SMSL SU9-n issue

[Lexxz]

his is interesting since most places usually don't apply duties when the return is for warranty purposes.

I've received my unit back and it seems to be working great. It took over a month to send and receive it, here is the timeline:
On August 1st I sent Unjt by Hungarian Post to China.
Delivered to HiFiGo warehouse on August 20
On September 6, the Unit was returned to the warehouse after repairs
On September 13 I received a repaired parcel
Delivery to China from Hungary with tracking costs $40.
Import duties and taxes were paid by HiFiGo.
I only paid for shipping to China.
I am very pleased with the warranty service provided by HiFiGo!. My Unit is in brand new condition.

 

[vrobec]

I've received my unit back and it seems to be working great. It took over a month to send and receive it, here is the timeline:
On August 1st I sent Unjt by Hungarian Post to China.
Delivered to HiFiGo warehouse on August 20
On September 6, the Unit was returned to the warehouse after repairs
On September 13 I received a repaired parcel
Delivery to China from Hungary with tracking costs $40.
Import duties and taxes were paid by HiFiGo.
I only paid for shipping to China.
I am very pleased with the warranty service provided by HiFiGo!. My Unit is in brand new condition.

I had the similar situation. Hifigo is very helpful. They have my recommendation as a reliable store, with very good customer care.

 

[Lexxz]

They really help their clients overcome their problems.

 

[manjula jay]

Hi, I also have the same DAC but i got some disconnection in digital coaxial input. happened a few times and now no longer working. checked with a different source also still not working and say "No Signal". but my USB in is working. any idea what could be the problem is? this cant be the same chip that you mentioned because your coaxial is working without this IC. appreciate your help!

 

[ScottieB]

I just did this repair for myself (after sitting on the chip for months while I learned how to actually solder something so tiny lol. The chip was so much smaller in person than I expected! I ended up using a hot air station and solder paste if anyone's curious. Took me a few attempts - you need such a small amount of paste; a stencil would have helped but I didn't want to spend for 1 job) and it seems to be working so far! I've only had 1 long listening session but everything worked and no static.

@manjula jay I also wanted to clarify that I had this problem with ALL of my audio inputs, not just USB. Well, I didn't test bluetooth, but Coax, Optical and USB all had the same static problem and all seem to be fixed now after the replacement. Just wanted to add that because I remember the original post I read from @horias2000 said it was only on the USB input.

 

[horias2000]

Hi, I also have the same DAC but i got some disconnection in digital coaxial input. happened a few times and now no longer working. checked with a different source also still not working and say "No Signal". but my USB in is working. any idea what could be the problem is? this cant be the same chip that you mentioned because your coaxial is working without this IC. appreciate your help!

This seems like a different problem than the clock chip. If USB is working than it must be something on the COAX/OPTICAL circuitry. Did you try the OPTICAL input? Also make sure you are using a good cable as for COAX and OPTICAL you can have these issues due to a poor cable. The IC I mention in this post is the one generating the master clock that is used bu the ES9038PRO DAC chip. If your device works with USB input, then it must be something else. Do check the cables!

 

[horias2000]

I had the similar situation. Hifigo is very helpful. They have my recommendation as a reliable store, with very good customer care.

Good to know that HiFiGo are a good store. I will keep in mind for my next purchases.

 

[ScottieB]

Oh also big thanks to @horias2000 for figuring all this out and sharing with us. And now I have a new skill!

 

[ScottieB]

Hi again. Back with a new (smaller - I hope - issue).

I left the DAC on all night to make sure the static is gone, and it is!!

But I seem to have a new problem with my remote. When I first put everything back together after the repair everything worked great including the remote. But now, after 24 hours of the unit running, the remote no longer seems to work. I changed the batteries, and I can see the remote giving off a signal if I point it at my camera, so I assume the problem is on the receiver end. Additionally, the button/volume knob on the front of the unit does not seem to register long presses anymore, so I can't back out of the menu or even turn the unit off without unplugging it.

I'm thinking maybe I damaged the ribbon cable? Or didn't plug it back in properly? Any thoughts?

One last thing, I couldn't figure out where to reattach the bluetooth internal antenna. I don't plan to use bluetooth no so major issue here but there is a small cable from the antenna on the back to...?? Not sure where to attach it.
Tagging @horias2000 again in case you can help.

Thanks

 

[horias2000]

Hi again. Back with a new (smaller - I hope - issue).

I left the DAC on all night to make sure the static is gone, and it is!!

