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Dear inmates,It has been a while since I last wrote in the forum. It is good to see many familiar names, and lots of new ones!
I am writing because I have received the following e-mail from Clement Perry, publisher of Stereo Times, after deciding not to advertise in his magazine (the messages are very long so I am just quoting the main paragraph in each. However, I will happily e-mail any of you the full transcript if you are interested):
"You claim to have the worlds most accurate loudspeaker. I hope for your sake you do because you certainly don't have the worlds best business approach at supporting such claims."
"I guess I'll be sure to make it my business to see you at the upcoming events like Munich and CES. Nothing like having a competing publication's head publisher that 'adores' your company."
After receiving this not-so-hidden threat to give my company negative coverage due to our decision not to advertise with Stereo Times, I spoke with Clement Perry over the phone. He made it clear during the conversation that he considered my decision not to advertise a slap in his face, and that I had managed to get on his nerves in a way that will damage my business.I have made it clear that my company cannot be blackmailed for advertising money.
The background for this story is even more outrageous - last year I invited Clement Perry to fly over to our factory for a sneak-peak at the then-prototype Kipod loudspeaker. We agreed on all of the details, I bought non-refundable plane tickets, and then he canceled on the day of the trip, because I would not pay for his wife's ticket as well (which he had originally agreed to)!
All I can say is that my company does business all over the world and deals with a large number of professional press members, but I have never been treated so rudely by anyone, and definitely never been blackmailed by anyone else. Most journalists I deal with are true professionals. Too bad not everyone in the industry is...
I am sorry to "return to activity" in the forum with such a negative message, but I just felt that not exposing this would be missing the whole point of this forum.
Follow Ups:
What a Web We Weave When We Practice to DeceiveThis is my first post here on the critics' forum of audio asylum and this may be quite long but please try to bear with me.
Personally, I knew Yoav claims were all but lies which is the reason I did not post a response. Never did I ever once threaten nor attempt to blackmail this individual (Which I'll disclose in my last email to him at the end of this thread).
I did attempt to speak to Yoav G via telephone prior to this post, and as he did last Friday, hang up abruptly when the mention that my personally written emails had been falsely altered by him in a further attempt to damage my character. He claims that's the way they read. So they changed on their own to fit your argument and cry for help? Okay,
He said "respond on the forum" Okay, here we go. Lets start from the first email I recieved shall we.
In June of 06, I got an email from Yoav that stated in part "I was referred to you by XXXXXX, who is a good personal friend. Please allow me to briefly introduce my brand, YG Acoustics..."
Before I knew it, I was invited to come and hear a new line of his loudspeakers at the YG facility in Denver. Yoav agreed to pay my fare but could not accommodate my wife for business reasons I assume.
Here's both written responses...
"Your wife’s ticket was $376 including all taxes and fees. You can either send a check, or just arrange it when you arrive. Up to you…"
My response was: "Looking forward. I love dCS gear though I've never been a big fan of XXX, I doubt it can sound better when paired with the right front-end. Can't wait. How much do I owe you for my wife's tickets? I can send you a check today."
Where is the cancellation letter because Yoav would not accommodate my wife? There is none. This is a complete fabrication.
What did happen was the airline tickets arrived and I noticed immediately this was going to be a long and uncomfortable flight due to the fact Yoav booked a connecting flight, which meant there was going to be a 2-hour delay in Chicago. Due to the events of 9/11, travel in and around NY can be very time consuming. Most airlines want you checked in and ready to board at least 2 hours before takeoff. That meant, I had a 10 hours of travel to look forward to just to hear this loudspeaker. This, in the middle of a terrible heatwave no less.
Two days before the flight, my mom had a debilitating stroke.
This forced to me cancel my flight and hopefully reschedule another. Here's my email...
