Availability of Yamaha amps & receivers - official statement

[Clare Newsome]

As there have been a number of threads discussing the difficulty of getting hold of the Award-winning Yamaha AV amps - plus some other receivers - I've got an official update from the company on the stock situation. Here you go:

"It's been a very good year for Yamaha and yes we have been caught out by
the demand for AV Amps and Receivers. We are of course delighted with this
reaction which has meant that we have been able to sell everything we planed
to sell and much more, but far more quickly than we imagined.

However to help meet the demand and despite the difficult economic times we
have been taking the unprecedented decision to air freight products into the
UK. We are pleased to say that this last weekend saw yet another arrival
with several hundred extra units of AV Receivers. Amongst the shipment are
the very popular DSP-AX863SE and DSP-AX763 with more arriving later this
week, and even then it's simply not enough.

The only advice we can offer to consumers is to keep in close contact with
their local Yamaha Retailer. Of course we are not able to comment on an
individual Dealers ability to supply or what their current back order
situation maybe with their customers.

This is a unique experience especially given the difficult economic times
and recently has only been associated with products such as Playstation and
Nintendo Wii where simply the demand also out stripped the supply.

We really thank our customers who have helped Yamaha become the No: 1 in
demand product for this season. We would also like to re assure them that we
are working very hard to keep pace with the demand going forward"

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Clare for sharing the info

. At least they are taking measures to air freight them, and not shipping them by boat which would take much longer. I just hope that my Z7 will be in this shipment.

 

[Big Aura]

if they're planing amps, do you think I could get one that's 420mm wide? I have a tight fit in my cabinet.

 

[Anonymous]

You need to be careful about leaving your amp enough air to cool down, because those things can release a lot of heat.

 

[Big Aura]

yeah - it was actually something that hampered me for a few years - my first amp was a Pioneer VSA-E03 which was 428mm wide, and I had a custom cabinet made - it was snug on the sides, but had and open back and 25cm headroom - but i didn't realise at the time that my amp was freakishly narrow and I couldn't upgrade until I moved house.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised about the air-freight as that is very costly from the Far-East. But then, the backlog of back-orders must be just as big.

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:

Amongst the shipment are
the very popular DSP-AX863SE and DSP-AX763 with more arriving later this
week, and even then it's simply not enough.


So they're taking an unprecedented step of making some of their customers happy, but they know it won't be all of them. Does that mean the orders for the rest of us will be put on a ship and will be another month? Keep some people happy and maybe they'll be quiet...Divide and conquer??

This is a unique experience especially given the difficult economic times
and recently has only been associated with products such as Playstation and
Nintendo Wii where simply the demand also out stripped the supply.

At least when I tried to get a Wii when they came out, the retailers told me they had none and it would be months before they got any. My "Yamaha Retailer" was telling me each week that they were due in next week. Was this because Yamaha told them it would be 3 months and they didn't want to tell me the truth, or was it beacause Yamaha hadn't told them anything?

Do you also notice there's no apology?

I've spoken to my "Pre-Eminent Yamaha Retailer" this morning and they are still quoting 4-6 weeks as the ETA. Clearly Yamaha aren't artictulating the stock situation to the channel, or the air freight delivery was just a token gesture which represented a drop in the ocean of backorders.

I may sound bitter, but I can't help thinking the official statement really does sound like too little too late.

 

[Teeza]

Clare, you managed to get more sense out of Yamaha than the one terse sentence they afforded me. I still feel they are trying to hide behind the skirts of the dealers. The dealers have no control over the stock situation and I don't think Yamaha were keeping them properly informed. Furthermore, a key point in my post of yesterday was the lack of availability of amps to audition. If Yamaha are only fulfilling back orders then I doubt this problem will be resolved for many many weeks. So the next question will be - how do I pick an alternative? I'll start a new thread to discuss your ranking system. Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

That's a bit of a wishy, washy nothing statement in my view - reads like they've called upon the services of an ex-Labour spin doctor to paper over the cracks.

Have to laugh at the lame attempt to compare themselves with PS3 and Nintendo Wii... cringe-inducing stuff! Personally, I'm no longer interested in purchasing a Yamaha AV product but I'd still like to have some evidential meat on the bones... and as crusading, investigative journalists I'm sure the What Hifi team would be interested too.

