So it's been quite a few months since I wrote last. I wanted to give an update to my Livewires order to let the internet world what was going on.
I did receive my Livewires back in late March or early April, not sure when, but they did arrive around 9 weeks after I had ordered them. They where what I ordered, clear with a 50" cord, carrying case and ear wax removal tool. I plugged them into my iPod and listened to them for the first time and like everybody said, was very impressed with the sound quality and the amount of depth of sound the earphones had.
I believe the fit is good, but I do seem to think they must of molded the buds a little big to make sure they filled up my whole ear canal. I also think with the budget custom molds, they skimp on the molds. I noticed in my left ear, I've got a slight curve on the inside of my ear, but my ear buds don't seem to be molded around that curve in my ear. They do fit, but I noticed when I do wear them for a long period of time, it rubs that curve in my ear and it is sore the next day.
For being 250 bucks for dual drivers, I would give the sound quality an A since I don't really have any thing to compare it to. The fit I give a grade of B. So overall, I would give this budget custom mold in-ear monitor a B+. If your looking for molds and your on a budget, the Livewires is a good choice, just make sure you don't need them overnight, becuase it will take close to 2 months to get them.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Livewires In-Ear Monitor Review Part 5
Another update for you guys. I called the CA office yesterday and today to check on my Livewires. They must have some new people or other employees answering the phone. Sarah is no where to be found, and now Martha is dealing with the phone calls. I've called around 1pm my time (11am CA time) and got through to Martha on the 3 or 4th ring. She was on the other line and asked my number so she could call me back. Sure enough 30 mins had passed and she did call me.
Sound like every morning they receive an email from the manufacture on the Livewires that are shipping that day to the CA office (they get them next day from the manufacture). On Monday, the email list was blank, so she said to call back in the afternoon since the manufacture messed up the list. I did around 6pm my time and she answered the phone and said the list was sent, but my name was not on it. She said she was expecting my Livewires any day now and to call back tomorrow. I called today and my name was on the list!!! She said that she will get my Livewires on Wed and then ship them out. I paid for 2 day shipping, so I asked to be upgraded to next day since I waited 8 weeks for them. She said that would not be a problem and to expect my Livewires on Thursday. Sounds like FedEx sends you an email with the tracking number once they get it.
Some info I've learned the past couple of weeks.
1) Call either after the rush of just getting into the office or towards the end of the day. I've had good luck calling around 10:30 to 11am or 3pm to 5pm California time. They answer the phone on the first couple of rings.
2) My name was put on a priority list, probably since I kept calling and calling bugging them. Martha said "we are about done with the priority items, so your Livewires should be here any day now". I'm not sure if they will keep the priority list, but something you might want to ask about if your needing your buds right away.
3) If you have waited a long period of time for your Livewires, I would ask for them to ship next day instead of what you paid for (unless you paid for next day)
Hopefully my Livewires get here on Thursday and they fit!!!
Sound like every morning they receive an email from the manufacture on the Livewires that are shipping that day to the CA office (they get them next day from the manufacture). On Monday, the email list was blank, so she said to call back in the afternoon since the manufacture messed up the list. I did around 6pm my time and she answered the phone and said the list was sent, but my name was not on it. She said she was expecting my Livewires any day now and to call back tomorrow. I called today and my name was on the list!!! She said that she will get my Livewires on Wed and then ship them out. I paid for 2 day shipping, so I asked to be upgraded to next day since I waited 8 weeks for them. She said that would not be a problem and to expect my Livewires on Thursday. Sounds like FedEx sends you an email with the tracking number once they get it.
Some info I've learned the past couple of weeks.
1) Call either after the rush of just getting into the office or towards the end of the day. I've had good luck calling around 10:30 to 11am or 3pm to 5pm California time. They answer the phone on the first couple of rings.
2) My name was put on a priority list, probably since I kept calling and calling bugging them. Martha said "we are about done with the priority items, so your Livewires should be here any day now". I'm not sure if they will keep the priority list, but something you might want to ask about if your needing your buds right away.
3) If you have waited a long period of time for your Livewires, I would ask for them to ship next day instead of what you paid for (unless you paid for next day)
Hopefully my Livewires get here on Thursday and they fit!!!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Livewires In-Ear Monitor Review Part 4
More on my story…since I last posted I’ve called the company many times with some success on getting a hold of them, so I think their customer service is getting better, but it's just not there yet.
Last night I called and John (the company owner) answered the phone and told me the whole story on what is going on. I still blame him for the problems, and it's no excuse for the time frame it has taken, but sounds like it’s been a wild ride the past couple of months and the corporate drama that goes along with it between the CA and TN offices.
