Usher speakers

Any taiko here own USHER speaker?
Would like to start a new tread!!

Cos is good, in term of value of money..er.. not bad la.
Ask CMY for good discount.

I did not own the speaker (not kaya ma), but my friend do have
the BE20 as front, BE718 as center and CP-8571 as surround.

Latest news, any one want to sell CP-8571 MKII below RM10K?

hi yew...im using usher X-719 for my hifi speaker...ur friend really kaya can affort floorstand also for surround speaker..

im not sure bout BE718 for center speaker because what i know the model for center is BE616..

what also he use its still ORANG KAYA!!!

Heard the Usher at last years AV show. The top models on display I find didnt like it, sound a little to the bright side. Not sure if matching of amp was right.

I guess that moment the speakers are too new, not yet fully run-in,
my friend drive it with Sonic Frontier "Power 2" amp,
sound very good.

The markup for Usher speakers in Malaysia is nothing short of increadible!!!

It is cheaper to fly to Taiwan /Hong kong ;go to Macau and bring back the speakers than to buy them here.

The sound of the top models are OK ,especially if matched with tube amps or class A SS amps,

Thanks to Air Asia,
now everyone can fly,
then, everyone can buy.

he he he...

tin wrote:The markup for Usher speakers in Malaysia is nothing short of increadible!!!

It is cheaper to fly to Taiwan /Hong kong ;go to Macau and bring back the speakers than to buy them here.

The sound of the top models are OK ,especially if matched with tube amps or class A SS amps,

The Malaysian hi-fi industry certainly doesn't need users like you. Prices for hi-fi equipment are dependent on many factors. You are certainly not helping anyone by providing a general statement. Like it or not, CMY has done the Usher brand justice by providing many people the opportunity to see, listen and experience them in reality.

Furthermore, they have one of the largest sales network in Malaysia and that alone is truly commendable. There is a balance to achieve between maintaining your cost structure vs building a physical geographical presence. I'm sure there are many CMY Usher customers who have a great experience with them and enjoy a good price.

I owe my current hifi set up to CMY. Without their far sighted business policy, i wouldn't have reach this far. It is not just price factor alone that determine the final purchase decision. It is also about their service both before and after, upgrade program and flexi payment terms. Kudos to CMY.

dear admin,

my post was not meant to destroy cmy or any dealers for that matter,but why a strong defense of cmy?

it is a fact that their mark-up are high;that is what i am trying to point out.

whatever the justifications ,it is theirs to make,but as a forum for audiophiles i think our loyalty should be to our audiophiles ,not to the dealers,right?

as someone who travels abroad a lot i cant help but feel that a lot of malaysians are deprived because the mark-up here for most things are just too high-even compare to tiny dot.....

what i cant understand is your strong defence for cmy.....

as a forum for audiophiles i agree with tin
recommendations on brands not dealers
telling others where to get is ok
but to defend in a strong manner is not cool

btw, dealers usually takes advantage on a situation
cheers mr admin

dear admin;

1.you say;;The Malaysian hi-fi industry certainly doesn't need users like you.

my answer;since when is cmy is equivalet to hifi industry?So you can't even point out the obvious without being trashed!!!!

2.you say;You are certainly not helping anyone by providing a general statement.

I think you are pointing the finger at yourself;the thread is about Usher speaker as you can read on my answer,that is precisely I talk about.can't samesay the same about your answer.

I think It is important to keep your balance in perspective;and if you are associated in anyway with CMY to declare it in the open.I think it is the same with all the dealers too so that things are put in the real perspective.

I hope you take the above as a constructive critisism so that this wonderful forum that you have created can evolve for the better...

just my 2 cents worth.......

Tin & Azri,
Firstly, there is no partiality shown to CMY and we have not transacted in any way before that compels us to promote them.

You have to be fair to them, especially in the context of distributing & retailing audio equipment in a comparatively limited market such as Malaysia. As such, pricing can vary significantly from country to country (vis-a-vis Australia, Singapore & HK).

As mentioned earlier, many would not have experienced Usher in Malaysia if not for their distribution and retailing practices. Given the multi-branch investment (with 8 outlets in 6 different locations), sales & marketing overhead & duties, everyone has a different cost structure and it is a balance between low pricing or reach. Within the context of the limited Malaysian market, it can be truly considered commendable.

