking fee which I advised you sent me the incorrect length. They he said he would have to see if the wire in the ends were damaged which could cost over $200 to repair which I replied, my friend and I tried them in our systems for two songs each. I already knew what they sounded like in my system but just a quick check. Remember these are demo cables. I had a dealer check the end and he told me nothing was loose but Tony is saying you have to check under the shrink wrap to see if any wires came loose. I feel loose is loose with or without shrink wrap peeled back. I could see if he felt they were abused but they aren't.

Thanks for your feedback.
Sorry, Bigkidz, that things are going the way you describe. It doesn't sound right. If the cables work for him when returned, then there'd be no need to take them apart to inspect them. If they are in "like new" condition, all the better. I don't get it.

All the best,
Nonoise
Tony M is a good guy in my dealings with him
Honest and straightforward
He builds great speakers
My thoughts are in accord with those of Nonoise - something doesn’t make sense. But even if the cables came back to Tony damaged, it would be reasonable for him bear some of the financial burden of repair because the initial mistake was his. Regarding the $200+ bill, if Tony is calculating both parts and his labor in that figure, you might suggest that you pay for parts while he eats the labor.
Phaelon, what parts? These were demo cables and not in new
condition. The ones my friend lent me have very blue
jackets. The jackets on these are faded but I could care less
if they were the length I thought I was purchasing. He is not
saying they need parts, he is saying that the wires connecting
the spades under the shrink wrap may be loose. They are
supposed to be hard to crimp or solder onto the cable? They
were in my system for less than 10 minutes. Cannot imagine
that wires came loose and I caused any damage. How do I
know what the wires looked like under the shrink wrap when I
got them. My dealer looked them over and I mentioned to
him to make sure the ends were not loose because when I
told Tony I was going to return them, he that said there
would be a 15% restocking fee. I said not if you sent me the
wrong length. Then his story changed to if there is any
damage to the wires that he would charge me for that. $200
must be some special crimping tool for sure. My take is that
this is the only cable he has left in stock form the
manufacturer that he does not carry the line anymore and if
he gets $200 that probably covers most of his cost. I cannot
imagine that there is a demand for this branch especially
1.5M speaker cables. He has had the cable since the 13th, it
is now the 20th, cannot imagine that it takes that long to
take a peek under the shrink wrap. If the cables are that
delicate then there is something wrong with the connections
to begin with.
Bigkidz, There have been an increasing number of threads concerning issues between buyers and manufacturers. Please don’t take this wrong but, if nothing else, these other threads have illustrated that there are two sides to a story and they’re seldom the same. We haven’t heard Tony’s side yet, but based on everything you’re saying, I think you should get a complete refund.
He sent me an email asking for my address to mail a check but did not mention the amount so I hope my issues is resolved. Like I have been saying 2M and they are mine but they weren't.

P