First, he told me Livewires TN and Livewires CA are two totally different companies now. They use to be one, but John from CA and the other owner from TN had issues running the company together and had a falling out. Because the TN office registered the website, they took ownership of it and started changing it around. If you take a look at the new order form, now all orders go to the TN office and they have dual and triple drivers. John was forced to find a new manufacture for the Livewires and it delayed orders. I’ve read on this website that the manufacture stopped making Livewires for CA because of payment, but I also heard the manufacture went out of business, so I’m not sure what to believe, but something went on that is a little suspicious. I asked the TN office if their manufacture went out of business and they said no, so that leads me to believe that the CA office had an issue with the manufacture the TN office was using. I can understand some mix up if now your two different companies, trying to use the same trademark name and using the same manufacture, but who knows. John said he has worked with the new manufacture and they are getting up to speed on the many orders that have come in and assured me (yes, I've gotten this before from him) that he found a manufacture that has a process that is better than what the TN office use (I think that was a little self gloating there).
I expressed my concern when I get my Livewires back and they don't fit, that I'll have to wait weeks or months to send them back. He said that with the new process, they are making the ear buds a little bit bigger for a fuller fit and in some cases customers may need to take some very, very fine sandpaper and sand them down to make them fit snug. He said an audiologist could probably do this for less than 50 bucks if you don't feel comfortable doing this on your own. I asked him about what if they are too small to begin with, and he said they are making them bigger on purpose for this reason. He also said the material used for the new manufacturing is much thicker and will not crack like the old manufacture (TN plant). He said the armatures are the same that are put into every Ultimate-Ears since there are only a couple of makers of armatures out there.
I also told him his customer service sucked and it was impossible to get a hold of anybody in the office, including him. He said there are many times where his voicemail is full and so many people are calling the CA office there isn’t a line to answer the phone. I told him this was no excuse and he agreed and said all of the customer service will change soon and be much better than before. He is very aware of the many angry people that use this forum and he rattled off about 3 other forums that have issues with him, so he's reading or at least aware of what we are saying.
The website for John's new company Livewires are The Official LiveWires - Custom Fit In-Ear Earphones. I think it looks more professional than Live Wires Custom Fit In-Ear Monitors / Headphones but quality is not about what your website looks like, it's about your product, commitment to customers and customer service. He apologized many times about the delay and said in the future this will not be a problem and said "there are a lot of people that are really mad at me right now and we need to fix that", so at least he recognized that there is a lot of buzz out there about Livewires but they are getting a bad rap becuase of the turn around time and customer service. I asked him if he's going to be in business in a year if I have problems with them, and he said with the new manufacturing process and everything that has been set up in the past couple of months, he has no plans on leaving, but if the buzz is out there for the old Livewires site, he's going to have a hard time competing. I suggest he start over with a new name in the budget custom ear monitor world and be done with it, but he is taking the TN office to court to fight the trademark and rights to the product, so we'll see what happens.
It's a mess. To add insult to injury, when I did ask for the date for my buds to ship I was given Mar 19th, 3 days after the initial ship date. I asked why did it slip and he said, probably Sara gave the 16th as the ship date from the factory in MN to CA. They are working on drop shipping everything from the MN plant and doing only marketing out of the CA office.
So, now my date is probably March 22nd to receive them here in the middle of the USA (2 day ship time from CA on the 19th). We'll see if they actually keep that date, but probably not since they have broken the other two dates they have given me. All I can do is keep calling them asking them whey they are going to ship. John said that I might receive them sooner since they are ramping up production in the new plant and could see a bump in the ship time. We'll see. I'm not holding my breath for this one. I should of asked for a extra cable for free for my troubles, or knock some of the price off of my buds. If John really wanted to make good on his order, he would refund some of the money back to his customers that waited over a set amount of time for their buds, but I don't run the company...
Hopefully these buds will fit the first time and will keep for years to come so I don’t have to go through this again. If I do, maybe Livewires (TN or CA, which ever one wins the court battle) will have their act together.
Last night I called and John (the company owner) answered the phone and told me the whole story on what is going on. I still blame him for the problems, and it's no excuse for the time frame it has taken, but sounds like it’s been a wild ride the past couple of months and the corporate drama that goes along with it between the CA and TN offices.