There are other products that are sold at very competitive prices in Malaysia. The fact is, not many people know that they are available here, except for the discerning few, precisely for the opposite reasons where the distributor has taken the opposite approach of selling low at the expense of not investing as heavily in sales & marketing or deliberately not disclosing final pricing online.

The worst injustice an end-user can do is to try here and buy somewhere else...but that is another topic altogether.

BTW, not all dealers take advantage of pricing differential situations like these. There are some dealers here who are very knowledgeable and passionate about this business. Survival is a necessity and customer satisfaction is a long-term journey. Interestingly, the peculiar part of this business, especially for those passionate folks out there, is that we are not transacting commodities. We are in the business of buying or selling a want, not a need. Some of these sellers, just like buyers, need to feel good about the transaction too. The better you know them, the better the price. Others don't mind giving you a better deal if they know you value the product, not just the price.

The paradox of all this is that some of us may feel very satisfied at having scoured online to find the best deal, but not get the required sound. Buying online may get you the lowest cost, but not the best value. Value defined here includes sound advice, something that has affected the end-result audiophiles experience in their homes. In the last 15 years or so, witness the rise of Audiogon and the creeping demise of specialist audio retailers in the US. There is no doubt that for a given component (again, in the US and not necessarily elsewhere), the online price may be slightly lower. However, many audiophiles have actually failed to get better sound for the same budget, simply because we lack the expertise that only a local retailer who has sold, installed and supported tens if not hundreds of systems in our particular environment can tell you in 30 minutes in the decision-making process. You pay more per-component from a good local retailer, but you also make less mistakes.

Another interesting observation is that many feel searching online provides you the lowest prices. The reality may be different, which may surprise many here at Hi-Fi 4 Sale

How you perceive them and reciprocate will determine the destiny of this hobby in Malaysia.

quite hot in here

fizi wrote:quite hot in here

Not hot at all...just an explanation.

dear admin,

thank you for your elaborate answer,especially clarifying the part that you have no association with CMY.

Again i have no qualm buying and supporting from them ,and some of them are indeed very knowladgeable,Mr Gooi of happy Audio,Eugene of audiomatics are t2 very outstanding examples.

I think the decisions to buy online or likewise ,is an individual one'what is important at least to me as a hobbyist is to help my fellow audiophiles in any way I can,I have been in this hobby for a long time and i have been blessed to meet many audiophiles worlwide and has heard some truly outstanding systems';and my current system;wadia581se-fmacousticspreandpower -marten bird-ain't too bad either.....maybe i can invite you over for a listen.

what I still feel unbecoming is the way you put me down in my original reply,so you can't blame me for my suspicion,right??

anyway back to USHER speaker;my opinion:their higher models are OK IF,and IF you take extra care to match your amplifications lest it can sound too bright at high listening level......

Dealer-->tax,transportation,overhead,EPF,Electricty,Rental,HiFi consultant mahu UNTUNG lagi..toilet roll lagi hi price la broo...

wanted cheap wait la for our member upgrade n standby money to nego hehehheehhe

only thing must wait la for good deals and not always used equipment is cheap..

cool

All Taiko,

Back to the topic please...!!!

The reason i start this new tread is let all of us share share the experience of this great Taiwanese products. They really put the effort into developing something which well recognized in worldwide.

The craftsmanship of Be series are superb, if you ask me how if it compare to Sonus Faber, i can only say Usher loss is because the surface not as shine as Sonus Faber. Sound of course is the other factor.

Hope that one day our "bolehland" will do the same.

I'm using Usher Be-718 bought from CMY. Driving them are a pair of Primare A32 power amp, also bought from CMY. Pre amp Audio Research LS 26 not from CMY. Sounds good to me, indeed very good..maybe bias but as long as I'm satisfied, it's good enough. Maybe the lower bass tends to bloom on some recordings eg: double bass. My wife who is fuusy about bright sounding gears always 'lepak' with me to share and listen..so good sometimes she falls asleep..

Free Speech Honestly, I dun see anything wrong to exporess one's opinions in this forum and we should always remember that the oprinion is soley from the contributor himself / herself.

I really think the admin comment is a bit too harsh as members are free to express hismself / herself freely. Consumers always like to look for bargain, I was in CMY not that long ago and the sales person admitted that the price in Taiwan was a lot cheaper but he did mention the hassle that come with it if one travels to Taiwan to buy. I guess if is up up the consumer to decide whih is the best option.

Again, I think the admin's comment is a tad too harsh.

yew_jeff wrote:All Taiko,

Back to the topic please...!!!

