Klipsch comes through on long promised Acurus/Aragon trade in program (1 Viewer)

[DaveLenhert]

Craig is correct! After extensive conversations with Klipsch/Mondial, they are indeed starting to accept the ACT-3 & Soundstage for UPGRADES (tradein's to come at a later date, but it will happen) on January 15th. They were suppose to have an electronic submission form on the Klipsch website today (Jan 15th), but so far I have been unable to find this form. I don't know the exact price of the upgrade (never bothered to ask) since my unit is at JMP Electronics (the original manufacture of the ACT-3 and the location were the upgrades will be done). My understanding is that it will have a 90 (or 30 day, memory is failing) warranty on the work. From what I have heard, the upgraded units sound fantastic and basically gets you a StageOne in ACT-3/Soundstage clothing.

-Dave

 

[Craig Robertson]

posted today on the Klipsch/Mondial website by Adam of Mondial:

I know the last message I posted indicated that information would likely be available on January 17th. I thought for a nice change, I'd post the info earlier than expected. I expect the website to be updated by the end of the week detailing everything. Here is what it should say, in a nutshell:

ACT-3 7.1 upgrade will be $950 plus shipping in both directions.
Soundstage 7.1 upgrade will be $800 plus shipping in both directions.
Full details outlining the procedure should be available on the website tomorrow or Friday. They are going through the final testing of the submission form, etc. to make sure as much as possible that everything will run smoothly. We're almost ready to roll.

A couple of points I wanted to mention. I have been going through the new system extensively, and comparing it to the ACT-3 with Advanced Bass Management (and Soundstage). What I did not want to do was eliminate features. Some times, that is the cost of innovation. Our goal was to provide more functionality, not less. The "missing" items are slight, and are far outweighed by the wealth of new capabilities and PERFORMANCE enhancements. I want to be up front with these issues. It's not my job to determine what is important to you and what is not. I will provide you with as much detail as I can so that you can make an informed decision. Performing the upgrade requires permanent modifications to be made to the ACT-3. The process is irreversible.

1. You are no longer able to label your inputs from those in the selection menu

2. There is no longer a bass management option to sum bass from all speakers + LFE to the subwoofer output. Only speakers liusted as small and the LFE channel will be present on this output.

3. The DTS LFE summer is not available. On the plus side, bass management applies to all modes, including DTS.


On the Soundstage:

1. Custom input labeling is eliminated.



Trade in program:
The trade in program was modified slightly from the original plan based on feedback from the forum as well as internal issues that were necessary to resolve. The final details wil be released by the end of the week.

I would like to thank you all for your patience, and passion surrounding this issue. The upgrades we have put together will allow you to get many more years of enjoyment from aging products. I have provided overviews of the additional capabilities in the past. If questions still exist, please don't hesitate to ask, and I will answer them as soon as I can.

Thanks,and enjoy!

Adam

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Dang...
I (now) have an Acurus A200 + an A200x5 for a 7.1 system with the Outlaw 950. I had looked at the ACT-3 before. I really like Acurus stuff. Dang. Might have to take another look with the upgrade program in mind.
Ooooo, a question: will the upgrade program *still* be valid for say 2nd owners? (I buy an ACT-3 used, and want to get it upgraded?)

 

[Craig Robertson]

will the upgrade program *still* be valid for say 2nd owners? (I buy an ACT-3 used, and want to get it upgraded?

that's a good question. i've not seen anything that restricts the upgrade to original owners, but i don't think the question has been directly answered. my guess is that it won't be an issue.
i'm wondering if the modifications to the trade in program because of "internal issues" might mean that that program is limited to original owners. that would certainly help to limit their financial liability, which is what i believe is/was one of the big hurdles in getting Klipsch to buy off on the trade in portion of the program.
hopefully, we'll see some specifics posted soon on their website.

 

[Craig Robertson]

the upgrade program will be available for ALL Act-3 and Soundstage owners, whether they originally purchased the unit new or used. and, as i surmised in my previous post, the trade in program will only be available to owners who purchased their unit new from an authorized dealer. but with this restriction comes some good news, the customer will get to keep the "traded in" unit!
as posted by Adam G. of Mondial on their website:

I was hoping the information would be posted by now, but it seems there have been some complications. I can't provide the wealth of information that the website update will offer, but I will provide the details of the trade in program, in case they are unable to complete the web upload until Monday.
There will be a trade in program offer for both the ACT-3 as well as the Soundstage. To be eligible for the trade in program, you must have purchased your ACT-3 or Soundstage NEW from an authorized Mondial dealer. You must be able to provide proof of purchase in the form of a dated sales receipt and also provide the serial number of the unit. Once this information is faxed or mailed to Aragon Technical support, we will cross reference the information with our internal documentation to ensure that the product was in fact shipped to that particular dealer. This verification is necessary because we are going to allow you to retain the product that you currently own. We will offer the following discount on the purchase of the Stage One:
For ACT-3 owners, $1000 toward the purchase ($3000 for the Stage One)
For Soundstage owners, $2000 toward the purchase ($2000 for the Stage One)
The offer will be available for a limted time, and will be limited to one per household and of course serial number.
The upgrade program will be available to anyone, including those that do not meet the above criteria.
I'll try to answer your questions this weekend, but I may be unable to respond until Monday.
Thanks again for your patience.
Adam

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Thanks for keeping us updated!