"Yoav,
Please accept my apologies but I am going to have to cancel my trip. My mother had a stroke today due to the severe heat-waves here and it left her partially incapacitated. My thoughts right now are on her getting better so therefore I will not be able to visit you as I had hoped. I so want to come but feel it would be impossible to leave my mom in her current state.
We can settle all the financial issues at a later date as I know this has set you back. My sincerest apologies, Clement Perry"Yoav's response is as follows...
"Hi Clement!
First, I hope that your mother is doing better…
Second, I have spoken to Travelocity and Loews Hotels, to understand the process of canceling with minimal damage.
Here are the results:
With Loews there is a $50 cancellation fee, and they are not willing to waive it despite my VIP status.
With Travelocity, even thought the tickets are non-refundable, they have agreed to the following:
There is a $50 cancellation fee.
The tickets will remain as positive credit for us with Air Trans, but are non-transferable, meaning the credit is only good for your next trip to Denver.
This means that we can reschedule your visit to us once your mother is doing better, and reuse the same tickets for you and your wife.
Please retain the paper tickets, and be prepared to send them to Travelocity only after we reschedule your visit. This is because once Travelocity receives the tickets, we only have a few days to commit to a new travel date.
As you can see, provided that we reschedule a visit for you and your wife to us, the total cancellation fees will be $100. If we do not reschedule a visit, the total cancellation fees will be $852. Therefore, I highly recommend that we reschedule your visit at your earliest convenience, but of course first take care of your mother as this is the most important thing…
Best,
Yoav Geva (Gonczarowski)"In his accusations on your forum he states the reason I didn't travel was because I had to pay for my wife. As shown in this email, this is obviously untrue.
Here's where it gets interesting
Later that day, I sent this email to Yoav concerning the handling of the flight and the extra long travel. My email read
"Thank you for understanding family comes first.
I will be at the hospital most of the day and will be home later in the evening.
Here's what I hope to accomplish in the next couple of weeks. Get my mom back home with a health care professional to help her through this challenging setback so I can continue to do what I must with respect to business.
What I would like from you Yoav is understand me a little better. I was suprised by your travel arrangements with respect to connecting flights and the two-hour layover in Chicago. That gave me 8-plus hours of travel time, not counting the two hours they would like you to be at the airport before your flight. I am six foot three and sitting economy class isn't comfortable at all but I understand that I can't travel on your dime in business or first class. But to not travel direct to Denver was a surprise.
Secondly, I too travel the world doing exactly what we had planned, and never has a business, enterprise or manufacturer not included my wife as a guest (on their bill) I understood new companies attempting to establish themselves such as yourself trying to keep their expenditures low, but to also add a connecting flight as a possible further money saver is inconsiderate on the part of the traveler...I am willing to accept your offer if you don't mind accomodating me to a non-stop flight instead. I will still pay for my wife but find it somewhat frustrating considering what I am doing..."
HERE'S WHERE THINGS BECOME VERY DISTURBING. A person who shall remain anonymous requested a copy of these emails detailing my threats of blackmail and was kindly sent copies that were very carefully edited by Yoav himself. He probably underestimated the power of the Internet because in a day or thereabouts I got the email forwarded to me by a mutual friend.
Because I couldn't believe Yoav would do anything so legally damning I requested a copy using a different email and fronting as a potential advertiser. I got the same email which rules out this other party as changing these emails.
I couldn't believe how much of my own personally written emails had been changed to support his "victim" claims. For example in the above email, he totally removed any mention of my connecting flights issues by rewriting what I wrote here
"...I understood new companies attempting to establish themselves such as yourself trying to keep their expenditures low, but to also add a connecting flight as a possible further money saver is inconsiderate on the part of the traveler."
TO
"I understood new companies attempting to establish themselves such as yourself trying to keep their expenditures low, but this is inconsiderate on the part of the traveler."
To further character assassinate Yoav changed
"I am willing to accept your offer if you don't mind accomodating me to a non-stop flight instead. I will still pay for my wife but find it somewhat frustrating considering what I am doing..."