The reason i start this new tread is let all of us share share the experience of this great Taiwanese products. They really put the effort into developing something which well recognized in worldwide.

The craftsmanship of Be series are superb, if you ask me how if it compare to Sonus Faber, i can only say Usher loss is because the surface not as shine as Sonus Faber. Sound of course is the other factor.

Hope that one day our "bolehland" will do the same.

I bought a pair of SF at the end I like them.

All,

Usher in Malaysia is damn OVER PRICE !!!

so are BMWs and Mercedes (compared to USA, UK, Germany, Australia even after factoring the exhange rates).... yet people here in BolehLand still buy them... Hmmm ... perplexing !

so are BMWs and Mercedes (compared to USA, UK,
Germany, Australia even after factoring the exhange rates).... yet
people here in BolehLand still buy them... Hmmm ... perplexing !

And we know why they are expensive, its because of the insane amount of tax that we are forced to pay.

But when it comes to loud speakers, how much tax do you think we are paying?

18% max!!!!!! In Thailand you pay 100% tax on everything imported. So if the price of Usher speaker in Thailand is cheaper than the price in Malaysia, you know some fat cats are making some fat profits somewhere!!!!!!!!
Now that is truly perplexing ............. and Usher is no Mercedes, more like KIA or Cherry........

I am glad though that most importers in Malaysia are decent though like Center Circle in Taman Tun, Audiomatic, even A&L are all very good dealers.

yew_jeff wrote:Latest news, any one want to sell CP-8571 MKII below RM10K?

How much is CMY selling the CP-8571? The Singaporean dealer is having a sales right now. Slightly above RM10k though.

http://www.echoloft.com/cgi-bin/buysell2/YaBB.pl?board=hifi&action=display&num=1245300936&start=0


6th Anniversary Sales cum Great Singapore Sales @ X Audio
Storewide 20% discount on listed price items!

Stock Clearance Items discount up to 70%!

Speaker Clearance Special:

Pre owned:
Hyperion 938 speaker (birdeye maple) @ $2,500
AAD 2001 speaker w/stand $1,800

Demo set:
Usher CP8571 MKII - $5,000
Usher CP8871 MKII - $6,500
Usher S525 speaker –SOLD OUT!
Usher V602 floorstanding speaker - $650

New:
V602 floorstanding speaker - SOLD OUT
S520 monitor speaker - $480 (UP$620) - Limited stock
Dancer Mini 2 Be floorstanding speaker - $4,500 (UP$6,000)

All quoted prices are for cash & carry.

1 Jalan Anak Bukit, #01-01S
Bukit Timah Plaza
Singapore 588996

Tel: 64662642

Business hours:
Mon to Fri: 12pm-8:30pm
Sat: 12pm -7pm
Sun: 12pm-6pm

Sorry Jeff ... hijacking your thread for a while.

1. I dont mean to belabour the point but I feel it needs to be emphasised. The comment from Admin was harsh and unwarranted. Members must be responsible in their comments but we should be allowed to speak our views without intervention from Admin unless libelous, rude , breach of site rules etc.

Admin,whether intentional or otherwise your comments do appear slanted. The dealers can take care of themselves and i for one am not going to fly to taiwan just becos someone says so. There are other issues which come into the equation.

2. Quite honestly, I dont see why we have to be fair in this context. As a buyer I want the best price I can get. Likewise the dealer will try their best to get the most of our $ as well. Willing buyer, willing seller.

I can empathise even sympathise with the problems faced by hifi dealers but really their problems are essentially no different from those faced by any other industry selling within a limited market.

Is the trade doing so badly when we have some hifi dealers driving around in mercedes's, Beemers, Mini Cooper, Harriers ect ?and I aint talking date models OK!! I suppose thats building an image!

3.It is commendable that CMY have 8 outlets but that is part of their business strategy and perogative. I dont even want to ask about the possibility of inefficiencies and whether that translates to a higher price to the consumer.

4. You know Admin, i hear the violins but pardon the expression. I feel it is absolute BULL! to think a seller is going to give you a better price just because you appreciate their equipment. If fact i wonder whether that would be revealling a weakness in the buyer just to be exploited.

5. Lastly music/hifi is about sound reproduction and I truly find it hard to believe that anyone is going to buy a hifi product save a low cost item on the net without having listened to it before.

