Product Documentation

We hope you love your new Black Swan, but if you don’t, we offer a 10-day return policy with no penalty (assuming nothing is missing or damaged). The customer is responsible for return freight to Austin Audio Works using a shipping method with tracking, and we don’t refund any shipping costs or purchase payment fees.

If you decide you want to return your Black Swan contact us at info@austinaudioworks.com before the end of the 10-day period after delivery, and let us know the serial number of the Swan and a brief reason for return. We’ll send you an UPS Shipping Label along with shipping instructions via email.  Once the Black Swan is returned and checked in, we’ll issue a refund for your purchase price less the above noted freight and payment processing fees using the same method of payment you used for the purchase.

If any items are missing or damaged, or if the return is initiated outside the 10 day period (or if you ship the return more than 15 days after the Return instructions are sent), we reserve the right to deduct an appropriate restocking fee from your refund. Restocking fees are typically between 5 and 15%, but may be equal to the costs associated with any repairs/replacements needed.

Orders for products must be accepted by us before we ship.  We reserve the right to reject orders at our discretion.  Rejected orders will initiate an immediate cancelation of the order and rejection of your payment.  This offer is limited to one product per customer.

We offer a 2 week (14 day) audition period (initiating on the day of receipt of the product) for you to make sure the item works in your system.  After 14 day the product is yours. the sale and fulfillment  are complete.

If you wish to return the unit in the 14-day audition period contact us at sa***@au**************.com or 1 (512) 912-6820. we’ll email you a UPS shipping label and RMA number to attach to the box and ask you to drop it off at UPS pick up place.

In all other cases to obtain an RMA ( Return Merchandise Authorization) number is required for shipping back the product.  Return packages must be externally marked with the provided RMA number.  We will refuse the shipment of any product sent without an RMA.

Funds will be returned once the unit is received in the same cosmetic and operational condition as when you originally received it, along with all original accessories, in the original box. We will inform you of the arrival of the product at AAW prior to inspection.

You are responsible for the cost of shipping of the unit back to us, along with a restocking fee of 10% of the total price of the item(s) returned. Payment processing fees will not be returned, these are an additional 3-6% (based on payment method).

If you are returning an item for repair or replacement under warranty we will pay shipping both ways for any product found to be defective.   Call us for a RMA and an email UPS shipping label.

We offer a 10-day) audition period (from the day of receipt of the product) for you to make sure the item works in your system.  After 10 day the product is yours. the sale and fulfillment  are complete.

If you wish to return the unit in the 10-day audition period contact us at sa***@au**************.com or 1 (512) 912-6820. we’ll email you a UPS shipping label and RMA number to attach to the box and ask you to drop it off at UPS pick up place.

In all other cases to obtain an RMA ( Return Merchandise Authorization) number is required for shipping back the product.  Return packages must be externally marked with the provided RMA number.  We will refuse the shipment of any product sent without an RMA.

Funds will be returned once the unit is received in the same cosmetic and operational condition as when you originally received it, along with all original accessories, in the original box. We will inform you of the arrival of the product at AAW prior to inspection.

You are responsible for the cost of shipping of the unit back to us.  We deduct a restocking fee of 5% of the total price of the item(s) returned, the original shipping fee, and the original payment processing fees typically 3-6% (based on payment method).

If you need to return a product to AAW for service or any other reason, please contact us at in**@au**************.com before sending the product back.  If we cannot resolve the issue you will be given a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) and instructions for the return of the item for service. We will refuse the shipment of any product sent without an RMA.

Austin AudioWorks warrants to the original purchaser that this product shall be free from defects in material and workmanship for three (3) years from the date of purchase. Date of purchase will be based on customer receipt, otherwise date of manufacturing will be used.

If you need to return a product for repair under this warranty please contact us at sa***@au**************.com or 1 (512) 912-6820 to obtain an RMA ( Return Merchandise Authorization) number a UPS shipping label required for shipping back the product.  Return packages must be externally marked with the provide RMA number. We will refuse the shipment of any product sent without an RMA.

During the warranty period, we will repair (at our expense) any products that are found to be defective. If we cannot repair it, we will replace it with a comparable unit or issue a full refund. In no case is a customer authorized to send a defective unit to a 3rd party repair center without our consent, and we will not pay for any repairs that we do not perform.

This warranty shall not apply if a product: (a) is modified or tampered with; (b) is damaged by negligence, accident, unreasonable use, or other causes unrelated to defective materials or workmanship, or (c) has had the serial number altered or removed.

Any implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, are hereby limited in duration to the warranty period of 3 years. In no event shall Austin AudioWorks be liable for consequential or incidental damages resulting from the breach of any implied or expressed warranties. Some states do not allow these limitations, so they may not apply to you. You may also have other rights which vary from state to state or province to province.

No.  Opening or modifying the unit voids the warranty and refunds will not be issued.

No.  The product warranty is to the original purchaser.

That doesn’t mean we won’t repair a unit for you though.  If you have issues with an AAW product you’ve purchased used please go ahead and contact us, we may be able to repair it for you.

Austin, Texas.   Our full, corporate address is: Austin AudioWorks, Inc., Ste 350-256, 12400 Highway 71 W., Austin, TX 78738  Technically we are in the small community of Bee Cave, TX

Sorry, no tours or visits are possible currently. We’re small and really focusing on getting orders out the door right now.

The bird is the Geococcyx californianus, a.k.a. the Greater Roadrunner.  Specifically, it’s a particular roadrunner that likes to bother Barry by streaking back and forth across his deck as he’s trying to design stuff in his study.  Barry wondered about the hearing system of roadrunners and briefly considered adding a roadrunner-focused equalization curve to the phono-preamp he was working on (until cooler heads prevailed.)

Actually, Barry originally intended the AAW mascot to be Otospermophilus variegatus, the black rock squirrels that usually share the deck with the roadrunner. Then came the unfortunate peanut butter sandwich incident and, multiple rabies shots later, the Roadrunner got the nod for the position.

Barry imaginatively named the Roadrunner ‘Austin.’  Guess what the rock squirrel’s name was going to be?

Barry’s audio passion created his first company (circa 1969), the Quintessence Group Audio Works in Sacramento, CA,  Based on the fun and heady times of exploding live music audio knowledge and hippiedom, it was a bunch of ‘freaks’ enjoying live music and technology.  Now over half a century later he finds himself in possibly his last business, surprisingly also audio but more personal reproduction in Austin TX.

It seemed appropriate.

Barry says:

“The name ‘Black Swan’ came from Galen Gereis, creator of Belden’s superb Iconoclast audio cable line. I sent him the very first prototype of the pre-amp, in the black enclosure it’s still made in today, and asked for his opinion. He said in his consideration it was the ugliest thing he had ever seen.

Wonderful, I thought. And this guy’s supposed to like me.

Then he hooked it up anyway and the performance floored him. He said to me ‘This is truly a Black Swan.’

Thus the name.”