About Home Audition

Pick a Headphone

Choose the headphone you'd like to audition. We urge you to talk to a Headphone Guru at this stage.

Pay Security Deposit

Pay the security deposit, equivalent to the value of the headphones. This is required to confirm your home audition.

Enjoy the Home Audition

Now is your time to leisurely listen for 3 days. We will arrange for a pickup at the end of your Home Audition period.

Take the Plunge

Now you can choose to buy a new unit or get a complete refund after deducting any penalty charges.

More about the Home Audition Program

The Home Audition Program by Headphone Zone is your chance to try expensive audio gear for 3 days by simply paying a security deposit. We will ship the product to you at a convenient time depending on demo unit availability and pick it up when your 3 days are up.

Why we started the program is because headphones are best heard. Being in the headphone business, we realize that headphones are a sensory product. What better way to decide whether you like a headphone than by trying it at leisure in your living room? Since the program is open to all, this is your chance to venture into the world of audiophilia.

Your home = your experience studio with The Home Audition program. It's not easy, nor is it cheap, for us to open up Experience Studios all over the country. Any one who loves audio knows that to really delve into the hobby is to make a generous investment. Our program allows you the luxury of choice so you buy better!

When partaking in the program, please be careful with the units. Goes without saying, but we have very limited demo units available. We expect that you care for it as if it were your own.

FAQs

Here are some of the most common questions that we get about The Home Audition Program. Please read through each of them carefully for a smooth, and hassle-free experience.

Pre Purchases

Will I be getting a New or Demo unit?

All Home Audition units sent will be received by you in the best condition possible. The gear is tested before sending. We test and inspect every item before it gets shipped out, to make sure that it’s in perfect working condition when you receive it. Also when these are returned once auditioned, the units are thoroughly checked for any damages. In the unlikely chance that you receive an item that was damaged during transit, please contact us within 8 hours of receiving the item.

What is needed for me to avail this program?

All you need to do is choose a product from our available Home Audition units and pay the security deposit to avail the Program, AND you need to be extremely careful and gentle with the gear you’re auditioning.

What is the Deposit Amount?

The deposit amount is equal to the full price of a new unit.

How long can I audition the product for?

You can audition the product for a period of 3 days. If you’d like to audition it for a few more days, there will be an Overtime charge of Rs. 1000 per day that is non refundable will be charged and deducted from your security deposit at the time of refunding the security deposit.

How do I order for a Home Audition?

On our website, select the gear you would like to try, enter the address to which we need to ship the gear and pay the security deposit online.

The product I’m looking to audition is currently not available, can I reserve it for when it is available?

Uh oh! In that case it’s probably being auditioned by someone else. Once they’re done auditioning it we will have to get it back to us to check for damages. You can put in a request with us and we’ll keep you posted once it’s available and send it to you next unless there’s a queue.

Why does Headphone Zone need a deposit?

We trust all our customers to be genuine but sometimes there are exceptions and since these are expensive products, we charge a security deposit to to cover any damages or loss to the home audition unit.

How do y’all calculate the number of audition days?

You get 3 full days (non-business/non-working) after the Home Audition unit has been delivered. For example, if you receive the product on the 1st of Oct at 4 pm, your audition period will be from 2nd to 4th Oct and the pick up will be scheduled for the 3rd or the next working day.

Can I have a friend/courier pick-up my gear for me?

Yes, that’s not a problem! Please let us know ahead of time who will be picking up your order.

At the time of purchase

If I place an order, is the gear guaranteed?

Only audition units not being currently auditioned by someone else will be available on the website. So it is almost always guaranteed, unless we find any issue with the unit while inspecting it before sending it to you.

Can I pay now and request a Home Audition after a few days?

That shouldn’t be a problem if we don’t have a lot of people wanting to audition the same product, however if that’s not the case then we’ll put you next on the queue and request you to keep yourself free on certain dates when we’re ready to send the Home Audition unit across to you.

How do I pay the deposit?

Payment for the deposit will strictly have to be done online via Debit Card, Credit Card, Net Banking or you can opt for our Bank deposit option. Cash On Delivery is currently not possible. An 100% advance payment would be compulsory before we go ahead and send the unit to you.

Will the invoice be in my name?

For that to happen, the original bill will have to be altered which is impossible. Nonetheless, claiming warranty shouldn’t be a problem as long as you have the invoice for date reference.

I have a store credit, can I use that for a Home Audition?

Yes, you may use your store credit for a home audition unit.

If I choose to get a refund after home audition, will I get my store credit as a refund?

