Anyone else order Caladans from Clayton Shaw?

Last I read on Audio Circle Spatial posted they just received palettes of parts to start assembly. Don't know if that means they are building them or what.

Maybe they're out of business! (psych)

So Clayton called me back this evening to let me know that he had my order.  There was a snafu with the company that processes the credit card receipts.  Seems like all is good for now.  They are not building any units yet.  He says probably in a week or so when the baffles arrive.  Fingers crossed. 

You know, yeah Clayton’s new endeavor may be a small shop with limited resources to answer calls etc. (especially after CAF), but the man obviously knows what he’s doing and feels he has something else to say that I find really intriguing given where he came from. Plus, he’s not a newcomer and has an established reputation to protect in the audiophile community so screwing people over is likely not in his business model and certainly not in his best interest. Last, I know there’s at least one review scheduled from an established reviewer, and my money says it’s gonna be waaay positive and prolly use the word “bargain” on steroids so you’ll be happy you got your order in before that review goes live. Take a deep breath and believe — you gonna be rewarded greatly and I’m more than a bit jealous as I’ve hugely enjoyed the Spatial demos at shows and always thought they were among the best in show, especially considering cost. Congrats and please follow up with your impressions if you could.

Thanks for the reply.  I certainly will provide an update, probably in the March timeframe, after they arrive and I’ve had a chance to listen to them with my various tube/ss electronics and room setups.

You should feel nervous- I would. And posters below "assuring you" that all's well and "trust" and "they're sure that everything's fine" are well intentioned but uninformed and don't know anymore than you do. Not getting any response for your order and no communication isn't confidence inspiring. You more than likely got the call from them based an them reading your post right, too much of a coincidence otherwise right? Credit card orders are typically not supposed to be charged in full until an ordered produict ships by the way...hope it plays out in your favor eventually but let us all know. 

@speedthrills 

Little tip. It’s best to read the entire thread before you post. He has already received communication from Clayton.

@ozzy62  Little tip back- I did read the entire post and I commented that it was more than a coincidence that only when the OP made the post was he then contacted about his order and the vague "problem with our credit card provider" for them not providing order confirmation. The credit card processor just processes the transaction- which in the case of an out of stock item is NOT supposed to charge in full for the transaction- and the actual seller should be sending a "Thanks for your order, your product will take us two weeks to complete and ship and we'll provide shipping and tracking information when it ships" email to the purchaser. Sketchy process so far and one that the buyer has every right to be both cautious and proactive with.

My order also was confirmed as from "Spatial Audio", and I've yet to receive any confirmation from Clayton Shaw the company. My assumption is that the video caused an overwhelming response, and an influx of orders. Not concerned at this point, but would be nice to have an update at least

I just realized that the only thing more annoying than all caps is all bold. Very aggressive.

Within 30 minutes of the NRD review, I called Clayton to inquire. He returned my call 3 days later and I ordered. He said I would be in the Nov. que. My credit card has not been charged. I'm fully confident Clayton will come through. He has spent his whole life earning a great reputation. Why would he sabotage that?

I have heard from a good source that Clayton is contracting with Spatial Audio to fabricate the baffles and assemble the Caladans. Spatial has the equipment, a trained and experienced crew, and lots of capacity. This is a good thing for both Clayton and for Spatial. I suspect that they are awaiting delivery of a component or two, but once they start to roll, things should go smoothly.

I, too, have had my card charged, but I’ve been able to get to know Clayton over the years (I bought the original M3s, the Sapphire M3s, and now the Caladans). I’ve been to his shops, and he even personally delivered the Sapphires to my home.  I have complete trust and confidence in Clayton. He’s solid. Though I’m anxious to get my hands on the Caladans, I’m taking the view that patience is a virtue and in due time I will be amply rewarded!

Having a receipt after a significant cc charge should be expected, not sure if email confirmation is the same. Glad it worked out

Long lead times were common from Covid supply chain problems. Many manufacturers were affected. Long lead times. Probably much better nowadays.

Congrats on your Caladan speaker purchase - they seem like a very rare sonic bargain 

@ozzy62 @speedthrills You need to fully read the posts.  Speedthrills clearly mentions the coincidence of @whiteknee hearing from Clayton after posting to this forum.

@roxy54 with regard to the caps it was unintentional, I didnt catch that the caps lock was on…tx

@cycles2 

I don’t have a dog in this fight since I have no intention of buying a pair of these speakers. That said I did buy X3s from Clayton a few years ago, which are long gone now. The transaction was trouble free and I believe Clayton to be a stand up guy. Unless I’m completely wrong here, I think anyone placing an order will receive what they paid for.

