No doubt about McIntosh still the best. Boys in Japan go as far as collecting them (packing) from Macs.
The others good ones Jeff Rowland,Wilson,Nagra,Avalon.
The worst/most disappointing JM LAB, Goldmund,Spectral
Just my two cents.
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McIntosh without a question. |
Levinson. Box within a box with several inches of foam in between. I've never tried it--but I'll bet it could withstand a 6 foot drop test. Someone put in Cary--At least my Cary was terrible. It was a box inside a box, but with no cushioning and flimsy material. I don't it could servive the 3 inche drop test. |
Ayre Acoustics beyond a doubt. Both my amp and preamp were so well-sealed even UPS couldn't hurt 'em. |
SILVERLINE AUDIO (www.silverlineaudio.com) deserves at least an honorary mention for their efficient packaging of floorstanding loudspeakers...
1 outer box
3 inner boxes
4 fitted Styrofoam panels (1 for each side of the speaker)
Heavy plastic over the speaker itself
A fairly simple technique, yet quite effective.
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OTHERS to mention...
Clayton Audio (amplifiers)
Joseph Audio (speakers)
KR Enterprise (amplifiers, now KR Audio Electronics)
Merlin Music (speakers, TSM-M specifically)
ProAc (speakers)
Voce Divina (speakers)
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W ENTERPRISES NORTHWEST -Portland, OR USA
High End Audio That Is Music To Your Ears
www.wenterprisesnw.com || wenw@uswest.net |
I second the Levinson/Madrigal comment- I had a pair of Citation amps years ago, and the 'box-within-a-box' was way cool. |
Not exactly on topic, but, if you want to ship a piece of gear, certain UPS centers have a machine that makes self expanding styrofoam-like plastic bags. These are then placed into the box (or outer box) where they will swell and conform, wrappping and protecting your unit. These bags end up as a solid hard styrofoam shell. I'm sure other shippers must have this machine, too. Perhaps someone knows the name of this device. Happy Tunes! |
Verity speakers - the metal cases provided by this company are unbelievably well made and able to withstand an earthquake. The absolute best! |
Avalon speakers. Saw a fork lift drop them at the air freight terminal and no damage done! |
Yes, the double box-in-a-box method with foam around component in inner box, foam around inner box in outer-box--this is about the most surefire packaging and I know that Levinson, Cary, and McIntosh all do this. Always arrives in one-piece even if the outer box gets dinged up.
But best packaging is w/o a doubt Jeff Rowland amps--foam on all sides around amp (which itself is in a velvet bag), that inside a hard metal flight case, which itself is surrounded by foam and contained in an outer box. Superb packaging. Bullet proof.
I also like guys that use hard wooden crates like Lamm, again, very hard to get shipping damage in that case (tho not impossible). |
I must say that a few years ago I was setting up a pair of Wilson Watt/Puppies for a friend. The packaging for this things blew my mind. I mean, the construction of the crates was better than the construction of many loudspeakers out there.
I also had the great pleasure of setting up a pair of Mark Levinson 33H's after having the great displeasure of having to carry the crates down a flight of stairs. The 33 and 33H are assembled attached to their shipping crates and it was impecable.
I wish I saw this sort of packaging for all of my gear and would be willing to spend the extra money for it. However, most packaging has left a lot to be desired. |
VPI and Bryston both do an excellent job of packaging their products in boxes that will withstand a lot of abuse. |
They use a double box-within-a-box, and inside that
a custom fitted box with foam block surrounds, just
in case the UPS/FedEx guy throws it off the back of the
truck. |
Best crates:
Wilson Watt 3/Puppy 2
JM Lab Utopia
Entec I2F
Best boxes:
Accuphase,
ML,
Mac (partly),
Kimber (Pelican),
PS Audio (original P300 box).
Best dealer packaging? US!
http://hellosimplymusic.com/packaging/
Based on: Safety the of enclosed item/s AND ease of un packing and re packing.
Worse (factory) packing? Well, that wasn't the topic, but that list is a long one.
Brian@Hello.lt |
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