Caveat Emptor......Will a dealer give you sound, unbiased advice in 30 mins? Do you mean he will say.... honestly my competitor will give you a better product for the same price. I have yet to come across one but then perhaps we travel along different paths.


Just a suggestion Admin. Dealers who use this site should declare their interest if they participate in discussions on ANY equipment. The potential conflicts are apparent.


regards

Sanguine,

I fully agree with all your points,your eloquence are indeed admirable!!!!!

i too feel very strongly that DEALERS should declare their interest,so that the users are aware.

I really hope this site would grow so that we can learn from each other.

Sorry Jeff I too have to hijack your thread............

All bros,

No problemoo to hijack my thread.
But remember pay me a little bit of "rental fees" ok.

Sanguine,

Well said. I guess you spoke out what most of the forum members had in mind except a few who perhaps looked at things at different perspective from most of us.

Sellers always try to sell at premium and buyers always look for bargain and this has been the norm for centuries. I actualy bought my SF from Hong Kong. For those who could well afford it, they might think it is not worth to go through all the hassle but to me who is on a tight budget, every cent counts. I have asbolutely no regret buying my SF from Hong Kong. The amount I saved from buying from Hong Kong was invested in a pair of speakers cable which I bought from Singapore.

Dear Chenht,

Your SF is which model? Power 3?
My friend still looking for power 3, he said power 2 tak cukup,
he wanted to drive all his speakers with tube amp only.

Dear ryder,
Thanks for your info, CP-8571. i luv it, so sexy look!!!

yew_jeff wrote:Dear Chenht,

Your SF is which model? Power 3?
My friend still looking for power 3, he said power 2 tak cukup,
he wanted to drive all his speakers with tube amp only.

Dear ryder,
Thanks for your info, CP-8571. i luv it, so sexy look!!!

Hello Jeff.

I bought a pair of Cremona Auditor M.

You guys please "fight" somewhere, don't screw up yew_jeff first intention.
Remember this is an internet forum, the world is watching you, what a shame !

Nice speakers the Cremona auditor...
what do u use to drive them ?

chenht wrote:

yew_jeff wrote:Dear Chenht,

Your SF is which model? Power 3?
My friend still looking for power 3, he said power 2 tak cukup,
he wanted to drive all his speakers with tube amp only.

Dear ryder,
Thanks for your info, CP-8571. i luv it, so sexy look!!!

Hello Jeff.

I bought a pair of Cremona Auditor M.

hi
jeff yew related 2 john yew?

Well admin does have a point, he is actuall encouraging people from Malaysia to buy from Malaysian dealers. This is to enable the dealer to meet their quotas and stay alive in this competitive market. The manufacturer will keep on increasing the quotas every year. ( No offence Singaporeans) The Singaporeans will always like to rule/ the rights to distribute in south east asia. If our Malaysian importers loses the bid, surely the Singaporeans will take over and have the rights over Malaysian teritories. In the long run our local importers will have a hard time maintaining this brands let alone bringing new stuff for our local hifi comunity. What happen next AV fest in Singapore...

For example, the B&W 685 (UK385) where else the epos m22i(UK450)
How much is it selling in Malaysia the b&W(RM2800) whilst the epos m22i(RM2,500). Why? Coz the B&W importer from Singapore and the epos is our local Malaysian.

I am sorry for my bad grammar, rushing for time...I hope you all can see...What Admin doing is buy from Malaysian and help our fellow Malaysian. The importers should not be greedy also at the end they will kill themself also.

Btw is cmy malaysian own?

Although the English family name is the same : yew. In Chinese word is different.

Remember Monsoon when they took over B&W brand a few years ago? What happened to them? Prices of their speakers were really high at that time. didnt last that long - who's our malaysian dealer for B&W now?
Anyway, just to paraphrase - even the 'rich' Americans goes to europe to buy swiss watches because you can get them at better prices in swisz than at USA.

The Usher Be718s are well-known in the UK and American press as being exceptional and even great value for money at £1600 per pair. I'm thinking of getting a pair to run off my Krell KSA300s and Wadia set-up here in Thailand.

I think it would be useful to compare some prices in different countries, so we know if it's worth flying to buy or just buying from a dealer:

Thailand: 45,000 baht (£900)
Taiwan: 39,000 $ (£600)
Singapore?
HK?

How about the stands?

