# Brimar Audio Labs - Reviews/Impressions



## sonickarma

It was a pleasant  surprise to stumble across their desk at UK CanJam 2015 where I met Creevy Yu (Brimar Owner/Founder).
 
There is not much exposure of Brimar Audio Labs outside of China and Japan so I thought I would start this thread to share my experience and impressions.
  
  
At his display desk he had a beautifully arranged assortment of various very attractive enticing cables.
 

  

  

  

  
  
 He was very knowledgeable and passionate about his products and seemed to cover nearly all combinations of terminations and adaptors, including many Sony Wm-Port Interconnects.
  

  
 I will try and review all the Brimar cables I own in due course but will start today with the Monarch Supreme Reference IEM 2 pin cable.
  
*Review: Monarch Supreme Reference 4 braid IEM Cable*
  
*Packaging/Build Quality:*
 The cable comes in a black hard box with Brimar Name embossed in Gold in the centre of the top cover. The box has internal padding and a silk-type material which provides a simple elegant presentation and ensures the cable is well protected for transport.
  
 Initial visual impact of the cable is impressive and with the high gold content (7%) it does make it feel more like a precious piece of jewellery.
  

  
  

  
  
  



  
 Along with the cable there is a 'Serial number card' and a 'Certificate of Quality and Authenticity' with 6 Months Guarantee.
  

  
Handling the cable I was impressed at how flexible it was with no memory effect. The high quality of workmanship is obvious and to be expected for a high end cable at this price range/level. The 4 braids are nicely packed and not too tight as to impede cable flexibility. The Y Split uses a Brimar branded strong metal sleeve which provides a nice weight to pull the cables into a natural position when worn. The 2 Pin IEM connector is silver coloured and suits the design/style nicely. The pins fit well with the IEMs I have tried so far. The 3.5mm plug is solid and provides a tight fit with all the DAPs I tried so far.  There is a transparent chin slider which works as expected. When used there are hardly any microphonics transmitted at all
 In terms of accessories it would have been nice to see a Peli case or other hardcase for transporting daily.
  
 I am happy with build quality/ergonomics/tactile feel, it's one of the best I have seen in my audio travels so far.
  
*Sound Signature/Improvements:*
  
 I used a selection of IEMs and Daps that I personally rate to test the sound changes using the Brimar cable.
  
 Gear used IEMs: Noble K10U. Rhapsodio Solar, UM Mentor, Ref Too

  

  


  


  
 Gear used Daps - Altman Tera Player, Chord MoJo, AK380AMP'd, Esther M1
  

  

  
  
  
 So how does it sound... 
Micro detail is lifted which makes everything more clear and precise without moving into clinical territory. Instrument separation is more apparent and everything seems to be more dynamic and engaging. Bass quantity is greatly improved and did not stray beyond the low to mid range. The bass is a strong element of this cable, in a good way. The mids are slightly more forward and a little thicker making tracks sound much fuller in combination with the fuller bass aspects. In the highs the instrument separation details are more apparent especially for classical. My only criticism is there is a little brightness on treble but really it is not a dominant characteristic of the cable.
  
 I am really impressed with this cable and it gives a large amount depth and fullness without compromising the precision and detail. It is easy to get lost in tracks you have listened to many times before as they now have a new dimension and are much more immersive. It is currently my preferred IEM cable.
  
*Manufacturer Specification/Info/Pricing:*
 Info below is verbatim from the manufacturer
  
 Brimar Monarch Supreme SGA Reference is made of 7N OCC Silver + 24 Karat 99.99% Gold alloy, with 24 Karat Gold filling on the alloy surface. This cable contains gold 7% in total amount. This is different from traditional gold plating which wears and oxidizes quickly. Our Proprietary Metallurgical Technology injects a sheet of gold mechanically applied over the surface of Silver Gold alloy. As a result, there are more than 100 times of gold deployed and they are much more evenly distributed on the conductor itself. The gold filling does not even prevent the alloy from easily oxidation but also keeps the electrical & audio signals constant with optimal performances as well as reducing micro-distortion during signal transmission. We have given this special prestige conductor named the "CROWN" conductor.

 Each "CROWN" conductor is mono-crystal in structure meaning that there is virtually no space between the alloy atoms. As a result, the internal resistance to signal transmission is negligible and distortion becomes minimal.

