Warning About Topping Products and the Seller HiFiGo

[Stevedread]

I purchased this DAC from HiFiGO on Amazon on January of 2022.

I must admit I am impressed with the design of this product. It looks very nice.

I have been enjoying it since January until. Then a few weeks ago, while switching cables it stopped working. As soon as it happened I stopped and studied what I just did to see how I could have damaged it.

I know it was not any type of discharge because I did not see/hear/feel anything. Also I do not have ESD issues.

The only conclusion is that something may have been shorted out as I disconnected/connected cables and if true then it is not a very good design.

So, the display works as expected but there is no sound output. I contacted Topping who told me it was defective and still under warranty, and they asked me to contact my seller for the after-sales service. So, I contacted HiFiGo and they want me to send this defective unit back to China at my own expense.

I suspect it will not be cheap to send back from Canada and do not feel I should have to pay. And, if it is a poor design or defective as Topping admitted then do I really want to spend more money on it?

I guess it is a hard lesson learned for me as I am now out about $200.00 cdn.

I thought I would warn people of my experience so that you can decide if you want to take a chance with a Topping product or any product from HiFiGO as it seems neither one are willing to do the right thing.

 

[Doodski]

I know it was not any type of discharge because I did not see/hear/feel anything. Also I do not have ESD issues.

Everybody has ESD issues. It's just the way it is. Can't get rid of it, can only discharge it more slowly to prevent damage.

What Topping model did you purchase?

 

[dpturner]

Everybody has ESD issues. It's just the way it is. Can't get rid of it, can only discharge it more slowly to prevent damage.

What Topping model did you purchase?

"this DAC". I was wondering the same thing...

 

[sam_adams]

What's the over/under this is spam/scam?

 

[Shazb0t]

What's the over/under this is spam/scam?

Looking likely.

 

[the_brunx]

I purchased this DAC from HiFiGO on Amazon on January of 2022.

I must admit I am impressed with the design of this product. It looks very nice.

I have been enjoying it since January until. Then a few weeks ago, while switching cables it stopped working. As soon as it happened I stopped and studied what I just did to see how I could have damaged it.

I know it was not any type of discharge because I did not see/hear/feel anything. Also I do not have ESD issues.

The only conclusion is that something may have been shorted out as I disconnected/connected cables and if true then it is not a very good design.

So, the display works as expected but there is no sound output. I contacted Topping who told me it was defective and still under warranty, and they asked me to contact my seller for the after-sales service. So, I contacted HiFiGo and they want me to send this defective unit back to China at my own expense.

I suspect it will not be cheap to send back from Canada and do not feel I should have to pay. And, if it is a poor design or defective as Topping admitted then do I really want to spend more money on it?

I guess it is a hard lesson learned for me as I am now out about $200.00 cdn.

I thought I would warn people of my experience so that you can decide if you want to take a chance with a Topping product or any product from HiFiGO as it seems neither one are willing to do the right thing.

Better buy from Audiophonics in France next time, they have really great service plus eu has tight laws to protect consumers

 

[RandomEar]

...
So, I contacted HiFiGo and they want me to send this defective unit back to China at my own expense.

I suspect it will not be cheap to send back from Canada and do not feel I should have to pay. And, if it is a poor design or defective as Topping admitted then do I really want to spend more money on it?

I guess it is a hard lesson learned for me as I am now out about $200.00 cdn.

I thought I would warn people of my experience so that you can decide if you want to take a chance with a Topping product or any product from HiFiGO as it seems neither one are willing to do the right thing.

I'm sorry about the problems with your DAC (which one, by the way?) and I hope you can get it fixed. But I have to say: The warranty terms are clearly stated on the HiFiGo website. If you buy there, you agree to those terms. They're not as favorable as those of most local resellers in western countries. I guess that's what you sacrifice in exchange for the lower prices.

But to stress this again: You're complaining about something you have explicitly agreed to when buying the device in January. I don't think that's fair to do at all.

 

[TK750]

I'm sorry about the problems with your DAC (which one, by the way?) and I hope you can get it fixed. But I have to say: The warranty terms are clearly stated on the HiFiGo website. If you buy there, you agree to those terms. They're not as favorable as those of most local resellers in western countries. I guess that's what you sacrifice in exchange for the lower prices.

But to stress this again: You're complaining about something you have explicitly agreed to when buying the device in January. I don't think that's fair to do at all.

Couldn't agree more with this, I have found hifigo to be excellent personally. As you said, having to send something back to China if it goes wrong is the trade you make for prices that are often a good chunk cheaper than western retailers.

 

[AudioArchitech]

I would not buy from HifiGo again as well. I purchased a defective Topping PA5 amplifier from them and after repeatedly asking me to test cables and connections.. they finally agreed to warranty. They asked me to declare $50 value !?!

Return instructions they sent me:

" 1. Return to our China warehouse with freight prepaid.

