falense wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2017 8:27 am
Thank you for the video. That was actually really helpful, as mentioned, I am having troubles to get my to respond to anything but the deepest bass and while I can make it trigger with speech it is really hard to do so. The unit in the video appears to be significantly more sensitive than the one I have here. I tried putting it on a hard surface, this does not actually seem to make a difference with mine (it is equally bad).
I guess it is possible that the music is hitting the sweet spot for response, after all I have tried all sorts of music and some works really well and others don't. And the Admin does mention that it was quite loud adn on a stereo system. I haev noticed there is quite a difference between the response I get using my iPhone and using my stereo (which has some pretty high quality speakers) using the same track, so clearly there is something to do with the frequencies and the response of the microphone.
falense wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2017 8:27 am
I am concerned about returning it since I have to do so on my own cost, and the indications I have gotten so far from CS is that "it appears to be working", which I interpret as it is unlikely that they will find a fault if I return it.
I would suggest that the reason you are getting those indications from Customer Service is because, and I presume based on what you have told them, they do not believe there is an issue, but at least they are trying to work with you by offering you the opportunity to return it. Yes you have to pay to send it back but that is no different from a lot of companies, and they are even saying that if it is faulty they will refund your postage so what is wrong with their offer? I think it is pretty good service. After all would you prefer them to either point blank refuse to help you or let you send it back knowing that you would be wasting your money and then you would have a reason to resent them. The choice is yours, yes it is a gamble, but it is only a gamble if you think you are right despite the information they are giving you. Is it not possible that your expectation of the response was too high and that the reality is not living up to what you wanted? I don't see how that is their fault. Yes the manual says it responds to speech, and it does. You yourself have said that. Ok you say you find it difficult to get it to do it, but others don't so I do not see any issues with what they have written in the manual. I am sure if you had contacted them with your specific requirements they could have given you more detailed advice. They certainty did with me when I was asking about the ABox. Customer Services were very helpful. After all a manual is a set of instructions on how to use it, not a detailed breakdown of specifications.
falense wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2017 8:27 am I do however notice a significant different between playing the same music in stereo mode and microphone mode, stereo mode is more sensitive (which is just an anecdotal comment on my part)
I think the Admin has explained that one but it is pretty obvious that you would get better response from the Line in than the microphone. Personally I rarely use the Microphone as I prefer to use certain types of music (Trance and Garage) for stimulation but I hate listening to it.
falense wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2017 8:27 am
In this case I am wondering if there is an underlying resentment for pointing out areas for improvement or flaws with the product.
I fail to understand how you can possibly say that. They have entered into a public conversation with you about this issue as well as presumably there Customer Services contacting you, and they offer this forum and the Developers Forum where they actively ask for constructive criticism so that they can develop their products. So if they had an issue with suggestions for improvement why would they do that. That said I have not seen any suggestions from you about the product, but simply complaining that it is not working the way you want it to, despite them telling you that it appears to be doing what it should. How is that pointing out an improvement? The Admin even says that they are actively looking at the Microphone mode so they obviously take on board what people say about there products, this is not what I would describe as resentment.
falense wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2017 8:27 am
It appears to me that this is a company and a team that takes great pride in their product and what they do, and as such it appears to me that critique of the product is met with disbelief and distrust. This is a result of the feedback I have gotten where my observations are dismissed because I do not use the right tests or the right equipment. I may, however, be reading too much into simple statements like yours "A simple tone generator running though what?" which I read as critique of the way I tried to debug the problem.
I would say that they have every right to take pride in their products after all it a great reputation as one of the best high-end products on the market. Obviously we have not seen all correspondence, but nothing posted here, in my opinion, suggests anything like disbelief or distrust. Have they actually said they don't believe you? Not as far as I can see, what they have suggested is a simple test for you to do. You gave them the result and they have expressed their opinion that there does not appear to be anything wrong. I would have to ask you who knows more about the product, the guys who sell it and in the case of the Admin designed it, or the customer who has just got it and is still learning about it.
What appears to have been said to you about your attempts to 'debug' the problem is simply seeking clarification on what you have used to test your 2B to come up with some of the conclusions you have. I see nothing wrong in this, and it would appear that all the Admin has done is point out that the method you have used is not reliable and certainly not as accurate as their testing process. Again what is wrong with that? Do you seriously think that you know more about the 2B and how it should respond than the guy who designed it? Unfortunately the phrase 'A little knowledge is a dangerous thing' springs to mind here as clearly you believe you know what you are talking about yet even I, with limited knowledge, am sitting here thinking that there are issues with what you are doing. These guys are experts in what they do as they designed it. It is not as if they just buy a cheap TENS machine and sell it as an electroplay product, they know how it works and how it should work, so why is it so hard for you to believe that they might actually be right and it is you that are wrong ?
My opinion, you are definitely reading too much into what is being said, and if anyone is being defensive I would say it is you. You bought the 2B thinking that it would do one thing but have now found it doesn't do it quite as you expected it to and now you are trying to blame the company who made it, rather than considering that the error lies with you and not them.
What exactly is it you want them to do? Clearly they are listening to you and have offered you the option to return the unit for testing, so how is that dismissing you. I have bought similar products from other companies and when I have contacted them about real issues with their unit (namely not turning on or a mode not working at all) I have either been completely ignored or told there is nothing I can do now as I have used it. So the mere fact that they are offering you help in establishing if there is an issue or not and also offering to have it back for testing says they are actually taking your issue seriously.
The way I see it the options are:-
1) Send it back and have them test it, but you run the risk of them simply confirming what they appear to have already told you, that it is working as it should. Or they find an issue and then you get your costs back and a unit working the way it should.
Or
2) Accept that what they are saying is correct and that it is working as designed and that in fact you had higher expectations about the sensitivity of the microphone than the reality. They have said they are working on the microphone mode and so there may be improvements in the pipeline so you could always try as suggested the betas.
If you were buying the 2B purely for the microphone and you wanted a specific response then if it was me I would have been talking to them about it ahead of making the purchase. (I am presuming you didn't as there is not mention in your posts about you doing so and being told something different to the reality) Personally if the microphone was the key thing I would have looked for a different unit that had an external microphone as this is likely to be more sensitive then a built in one.
I might appear biased and perhaps I am but I have had products from E-Stim Systems for over 10 years and always found them very helpful and to produce high quality products. I have products from other manufacturers and the support i have had from those companies has been terrible in comparison to the help and advice I get from these guys. I speak as I find based on what is posted here yes there might be issues with the microphone mode in its entirety but they are working on it, and in this particular case they seem to be doing all they can to help you by being honest about your options and your unit. What more can they really do?