 Each Brimar Monarch cable is composed of Quadruple conductors with extremely special soft Teflon insulation and each conductor comprises 42 strands of the "CROWN" conductors. This construction significantly reduces the "skin effect" in contrast to those common headphone replacement cables which appeared to be in single core. The Quadruple conductors are twisted by BRIMAR proprietary helical twisting technique which compares to the market handmade braiding, machine twisting have a constant and stable skeletal construction allowing the distortion coased by outgoing and incoming signal to be exactly cancelled out each other. Moreover, the tension from braiding is more evenly distributed over the cable which the unnecessary stress exerted by handmade cannot be compared.
 7N S-OCC Silver + 24 Karat 99.99% alloy (93% Ag, 7% Au)
 - 36 hours Quantum treatment with Telos QBT cable machine*
 - Demagnetisation treatment with HiFi-tuning demagnetiser
 - Mundorf Silver Gold Supreme Solder
 - Cryogenic treatment**
 - Available in 3.5mm, 6.3mm or 3, 4 pins XLR plugs, mini 4 pin XLR (RSA), mini balance (AK240) 
 - Length 1.2 m
  
 MSRP: USD1200 (4 braid) - US1999 (8 Braid)
  
 Manufacturer Stock Pictures:
  

  

  

  

  
 If you mention this Headfi/sonickarma thread - Brimar might provide a discount to the loyal headfi crowd if you ask nicely
  
 Best channel to contact Brimar is his facebook page from my experience
 www.facebook.com/brimar.net


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## FidelityCastro

That looks great. Nice review and pics as well. 
I also have the Solars, and a couple of others, and am keen to have a few top quality balanced cables to use with my Onkyo DP-X1 and / or ALO CDM. 
I've dropped him a note on FB as you recommended.


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## sonickarma

fidelitycastro said:


> That looks great. Nice review and pics as well.
> I also have the Solars, and a couple of others, and am keen to have a few top quality balanced cables to use with my Onkyo DP-X1 and / or ALO CDM.
> I've dropped him a note on FB as you recommended.


 

 Cool should be nice with the Onkyo DP-X1 and ALO CDM. I have CDM and have DP-X1 on route also as transport for the MoJo.
  
 TBH - I'm thinking of getting the 8 braid for my Layla


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## Hawaiibadboy

I had a great initial back and forth with this guy then nothing. No response to FB message or anything...
 Thankfully FORZA is hooking me up (i am paying of course)
 BRIMAR stuff looks good too. Too bad that evaporated..?? I dunno?
  
 Cables and stuff is a hurry up and wait thing but communication...kinda basic.


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## FidelityCastro

hawaiibadboy said:


> I had a great initial back and forth with this guy then nothing. No response to FB message or anything...
> Thankfully FORZA is hooking me up (i am paying of course)
> BRIMAR stuff looks good too. Too bad that evaporated..?? I dunno?
> 
> Cables and stuff is a hurry up and wait thing but communication...kinda basic.




Same for me: v quick reply at first, then nothing. I'm sure there's a good reason, but seemed a bit odd.


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## sonickarma

hawaiibadboy said:


> I had a great initial back and forth with this guy then nothing. No response to FB message or anything...
> Thankfully FORZA is hooking me up (i am paying of course)
> BRIMAR stuff looks good too. Too bad that evaporated..?? I dunno?
> 
> Cables and stuff is a hurry up and wait thing but communication...kinda basic.


 
  


fidelitycastro said:


> Same for me: v quick reply at first, then nothing. I'm sure there's a good reason, but seemed a bit odd.


 
  
 I will mail Creevy to see whats going on, I know he goes to a lot of shows - so maybe there is another preferred contact when he's travelling.
  
 Will keep you posted


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## FidelityCastro

sonickarma said:


> hawaiibadboy said:
> 
> 
> > I had a great initial back and forth with this guy then nothing. No response to FB message or anything...
> ...




Very kind of you.


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## Hawaiibadboy

sonickarma said:


> I will mail Creevy to see whats going on, I know he goes to a lot of shows - so maybe there is another preferred contact when he's travelling.
> 
> Will keep you posted


 

  Thanks. He was very amiable and kind when we did chat but never heard anything again.  The cables look stunning.


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## Hawaiibadboy

So...
 anyone here from this guy?
 He didn't get sick or hit by a car I hope.


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## sonickarma

hawaiibadboy said:


> So...
> anyone here from this guy?
> He didn't get sick or hit by a car I hope.


 

 I have tried 3 different channels of contact but no reply also - lets hope he is ok - its very out of character.


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## FidelityCastro

sonickarma said:


> hawaiibadboy said:
> 
> 
> > So...
> ...




Seconded. It's unusual when people are reaching out to buy one of their products - which aren't cheap - and get no response. Hope he is ok too.


