How about IPS, like what Loxjie now uses?
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My Problem With Inexpensive Electronics
- Thread starter Martin
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Samsung dishwasher stopped after a year and two months. Gave us an 'error code' on the panel. You know things have gotten crazy when your dishwasher gives you an error code. Easier and quicker to buy a new model and have it delivered and installed next day. Checkout girl asks if I want to buy the 'extended' warranty. I always say no. I'll just get a new one. Sad but that's the way it is.
EdW
Senior Member
IPS is just a type of LCD characterised by a wide viewing angle but slightly inferior black levels - which don’t really matter for a display on DAC. So a good choice
OP
- Thread Starter
- #24
All a company like Topping would need to do is open a small warehousing and repair facility in the USA. I don't think it would be prohibitively expensive for them to do so. A small building in an inexpensive industrial area in some small town and a couple of electronics technicians and they're good to go. The other benefit would be faster shipping to distributors and direct customers within the US. This has me thinking...
Martin
Martin
I was going to suggest @restorer-john , but then I read the question again...
Mine got me through grad school, but I don't miss it.
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RME ADI-2 DAC?
This probably says more about the repair industry in the US. We buy similar German dishwashers, washing machines etc, and indeed they sometimes break down. However, all it takes is a phonecall to a specialized repair service who will have repair manuals for all major brands. Nobody will say that these appliances cannot normally be fixed for a reasonable sum and with these brands parts supply is not a problem. In our experience such appliances by the likes of Miele, Bosch or Siemens can be maintained economically for at least 15 years, and often more. Mind you, these service guys are really good engineers, and such companies thrive on their ability to repair appliances. It is a bit similar to care dealerships. After a few years, I don't go to the dealership anymore, but to my local repair workshop who service every brand. The mechanics there are far better, because the good ones enjoy the variety and challenge. So they quite like working on my 1998 Peugeot 406.
In audio the situation has changed a bit, of course, because technology moves at a quite rapid pace, and because manufacturing technology has moved away from discrete components.
MRC01
Major Contributor
I had a similar experience with our German clothes washer. It stopped working and showed an error code. With some googling I was able to get repair info and troubleshoot it to the board level. But Bosch refuses to sell parts directly to consumers, they want you to pay a factory authorized repairman hundreds of dollars and possibly multiple visits. I found a revised OEM board on eBay and installed it. That board was expensive at $300 but that is only about 20% of the price of the machine! That was 10 years ago and it's still going.
I was luckier than you with my old plasma screen. One day I turned it on and all I got was a blinking LED above the power switch. Turns out it was blinking a code. With that, and a repair manual I found online, and a multimeter, I was able to troubleshoot it down to the board. Problem was, the replacement board cost $600 from the factory! On eBay I found a company that buys plasmas that are dropped in the warehouse, screen glass cracked, and they part out the internals. I bought that same board (new) from them for $150. Then I sent the failed one back to Panasonic and got the $200 core fee. So I fixed the screen and pocketed $50. That was 13 years ago and the screen is still working.
Same thing with my Adcom 5800 power amp. Every 8 years or so the power switch fails in the ON position. I can buy the switch part online for $25 and install it myself. I bought that amp 28 years ago and it's still going and performing like new. But it's on its 4th switch (3 replacements).
Of course I do this with cars too. Buy once, keep it for decades, maintain it myself. This means I avoid fancy expensive cars and stick with simple ones that are more user-friendly to maintain and repair. I've seen some crazy stuff with fancy expensive cars, like brake pads that are misaligned to rotors by design, creating uneven rotor wear that forces you to replace the rotors with the pads. This turns what should be a simple $50 pad swap into a rotor swap costing 10x more! Not to mention the hassle and waste that creates.
Anyway, the point of this long story is that sometimes you can fix things, and sometimes you can't. I definitely prefer things I can take apart and fix. I consider this when buying and am willing to pay extra for that kind of durability and quality. Ironically, it occasionally means paying less, because the expensive stuff is sometimes designed not to be user repairable.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #30
I considered the RME ADI2 DAC but I need a set of balanced inputs for my phono preamp. I’d love a SOTA measuring single box solution.
I have yet to find one with everything I want: balanced inputs, balanced and SE outputs, a DAC and a headphone amp preferably with balanced output.
Martin
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Adi-2 Pro FS?