TO
I am willing to accept your offer if you don't mind accomodating me to a business-class flight instead. I will still pay for my wife but find it somewhat frustrating considering what I am doing..."
Lastly, he changed this simple email of
“It's been some time since we last spoke and I think I still owe you a visit.”
TO
"It's been some time since we last spoke and I think I still owe you a visit with some conditions"
I can further detail the alledged threats and blackmail accusations but it looks more like I'm the person being falsely accused here. Worse, I've taken up far too much of this forums space for utter nonsense. For worse, this man has changed my words in my own personal emails to anyone requesting a copy. The legal ramifications must be pretty high.
While I can speak generally to Clement's integrity, I have no first-hand knowledge of the accusations being made against him. I would however like to point out that such accusations are inappropriate for this forum. The AA rules specifically state:"...[I]t's not okay to accuse a person or company of being dishonest, committing fraud, etc."
Accordingly, Yoav and Clement should resolve their differences privately.
Sincerely,
and have chosen to go public with the complaint, what you might want to do is quote the full text of the relevant posting rule, and not just the part of it that appears to support your argument.Here it is, in full (skeptics are invited to click on the "Content Rules" link in the posting form, if they don't believe me):
"Defamatory statements are, for example, statements that contain certain kinds of untrue factual information about a person or a company that is derogatory. It's okay to say that the Belchfire amplifier sounds "flat and uninvolving." It's not okay to say that the amplifier doesn't meet its published specifications, unless you back the statement up with proof . Likewise, it's not okay to accuse a person or company of being dishonest, committing fraud, etc.
As a general rule, avoid repeating vague and unsubstantiated rumors about someone or some company. Stick to your experiences and your opinions, based on what you know not what you have heard on the grapevine. "To emphasize the relevant portions, I have italicized them. Now, the guy who started the thread said he had copies of the relevant e-mails, so it would appear to me that he complied with the Rules. Since I wrote the Posting Rules, my opinion about that is probably worth something.
So far the responses by Mr. Perry's apparent defenders are:
1. The contents of "Private e-mails" should not be disclosed on a public forum. [sez who, other than you?]
2. Mr. Perry has some dirt on you that he's going to publish, since you published some dirt on him. [ nice ]
3. Some reference to Mr. Perry's ethnicity, followed by a statement implying that it may not really be relevant to the discussion at all. [So. . . uh . . . why bring it up?]
4. Your speakers would sound a whole lot better if they used the "XYZ" tweeter instead of the "ABC" tweeter.
So far, no one has denied the existence or the content of the e-mails.
If the rule were as you say it was, no one would be able to say anything here.
But, perhaps, the way this case has unfolded so far, I can understand why that might be what you want . . .
"professionals" at what? Knowing whose ass to kiss?
Not to mention the ground Clement has broken as a black American in the notoriously "good old boy" field of Hi- Fi. Without commenting on the quality or integrity of his publication, he is to be commended for this.
I can't say he is being held to a double standard, or a higher standard: a hi fi editor of any color will have to go a long way towards Hell to feel the sort of heat JA regularly is exposed to. But such a tough business cannot help but be a bit tougher for Perry. And, again without excusing his editorial lapses, and with the full realization that no one here has added a racial component to their criticism of ST ( though I haven't a doubt that he deals with it daily, in private): Is what we read in ST any more ridiculous or any more of a "joke" than we read in more established publications?
No industry affiliations whatsoever-
P
Neither Stereophile, TAS, or Positive Feedback would ever publish anything as contemptible and repellent as the wholly unsupported, ludicrous accusations and bathetic childish whining that made up Stereo Times' attacks on Jonathan Scull's Richard Gray review.
