Beware MSS Hifi, avoid Fraud


I have been swindled by MSS HIfi. If you deal with them your risk getting cheated. I bought a system from them and they lied about all the equipment. CD player was broken and they kept sending it back claiming it had been repaired. Then they traded for a PS Audio Perfectwave system that was defective. They sold me a "new" Benchmark HDR that was used, and a forged serial number. Then the benchmark died. The story is much longer with even more fraud. Given the opportunity to make it right, they chose to lie more.
These guys make a living selling questionable equipment and sticking you with something that is not as advertised. Due to using a credit card I was able to get some satisfaction by disputing the charge. However, they still fight to keep my money even after I returned the equipment. Stay away from MSS Hifi.
rex2381
I see you are new here Rex, next time you buy, perhaps you should do a little internet research first. We've all known how bad MSS HIFI is/was, just as we knew how bad Johnny was as the Audio Pimp before MSS. Getting ripped off by Johnny Boey isn't news.....sorry for your loss.
Congatulations Rex2381, you are the last audiophile on the planet earth to find out about this creep, who, by the way, advertised right here for quite a while under the moniker "The Audio Pimp".
I do hope that you get back all of your money, and I am sure that you will do research next time.
Ad this to the pile:

http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/minnesota/mndce/0:2011cv02126/121397/37/0.pdf?1314356062

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ncarv, your link is too funny--i guess the guy really does hate parting with a buck. i've bought stuff from him over the years and never had a problem (he does have good prices), but i seem to be the only one--he's pissed off more people than most fascist dictators.
BBB can not help you. Stay on your credit card company. Do not stop calling till you get your money back. Best of luck.
I always google the companies i buy from.

google these guys and you get pages and pages of stuff
They did me a favor; advertising the VPI SDS online, at a REALLY good price(new). I was able to get a local VPI dealer to match them.
My experiences with MSS hifi/audio pimp on a couple different deals made me scratch my head wondering how anyone could be so stupid as to do a deal with him/them.They offered me less than 1/4 what my speakers were worth on the secondary market...and the second dealing which also didnt happen they were rude and vague on all questions.Maked me laugh when I would hear people actually getting ripped off from this sleeeez bag.A buyer is 50% of the deal and if you dont do your homework,well we know what happens dont we.
MSS hifi is an out-and-out criminal -- with a mouth that was born in a toilet. I speak from personal experience with him. I got all my money back from the ba***rd -- very quickly. Synergistic Research knows he is a criminal. Just have a look at the warning on their Home Page.
IMO,apples to oranges.Higherfi/USA based and high end/Europe if not mistaken are quality companies from what I understand..MSSHIFI is a crimal and guessing in jail.
I dont agree.
I bought from Higherfi/USA a so called mint, recently made Cary 306 SACD CD player.

Well it wouldnt' eject the disc's. Once I traced the serial number with Cary I found it was at least 5 years old.

No remedy from Higherfi/USA, it cost me $800 to bring it up to spec and to the current model with the fix to the known problem with earlier models not ejecting the disc.
Isn't it funny how you have to pay to fix a known fault in a product.
Of course if it was a car you would just paint a big lemon on the doors and bonnet, drive around in a gorilla suit and get the local TV company to feature it on the news - hey presto gets some action.
Dover,
You state "Isn't it funny how you have to pay to fix a known fault in a product."

I could not agree more. And it's not so funny. Like with the tray on the EMM CDSA SE that cost $10,000. They charged $1500 for an "upgrade" to the stock tray that was a piece of plastic trash. The upgrade was also an inferior tray if you look at the parts quality. EMM lost total credibility on this tray fiasco. Not only that, look on the EMM site for a photo of the inside of the EMM CDSA SE. You will not find one. The reason is the obvious poor quality of the components when you pop the top to have a look inside. Shocking.

Years ago, I bought an EMM CDSA SE on the aftermarket at an excellent price -- to my later regret. The PC board failed one day and I sent it back to EMM in Canada, at my expense, for replacement. EMM also replaced the power supply, free of charge, which told me something was obviously up with the power supply that they knew about. When I asked them about the power supply they were tight-lipped.

I sold my CDSA SE to a very happy buyer. My loss, his gain. Although the repairs may have finally brought the unit up to spec one wonders about a supposedly top manufacturer that brings to market -- amid hoopla, of course -- a very expensive product that is seriously flawed and that has obviously not been sufficiently tested. In any case, the EMM was way too digital for my ears, which is ultimately why I decided to sell it.