@speedthrills Why are you the most concerned in here about the subject, not even dealing with Clayton's company?

@knock1 Not sure what you're concerned about- the OP expressed concern about ordering the speakers and getting no response/no purchase confirmation for two weeks. I commented that getting no confirmation, no acknowledgement of the order should be concerning as its not typical (despite other well intentioned members commenting that they "heard" that parts had just come in and that the OEM has a good reputation etc. IMO there was reason to start wondering what was going on. 

As a 30 + year card carrying member of hi-end, including 4 years as a dealer, I have owned many speakers alternating between box (monkey coffins: MCs) and OB. IMHO, one can get significantly more sound for their money with OB, that is if it is done right: My first OB was; Accoustat 2+2s with both interfaces and servo amps, which I much preferred, several monkey coffins later, Genesis Vs with servo sub, Scaena entry level (6ft towers, IMO the best MC: msrp $9000),OBs of late; Magnepan 3.5Rs (tried everything, but no bueno), a couple others but for 3+ years now Emerald Physics 3.4s single 12" woofer with 1" concentric polyester tweeter with OUTBOARD XOs- which eliminate vibration from being in or on the baffle/base (and it's there where, IMHO, I think the Caladans will fall short). BUT fairly easy to correct but for $3000ish, forgetaboutit. And likely someone will come up with a kick=ass outboard XO to bypass being on the baffle

Most of all, I am excited for all the preorders, as my journey has consistently proven OBs are very special

HTH

Nope !! My wife and I got the Marzipan LRS+, that is what my wife calls them, and we are still breaking them in, but we are really happy with them. Our first Dipoles, a little different than the Quads boxes, but really like them. Takes lots of power !! to get them to sing though.

I think Clayton should start taking orders and charging credit cards AFTER he produces the First pair of Caladans for Sale to the public !.......Not just prototypes to show them off.

@whiteknee I placed the order for Caladan one week after you did, had great phone conversation with Mr. Shaw three days ago. Hoping and looking forward to the enjoyment of my first OB speakers in February.

I think we always take chances ordering on line, for various reasons. I heard and read a lot about Clayton, and decided it was worth a try. Positive thinking, there are always Debbie Downers trying to "save" others from disasters. Anyway, using credit card gives protection in case things going south.  I think in this case, these chances are quite slim of that. And, lets keep in mind, good things come to those who wait!

Well, if you visit his website, it pretty much tells the story:  

"In light of the response to Ron’s New Record Day YouTube video and the success at Capital Audio Fest, we are thrilled to announce the prompt initiation of production. Our order queue from November to February is currently at full capacity. Nevertheless, we are accepting new orders for March delivery, and priority will be assigned based on the order date. Your patience and unwavering support is sincerely appreciated!"

So, I'd be thinking you might have a 2 to 3 month wait period. Still not as bad as some manufacturers of tube amps, just sayin'. 

Has anyone received the Caladans yet?

Bump??

I'm planning on ordering but might wait until I see some people get production units.

Has anyone who ordered speakers received theirs yet? I understand the initial limited construction/assembly was beginning the week of the 18th of December.  Or has anyone received any information on the pending shipment of their speakers? 

I traded emails with Clayton last week. He did not mention if any units had shipped but offered this update, “Regarding scheduling of shipments, we are running a little behind my original scheduling plans due to getting our cabinet supplier all settled. The results were worth it, as the finish quality of the baffles is well beyond what I could have expected. The first group of baffles look extremely good and well sorted and are at the level of fine furniture, so I think you will be impressed.”

He went on to describe the reusable shipping carton they have designed and the fact that some of major reviewers have requested speakers for formal reviews so was suggesting that it was good that I got in early  

My order was placed in mid-November so I’m hoping for March. 

@whiteknee Thanks for the info. I ordered on the 12th of November. Probably close to when you ordered your set. I will keep my fingers that we can still get delivery in February vice March but it is what it is. 

I finally got an email last week confirming they indeed have my order, I placed my order on 11/1/23....and production is based on that date. No shipping date was implied, just my order placement. I am glad to at least get a response, and looking forward to the speakers.....I do wish it had not taken 2 months, 4 emails, and 4 voicemails to get a response, but here we are. I'll post once I receive the Caladans.

Thanks for the update!  I placed my order on December 29th, so maybe in two more months, I will have a confirmation.  I am okay with waiting but would love to know a timeline.  This is the 1st time I have ordered something from a smaller company, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

I am taking the time to do more research around the components I will run with these.  I am wide open and hoping to start this build at a good spot.  If they were to show up today, I would start with my Schiit Ragnarok 2 and a streamer.  I had the pleasure of talking to Clayton at Capitol Audio Fest, and he noted he runs some Schiit amps at home paired with these.  They had tubes at CAF, and it sounds great.  Looking forward to deliveries and feedback from others.  