I know Clement Perry well. He is very nice and warm-hearted guy, honest, responsive and considerate. I know he gets excited over new products easily, but that sometimes might be a good thing. In any case we all want to see variety and different angles when it comes to a product review so I think Clement is doing a great job.Have you ever seen negative comments for certain product on Stereotimes? I have not! Clement is, just like most reviewers, trying to be "politically correct" and not write about products he does not like. This brings another question; Since YG speakers were shown so many times at CES and other audio shows, how come we have not seen anything about "The World's most accurate speaker" in the Stereotimes show reports? Clement is very excited about new and impressive sounding gear just like a little boy is being impressed by a new toy.
Did Clement contact you, or you contacted him? Have you seen how many very respectable big companies are advertising with Clement? Do you truly believe Clement is dying to have your advertising money? Not that I think so!
One of Clement’s reviewers wrote review for my modded Philips SACD1000 digital player in 2004. Then Clement invited me to the 2004 Stereotimes award ceremony in NJ where I received award for most wanted digital player. I’ve never advertised with Clement nor was I ever asked to do so.
The way I see it, you're just trying to defend your self here in case of negative comments being made by Stereotimes in the upcoming show coverage. And this is by revealing personal and confidential information?
If your speakers are indeed that great, Clement will NEVER say the opposite. If they are not that great, Clement will NEVER give you a bad publicity. Problem is, at this point, Clement will be honest in both cases, and if he does not like your speakers he will report it. So let’s hope this is not the case.
One comment: the use of the Vifa dual-concentric tweeter instead of the Scan-Speak dual-concentric Revelator tweeter was a step in the right direction, IMO, so I am sure your speakers sound better than before.
Regards,
Alex
Dear Alex,Even though I do not agree with most of what you said, I do appreciate the honesty of your reply. All I wanted by publishing the original post was to expose something which is IMO terrible for the industry which I so love and admire.
Please note that my quotes of Clement Perry's e-mails were word-for-word accurate, as Clement Perry has himself admitted when he called me angrily following the post. Therefore, with all due respect to your knowledge of the man, I must stand by them. I can also say in reply to your questions that I was the one who originally contacted Mr. Perry, and indeed I was impressed by him as a nice person. This is why I was so shocked and surprised to receive the threats. However, after receiving several private e-mails from other manufacturers, I understand that I may not be the only one to be disappointed by inappropriate behavior on behalf of this individual.
As for your allegation that I am trying to defend myself in case of negative comments - you couldn't be more wrong: As you well-know, there are numerous audio publications out there. For every trade-show that we exhibit in, we get coverage from anywhere between 5 and 20 magazines worldwide. While I am proud to say that most are positive, there are always some negative ones (you can't please everyone). From my experience, both have roughly the same effect - they remind people that our products are available for them to audition. I have never sold a product based on positive coverage, just as I have never lost a deal based on negative coverage.
As for the tweeter - maybe you have us confused with another brand that once used Scan-Speak, as we have always used our own in-house-modified version of the Vifa ring-radiator.
Yoav,It really looks like you did not get my point.
Trying to defend yourself and your product by revealing private communication with the editor of respected online audio review magazine does not show much class, IMO. Attack is not always the best defense!
What we have seen so far is your “side of the medal” only, so no one here is in a position to judge the situation unless we all hear Clement's perspective as well.
I just spoke with Clement. He indicated that he has some VERY interesting information which he will post here later on. I hope this will shed some light on this issue.
Hi Alex,I understand your point, and you are right that usually communication should not be aired out in a public forum.
However, I am sure that you can also understand that unlike Clement Perry who has his own magazine, I have no such platform to expose situations of power abuse. I felt therefore that this forum is the right platform - it is the place where Clement and I have equal opportunity to tell our respective sides of the story.
By the way, I have invited Clement Perry to reply on this forum when he called me on Friday. He refused, however based on what you are saying he may have changed his mind since.
Lastly, I have also received a phone call from Clement Perry today (please see my separate post), in which he accused me of not conveying information accurately. All I can say is that I have tried to convey everything with precision, but if he thinks otherwise, he is welcome to post whatever he thinks on this forum, and the audience will decide whatever they wish.
