Hey fellow Kickstarters: for everyone as disappointed with the TT's as I: you can do a gadget hack and turn your [doorstop] TT's into this by cutting a hole in them! (not to knock amplifiear- which looks quite good- support that project and make a back up pair?)

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nonlinear/amplifiear-better-sound-for-the-new-ipad-and-ipad

I found them useful to hold speaker wires and cables. And doorstops. Otherwise complete junk- don't work as advertised. This was my only KS buyers regret.

These are crap. I want my money back and an apology. Amazing PR job, I feel totally scammed.

totally shit! its not loud at all!!!

i wish there was some way i could warn folks who are subscribed to fab.com not to buy these pieces of shite.

Yeah, im pretty dissapointed. But even more why are the liited edition ones on fab.com?

Wow, these are extremely disappointing. I was saving them as a Christmas present for my brother and I'm glad I tested them out before doing so. I would have been embarrassed to give him these useless pieces of plastic.

Quite sad. The first negative experience I've had on this site. I will definitely stay away from this "inventor" in the future.

Complete waste of money!!!! I was really excited about these. Unfortunately my regular iPod headphones and my phones speaker are waaaay louder then these. Complete let down. But on the bright side, my dog has two new play toys.

6 months later, and I am still convinced that putting my earbud through a cardboard toilet paper tube would have a bigger "amplifying" effect. Yes, I understand physics, and dB, and yes this design was a failure. That said, what do you think Kickstarter does? It supports inventor types to try new things. Some work, some don't. In this case, they don't.

Absolute garbage with no response from the people we bought them from. Utterly useless

As I commented before, I really love these. I just took them camping and it was great listening to my iPod Nano at night without having to use earphones. I was very upset they were ruined on the trip -- my limited edition black. Fortunately I still have green and red.

I think Scott should be highly commended for executing this project so well, keeping us informed and delivering exactly what he showed us in the project video. This was an experiment as far as how well these would work and clearly not everyone enjoys them as much as I and some others do, but the idea that we can participate in such an experiment and receive such a unique product for $39 each ($250 in my case) is what makes Kickstarter so great.

I pledged another project that was cancelled after the project creator apparently spent our money on non-project purposes such as business and marketing. Trust me it's a very frustrating situation and a perfect example of how not to run a Kickstarter project -- like night and day compared to Tembo Trunks.

I actually tossed mine in the trash. And I'm somebody who has trouble throwing anything away, especially so quickly following a purchase. The truth is that these "Tembo Trunks" served no discernibly useful purpose (despite the great packaging), and I couldn't bear to burden someone else with them for the very same reason.

Never even received mine....

I didn't notice before (it may be a new feature to KS) but it now shows the last login date of the Project Designer on the bottom right beside their name / photo. At least I know Scott has read all our comments as his last login was 5 days ago, but still no response ...............................

Useless, Utterly useless. Still looking for a use for them.

any kind of return policy?

@ Cuprsnel i'll be your first backer. More chance of getting results with your project than the Tembo Trunks!!

I agree that they are well made and came in nifty packaging but the problem is that they don't amplify sound. They are now a cat toy. Would anyone be interested in backing my project? I am going to make small silicone time machines. $39. Results may vary.

I still have not received mine and from what I am reading once I do I may never even use them.

While my Tembo Trunks are durable, they do not, "Provide amplified stereo sound (up to 80dB; 3 x the sound) with increased clarity for sharing tunes in casual situations." nor do they, "Provide a more sustainable method to share music."

I believe either replacements or reimbursements are in order for all investors.

Scott.
I was really disappointed to receive an email saying that the Tembo Trunks are "now available online" when I haven't even received the pair of TT's I was supposed to get as a Kickstarter backer. So much for "be the first to own a set of Tembo Trunks". I don't think it's fair putting the TT's out on sale when not all backers haver received theirs. Please let us know when the the rest of the deliveries will be made.

I seriously can't believe I received an email from these guys telling me the Tembo Trunks were available now to order online at $39.95. Someone call the cops, that's daylight robbery.

WARNING TO ANYONE CONSIDERING BUYING THESE ONLINE - read through some of the comments below from people who have received and tried these out before you part with your money!!!!!!!!

Awful, awful, awful.

Disappointed, they are useless.

yep, agreed, they suck.

Pretty bummed at how poorly they perform. Great idea if they actually worked. I'm totally disappointed.

Have yet to receive product... In the states....kinda disappointed. Gives bad image for both this company and kickstart.

Jeremy

Sorry to disagree, but my expectations were only slightly above what I received. I can understand other posters who somehow expected LOUDspeakers. Perhaps I understood the physics, TANSTAAFL - a piece of silicone CAN'T amplify, it only redirects, focusses and modulates the sound. I'm very happy using the TTs in my office, at my desk, in the bedroom - often with the volume turned down on my iPhone, as ambient/background music. They're fine. I have an iPhone and have set the EQ to 'Small Speakers', it's a little quieter than EQ off, but I prefer the sound. They look nice, easy to setup, robust and I'll be happy to find homes for my other six TT's. And no, I have nothing at all to do with Scott or Mike.