MRC01
Major Contributor
The Oppo HA-1 has all that and more. It also measured well (not SOTA, but respectable) when Amir tested mine a year or two ago. The only problem is that it runs very warm to hot and consequently its volume knob is prone to failure. They are kind of pricey though. Mine (in mint condition, no volume knob problems) sold for about $750 on eBay.
Funny thing is, related to this thread, the reason I sold it is because knowing about the failures others were reporting with it, I figured it was a ticking time bomb, only a matter of time before mine failed on me. And it would be very hard to fix. So I sold it while it was still mint.
But then I've also read (here and elsewhere) about people having problems with the RME units. I suppose some reliability issues are inescapable.
This is pretty much my exact wish-list.
Whoever came up with the idea of using OLED should be fired.
If you use your gear for more than 4-6 hours everyday they will definitely burn in. And most people forget to turn things off (specially with Class D amps).
If you use your gear for more than 4-6 hours everyday they will definitely burn in. And most people forget to turn things off (specially with Class D amps).
I've had some issues with topping but they've all been design decisions, for example the oled screen, and for me in particular not being able to go directly to a source on my d90 meant I needed an actual digital preamp.
But the quality itself has been fine with no issues.
it seems unfair to lump all chifi stuff together as bad, when I've had WAY more problems with Schiit, who mostly makes their stuff in the USA. Their quality control is notably bad. The headphone amp I bought from them, I literally had to remove the volume knob and put some grease on it because it was so scratchy against the metal case that it left marks. My Freya+ arrived, after months of added delays, inoperable. Tube mode didn't work whatsoever. The unit Amir receiverd for testing had a massive channel imbalance. No explanation was given and the only solution was a full replacement.
those are actual QC issues, which speak volumes (or in the case of my Freya+, completely mute) about the company ethos.
Every company designs to a price.
But the quality itself has been fine with no issues.
it seems unfair to lump all chifi stuff together as bad, when I've had WAY more problems with Schiit, who mostly makes their stuff in the USA. Their quality control is notably bad. The headphone amp I bought from them, I literally had to remove the volume knob and put some grease on it because it was so scratchy against the metal case that it left marks. My Freya+ arrived, after months of added delays, inoperable. Tube mode didn't work whatsoever. The unit Amir receiverd for testing had a massive channel imbalance. No explanation was given and the only solution was a full replacement.
those are actual QC issues, which speak volumes (or in the case of my Freya+, completely mute) about the company ethos.
Every company designs to a price.
I already posted this in another thread, but now that @amirm mentioned his problems with German laundry equipment, you might again be interested in my recent experience .
On Longevity and Technology
Since 43 years, we've been buying Miele washing machines and tumble dryers because of their reputation for longevity and repairability, and indeed, until now all our laundry equipments have given us about 20 years of service, with some minor repairs such as replacing belts and brushes. When our 17-year old washing machine made an awful noise a couple of weeks ago, with the drum being clearly off-centre, we called the Miele service and they promised to send over a technician (who could, as they said, quite probably repair it or advise us on, and take the order for, a replacement if it turned out to be unrepairable -- it all sounded great and very professional). It meant 5 days without a washing machine, which is uncomfortable with two young-adult daughters still at home, but manageable, so we waited. The technician took a single look at the machine, declared that repairing it would cost more than €1000 (that’s more than we paid for the machine), and that it would take 2 weeks. He said that he had no idea about a replacement and hence, he couldn't order it for us, and that we should visit a dealer (in these COVID times) to see if they had a suitable machine. That was €75 down the drain.
It turns out that the fashion in washing machines has changed, and what used to be popular 20 years ago (integrating the machines under the laundry or kitchen cupboards) is now so "passé" that there are hardly any machines left with removable tops so they can be integrated. The only Miele washing machine with a removable top costs more than €1600 (OK, it's got WiFi) and is only available on special order (cue at least two weeks of launderette duty, but as we live in the sticks, the closest launderette is a 30 minute drive. Sweet.) Fortunately, the web site of the electronics and electric goods store (interestingly called "HiFi International") in our local shopping centre / mall informs me that they have a Bosch machine in stock, with a removable cover, delivered and installed for only €699. So we now have a Bosch machine. Even if it doesn't last 17 years, I'll have no regrets.
