YouTube Reviews

@fleschler thank you for your reply.  I tried Grover's speaker cables years ago.  I agree that they were very good.  In fact a dealer friend of mine heard them but Grover only sells direct so he could not represent them.  IMO only you have to like what you are hearing in your system.  I have non-audio friends who have put together systems that they love and that is all that matters.  In my replies I also advised that the Lamp was not one of the top of the line DACs.  I also mentioned that we were doing 101D direct heated tube DACs before anyone else.  We are not focused on DACs and have not been for years.  We use 6SN7 tube DAC because many people have those tubes and the 101D tubes were getting harder to find good ones.  Our focus is on the 6SN7 preamp, tube mono blocks, hybrid stereo amplifier and phono preamp.  It does not matter what we fixed/repaired/ modified or upgraded, I only mentioned that because we were lucky enough to get to hear so many products.  We are hobbyists at heart first and enjoy music.  We always are open to new ideas and meeting people.  We always offer to help when asked to do so.  It was only recently that a dealer approached us to become the distributor for our products so I was asking for input on what direction to begin.  I also asked a few dealers that I have known for many years and we decided to go with a distributor for a few reasons to start.

I appreciate all of the input people have provided.  We have thought about how we wanted to offer our products for years.  We never wanted to make this our priority.  It was always to just enjoy the hobby and make products for people who got to know us.

I always invite anyone to come to our listening facility.  We encourage people bringing their own equipment to listen to the various speakers we have so they can hear what they would sound like in their own system.  At one time, speaker manufacturers sent us speakers so we could have listening sessions.  It was a great way to hear things and meet new people.  We didn't represent or sell the speakers, it was simply for enjoyment.  Do you know any other manufacturers or dealers who offers this?  Most likely very few.

Again, I appreciate your input and resourcefulness.  Happy Listening.

Peter

After reading everything you have posted here and looking at your existing website, I am left with the feeling that you and your partners may have a lot of internal work to do on the business before considering a launch.  Maybe I have the wrong impression but in any event I will share my thoughts.

It seems you have an existing company that focuses on upgrading and repairing audio equipment that has been designed and manufactured by others, your business model promotes sales primarily by word-of-mouth, and you now want to expand by designing and manufacturing a new line of audio equipment in-house, which you will bring to market.  

@thecarpathian asked, “What will you be specializing in?”, to which you basically replied, amplifiers, preamps, and phono stages.  If I were a potential customer, I would be curious about which of those products you initially plan to focus on, what is interesting about your new products, and specifically what design choices and/or sonic characteristics set them apart from the competition within the intended price range.  I would want to see high-resolution images of the equipment, preferably inside and out, and I would expect the appearance to be attractive, well-built, and consistent across the product line.  Clarity and consistency related to your products is about building and defining your brand, which will help define the sandbox you are playing in and will help potential customers decide whether to spend their money.  Your brand promise, and the appearance of your equipment, should be thoughtfully presented and attractively displayed on your website. 

When you launch your first product, it should be as fully developed as possible.  In the audio world, having a “win” with one of your first products out of the gate can validate your brand – think Aerial Acoustics with their Model 10T, which was named Speaker of the Year by Stereophile magazine in 1996.  You only get one opportunity to make a first impression, so make sure you achieve what you intend, both sonically and aesthetically, before releasing your initial offering to reviewers for public comment.  Maybe consider a beta group of experienced audiophiles to provide feedback directly to your team pre-launch, if you haven’t already done that. 

Kudos on the company name, Vu Jade, which I assume may be a take on George Carlin’s Vuja De - “the sensation of experiencing something familiar as if it were entirely new or unexpected”.   IMO, that is a cool concept as related to marketing audio equipment, so consider using it to come up with an engaging company tagline which, along with the company name and an attractive logo, will enhance your brand recognition.  Another suggestion is to take a look at successful companies that have had a similar start to yours.  Dan Wright’s ModWright Instruments comes to mind, since he was able to grow a successful company from an equipment upgrading operation that seems to have been similar to your current situation. 

Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of effective business practices as many designers with passion and expertise ultimately fail at the business because of issues such as underpricing their offerings, supply/demand/capacity considerations, vendor issues, manufacturing quality and consistency, responsive customer communications, after-sales servicing, and more.  Think it through and good luck.

@mitch2 Superb response!!!

@bigkidz Fine but what I dislike is dishonesty.  You made a statement "Besides doing repairs, we also upgrade products that are not in need of repair.  Among them, Jay’s Audio, Lampizator, Grover Huffman, etc."  I know for a fact that is false as to Grover Huffman (trying his cables is zero compared to repair or upgrade his equipment).  Jay's Audio also does not recognize your work although you may have done so (what magic did you perform on their equipment, unless it was merely a minor repair)?  That you used to manufacture DHT DACs prior to Lampizator and now use commonly available tubes (which they are also doing now) is neither here no there.  

Vu Jade had better have a finished perfect product with offering something either pricewise or quality wise that attracts attention.  If you want a comparison with a superior quality and higher priced product launch, look at Westminster Labs.  Angus first launch for a marketable product was his REI monoblock amps, then a pre-amp and phono pre-amp.  He is small and kept it simple and stylish with multiple reasons that his gear attracts attention.  1. Class A claim, low heat, high power   2. small chassis  3. superior components 4. minimalist design, shortest circuitry/cabling 4. carbon fiber option used throughout  5. low weight  Then his Quest pre-amp  1. superior components 2.10 levels of voltage regulations throughout 3. minimalist design-remote with huge visible volume/selector lighting 4.carbon fiber use on chassis and boards 5.expansion capability for phono (3 types), DAC, or two more single ended inputs   

That both products are solid state with superb sound and adequate power attracted me, a 50+ year tubeophile.

Your equipment could be lower priced and provide a niche but the more differentiated and desirable characteristics, the less intensive marketing is required.  I know of one field coil manufacturer with a small line of excellent speakers who spends an exorbitant amount of time in marketing and only sells about a dozen speakers annually, handmade by himself.  Decide on what market you want to play in and follow @Mitch2 advice.

Excellent advice.

Do not rush.

Case studies:

#1:  Bob Backert of Backert Labs began his marketing push – this way.  Ten years later, his company continues to specialize in line stages only.  They are highly regarded – as demonstrated in this review.  

#2:  Joseph Chow of Audio Horizons began his marketing push – this way.   After many years of positive feedback for his modding, he expanded into preamps, amps and DAC’s.  His preamp received this glowing review.*   Yet, there was no budget for advertising.  After his enthusiastic marketing representative passed away, the brand ran out-of-steam.  

#3:   Mark Towle of Gotham Garage, from the hit Netflix Series, “Car Masters, From Rust to Riches" has two of his cars in the Petersen Automotive Museum. (A huge accomplishment - like winning two Oscars in the car world.).  After decades of custom modding, he wanted to build his own Supercar for the ultra high-end clientele.  After much ado and much frustration, he did it.   Yet, he discovered that he didn’t enjoy dealing with the demeanor of the ultra high-end clientele.  He was much happier when he returned to custom modding where his customers were overjoyed with his services.

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* Disclaimer: I own this Audio Horizons preamp. It sounds amazing.