But I seem to have a new problem with my remote. When I first put everything back together after the repair everything worked great including the remote. But now, after 24 hours of the unit running, the remote no longer seems to work. I changed the batteries, and I can see the remote giving off a signal if I point it at my camera, so I assume the problem is on the receiver end. Additionally, the button on the unit does not seem to register long presses anymore, so I can't back out of the menu or even turn the unit off without plugging it in.

I'm thinking maybe I damaged the ribbon cable? Or didn't plug it back in properly? Any thoughts?

One last thing, I couldn't figure out where to reattach the bluetooth internal antenna. I don't plan to use bluetooth no so major issue here but there is a small cable from the antenna on the back to...?? Not sure where to attach it.
Tagging @horias2000 again in case you can help.

Thanks

You might have already tried this but it's worth mentioning it....did you try unplugging the device and plugging it back again? It sounds to me like a software/firmware error, considering the button does not work properly either. So try this and if it doesn't work, then yes, open it and see if the ribbon is correctly inserted.

 

[ScottieB]

So I had tried unplugging and plugging back in before - but I did it quickly. This time I left it unplugged overnight and the remote seems to work again. So we will see. It's been an adventure with this DAC! Thanks again for the help.

 

[antcollinet]

They've accepted back the SU-9 for a return (with a restocking fee)

Why are they charging a re-stocking fee for a faulty unit - they can't put that back into stock.

 

[begna112]

I just did this repair for myself (after sitting on the chip for months while I learned how to actually solder something so tiny lol. The chip was so much smaller in person than I expected! I ended up using a hot air station and solder paste if anyone's curious. Took me a few attempts - you need such a small amount of paste; a stencil would have helped but I didn't want to spend for 1 job) and it seems to be working so far! I've only had 1 long listening session but everything worked and no static.

Do you have any advice for videos or other materials to learn how to do the fix? As someone with no soldering experience, I'll need it.

I've had this issue twice now with the su-9n. Once on a fresh purchase in 2022 that I got replaced on warranty (shipping on my dime tho), and now again the replacement unit is having issues. Figure this time I'll just try to fix it myself and hope for the best. Worst case I have a still-broken DAC.

 

[ScottieB]

Do you have any advice for videos or other materials to learn how to do the fix? As someone with no soldering experience, I'll need it.

I've had this issue twice now. Once on a fresh purchase in 2022 that I got replaced on warranty (shipping on my dime tho), and now again the replacement unit is having issues. Figure this time I'll just try to fix it myself and hope for the best. Worst case I have a still-broken DAC.

Sure! I think solder paste and a hot air station are ideal for this and my skill level (which was almost none before this - just some simple grado cable replacements previously). It IS tricky because of just how tiny the pins are, but it is possible. If you want to spend a few extra dollars you can get a stencil (I almost bought this but didn't - I think it would have helped http://www.chipquik.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2220029) which I bet would make it even easier, but the trick it to get just the right amount of solder paste on there - and it's a pretty tiny amount. I had to try it twice. Also, try to find some old circuit boards with small chips to practice on. Remove and replace the tiniest chips on it. I had a Thunderbolt PCIe card for my old PC that had some similar (but not quite as tiny) chips I practiced with.

This cheap solder/hot air station on Amazon did the trick. The soldering iron is worthless, but the hot air station works. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BXB67PWX/

Also grab some solder paste (chip quick who makes the stencil above makes the stuff I used), and some good tweezers. And watch lots of tutorials on youtube for soldering small components by hand. Here is a playlist I made hope you can see it https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcVlN3SqDKxtJKGk0ugbQqcLzX3Ksj7qf Not everything there is amazing but there's good stuff

That worked for me!

oh! - edit to add one more thing - you will want some sort of magnification. I used these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08N4NBJ8X but there are other options like a digital microscope.

Bummer to hear recently shipped units are still having the issue though. Mine still works!

 

[begna112]

Here is a playlist I made hope you can see it https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcVlN3SqDKxtJKGk0ugbQqcLzX3Ksj7qf Not everything there is amazing but there's good stuff

Unfortunately I can't see the playlist.

I have access to a bunch of this equipment at my local Makerspace it seems, so I'll probably see about doing it there.

 

[ScottieB]

Unfortunately I can't see the playlist.

I have access to a bunch of this equipment at my local Makerspace it seems, so I'll probably see about doing it there.

Try the playlist again I had it set to private missed that before sorry

 

[begna112]

Try the playlist again I had it set to private missed that before sorry

Working now, thanks!

 

[begna112]

Just reporting back that I completed this repair (well, someone at the makerspace offered to do it) and the fix appears to have worked. I'll need to spend some time using it to be 100% sure, but it looks like this is a solid fix for the problem! Hopefully SMSL gets a handle on this eventually.

Now just to decide if I want to keep this or the E70 Velvet I bought to fill in for it.