No. Store Credit is non-refundable.

Shipping the Home Audition Unit

How are the Home Audition units shipped?

We ship your Home Audition units with our courier and logistics partners - Bluedart and Aramex. A Tracking ID for shipment will be emailed with you once your order ships. When the gear arrives, open the box and try out the amazing gear.

How quickly do you ship?

For the product to reach you and for it to reach back to us, it’ll take about 3-4 business days each way. The timelines can be shorter depending on where you’re located.

Can I request delivery to another address instead of the one I’ve entered while placing the order?

Yes you can, we’ll request you to please let us know before we ship out your order to you. Also if you’d like the delivery to be done at a certain time, please let us know in advance so that we can coordinate with the courier company.

What happens if I miss my delivery?

Delivery will be attempted twice. So don’t worry. SMS updates will be regularly sent.

Home Audition Period

Can I extend the audition period? What are the charges for that?

Yes you can get more time with your audition unit with an additional cost of Rs. 1000 per day charged as an overtime fee that is non refundable.

How will you be charging the overtime fee?

We will be deducting the total overtime fee depending on the extend no of days from the security deposit at the time of refunding it.

If there’s a delay in pick up will I be charged an overtime fee?

No, if there’s a delay from our end or the courier’s end, there won’t be any charge. However if the courier person has showed up and you’ve not handed over the parcel, then we will have to charge an overtime fee for an additional day.

I wasn’t able to audition the product during the three days because something came up. Now what?

We’d advise everyone to make sure they keep themselves free to avail the benefits of the Home Audition Program. Your only option would be to extend the Audition period by paying the Overtime fee of Rs. 1000 per day.

I would like to submit a review about my experience with the unit. Where do I do that?

Yay! We really appreciate your review and we'll be happy to feature you on our Indian Audiophile blog. Just fill out this form here.

Return Process

How do I return the items I tried?

Please ensure all gear is accounted for and functioning, and repacked safely and securely. If any issues with your return or the equipment, please call or email us immediately. We will have a pick up arranged on the 6th Audition day once you confirm you’re done auditioning the product thoroughly. If you’ve extended the Audition period, please let us know a day in advance of your last Audition day, for us to arrange a pick up on the next day. If you’re going to be personally dropping off the product, please do let us know to not arrange a pick up with the courier company. If a pick up is not possible from your address, then we might request you to ship it to us and we will reimburse the shipping charges.

What if I accidentally returned my personal gear too, along with the Home Audition unit?

Please contact us immediately. Once we receive the box back to our office, our team will set aside your gear and have it couriered back to you.

What if I haven’t sent all the items originally sent to me?

If you have the missing item available, please courier it back to us as soon as possible. If it’s missing with you or you have displaced the item then there will a penalty charge for the cost of replacement of the item. The Home Audition unit will be accompanied with a Checklist of all the accessories. You can use this as a checklist and make sure you send everything back.

How should the box be packed when returning it back?

Please return the gear in the same packaging that you received it in. Please make sure you have removed your own gear for eg - cables, memory cards, eartips etc before you send us back the audition units.

How do I order for a Home Audition?

On our website, select the gear you would like to try, enter the address to which we need to ship the gear and pay the security deposit online.

Can I keep the headphone sent to me and not return them?

Nope. You’d rather buy a new unit, it’s just a matter of few days.

Can I Home Audition another unit?

Yes you can! We can only have another unit sent once we’ve received the previous unit and we have checked for any damages. If you’re going for a unit needing a higher security deposit value, then we will be able to proceed only once the difference of amount has been paid.

How long will it take to receive my deposit back?

As soon as the items on your order have been delivered back to our office and we have tested the gear to ensure that there is no damage. We will need 2-3 business days to do so. The deposit can be refunded in the form of store credit to buy a new unit or refunded to same card used at the time of payment.

Damages & Missing Items

What if I receive damaged gear?

We check all of our gear before it goes out to make sure that it’s in perfect working condition when you receive it. If you ever receive an item that is not working or was damaged in shipment, please contact us right away within 8 hours.

What do you consider damage?

Any physical wear and tear or any internal defect where the product is no longer fully functional the same way as it was originally sent. If for whatever you’d need help using the product, please don’t hesitate in getting in touch with us. Sometimes, gear like Amps and DACs are complex to use and we’re happy to help you use them correctly.

What are the penalties charged in case of the damage?

The penalty charged will differ from case to case, depending on the repair charge or replacement. Security deposit will be refunded subsequently.