DX3 Pro issues

[yue]

Umm... I don't see "so many people" complaining in the thread?... Maybe you got a faulty one...

Go and take a look at the dx3 pro review thread please. I already see at least a dozen people run into random shut off issue. Some can not turn it back on after the random shut off.

 

[GeekyBastard]

Go and take a look at the dx3 pro review thread please. I already see at least a dozen people run into random shut off issue. Some can not turn it back on after the random shut off.

Wow, I saw that just now, it seems like the little power adapter is really cheap, it might cause big problem if the voltage is not steady, or there's not enough amp to drive the DAC, if you have a multimeter, maybe check the power adapter, it might be broken, the relay needs steady amp/voltage to work correctly.

 

[yue]

if you have a multimeter, maybe check the power adapter, it might be broken

Power adapter works fine. Multimeter shows a very steady 15.07V reading.

 

[GeekyBastard]

Power adapters works fine. Multimeter shows a very steady 15.07V reading.

Is there any way to check the amps it could output? Maybe the DAC didn't get enough amps.

 

[yue]

Is there any way to check the amps it could output? Maybe the DAC didn't get enough amps.

I don’t have the equipment at home to do that. I usually listen at -40db (around 70db) with a 300ohm headphone. If you do the calculations it’s below 1mw. So it wouldn’t stress the amp (capable of a few hundred mw) at all. If that doesn’t work well at 1mw I would say it’s broken.

I also see people using better power supply run into random shut off issue. Someone tested using good power supply and it worked for roughly a week and the same issue appeared again.

 

[DonH56]

I don’t think so. It’s fine that he didn’t run into these issues initially when he wrote the review. But now, With so many people complaining about the product in the thread, he should at least put a big warning on the first page.

Maybe, but as you said people can read the thread and see the comments. I think to claim he does not do a good job because of this is both excessively harsh and ignores the fundamental work he has done and will do in the future. When I get a bad product that tested well I do not blame the tester. Especially if there is a wealth of other evidence posted about issues that he did not test but were found by others.

It is also well to remember that Amir is one guy and this has gotten to be a big forum. He's off testing other things and has his own life outside ASR (presumably, hard to tell sometimes ). He certainly cannot read every post and stay on top of everything in every thread. At some point we have to do some research on our own and expect things are not always going to go well in spite of all we read, test, and do.

This is a great thread and it is well you have brought up these issues, but to blame Amir and say "you did a bad job because you did not tell me what you did not know and so when my XYZ broke it is your fault" is counterproductive.

One of my bosses described this situation very succinctly when there was a problem with a chip I had helped design. In that case, the high-speed analog driver I designed was working great and customers were very pleased, but the digital interface was having problems. My boss said "it's not your chip, but it is your ass" when he assigned me to help figure it out.

IMO - Don

 

[GeekyBastard]

"you did a bad job because you did not tell me what you did not know and so when my XYZ broke it is your fault"

Oh gawd I heard that kind of words too many times, it hurts.

 

[Bliman]

But it is quite clear that there product is bad. And I assume Amir knows it by now. So it would be better if he would clearly state that in his review. Many people will only look at his review and buy it. It would be a minimum effort to state it in his review.

 

[Sin Hizer]

All the blame should be placed on Topping.

 

[Bliman]

All the blame should be placed on Topping.

That's true. But we ansd Amir can minimize the damage. And it would also be important to take up the build quality in upcoming reviews of the brand imo.

 

[amirm]

But it is quite clear that there product is bad. And I assume Amir knows it by now.

Clear to whom? I have owned my DX3Pro longer than anyone. It runs everyday 100% reliably for hours on end. I have no idea what percentage of people have the shutdown problem. This is one of Topping's most popular products. I suspect thousands have been sold. A few people complaining about it here doesn't give me a metric to put dire warnings against the product. Go and look at every 5 star product on Amazon and you will quickly find people who say the product did not work at all, was junk, died shortly after receipt, etc.

This is an open forum and you all can publicize the issue as much as you like. Amazon doesn't take on the job of summarizing reliability issues and putting it in their product listing. I can't do that either.

When I can verify something is there like the original clicking problem, I do update the review. Here is that warning still there:

I always advise that people buy from reliable sources like Amazon so that they can return things easily. If you go price shopping and buying things cheaper direct from random China sources, then you are buying into some risk.

Finally, if one of you has a DX3 Pro that is shutting down regularly and live in US, please contact me and I will purchase it from you to see if i can replicate the problem.

 

[Bliman]

Clear to whom? I have owned my DX3Pro longer than anyone. It runs everyday 100% reliably for hours on end. I have no idea what percentage of people have the shutdown problem. This is one of Topping's most popular products. I suspect thousands have been sold. A few people complaining about it here doesn't give me a metric to put dire warnings against the product. Go and look at every 5 star product on Amazon and you will quickly find people who say the product did not work at all, was junk, died shortly after receipt, etc.

This is an open forum and you all can publicize the issue as much as you like. Amazon doesn't take on the job of summarizing reliability issues and putting it in their product listing. I can't do that either.

When I can verify something is there like the original clicking problem, I do update the review. Here is that warning still there:

View attachment 20914

I always advise that people buy from reliable sources like Amazon so that they can return things easily. If you go price shopping and buying things cheaper direct from random China sources, then you are buying into some risk.

Finally, if one of you has a DX3 Pro that is shutting down regularly and live in US, please contact me and I will purchase it from you to see if i can replicate the problem.

Clear to everybody. How many people have to complain? To me it looks like a lot of people, certainly if you know it is quite a niche product. Something must be wrong. Don't you agree? If it is in the margin of error why don't you see the same in threads of other popular products? And just so you know I think you do a great great job with your measurements, but maybe it should be more clear you can recommend a product for how it measures and you cannot say anything about it's build quality. But I love your measurements and I hope you take this post the right way.