You had an issue, you made it crystal clear, no cheap innuendo or elbow pointing... straight to the point, Kudos!
No Guru, No Method, No Teacher
I would like to think that for every person that feels the urge to disparage Clement and his business ethics , there are as many or more that would extol his virtues . I preside in the camp of the later. Having known Clement I can stand up and confidently express that I have never known him to be the kind to threaten a company , talk ill of others nor take part in any smear campaigns . I also find it unprofessional for another manufacturer to resort to this forum to air this type of dirty laundry.On another note , I adore YG Acoustics speakers. I use his YG Acoustics Test CD as a demo for my friends which was given out for free providing you sat through his fabulous demonstration 2 CES shows ago. The speaker was as linear and musical as any I have heard. He makes an outrageous speaker IMO .
That said , I do not find this kind of thread to be consistent with the class and sophistication Mr. Geva exhibited when I spoke with him . I hope a common ground can be reached and a compromise met.
CP has influence?
The "stories" I've heard about Mr Perry would make your head spin. It is NOT a credible e-mag IMO only......
I don't know you or Mr. Perry. If what you write here is true, may I suggest a course of action? Having this treat in writing via e-mail is enough to file a complaint. Run DNS data on their website and find out what US state the registrant resides. Contact the Attorney General's website for that state. You should find a on line complaint form that you can file. State your complaint and indicate you can provide a copy of the e-mail treat.
Or did you mean threat?
Not surprising. That clown lost all credibility with me back when he turned Stereo Times into a marketing arm of Richard Gray's Power Company because of a rather negative review by Jonathan Scull in Stereophile.At the time I was handling sales for another company. Not long after the Jonathan Scull brouhaha, one of their reviewers contacted me wanting to review one of our amplifiers. I turned him down and told him why.
I felt rather bad for for him. He was really jonesin' to hear the amplifier and was quite persistent, assuring me that he had nothing to do with the Richard Gray/J10 affair. I knew that he hadn't but as long as I was in charge of sales I wasn't going to let anything be reviewed by anyone at Stereo Times.
Fuck 'em. Don't lose any sleep over it. In the scheme of things, Clement Perry and Stereo Times are pretty much irrelevant.
se
Until that time, I had bookmarked that site along with some other webzines.I have no connection at all to audio, other than being a long-time hobbyist and consumer (and a Bored Guy here). But Perry's double-shot at Stereophile's "lukewarm" review of the RGPC, including a piece by a dealer of the product (who was not identified as such in the piece), was too much for me. The only explanation that I could imagine for such an over-the-top response to another magazine's review was that Perry had some financial connection to the folks who build the product. I have no idea what the real situation is, but Perry's response seemed to me to be too strong for just a "friendship."
I deleted the bookmark and have never been back.
> > a piece by a dealer of the product (who was not identified as such in the piece) < <Sorry Bruce but that's not quite how it went down. As you noted Perry published a criticism Jonathan Scull's Richard Gray review by a RGPC dealer, but James Saxon did identify his connection to the company in his article:
By committing his hatchet job to print, Scull slashed out at a small manufacturer, dealers with RGPC inventory (such as I), and consumers who may have been frightened away from adding this worthwhile product to their systems.
Of course that small bit of honesty doesn't excuse what Perry did. Publishing a whining complaint by a dealer that a negative review may cost him money, a review that even the dealer himself acknowledges may be completely correct ("it is possible that Scull reported the truth as he heard it. I won't call the man a liar"), was simply reprehensible and inexcusable. No one with any sort of financial interest in the success of the Richard Gray product should have been commenting on it at all.
I guess my mind blanked that fact out, because I couldn't imagine why a "magazine" would ever publish an article purporting to be a review of a product by someone who's selling it.I think the term for that kind of work is "advertisement."
I actually enjoyed Jim Saxon's columns that he used to run in Soundstage; they were funny and entertaining.
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