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## sonickarma

fidelitycastro said:


> Seconded. It's unusual when people are reaching out to buy one of their products - which aren't cheap - and get no response. Hope he is ok too.


 

 Lets hope he's just on Holiday - seem to be a lot of national holidays - especially in Feb
  
 http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/china/


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## sonickarma

Creevy just got in touch, he had a family matter to deal with but should be back now - so get your Brimar orders in and enjoy.


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## audionewbi

I love to get a cable for the AKT8iE. I am stuck between the Brimar or the AKs own crystal cable. Only issue I have with AK cable is that it is 2.5 TRRS and I dont always want to use a balance out as not all my gears are balanced out.

 Do you think Brimar can make a cable that could be modular?


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## LoryWiv

audionewbi said:


> I love to get a cable for the AKT8iE. I am stuck between the Brimar or the AKs own crystal cable. Only issue I have with AK cable is that it is 2.5 TRRS and I dont always want to use a balance out as not all my gears are balanced out.
> 
> Do you think Brimar can make a cable that could be modular?


 
 Adapters are a bit pricey but add flexibility to use non-balanced source. One option is *here* that may work for you. I too am likely to go with Brimar, though. Initial emails with Creevy...he seems to be knowledgeable, responsive and fair.


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## sonickarma

audionewbi said:


> I love to get a cable for the AKT8iE. I am stuck between the Brimar or the AKs own crystal cable. Only issue I have with AK cable is that it is 2.5 TRRS and I dont always want to use a balance out as not all my gears are balanced out.
> 
> Do you think Brimar can make a cable that could be modular?


 

 Yes Brimar Audio Labs can make pretty much any cable on request. He's seems to source very good parts also but if you have other preferences for specific vendor components I'm sure he would be able to accommodate.


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## sonickarma

Apologies for those who asked about when I will post the 'Monarch Supreme Reference 8 braid Layla cable' review and upgrade differences versus the 4 braid.
  
 I am still waiting on my order to get processed I will keep you updated when I receive it.
  
 Also when ordering I asked for the bass calibration dial but Creevy convinced me against it - I thought I would pass on the info.
  
 Brimar Quote: 





> Frankly speaking, we sold less than five with bass dial and I would suggest not to include even though this kit is available as well.
> The bass dial simply add a loading resistor to the cable and this change the conductor resistance & capacitance which we can find hardly any advantage sonically or technically using CRO measurement.


 
  
 Will keep you updated on the review.


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## sonickarma

audionewbi said:


> I love to get a cable for the AKT8iE. I am stuck between the Brimar or the AKs own crystal cable. Only issue I have with AK cable is that it is 2.5 TRRS and I dont always want to use a balance out as not all my gears are balanced out.
> 
> Do you think Brimar can make a cable that could be modular?


 
 I'm sure he can help if you contact him, did you get a reply?
 Not sure if the other guys got their cables also as he's seems awol again?


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## iichigoz

Anyone here tried any Brimar cable with a custom Layla and can advise which is the most suitable pairing for it? Thanks!


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## Hawaiibadboy

iichigoz said:


> Anyone here tried any Brimar cable with a custom Layla and can advise which is the most suitable pairing for it? Thanks!


 

 This guy is off the reservation and radar. I asked for a custom micro b to micro b on January 1 (3 months ago) and never got any follow up replies...nothing. Proceed with caution.
  
@Matez
  
@PETEREK
  
 Make customs and are more reliable and peterek is simply outstanding.


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## sonickarma

hawaiibadboy said:


> This guy is off the reservation and radar. I asked for a custom micro b to micro b on January 1 (3 months ago) and never got any follow up replies...nothing. Proceed with caution.
> 
> @Matez
> 
> ...


 
 Shame he's not responding to anyone (including me), he does make great products but as you say if there are no communications it doesn't bode well.


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## Hawaiibadboy

sonickarma said:


> Shame he's not responding to anyone (including me), he does make great products but as you say if there are no communications it doesn't bode well.


 

 Man look at the pic in the gallery box. That looks awesome. Too bad he fell off. Maybe he had a kid and he will come back? Life happens. Hope he is O.K..


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## sonickarma

hawaiibadboy said:


> Man look at the pic in the gallery box. That looks awesome. Too bad he fell off. Maybe he had a kid and he will come back? Life happens. Hope he is O.K..


 
 He posted on his facebook page on the 2nd April - so still seems active.
  
 Not sure what's happening ....
  
 I emailed him one last time.