So c'mon the folk at Yahama, spill the beans... exactly how many units of your award-winning receivers have been sold up until now and how many units are you guys intending to bring in in the future, via airfreight, ship or donkey, before you delete the models? Don't be shy

That way at least all the rival manufacturers would know roughly how many to order of each model next year if they reckon they've got some potential award winners in their 2009 line ups. Which means us consumers won't be running around on wild-goose chases next Xmas!

 

[Clare Newsome]

I can but ask (and have)....

 

[Anonymous]

Good on ya C - let's see if Yamaha has got the cahoonies to fess up.

Looking at it from your POV I'm sure you and you and the rest of the people on your mag want to be able to give medals to stuff in the future that actually going to be easily and widely available. Otherwise you may as well give' em out to any old joe knocking up kit in their garden shed!

 

[Cofnchtr]

randomdelusion:
Good on ya C - let's see if Yamaha has got the cahoonies to fess up.

Looking at it from your POV I'm sure you and you and the rest of the people on your mag want to be able....

Hi,

Ah - now I know why she seems able to be on holiday, badgering manufacturers, at the C.E.S. and answering forum queries...there's two Clare's.

Mmmm - maybe claiming on 2 expense accounts...

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.

 

[Big Aura]

I think you're splitting Clares.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Two of them??? Aiiiiieeeeeeeeeee!!!!

 

[Clare Newsome]

Ahem....

Anyway, couple of posts at the end of this thread suggest those air-freighted Yamaha stocks are getting into stores...

 

[professorhat]

Big Aura:I think you're splitting Clares.

Can I just recognise this joke? I feel it deserves it.

I tip my hat to you, sir

 

[Anonymous]

randomdelusion:
That's a bit of a wishy, washy nothing statement in my view - reads like they've called upon the services of an ex-Labour spin doctor to paper over the cracks.

Have to laugh at the lame attempt to compare themselves with PS3 and Nintendo Wii... cringe-inducing stuff! Personally, I'm no longer interested in purchasing a Yamaha AV product but I'd still like to have some evidential meat on the bones... and as crusading, investigative journalists I'm sure the What Hifi team would be interested too.

So c'mon the folk at Yahama, spill the beans... exactly how many units of your award-winning receivers have been sold up until now and how many units are you guys intending to bring in in the future, via airfreight, ship or donkey, before you delete the models? Don't be shy

That way at least all the rival manufacturers would know roughly how many to order of each model next year if they reckon they've got some potential award winners in their 2009 line ups. Which means us consumers won't be running around on wild-goose chases next Xmas!

I can but ask (and have)....


Clare Newsome is Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-fi? Sound and Vision
Have you had a reply to this question yet C?

 

[Anonymous]

professorhat:
Big Aura:I think you're splitting Clares.

Can I just recognise this joke? I feel it deserves it.

I tip my hat to you, sir

Seconded

Somebody give that man a spot on the paramount channel!

 

[Clare Newsome]

randomdelusion:[
Have you had a reply to this question yet C?

There's no way Yamaha (or any other company) would release such market-sensitive information on a public forum.

 

[Big Aura]

randomdelusion:professorhat:

Big Aura:I think you're splitting Clares.

Can I just recognise this joke? I feel it deserves it.

I tip my hat to you, sir

Seconded

Somebody give that man a spot on the paramount channel!

Shucks, thanks guys. And to think I save my really funny stuff for another forum entirely...

 

[Anonymous]

Clare Newsome:

There's no way Yamaha (or any other company) would release such market-sensitive information on a public forum.

Yamaha appear to be completely incapable of communicating to their own channel any sensible information about availability/deliveries, so why would anyone expect them to provide this information? Even if they did, who would actually believe anything they say after the shambles of the last couple of months?

 

[Anonymous]

I Hope that Yamaha will have resolved some of their supply issues before the Bristol show, otherwise, they will not feel very comfortable facing some of the public criticisms and doing demo for products that noone can buy for the moment. Would be a tough time for them :-(

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

Supply is getting much better - we had another large-ish delivery today as expected.

Nick

 

[Anonymous]

Nick, any RX-V1900s???

Sounds like my "Pre-Eminent Dealer" might be the problem!

 

[Anonymous]

Great. I might get my Z7 for the week-end then...