2. Pls tell us the tracking number when it is shipped.(You can choose the economy post service as it will be cheaper than express shipping. )

3. Pls declare it USD50 and write the name “Amplifier”, don’t need to mention the brand and product name.

4. We will send it to the brand to test and repair it.

Your understanding and waiting is highly appreciated. "


There are people claiming that they have had their PA5 replaced numerous times and they were defective as well. Because I was having issues dealing with HifiGo I emailed Topping. They replied that I had to deal with Hifigo for refund or warranty issues. I then asked them if they had resolved the PA5 issues and if I could expect a properly working and reliable unit, that I was affraid of having to ship back and forth to China.... They did not reply. You could see where this could go. Already months and months of issues, high shipping costs to return, potentially stuck in this bad experience for many more months, potentially the whole 2 year warranty period? After countless emails, I finally used Paypal Resolution Center to deal with it. HifiGo will now be issuing a refund once they have received the PA5. They're still wanting me to pay shipping from Canada to China, cheapest I could find (Tracking and Insured) eta 3 week shipping $85 Canada Post !?!

I tried to leave a 1 star review on HifiGo and it was never published. HifiGo only has the same 5 positive reviews for Topping PA5. This is dishonest and deceitful. I wonder how many other bad reviews haven't been published?

If you feel that you have to buy from Hifigo, use Paypal !

 

[AudioArchitech]

Also, it was the same price on Amazon

 

[ta240]

If you want low, direct from China pricing then you may also get low direct to China warranty service.
Imagine the cost savings companies can get by not needing to have a repair network in multiple countries.

Reviews on a lot of company sites can't be trusted; especially if every review they have is glowing. I've had a few 'it was great, except for...' reviews that never ended up on their site.

 

[AudioArchitech]

No savings, it was the same price. Actually, the shipping was more and also had extra Paypal fees, it actually cost me more to buy from HifiGo than it would have from Amazon. Once I realized how long it could take, I paid extra for Express Shipping (3-7 days) and it took 3 weeks.

And no hassles with warranty, return shipping... if I would have gone with Amazon. Hifigo took forever, they were a pain to deal with. High shipping costs.

 

[threni]

Well, the warranty is one thing. But what about Canada's consumer protection laws? You bought it less than 6 months ago; it's down to you to pay for postage? Warranties cannot remove your statutory rights; they can only augment them.

 

[AudioArchitech]

Good to know, will look into that. I'm still dealing with Paypal Resolution Center, asking HifiGo to provide a return shipping label.

 

[Stevedread]

Some excellent comments here, thank you. Just to cover a few, good point, you can have an ESD event without even knowing it. However, I have never damaged any of my other equipment in that room so if it was ESD then the Topping D10 Balanced (sorry I did not mention the model before) is too sensitive.

Anyway, I think I have a resolution. I chatted with Amazon and they are going to contact the seller on my behalf and arrange a replacement. Amazon told me I will hear back from the seller (HiFiGo) within 48 hours to arrange shipping a replacement and to return my defective one. Once I ship my defective one then I email Amazon with my shipping cost receipt and they will re-reimburse me. So I will post my results once it actually happens.

So that is another option for everyone to consider if they need to return anything that was bought on Amazon.

AudioArchiTech, if Paypal isn't working maybe contacting Amazon will be less hassle for you?

Oh, and about them not posting your one star, Banggood.com is the same and I discovered how to get around that. Simply give it a five star and then type in your complaint. It seems they only decide by the number of stars, probably due to not knowing English very well.

 

[soyabeaner]

The Topping D10 Balanced problem you described looks like this: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...10-balanced-review-usb-dac.25094/post-1049869

 

[AudioArchitech]

I just shipped the Topping PA5 back to HifiGo (for Paypal refund) and shipping was really expensive from Canada to China. The amp is so small and light, 4 lbs. total with packaging and the cheapest I could find was via Canada Post $130 14 days with Tracking and Insured. Well there was was one other cheaper option but that was $80 and would take 3 months. Over companies like Purolator and Fedex were quoting around $350 !?! To put things in perspective, when I ordered the amp from HifiGo I paid $25 extra for "Express 3-7 day Shipping" which ended up taking 3 weeks.

 

[anmpr1]

If you want low, direct from China pricing then you may also get low direct to China warranty service.

If I was the Consumer King (LOL) the first edict I'd issue would be to slap a huge import duty on any company that did not have a local service center, or otherwise offer speedy and hassle-free refunds, should the product go south within its warranty period. The duty fee would be held in escrow, and paid out in lieu of consumers having to deal with sending a faulty product back to an overseas factory, plus the time it takes for a replacement and/or refund to happen.

When your Topping (or other offshore brand) now costs as much as a Benchmark (or some other 'comparable' locally produced item) then purchasing decisions can be made on the basis of the true cost of manufacture, distribution, and support, vis a vis what is required to do business locally.

ASR reviews don't really get in to that part of the consumer debate, as far as I can tell. Maybe I have it wrong. But to me, hawking a 'cheap' product that does not provide local support, even if it performs excellently, is not doing the consumer any big favor. Of course it is not ASR's job to run down warranty issues, or to otherwise propose legislation. I understand that. For this sort of thing, each consumer has to ask themselves the Harry Callahan question before they send in their order.

 

[pma]

Everybody has ESD issues. It's just the way it is. Can't get rid of it, can only discharge it more slowly to prevent damage.

What Topping model did you purchase?

Sorry, why do you defend it? ESD issue is a design issue, they have not used ESD protection components.

 

[Steve Rogers]

Better buy from Audiophonics in France next time, they have really great service plus eu has tight laws to protect consumers

The poster is in Canada, if he bought from audiophonics he would also have to pay a ton for shipping. If you buy international you pay less than local but when things go wrong it costs. Everyone has to make there choices and live with them.