WHF Awards question
Enjoyed reading the awards section.
Just one question though; my understanding is that the product should be easily available to purchase to be considered for an award.
Where can I buy Frankenspiel FS-1, winner of the best budget desktop speaker? Even the manufacturer's website doesn't list it in the product line up. Googling yielded no results.
It seems it took a little longer for SoundScience to sort out distribution than they'd hoped, but the brand new Frankenspiel speakers will be available any day now via retailers including the Dixons stores group (Currys, Dixons, PC World - in store and online).
We will post a story when we spot them in the wild!
In the meantime, the Frankenspiel website is due to go live imminently, we hear:
Is the Readers Award page on the website intentionally left blank or is it a problem at my end (all the other pages, that I've actually looked at, seem to work)?
It's a known technical glitch at our end - we're on the case. Sorry!
It seems it took a little longer for SoundScience to sort out distribution than they'd hoped, but the brand new Frankenspiel speakers will be available any day now via retailers including the Dixons stores group (Currys, Dixons, PC World - in store and online). We will post a story when we spot them in the wild!
In the meantime, the Frankenspiel website is due to go live imminently, we hear: http://www.frankenspiel.com/
Frankenspiel site went live:
http://www.frankenspiel.com/index.php
And company has confirmed the FS-1 will also be available in the Apple Store.
Thanks! Yes, I noticed the website went live a day after your previous post.
Any word on exactly WHEN these speakers are going to be on sale? All the website says is 'Coming soon.'
Apple Store is due to have them as an online exclusive (before they appear in store) - hence delay; Apple does things at its own pace 
I'm told Apple will list them this week....
nnnggghhh
Apple Store is due to have them as an online exclusive (before they appear in store) - hence delay; Apple does things at its own pace
I'm told Apple will list them this week....
It's past Christmas & still no sign of the speakers. I really think WHF should review its policy for reviewing products for awards; they should be available to buy at the time of review. This is just an embarrassment for Frankenspiel (who won't benefit from the award due to the delay) & WHF as well.
Apple Store is due to have them as an online exclusive (before they appear in store) - hence delay; Apple does things at its own pace
I'm told Apple will list them this week....
It's past Christmas & still no sign of the speakers. I really think WHF should review its policy for reviewing products for awards; they should be available to buy at the time of review. This is just an embarrassment for Frankenspiel (who won't benefit from the award due to the delay) & WHF as well.
Really? Are you in Australia because it's still Christmas Day here! Strictly speaking it's still Christmas until January 6th, so you might need to be a little more patient...
Really? Are you in Australia because it's still Christmas Day here! Strictly speaking it's still Christmas until January 6th, so you might need to be a little more patient...
Shopping wise, that is. Shops aren't open on Christmas day, & new products are never listed online on Christmas day, especially on Apple website.
Apple Store is due to have them as an online exclusive (before they appear in store) - hence delay; Apple does things at its own pace
I'm told Apple will list them this week....
It's past Christmas & still no sign of the speakers. I really think WHF should review its policy for reviewing products for awards; they should be available to buy at the time of review. This is just an embarrassment for Frankenspiel (who won't benefit from the award due to the delay) & WHF as well.
We've been here before (with companies as large as Sony) re non-availability of Awards products, but thankfully it's VERY rare; after all, WHF had 100 Award winners this year, many of which were brand-new products: only this tiny pair of desktop speakers has yet to appear in shops. And that's not due to production issues or product problems.
This one non-appearance - which I continue to agree is extremely frustrating - isn't enough to majorly amend entire Awards process.
However, it does feed into thinking for following years: just like EB Acoustics production issues after winning an Awards for the EB1 precluded them winning an Award for the EB2 the following year, so the team is bound to think twice about recommending future products that are at the mercy of an exclusive retailer's stocking whims....
Morning! I shall endeavour to find you an answer, but most of the team is either recovering from last night's marathon webbery session or in transit to the Manchester Show today, it may be a little while coming.
Consulting Editor, What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision/whathifi.com Audio Editor, Gramophone