 

[DonH56]

How many constitutes "everybody"? Most people who go online to talk about a product do it because they have a problem with it, fewer to praise it, and most never post about it at all if it simply works. To declare "everybody" has problems with a product without sufficient basis is as bad as declaring it has zero problems with insufficient basis. Read the chicken little story; it is hard to tell when the sky is falling and when to spread the alarm. How can you read Amir's post, including the explanation he offered, disclaimers he added, and offer to BUY a malfunctioning product to test, and still blame him?

I don't get it...

 

[Jmudrick]

Sent mine back a couple days ago due to faulty headphone jack. Cost for tracked shipping $58, words to the wise.

 

[MrC]

Many people will only look at his review and buy it.

Many people buy things based on reading one review by one person on one website/forum?

I am pretty sure there is a latin phrase for that.

 

[Bliman]

How many constitutes "everybody"? Most people who go online to talk about a product do it because they have a problem with it, fewer to praise it, and most never post about it at all if it simply works. To declare "everybody" has problems with a product without sufficient basis is as bad as declaring it has zero problems with insufficient basis. Read the chicken little story; it is hard to tell when the sky is falling and when to spread the alarm. How can you read Amir's post, including the explanation he offered, disclaimers he added, and offer to BUY a malfunctioning product to test, and still blame him?

I don't get it...

No no, I don't say everybody has problems with it. I mean that it is clear to everybody here by now that there is something wrong with the product. And yes the ones that will have a problem will always be more vocal. But let's say it sold a thousand units. Of those thousand people there would be a small percentage who knows this site or who are registered. And of those people here not all of them will post about the product. With that you can come to a conclusion that it isn't simply a margin error. But maybe I am seeing this wrong. I am just glad that I avoided it. But again I very much appreciate this site because it is very friendly, has much knowledge and is open to discussion

 

[Bliman]

Many people buy things based on reading one review by one person on one website/forum?

I am pretty sure there is a latin phrase for that.

Why not. Doesn't people buy things because it is for example reviewed in a magazine or other websites?And Amir is not just a random guy on a forum for me.

 

[DonH56]

No no, I don't say everybody has problems with it. I mean that it is clear to everybody here by now that there is something wrong with the product. And yes the ones that will have a problem will always be more vocal. But let's say it sold a thousand units. Of those thousand people there would be a small percentage who knows this site or who are registered. And of those people here not all of them will post about the product. With that you can come to a conclusion that it isn't simply a margin error. But maybe I am seeing this wrong. I am just glad that I avoided it. But again I very much appreciate this site because it is very friendly, has much knowledge and is open to discussion

I don't have the data, nor the will to search for it if it is even out there, to see how large a problem there is. Maybe it is a fundamental flaw, maybe there was a run of bad parts, who knows. I am not arguing that; I am arguing the position that somehow Amir is responsible for not telling people about something he did not experience and did not know. My grandmother would say "grow up" but she was not the most politically-correct person on Earth...

Why not. Doesn't people buy things because it is for example reviewed in a magazine or other websites?And Amir is not just a random guy on a forum for me.

People do. People shouldn't. Smart people don't. And none of that should be placed at Amir's feet. He's King, not God.

I can see there no point in taking this any further. I've said my piece and more, Amir has spoken, you and Yue have spoken, now it's just going around in circles. I'm going to go get some work done or something.

 

[JJB70]

I think this is where buyers need to apply a bit of judgement and maybe take a step back to see things from a wider perspective. Some products measure superbly and have great functionality, but what sales channels are they sold through, what warranty support do they offer, how confident are you that they'll stand behind their product? These things may be unimportant if you're getting a terrific product at a bargain basement price and you're happy enough to treat it as a throwaway purchase and if it goes wrong then c'est la vie. If you aren't willing to treat it like that then paying more may be a lot more sensible and buying something with a bit more assurance that you have a good chance of being well looked after if you do need support. Especially when there are companies like JDS Labs that offer good products at good prices who have an excellent reputation for customer support.
When it comes to quality there is some element of getting what you pay for. In audio the link between quality and price is tenuous and many high priced products are very shoddily built, but if you do want excellent build quality and solid manufacturing QA processes and after sales then there generally is a cost to it. Those things may not effect performance so if something is cheap it may well be worth taking a punt. Hence why I say that buyers need to apply judgement.

 

[Bliman]

I don't have the data, nor the will to search for it if it is even out there, to see how large a problem there is. Maybe it is a fundamental flaw, maybe there was a run of bad parts, who knows. I am not arguing that; I am arguing the position that somehow Amir is responsible for not telling people about something he did not experience and did not know. My grandmother would say "grow up" but she was not the most politically-correct person on Earth...



People do. People shouldn't. Smart people don't. And none of that should be placed at Amir's feet. He's King, not God.

I can see there no point in taking this any further. I've said my piece and more, Amir has spoken, you and Yue have spoken, now it's just going around in circles. I'm going to go get some work done or something.

Ok I get your point. I think most here are of the mind to research and find the best products for the best price. And they research something before they buy something. But before this site I haven't heard of Topping. And you don't find many reviews of it. That's why his review is important.Because there are many beginners seeking help from someone that knows more then them. But I wouldn't want to lay any responsibility or blame on Amir's feet. I hope that's clear. And it is because of his stellar job that we are even discussing this. So yeah it would have been nice to put some warning on it. But I agree it is the reader that has the responsibility to read the whole thread and always think before they buy something.I hope this clears things up.