@Alex Lein
That sounds good for YOU! But please tell us (the rest of all the disappointed guys) whas your hardware? What kind/model of player you use?

Mine work so well!! They are great! Thank you guys so much!

I've sealed mine, filled them with sand and using them as door stops. About the best I could do and they are certainly a talking point!!!

black humor

@Magnus. I better don´t think about how i wouldt feel when i bought a stampede pack like you.
OK, what can we do? A kind of blkack humor is to make 2 tiny holes in each, attach a ribbon band and use them as funny hats.

I'm so sorry for Scott and Mike and me.
After receiving my beautiful Tembo Trunks I was disappointed.
When I read all comments I realized I was not the only one who couldn't hear any sound with Tembo Trunks and my IPod.
I followed all steps from Update #13, now I heard that there was some sound.
Nothing to call music.

After reading all about the european sound restriction, here is my conclusion:
If you have an
- iPod 3G, 4G, mini, photo, color, nano 5G
you can remove the sound limitation.
If you have (like me)
- bought an IPod 6G in europe there is no way (until now) to make it louder. Thank you France.
If you have an
- IPod touch 1G and 2G there is a possibility via jailbreak.
If you have an
- IPod iPod shuffle, iPod nanos 2G (matt metal envelope like iPod mini) and 3G with Video
you are bound to the limitation.

Maybe could backers who are happy with their Tembo Trunks tell us wich model they have and if it's an european or not.

@Bernd, if it makes you feel better, remember the stampede pack. I've got 7 of them lying around in a dark corner, far from the awesome, useful gifts they were suppose to be. Caveat lector. Nonetheless, I wish the tembo makers will continue to improve the idea, and find success in so. Kickstarter still rocks.

Excuse my harsh words, but i´m really disappointed!!
I waitened a half year and i expected a really great product.
And then ---- :-((
Well, kickstarter is not Amazon. OK
But I really appreciate the idea of kickstarter but 39,-bucks +10 for overseas is much money for most of us guys.
Sorry guys, than i expect a adequate countervalue.
And -- there was a promise of like 80% amplyfied speakers! - IT IS NOT!
What can i do?
A refund? - Guess that wouldtn´t be possible.
Waiting for a new and better series? - Paying another $50,-? DILLIGAF
Please tell me, what´s going on and what to do.

First off let me say that I was disappointed with the sound quality/volume of the product. Every other aspect of the of the Tembo Trunks performed better than advertised. But to be a successful product the volume must be improved. Given that, I hope that you continue with R&D and don't give up. I'm very disturbed the the number of people that want a refund. I completely agree with the comment about this is not amazon. I've funded numerous KickStart projects and will continue to do so. I love the fact that this is a place where creative people can go to get help executing their ideas. Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don't. The key is to keep trying. Certainly sign me up to try out version 2. To all the whiners that pledged $39 and want a refund, I would say KickStarter is not for you.

so why are Scott and mike both quite why don't we get some kind of response or update.. at least come and put a video and answer all our concerns.

I´m really pissed off! Sorry for this term but that´s what I feel!
I´ve tied it with the original earphones from apple and connected it to a galaxy I9000, 4 different mp3 players and the result is --- nothing to hear! where is the promised amplification of 80% ?? When I read all the post here there are more as 90% the thame disappointed.
So what? Is that the biggest rip off ever happened to me? I really feel like that.
Feeling ripped off from 2 smart aussies.
Maybe i`m wrong. Than persuade me from my arguments. Like all the other dissapointed people here.
I really want to have a full refund. How to do?
I´m tensed to hear from you.
Greetz from cgn, germany
klasta

DISAPPOINTMENT. Cool Look, but the sound is just as lame as it is without those expensive doorstoppers..

Totally disappointed. Sound is not as advertised. I have an iPod touch and so it boosted marginally. My brother has an iPhone 4 and th speaker is louder So they are a waste of moneybasically if u have an iPhone 4

I was so excited about these when I first heard about them and could not wait for them to arrive. After a much anticipated wait, I must say that I am truly disappointed in this product. The design is nice, but the volume on these does not live up to what was advertised. They do amplify the music, but only marginally. Not worth the money that was paid on them... considering how easy it would be to manufacture these. Would not recommend these, unless you have a lot of money to burn. You're better off finding a pair of speakers that you plug in, and they would most likely cost you less than these. Great idea Scott, but they were just a total flop in the end.

try a "wave" or "seashell" design to enrich sound -- these are not viable.....

Disappointed, because as Henry said: The iPhone speaker alone is louder, you almost don't hear a difference with the earbuds on full blast with or without the trunks.

Not entirely pleased with the speakers performance. Not the 80dB that was promised. Hopefully a booster of some sort could be formulated to maximise their potential. It was a risk, ordering the Stampede Pack, and at the moment, it looks like the risk didn't pay off.

Totally disappointed!
I buy 2 for U$100 and i try the 4 together and the sound its almost the same of the headphones(apple)!
The product quality is perfect but he does not work for music listening on ipod/iphone!

I was disappointed with mine, my iPhone speaker alone is louder. You can barely hear the sound with these tempo trunks. I don't understand how these could ever be used, you would have to get everyone to be super quiet. Waste of $$