But here's the rub -- our 20+ years old Miele tumble dryer has started to make interesting noises, so we might have to replace it too. The only "evacuation" type dryer I can find is from Miele but, interestingly, it doesn't seem to have a removable top. The companion "heat pump condensation" dryer to our new Bosch also doesn't have a removable top and hence doesn't fit in the space next to its sibling. So now I have to start thinking about redoing the laundry room, which would mean throwing out a set of perfectly functional cupboards.
I hope those "interesting noises" go on for a very, very long time.
.On Longevity and Technology
Since 43 years, we've been buying Miele washing machines and tumble dryers because of their reputation for longevity and repairability, and indeed, until now all our laundry equipments have given us about 20 years of service, with some minor repairs such as replacing belts and brushes. When our 17-year old washing machine made an awful noise a couple of weeks ago, with the drum being clearly off-centre, we called the Miele service and they promised to send over a technician (who could, as they said, quite probably repair it or advise us on, and take the order for, a replacement if it turned out to be unrepairable -- it all sounded great and very professional). It meant 5 days without a washing machine, which is uncomfortable with two young-adult daughters still at home, but manageable, so we waited. The technician took a single look at the machine, declared that repairing it would cost more than €1000 (that’s more than we paid for the machine), and that it would take 2 weeks. He said that he had no idea about a replacement and hence, he couldn't order it for us, and that we should visit a dealer (in these COVID times) to see if they had a suitable machine. That was €75 down the drain.
It turns out that the fashion in washing machines has changed, and what used to be popular 20 years ago (integrating the machines under the laundry or kitchen cupboards) is now so "passé" that there are hardly any machines left with removable tops so they can be integrated. The only Miele washing machine with a removable top costs more than €1600 (OK, it's got WiFi) and is only available on special order (cue at least two weeks of launderette duty, but as we live in the sticks, the closest launderette is a 30 minute drive. Sweet.) Fortunately, the web site of the electronics and electric goods store (interestingly called "HiFi International") in our local shopping centre / mall informs me that they have a Bosch machine in stock, with a removable cover, delivered and installed for only €699. So we now have a Bosch machine. Even if it doesn't last 17 years, I'll have no regrets.
But here's the rub -- our 20+ years old Miele tumble dryer has started to make interesting noises, so we might have to replace it too. The only "evacuation" type dryer I can find is from Miele but, interestingly, it doesn't seem to have a removable top. The companion "heat pump condensation" dryer to our new Bosch also doesn't have a removable top and hence doesn't fit in the space next to its sibling. So now I have to start thinking about redoing the laundry room, which would mean throwing out a set of perfectly functional cupboards.
I hope those "interesting noises" go on for a very, very long time.
witchdoctor
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To do that would increase the cost of their product.
United Radio is an approved repair facilty for many brands, they might be able to fix a product they don't rep for a fee:
https://www.unitedradio.com/consumer-electronics/products-serviced/home-audiovideo/
MRC01
Major Contributor
Our Amana refrigerator stopped working a while back when it was about 15 years old. My wife wanted to replace it. It looks great and is super clean inside & out so I didn't want to do that. Especially since good new refrigerators cost a couple grand and are loaded with electronic crap that I don't want or need (I really do not want my fridge, nor my thermostat, door locks, or anything else to be connected to the internet). Troubleshooting revealed that the power supply rattled when I tapped it, so I opened it up and found that a relay inside had shattered. I figured, what's the worst that could happen, a new relay might shatter again and I'm out a $40 part. So I replaced the relay. That was 10 years ago and it's still running fine.
Same with the oven, it stopped working on Thanksgiving a few years ago. Turns out the thermostat controlled the heating element through old-fashioned contact points like cars used to have for their ignition. And like car ignitions, the points had become pitted over time. I removed the points, filed them clean and flat and reinstalled them. That was about 6 years ago.
I dread replacing these things, since the replacements will almost certainly not be user fixable or maintainable like the ones I have now!
Same with the oven, it stopped working on Thanksgiving a few years ago. Turns out the thermostat controlled the heating element through old-fashioned contact points like cars used to have for their ignition. And like car ignitions, the points had become pitted over time. I removed the points, filed them clean and flat and reinstalled them. That was about 6 years ago.
I dread replacing these things, since the replacements will almost certainly not be user fixable or maintainable like the ones I have now!
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