I think you are reading far too much into the delays. Sweetwater and other distributors have stopped giving time frames because they are aware that they could change depending on how the bug fixing and tweaking of the unit is progressing . @Doug Castro has stated many times that he isn’t going to put the QC in the wild until it is up to his and Neural DSPs standards. The game/software development analogy has been thrown around a lot here, because that’s what it is. It is code, and just like a blanket on a loom if you change one frayed in the pattern you run the risk of upsetting other parts of the weave. Anyone who has followed any alpha/beat/early access game knows this problem all too well, in fact it is expected. The majority of people are looking at the QC and anticipating a gleaming finished product with zero issues, that is unreasonable. What @Doug is doing by delaying, is mitigating those issues. And that in and of itself should give you faith in NDSP for supporting their product. Trust me I don’t like having to wait anymore than you. But I know that NDSP is making the right calls, so that when the QC arrives on my doorstep and I plug it in, I am happy with the money I have given them as opposed to being pissed off and writing them emails about clicks and pops when switching presets or Scenes. This is not concerning. In fact Thai should be encouraging. Would you rather have a buggy unit that you regret which you are constantly waiting for firmware updates or one that is actually a usable desirable product?
I’ve canceled my order with Sweetwater. I’ve been looking forward to the QC because it’s got a couple features that my Kemper doesn’t (multiple amps at once being a big one). But the execution of getting this out to the public has been horrible. To the point that it makes me think the product is having problems and it’s not just a logistical issue.
I admire a company wanting to take their time and get the final product right. But stringing customers along for literally 4 months worth of changing ship dates isn’t helping Neural in winning confidence of potential customers. Especially those that they’re hoping will jump ship from Kemper, Axe, Helix, etc.
Have a little patience, I am confident we will see the first sales next month. I remember waiting for the FM3 more than - what? - way more than a year, communication with customers had a lot to be desired compared to the regular updates here, until I got fed up and went back to amps and pedals.
TBH, Neural did not give away any ship date since november,
Recently, because dealer would just postone dates all the time and create
false hope to their customer, NDSP has started issuing emails to pre-order
tier 1 and 2, where they keep us up to date with the advancement.
they did so, because the dealers were creating too much confusion.
as of today the shipping for mid-late march still holds, at least for us.
BUT they also said that dealer will get them very fast after pre orders
Funny you bring up Kemper. Other than preorders, its launch was actually quite similar. Months and months passed after the announcement with only occasional teases by beta testers.
I’ve only had my Kemper for 5 years, so I didn’t have to deal with any of that. I just think Neural could have done a better job with timing the release. It’s totally understandable if they’re not ready to release it yet. Like I said, I’d rather have them push it back and get it right rather than release it with a ton of issues just for the sake of getting it out quicker (look at all the issues the Kemper Stage had because of that mindset). I just wish they’d give a more accurate release date that they are confident they can stick to rather than pushing it back repeatedly. My Sweetwater rep told me they have had to push it back four times already.
And this isn’t a Kemper vs QC thing. I feel like the QC is going to be the better unit once they get everything established. I still plan to buy one eventually. I just decided to cancel my order and wait until Neural can find a date they can stick to. Given all the changes in release date, I personally am not confident the unit isn’t going to have some glitches to work out after it’s released.
I look upon it differently! Delays are not uncommon in the music tech business. Neither are premature releases! NDSP is a small newly established company coming out with their first HW product ever. It’s not Yamaha, Roland, Line 6 etc established company releasing their umphteen product! Their problem is rather the sheer excitement they’ve stirred and everyone - the customers, the financiers etc can’t wait another day! My admiration for their aim to release a decent 1.0 product way overshadows the disappointment for the delays and them underestimating some problems making the product release ready! I’m not into the hype thing, but I’m impressed by their plugins, curious about the QC features and it feels good to be able to support something that could be the bleeding edge for a while 
I waited close on a year for my Kemper Stage, and love it. I waited for over a year for the FM3, and then decided not to take up the order when it became available, due to the Neural announcement in January 2020.
Yes, I’m disappointed by the Neural delay, but I am very glad to see the reviews being released by the Beta testers. I’ll not be selling or dumping my Kemper (did I already say I love it), but my expectation for the Quad is that it’ll be my go to gigging unit. My Morningstar MC8 arrives on Friday in anticipation. Will there be glitches …yup…do I feel that Neural will be able to overcome them - yup. So no competition from me between them, just different ways to reach a target.
Thomann says 6-8 weeks now. Well, even turtle steps are progress, right? Hopefully it won’t change to 9-11 weeks, again.
@OhG: the only Kemper stage issue that I am aware of was the broken switch issue due to a mechanical contact problem. Were there more issues?
Yesterday I received from Thomann.
New delivery date: 02.04.21 So April. for now. 
Yep, same here … 
Did you pre ordered it?
I see 6-8 weeks as delivery date.
Ordered with Thomann end November 2020.
New delivery date: 02.04.21 So April. for now.
Same here - which happens to be Good Friday and in the midst of the Easter holidays…
I canceled my order. I’m not willing to wait any longer.
cancelled this close to the finish line?
Yes, at least five finish lines too much.
valid point… but it feels like this really is coming true:
“There have been no significant developments or setbacks, so we are still on schedule to begin taking payments in the middle of March for shipment by the end of March.”
Taking payment 2 weeks before delivery? What kind of company is that? Sorry