I cancelled my order since I had the A5's coming already and needed to cut back on the audio spending. If they are counterfeit, there will be more than just a bunch of angry HC's, he's sold them on A'gon for a long time. I would say they are more likely gray market, if anything.
I don't recall getting any hiss when using Alex's pair at home or in the office. I had the volume control on the speakers at various settings and I never had an issue.
From what I can tell from reading some of the forums on macrumors, people that used Amex have not been charged and have not received shipping notification.
It was good. Smoked well and was mild to moderate in strength with a nice spicy flavor. I have these in a maduro as well which I prefer to smoke when at night when it's cooler (first time it's his 80 in a while).