Well, well, well great news, the Clayton Shaw Caladan speakers showed up this evening, serial number 00023. Double wall boxed, cleverly and well packed; delivered by UPS. Two sets of 2 stand leges, two sets of four Gaia III feet, needed screws to mount the brackets and feet. Speakers (without stands and feet) are surprisingly manageable weight wise. I'm not one for an "unpacking" video, but in the morning tomorrow I'll unwrap the speakers and get them assembled.....and put some pics up

@vthokie83 Congrats!  Very much look forward to any pics and listening impressions once they have some hours on them. 

Great news! I've been thinking about either building another set of OBs vs. just ordering from Clayton. 

@vthokie83  that’s great news. Hopefully my set will arrive in a few weeks. Interested to hear first impressions and your system makeup. I have 3 different amps, 3 preamps and 1 integrated to experiment with so can’t wait for the fun to begin.  Cheers!

First impressions and assembly:

Assembly took about 30 minutes per speaker, and all parts were included including a wrench and torx head screwdriver. Once assembled, the speaker baffle tilts back maybe 6 to 8 degrees....but that is of course adjustable as well with the Gaia III feet. All components appear to be those hinted at on other forums or on their website, namely:

IsoAcoustics Gaia III feet, WBT Nextgen 0703 binding posts, Jupiter twisted pair lacquered cotton wiring, US Coils air coils, Jupiter copper foil and Dayton Audio capacitors, and Dayton Audio wire wound resistors.

The maple baffle slabs that I ordered my speakers in, are 1.5" thick, very attractive and blemish free. I will post images if I can get imgpile to upload correctly.

I am leaving early tomorrow morning for vacation, so unfortunately I won't be able to get any listening impressions until I get back next Tuesday.

Sooooo, if ur gonna leave us hanging for a week you can leave the system playing while you’re away so they’re pretty much broken in when you get back, right?  C’mon man, this ain’t all about you ya know.  Ehem.  Seriously though, have a great vacation and very much look forward to your thoughts when you get back.  Looking forward to some pix too if you can. 

oh come on @vthokie83

This is not acceptable!

Listen to just one tune!

Sorry boys, my apologies.....I had indoor golf league tonight and I've got a 6:30AM flight. But I'll try to post pics

https://imgpile.com/i/xoTwIW
https://imgpile.com/i/xoT5MP
https://imgpile.com/i/xoTh8j
https://imgpile.com/i/xoTRA1
https://imgpile.com/i/xoTTeL
https://imgpile.com/i/xoTdCx

Indoor golf???  I didn’t know miniature golf had leagues.  Sorry — thanks for the pix. Very nice!!!  Love the natural wood look mucho.  

Those baffles look nice. The exposed crossover components look a bit DIY, but the quality is there, and one reason the speaker is $3k and not more.

I have a pair of walnut on order. Clayton sent me a photo of an unfinished walnut baffle. I'll see if its still in my email, but nothing much to see. Looking forward to your feedback on these in a few weeks. You should leave them running while you're gone.

Soix, it's indoor golf simulator leagues.....here in Chicago the golf season is shorter than most places.

Ah, didn’t know such things existed but lived in Chicago for six wonderful years so I totally get it.  My friend owned a boat he moored in Diversey harbor and complained about the short boating season — spent many days/evenings drinking beer looking out at the beautiful Chicago skyline and often never left the dock.  Hope you’re heading someplace sunny and warm!

Anxiously awaiting an honest review....

Back in my drinking days, had several friends with boats, spent a lot of lost time in the “play pen”

coralking, I’ll try to be honest and not “fan boy” over the Caladans

For those of you who heard these speakers or other Clayton speakers in person,  I’m curious about the tonality and texture these speakers project. Besides having a large soundstage and deep bass, which side of neutral are they? Do they have the midrange texture one might associate with a good 2way speaker?

abd1,

The exposed components can be polarizing, I actually kind of like being able to see the quality of the components.....and by definition the entire back is exposed.

I don't think it came through on the pics I posted), the components are placed in routed slots and holes in the back of the baffle.....so they are recessed into the baffle a bit. 

@vthokie83  Any initial thoughts/impressions on the Caladans?

Soix,

I have been home for the last 3 of days, let them burn in for 8 hours, and started listening on Saturday. I'm about half way through my initial thoughts, and will post hopefully by tomorrow. Cliff's notes version, they are freaking awesome.....still needing for the woofers to wake up, but that's expected for 12" drivers with less than 20 hours on them.