I bought my stands from CMY for RM1300. Good deal. Andy Fam is an excellent sales advisor.Usher speakers are highly rated overseas but sadly why are they only receiving lukewarm response in Malaysia? I owned a pair of BE718 and they are wonderful. During the 2009 show, they were driven by Prima Lunas...bad choice...i am afraid.cant hear the details and dynamics which the 718s are reputated for. They are not fussy with cables and I would suggest a resonably power SS. CMY can surely increase their sales volume if they could only competitively price their Usher products.

If you want to get every drop from BE-718! Feed it with big power... very solid big power. You will be amazed how great it sound.

Quite shocked at Usher's unhelpfulness. I asked them for a list of their dealers in Taiwan so I might like to visit and buy a pair. However, they wouldn't supply me the list because I was not a Taiwan resident! Doh! Does anyone have names/addresses/websites of Usher dealers in Taipei area?

THanks

Hi Carl, for your info only; Usher Taiwan website. http://www.usheraudio.tw E-mail:usher@ms11.hinet I have the Taiwan address however its all in chinese and i cannot read. Taipei showroom tel:02-23816299/02-23143868. Anyway, if u re in Taipei, u may contact Victor tel 0972-228355. He is the manager of Usher Taipei n he is very helpful. My last trip, i brought back 7 pairs of speakers. He even help me double pack in order for me to check in into aircraft. Happy shopping...

Wow, I'm amazed! I have been speaking to a guy at Usher on email already who refused to give me any dealers there. He would only give me the address of Usher office itself which I had already...but said that "Usher have very strict rules about selling to non-Taiwanese to retail other distributor relationships". I felt like saying..yeah, that's lovely, but as a customer I want the cheapest price possible and if paying for a plane ticket and hotel AND the speakers is still cheaper than buying them in Malaysia, Thailand, UK, wherever....then I want to do it and you should review the distributors pricing policies for them.

So....Victor was ok to sell you 7 pairs of speakers? The bigger question is...did you manage to get them back without paying tax? hehehe

Hi Carl, after purchased those speakers, what they did was they remove the usher logo on the original box by painting a pain or scratching and repack together with another box. This means, they repack a 2nd layer box with your original box inside ready for u to ship any part of the world. Even if u purchase 1 pair he will still do it for you. For a non-Taiwanese i just use my local Taipei hotel address and of coures i ask them for another receipt and declare as a computer speakers. At that time i was travelling with a group of friends n they help me to carry. I have no problem going through customs.

I like the sound of this. Maybe a holiday to Taiwan is in order. Can you give me an idea how much per pair in local TW currency they cost?

BE-718 : NT31,700
X-719 : NT19,900
S-520 : NT5,800
CP-8571: NT120,000
RWS-708 Speakers stand for BE-718: NT7,000

Just to revive this USHER thread .....

I have both the BE-718DMD and the S-520.
Both have their crossover capacitors changed.

I'm thinking of upgrading my speaker. Did a lot of googling on usher esp be718, x718 &s520. I only listen to s520 once at cmy but it was driven by naim.  So I don't know whether by marantz pm5004 will match with it. But I really like the be718  and x718 in term of design and finish. But I haven't had the chance to listen to it. Can anyone here point me to the correct direction. I like to listen to instrumental, mainstream pop and vocals. Provided That I will upgrade the amp in future, what will be the suggested speaker for me. I already have a cd player cd5004, a decent stand and rack. I like smooth sound so that music can be enjoyed for a long time without fatigue. My speaker now is xavian 185 mk2. The sound sometime feel too forward to my liking. 

The x718 should be within my budget considering now there's 50% cut price on usher at cmy. Paying via eazy payment will not burden my pocket also. But if. The be718 really justify the price hike, maybe I'll stretch my budget. 

I have to make the decision fast as cmy only offer discount until end of august or when no more stock.

The higher you go in the Usher range (or any other brand) the better the speakers, logically.

I have heard the X718 only briefly as my main focus was the BE718 at that time.
The X718 is good value. But the BE718 is a better speaker. However, it needs good amplification to bring out its best.
Why not bring your amp to try out with the various Usher models to find out for yourself the speaker of your taste?

The S-520 is an amazing speaker for its price. With the right amp it will sing.The bass it produces belies its size.

From your post, I sense that you are leaning towards the X718 as it is within your budget. Go have a listen at CMY. Bring your amp along to audition it. That's the best way to determine whether it's going to be the X or the BE.

adcomer,

Yes, the Ushers in CMY are going at 50% discount. That's great value! Grab the model you desire before the offer ends.
I bet you won't be disappointed with any of the Ushers.