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## Wfanning1

Was in good contact with crevvy at the end of january till about the middle of february then lost him email after email never responded, then out of left field i get an email from him about 11 days ago! Saying business had been busy replied back to him and never heard back again and that was about 12 days ago! 
its pretty sad as i am sure he could do a ton of business here in the states! But so far has proven unreliable twice now!


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## sonickarma

wfanning1 said:


> Was in good contact with crevvy at the end of january till about the middle of february then lost him email after email never responded, then out of left field i get an email from him about 11 days ago! Saying business had been busy replied back to him and never heard back again and that was about 12 days ago!
> its pretty sad as i am sure he could do a ton of business here in the states! But so far has proven unreliable twice now!




I contacted him 4 times in the last month but no replies, i've given up now.


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## audionewbi

Sadly I never heard from him.


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## ranfan

a friend of a friend of mine just bought the totl brimar cable at canjam sg, yesterday. gold material, around $ 4-5k. afterwards, he let me try. simply awesome, and out of this world. he said he bought it because, "it made the music alive."


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## sonickarma

ranfan said:


> a friend of a friend of mine just bought the totl brimar cable at canjam sg, yesterday. gold material, around $ 4-5k. afterwards, he let me try. simply awesome, and out of this world. he said he bought it because, "it made the music alive."


 
 Wow -  Cool!


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## ranfan

it is info@brimar.net no longer brimaraudio.com. i met creevy, a great guy. and he said to contact him there if any


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## Hawaiibadboy

ranfan said:


> it is info@brimar.net no longer brimaraudio.com. i met creevy, a great guy. and he said to contact him there if any


 
   They screwed me pretty bad
  
 I had no options for the Mojo and they said they would make one.
  
 I would buy it.
  
  
 Then they say_...just keep it_
  
 What?
  
  
_You want a gold one too?_
  
  
 What?
  
  
_We can send you 3_
  
  
 tha fuu
  
  
 I shoulda seen the troll but I was asking and wanting to buy one for mojo when options were very limited. They just shut down and ignored me and my money.
  
 At that time it was beyond infuriating. I didn't want...I NEEDED that cable and got screwed by wasting time and waiting for something that was never even made
  
 FYI


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## ranfan

wow, sorry. you could try labkable though. i met the founder and their marketing manager. and they offered me review units with free shipping. brimar audio i think doesn't really do any promotions, creevy said. but i didn't realize customer service as well.


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## Hawaiibadboy

ranfan said:


> wow, sorry. you could try labkable though. i met the founder and their marketing manager. and they offered me review units with free shipping. brimar audio i think doesn't really do any promotions, creevy said. but i didn't realize customer service as well.


 

  bro,
 I got screwed outta 4 weeks of my life waiting for something that never happened.
  
 I just copy pasted their stuff and sent it back to them asking what happened and they do not reply.
 I'd rather a company is aloof to everyone than hear they are great for some and zero for others. They still owe some kind of explanation.
  
 All my cables are custom.
 I know I gotta wait.
  
 Brimar just flat out screwed me


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## honeyjjack

Any updates to this ghost company? Ive been trying to contact them for a year now.


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## haiku

Sadly, it seems that Brimar is out of business. Fortunately, I was able to get the beautiful "Monarch Supreme Reference" 3.5mm IC. Will do a shoot out against the Brise "Murakumo" IC. Might be veeery interesting....!


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## haiku

Ordered the "Supreme Reference Monarch (The Force)" for my Layla II. Will compare against the Brise Ref14.


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## haiku

Just got the confirmation that Brimar Audio is alive and well. I´m chatting with Mr. Yu right now!


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## Hawaiibadboy

haiku said:


> Just got the confirmation that Brimar Audio is alive and well. I´m chatting with Mr. Yu right now!



 Brimar owes me a 2 pin balanced cable.


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## haiku

2 new beauties chez haiku!


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## RuFrost

I want to experience some products (particular interconnectors, mini to mini 3.5mm) in Russia. Are they any ways to fulfill it?


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## haiku

This year, Brimar will launch some new and very special products. Watch this space closely, folks......


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## haiku

This short comparison between the Brimar Audio Labs Omni King 16 Braids vs the Brise Audio Murakumo6 was done by myself on request of Takuya Sugiyama (Hi Takuya!) Maybe it´s also of interest to all of you, so here we go....