First, he told me Livewires TN and Livewires CA are two totally different companies now. They use to be one, but John from CA and the other owner from TN had issues running the company together and had a falling out. Because the TN office registered the website, they took ownership of it and started changing it around. If you take a look at the new order form, now all orders go to the TN office and they have dual and triple drivers. John was forced to find a new manufacture for the Livewires and it delayed orders. I’ve read on this website that the manufacture stopped making Livewires for CA because of payment, but I also heard the manufacture went out of business, so I’m not sure what to believe, but something went on that is a little suspicious. I asked the TN office if their manufacture went out of business and they said no, so that leads me to believe that the CA office had an issue with the manufacture the TN office was using. I can understand some mix up if now your two different companies, trying to use the same trademark name and using the same manufacture, but who knows. John said he has worked with the new manufacture and they are getting up to speed on the many orders that have come in and assured me (yes, I've gotten this before from him) that he found a manufacture that has a process that is better than what the TN office use (I think that was a little self gloating there).
I expressed my concern when I get my Livewires back and they don't fit, that I'll have to wait weeks or months to send them back. He said that with the new process, they are making the ear buds a little bit bigger for a fuller fit and in some cases customers may need to take some very, very fine sandpaper and sand them down to make them fit snug. He said an audiologist could probably do this for less than 50 bucks if you don't feel comfortable doing this on your own. I asked him about what if they are too small to begin with, and he said they are making them bigger on purpose for this reason. He also said the material used for the new manufacturing is much thicker and will not crack like the old manufacture (TN plant). He said the armatures are the same that are put into every Ultimate-Ears since there are only a couple of makers of armatures out there.
I also told him his customer service sucked and it was impossible to get a hold of anybody in the office, including him. He said there are many times where his voicemail is full and so many people are calling the CA office there isn’t a line to answer the phone. I told him this was no excuse and he agreed and said all of the customer service will change soon and be much better than before. He is very aware of the many angry people that use this forum and he rattled off about 3 other forums that have issues with him, so he's reading or at least aware of what we are saying.
The website for John's new company Livewires are The Official LiveWires - Custom Fit In-Ear Earphones. I think it looks more professional than Live Wires Custom Fit In-Ear Monitors / Headphones but quality is not about what your website looks like, it's about your product, commitment to customers and customer service. He apologized many times about the delay and said in the future this will not be a problem and said "there are a lot of people that are really mad at me right now and we need to fix that", so at least he recognized that there is a lot of buzz out there about Livewires but they are getting a bad rap becuase of the turn around time and customer service. I asked him if he's going to be in business in a year if I have problems with them, and he said with the new manufacturing process and everything that has been set up in the past couple of months, he has no plans on leaving, but if the buzz is out there for the old Livewires site, he's going to have a hard time competing. I suggest he start over with a new name in the budget custom ear monitor world and be done with it, but he is taking the TN office to court to fight the trademark and rights to the product, so we'll see what happens.
It's a mess. To add insult to injury, when I did ask for the date for my buds to ship I was given Mar 19th, 3 days after the initial ship date. I asked why did it slip and he said, probably Sara gave the 16th as the ship date from the factory in MN to CA. They are working on drop shipping everything from the MN plant and doing only marketing out of the CA office.
So, now my date is probably March 22nd to receive them here in the middle of the USA (2 day ship time from CA on the 19th). We'll see if they actually keep that date, but probably not since they have broken the other two dates they have given me. All I can do is keep calling them asking them whey they are going to ship. John said that I might receive them sooner since they are ramping up production in the new plant and could see a bump in the ship time. We'll see. I'm not holding my breath for this one. I should of asked for a extra cable for free for my troubles, or knock some of the price off of my buds. If John really wanted to make good on his order, he would refund some of the money back to his customers that waited over a set amount of time for their buds, but I don't run the company...
Hopefully these buds will fit the first time and will keep for years to come so I don’t have to go through this again. If I do, maybe Livewires (TN or CA, which ever one wins the court battle) will have their act together.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Livewires In-Ear Monitor Review Part 3
It's been since the middle of Jan when Livewires received my ear molds, and I still have not received the final product. I called the 1-800 number and talked to Sarah, the customer sales rep, and received a disappointing answer. She said that in December they received a large order and is processing that order now. My molds that were received in Jan will probably take until the end of March. END OF MARCH!?!. This is a very different story when I talked to John Diles, one of the owners of the company, over the phone and he said that the process should take 2 to 3 weeks. Sarah expressed that Livewires is going to through a new manufacture and is really pleased with the process, but their turnaround is very slow. She said "I much rather tell you until the end of March and then you'll be surprised when you receive them at the beginning of March". That's not really the way you sugar coat bad news, but that is the way she explained it. She also said I could call back in a couple of weeks to find out the status. A question that I did not ask her is, if she didn't have a status today, who says she will have a status in a couple of weeks? It seems that there really isn't a queue and a estimated time when your headphones will be made, it's a crap shoot. When they get to it, they get to it. Earpiece Technologies receives your molds and then sends them off to have them made somewhere else, maybe overseas, who knows. It's a send and forget process. From what I've seen of Ultimate Ears and other larger name custom mold ear manufactures, the products are made in house and they have a better grasp on when your molds will be made or at least could estimate when they will be completed.