Meitner "the genius" is hyped everywhere on the internet with nary a voice on the other side to contradict the plaudits. But it is well known that a number of EMM's new products have been brought to market prematurely with "issues". At the prices EMM charges for their products I think this is shameful.
Ozzy..Back to my earlier statement "A buyer is 50% of the deal and if you dont do your homework,well we know what happens dont we." Why didnt you request the serial number and do your homework before you threw down the cash.Im not defending Higherfi (I have no affiliation with them,ever bought anything from them and guessing never would as their prices are high)but it seems you were setting yourself.Anytime Ive ever bought any used gear I call the customer service and get the history of that unit.They will tell you when it was made, if its ever been serviced and for what reason...Simple enough!
Sabai,
That story of yours is something I was not aware of. I always though of EMM as a "must be a great firm". But that experience you shared is a disappointment.
Moon Audio is respected dealer AND manufacturer based in capital area of NC.
Just to mention not to place them with "Higherfi Moon Audio" or similar scamers on the same shame list.

Mr Audiogon, Please make hall of fame/shame available to view to YOUR members.
Marakanetz, I was refering to the guy in Florida, not Moon Audio in North Carolina. Thanks...
Milpai,
It was also a great disappointment to me. I bought my EMM based on the reputation of EMM as a "great firm", the high esteem that Ed Meitner holds in the audio community as a great innovator and because of the positive reports about the CDSA SE.

With all that said, I would have expected a monster product in the CDSA SE, especially with a price tag of $11,500. Frankly, I feel the reports about the CDSA SE were a lot of hype -- not only with regards to the sonic attributes of the unit verses similarly priced units by other manufacturers, but also with regards to the poor build quality of the unit. I tweaked it to death to get the most out of it. But you should not have to tweak a $11,500 unit to death to get the most out of it. And, in the end, you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

I now have the AMR DP-777 that retails for $5,000. There is absolutely no comparison between the two units, IMO. If you put them both on a scale of "dollars for results", the AMR would have to be priced at 10 times the price of the EMM. Opposite the AMR, the EMM does not measure up on any significant parameter except resolution, IMO. The AMR is in a whole other league.

I have yet to read any reports about the poor build quality of the CDSA except as relates to the tray "upgrade". I know there are a lot of people who had the same tray problem but any criticism of EMM was muted. I cannot explain the conspiracy of silence around EMM that protects it from anything but positive reports.

By the way, I believe EMM must have made a good profit on the tray "upgrade." I examined it closely. It was flimsy and the complete underside was made of plastic. Only the top of the tray and the runners were metal. I don't believe it is ethical to bring to market a flawed product at a premium price and then to make a handy profit from forcing customers to "upgrade".
Sabai, there's this technology out there called the internet that allows people to dig up what other people previously said.
they're out of business..gone ..kaput.from what i hear,they got evicted from store in nyc.wouldn't be surprised if he morphed into another business along the way.everyone keep your eyes and ears open for a reincarnation of this metastatic cancer.
I guess I should consider myself lucky. I stopped in their NYC store over the past winter and put down a $400.00 deposit on a Billy Bags audio stand, but changed my mind about buying it after they couldn't find the footers for it. I got my deposit back in the mail within a week.
I sold some amps to Johnny. The transaction went smoothly without a hitch. He was very entertaining to talk to. Don't doubt he doesn't deserve the rep, but he acted honorably to me. So I guess he was not all bad. I enjoyed speaking to his other employees as well.
Maybe I was just lucky.
I have had dealings with MSS over the years. There are plenty of disgruntled customer complaints, and like Sgr above, my transactions went without a hitch. This includes a pair of Krell LAT-1's shipped overseas.

A second hand EVO 505 purchased in January from the classifieds here was DOA... We each have our own experiences.
Dcoates7020,
IMO this is a lot more serious that one experience versus another. Synergistic Research has a warning on their site about counterfeit SR cables being sold by MSS.

MSS are defendants in a court case instigated by Bel Canto. Here is the link to the court papers:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/files/1-main.pdf

Would you purchase in confidence from an Audiogon seller who had more than 50% negative feedback -- with horror stories left and right from people who have been scammed by that very seller?
I have purchased a few cables , still points and Revel voice centre channel speaker. My friend bought a finite element pagode master reference. All smooth transaction & cheaper than most sellers shipping cost. However he is not exactly pleasant judging by the tone of his email