Sound quality comparison Brimar Audio Labs Omni King 16 Braids vs Brise Audio Murakumo6
Source: AK380 Black Limited Edition
Reference Earphones: Shure KSE1500
Music: Isao Suzuki Trio "Manha De Carnaval“ from Black Orpheus, Three Blind Mice Records/1976, Flac 44.1, Ripped by AK Ripper MKII

Omni King
Very analog, much air between instruments, excellent bass slam and body, big headroom, excellent flow, spectacular dynamics, great detail, pitch black background, high definition mids, treble has the best extension I have ever heard, sparkly and rich sounding, also best separation I´ve heard.

Murakumo6
More neutral, reference like sound, soundstage is closer but bigger than OK, more in your face, worse pace rhythm and timing than OK, music seems slower, rather metallic sounding, not as enjoyable as OK, treble even more extended than OK, but with less sparkle, even more air between instruments than OK, but also leaner, rather anemic in it´s presentation, better detail than OK, even bigger headroom than OK.

All in all it´s a matter of preference, although the Murakumo6 for me has almost too much air between instruments, which makes the presentation of the instruments sound rather lean and anemic. Also with the metallic flavor of it´s sound, the Murakumo6 takes 2nd place. The sound of the Omni King with almost 4 x the cost of the Murakumo6 is like a dish at a fine french restaurant: Rich, meaty with plenty of everything you´d ever wish for, but for beginners it might be almost too much to digest.


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## azabu (Feb 1, 2018)




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## honeyjjack

Hey guys i just wanted to let you guys know about my experience ordering from brimar. Last year i ordered a grand master 8wire from a retailer in South Korea. The cables were exceptional, nothing sounded better with my custom laylas. However, the retailer messed up the order and didnt attach a bass pod. I was wondering if i should send them back because the bass was just too much, when something went wrong(im thinking the termination) and the sound muffled up and lost balance. I sent the cables back in for fixing and addition of bass pods. Doing this was really difficult because the only form of contact they would reply back from was their facebook site. It took me almost a year to get their address and send it back. A week ago, I checked the tracking and noticed there was a failed attempt at delivery. I told them about it (they didnt reply for a week) and early today they said they will check with the post office. I have lost contact again and have no idea what will happen next. I am told i will have to pay for the terminations if they have to replace it( i have only listened to the cables for 30min and defect started 5 min into listening). Is it normal for such a high end brand to not cover defects in their product? I really love their cables but cant recommend it to anyone because their customer support is non existent. has anyone had experiences with their customer support or know anyone working in Brimar?


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## Barra

honeyjjack said:


> Hey guys i just wanted to let you guys know about my experience ordering from brimar. Last year i ordered a grand master 8wire from a retailer in South Korea. The cables were exceptional, nothing sounded better with my custom laylas. However, the retailer messed up the order and didnt attach a bass pod. I was wondering if i should send them back because the bass was just too much, when something went wrong(im thinking the termination) and the sound muffled up and lost balance. I sent the cables back in for fixing and addition of bass pods. Doing this was really difficult because the only form of contact they would reply back from was their facebook site. It took me almost a year to get their address and send it back. A week ago, I checked the tracking and noticed there was a failed attempt at delivery. I told them about it (they didnt reply for a week) and early today they said they will check with the post office. I have lost contact again and have no idea what will happen next. I am told i will have to pay for the terminations if they have to replace it( i have only listened to the cables for 30min and defect started 5 min into listening). Is it normal for such a high end brand to not cover defects in their product? I really love their cables but cant recommend it to anyone because their customer support is non existent. has anyone had experiences with their customer support or know anyone working in Brimar?


Maybe this is normal. I ordered a stock Brimar adapter two months ago and got a confirmation and then have heard nothing since. Tried contacting through an email provided on the confirmation after a month of hearing nothing and have had no response after two weeks. Tried again and still have heard nothing as another two month passed. I am left with disputing the charge on my credit card unless anyone has another idea.


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## popof94

I ordered a stock brimar adaptator too, 3 months ago. Paid through PayPal and received confirmation by mail immediately. After that nothing, no email, no answers, no cable. After 1 1/2 months I have opened a dispute through PayPal and was refunded. Never received anything, not really serious company.


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## rtjoa

My Brimar collection


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## sonickarma (Aug 18, 2018)

rtjoa said:


> My Brimar collection



Cool collection - but it is a shame they are so hard to get


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## rtjoa

sonickarma said:


> Cool collection - but it is a shame they are so hard to get


Thank you. Hopefully Brimar cables are easier to try and buy.


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## rtjoa

Brimar TOTL Deep State 12-wire cables in Warm Analog and High Resolution tunings.

 
 
 
 

(The last picture belongs to Rudi)


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