I hope they fit perfectly when I receive them because who knows how long it will take if I have to send them back in to be re-dipped. That might take 6 months if the original process take 3 months. Who knows.
If you do get a pair of Livewires, make sure you allow yourself enough time between impressions and final product delivery because it will probably take a while. With this being my first experience with custom ear mold headphones, I'm not getting that warm and fuzzy feeling and hope that they are perfect or blow me away on the clarity.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Livewires In-Ear Monitor Review Part 2
After I sent my ear impressions away, I emailed Livewires sales to say the impressions were on their way and the audiologist did not label them. They said the technician would be able to tell what impression is which ear.
Livewires support also said there was a 4 week lead time for them. That's a different story I got from the owner of the company a week an a half ago of a 2 week lead time. They gave me a 1-800 number and said I could call the number and check on the status of my order. I'll give them a call in 3 weeks to see what the status is.
Livewires support also said there was a 4 week lead time for them. That's a different story I got from the owner of the company a week an a half ago of a 2 week lead time. They gave me a 1-800 number and said I could call the number and check on the status of my order. I'll give them a call in 3 weeks to see what the status is.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Livewires In-Ear Monitor Review Part 1
I play in a cover band here in St. Louis and most of the time our stage volume is over the top. It starts at a reasonable level and then grows towards the end of the night due to our ears getting tired and the crowd getting a little bit louder. Before you know it, it's 110db on stage. Way too loud. To help combat my ears ringing at the end of the night, I decided to get some in-ear monitors.
I researched on the web as much as I could, but it's hard to really get a good review of custom monitors since everybody has a different ear for treble, mids and bass. I often post on a forum (www.prosoundweb.com) that many well named FOH (front of house) engineers read and comment on. They have more experience with in-ear monitors and recommended this new company called Livewires (www.livewiresforyou.com). Dual driver custom in-ear monitors for 249 bucks that keep up with the big boys on the block, Ultimate-Ears, Sennaphonics, Westone, Future Sonics, etc.
I booked an appointment with an audiologist in town (St. Louis Hearing and Speech Center for those in St. Louis), which I got out of the phone book. There was a large range of costs just for ear impressions. Everything from 95 bucks an ear to 35 dollars, so I decided to go with one of the cheaper costs. When I arrived at the audiologists, she looked into my ears and said I had some wax buildup in my left ear. This is after I cleaned them with a que-tip the night before. I had to purchase a product called Debrox to flush out my ear since the wax was deep in my ear and a que-tip would got get that far. I then learned que-tips are not for cleaning out your ears, so what are they good far? Word to the wise for people getting ear impressions, if you have any trouble with wax in your ear, be sure to clean it out with Debrox and warm water before going in so they don't turn you away like they did me. It will save you a wasted trip out to your audiology center.
I booked another appointment for the day after, flushed out my ears that night and was good to go. The impression process was painless, but when they insert the foam to keep the mold material from going too far into your year, there is quite a bit of pressure put on your ear, which is a little uncomfortable. They have to push it further than the second bend in your ear to get a good impression. When they shoot the mold material into your ears, it's cold but only for a couple of seconds. The molds set up in a matter of minutes. See the picture above of my impressions.
I put them in a box with packing and they were off to California. I sent them today (Jan 13th) 2nd day air, so Livewires should receive them on the 15th. I had some questions about Livewires which I emailed the sales staff from the website and John the owner of the company called me back with the answers. Two weeks ago he said there was about a 2 week turnaround time, so we'll see how long it takes to get the monitors back. He said the American Idols for the 2009 season were getting their impressions completed and getting Livewires, so depending on when they received that order, it could be a little longer than 2 weeks.
I'll be back to report on how long it took to get my monitors in the mail and how they sound. I don't have anything to compare it to other than a cheap pair of ipod headphones and some FOH sound isolating over the ear headphones I have. From what I have read, there should be a huge difference in the sound. For your reference there are some good videos on YouTube of people getting ear impressions. There was also a video posted not too long ago of a review of the Livewires monitors, so check that out.
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