 

[DaveLenhert]

All of the upgrade information is now posted on the Aragon website, you can also sign up for the programs via a electronic submission.
Aragon Electronics
-dbl

 

[Craig Robertson]

the question that hasn't been answered yet by Mondial, but was asked on their forum is whether an original owner can "trade in" (which allows retaining the old unit) then upgrade the old unit.
since the question has been asked, i believe that they will address it in time.
for anyone going to take advantage of either program, remember that they are for a limited time, the upgrade runs for 5 1/2 months, from Jan15-Jun30, while the trade runs a very brief 6 weeks from Jan15-Feb28.

 

[Darrel McBane]

Interesting to see that the trade-in program allows the original owner to keep the Act-3 and still get a new Stage One. I guess Mondial doesn't want a bunch of old Act-3s cluttering up the place.
They also increased the price of the new Stage One by $500 from the original $2500 price.
I plan on contacting my local Aragon dealer today to see if they even know of the details of the program yet. The Seattle store that carries the Aragon line is more of a home installation outfit than a retail store. A trend that I see is taking over small brick and mortar stores.
The question I have to ask myself like others here at this time. Is, if spending $3000 on a Stage One is worth it compared to the B&K Reference 50 or Anthems Pre/Pro product. Which I believe can be purchased for less locally. Sunfire also sells a Pre/Pro that has got good written reviews. But, I haven't done any checking on it myself.
I do like the looks of the Stage One compared to either of the others. And have read that the Stage One sounds fantastic and maybe slightly better than the others as well. But, that my be equipment, room and listener dependent?
An interesting turn of events in this long quest I think.

 

[Craig Robertson]

i asked on the Mondial forum about the upgradeablility of a "traded in" unit, Adam replied and said no problems with upgrading a unit that you keep or sell as part of the trade in program.
Klipsch/Mondial is really working hard to please their existing customer base, I think that the ongoing exchange on their forum has really helped Mondial to convince Klipsch to let them continue their tradition of excellent customer service.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Good for Klipsch!
I was worried at the beg, when it sounded like they were going to can the whole thing...
I say, I feel like part of a family with my Acurus amps. Nice to know that they still care.

 

[Craig Robertson]

i've faxed off my trade in docs to Mondial and just need to wait for them to confirm my ownership status and give me a call for payment.
then once i get the Stage One, i'll have to decide what to do with my Act-3.

 

[John Tompkins]

I just bought a used soundstage and havent received it yet. Im wondering about upgrading it to stageone status. If you discount 7.1 capabilty and prologic 11, will pure sonics be improved??does anybody got any opinions or experience with both units?

 

[Craig Robertson]

i've had the thread title changed to reflect Klipsch's decision to honor their previously announced trade in program.

 

[Craig Robertson]

just to let those interested, i received my Stage One from Mondial yesterday, two business days after placing my order over the phone. while i am disappointed that it took so long for Klipsch to get on the right track, their customer service after making the trade-in decision has been excellent.

 

[Darrel McBane]

Great to hear you received your Stage One Craig. I placed my order this morning. All my equipment is black. But, I just had to go with the silver one. Maybe I'll get my unit by this weeks end.

 

[Craig Robertson]

they shipped mine out the same day as i place the order, i would imagine you'll have yours by thursday or friday.
i haven't had a chance to open mine yet, i came was only home for a few minutes after work last night before leaving to go to dinner, then got home late. one of my boys wants to help me hook it up, so maybe tonight. now i just need to get rid of my old Act-3...

 

[Darrel McBane]

Received the Stage One today. About an hour after I got home the doorbell rang and there it was. This is one beautiful piece of equipment. It's going to take some time to work through the setup and getting used to the Pronto remote. But, everything hooked up and setup so far is not too bad. It definitely sounds like an improvement from the Act-3. Very open and clean sounding. Haven't had much time to listen to music yet.

I'm taking Friday off to play and tweak with it.

 

[Craig Robertson]

Darrel, i agree that it's sound is an improvement over the Act-3. while i've only been able to do a small amount of critical listening, i've found it to sound more open and smoother, with a wider soundstage. I am very happy with it!