GIK alternatives

I received a pair of wood ATS scatter plates that were custom stained. They are handsomely made. From order to delivery was < 2 weeks. Price was fair. Thank you for the recommendations everyone. It is hoped that GIKs founder/owner and original CEO has experienced an important business lesson.

Hey Guys wanted to let you all know that as of today we quoting any new orders to ship out in about 3 weeks. It really has been a hell of a last 2.5 months but feel we are almost out of the weeds. I am sure we may hit a few walls but feel we are on the best footing we have seen in a long time. I want to thank you all for the emails, messages and just comments. Please keep them coming. I starting GIK back in 2004 just for the love of music just like you guys and happy to still be part of it. BTW we are also going to be doing the QRDs that someone else talked about but we will be having them build in our European plant and stocked here. We should be able to ship those out as soon as they are ordered once we have them in stock. I will keep you all in the loop on that. 

Thanks again!

Glenn

GIK Acoustics 

I’m smiling at your responsiveness and recovery. All due success.

@glennkuras Good luck! I'm so excited about some Qrds and any other diffusion products. (I just can't find the time to build my own Skyline.)

This week, I received the 2 Soffit bass traps I ordered back in January.  They were shipped 4.5 weeks later than originally scheduled, but I was told this 4.5 weeks ago, so I have no issue with the delay.

I'm underwhelmed by the build quality.  Perhaps my expectations were too high.  3 of the 4 wooden caps were dislodged, with most of the stables bent/mangled, some at a 90 angle.  I was able to straighten them enough to secure the caps back on to the traps, but they're not very secure.  I don't think stapling a piece of wood into foam is ever gonna work very well.

The fabric is also stapled at the seam.  The staples are not aligned, some are sticking out, and some bent.  Again, I'm not sure staples are the best way to hold the fabric in place.  On the bottom edge of one trap, the fabric is frayed and has a bit missing.

Having said that, most of these flaws aren't noticeable once the traps are situated in place, but I would definitely pay more to have traps that were more robustly constructed.

Hey Gordon. Let me know if we need to replace anything. We are actually making the soffits completely different with the end caps sunk into the frame. With Fedex throwing things around way more we modified it for just the reason you pointed out. Please let me know if I can further help with these. 

Glenn Kuras

GIK Acoustics 

Just a follow up on my post...Glenn reached out to me via email, and all is good.  In my view, my issues didn't warrant replacing the bass traps, as Glenn had offered.  I'll order from GIK again.

Quick update on GIK acoustics here, just to share my most recent experience:

Last time I had placed an order was early 2019. So I placed an order on August 30 this time around, pretty substantial order. I was promised a shipment date of September 22. Which sounded very reasonable.

Not only that promise was kept, but, everything was actually delivered to my house on September 21st. I was pleasantly surprised, given the chatter and negativity on this thread. Everything was in good order, no blemishes, no damage, just great. 

Stillpoints Apature panel much better not cheap though worth every penny.

I'll chime in as well since I had a positive experience with GIK. I ordered 244 absorption panels, Alpha diffuser/absorbers, soffit and tri-trap bass traps all in an optional fabric and color. 

While the time from order to delivery was slightly longer than originally quoted, they were very communicative and expedited shipping so that stuff would be sent as they were ready. In terms of quality, I have no complaints and everything was made to a good standard with no damage when received. 

This is kind of related 'on the side'. Maybe someone can help out with this. I read not too long ago, in an issue of Stereophile, that there was an abandoned nuclear site in Washington state. Stay with me, this is a little weird but related. The site was later used for the acoustical testing of loudspeakers and acoustic absorbers. Before getting into this area, I am sure that you would benefit from reading this article. Much of what I understood before was off the mark, as well as the science behind such thinking to begin with. The intent is credible, to be sure, but the application is much different than I would have imagined.

Lots to absorb here (ha ha) but one thing is standing out:  So far, I haven't seen any negative comments about ATS.

That's impressive, because *ANY* company will have mistakes along the way which upset a customer here and there, so you always expect at least a few negative posts.

Somehow these guys (and gals?) are on a very good streak of success. I think I will check out their corner traps.

For basic absorption panels, I've also had good luck with Silent Source, particularly their Guilford of Maine wrapped "Acoustic Wall Panels". These do not have any wood framework - they are made from PCF glass fiberboard with resin-hardened edges. I've had some panels in my living room that I installed 15 years ago that still look fabulous. They are right near a large window and get lots of sunlight, but haven't faded or discolored at all. 

These panels are lighter than the wood framed panels which makes them really easy to hang, and are available with a nice beveled edge (as well as other edge treatments). Here's a photo of the panels in my living room.

I recently ordered a bunch more of their panels for my main listening room which you can see on my virtual system page - these panels are on the side walls next to the speakers..