[soozieq]

[size=medium]This thread is for posting any defects with the Phonak Audeo (PFE)[/size]


[size=small]UPDATE 9th MAY[/size]



When this thread was started, it was assumed that the cracking issue affected only the black pairs. However, this seemed to be because the majority of owners bought the black PFE. Owners of white pairs have now begun to report cracking, so it's possible the proportion of defects is the same between both colours.

As I've only listed initial problems, will any members with updates on the action they took, ie; replacement/refund etc, please post them and I’ll update so there’s an ongoing record of current information. If any of the details below are incorrect, please tell me and I’ll rectify them.

Feel free to post pics of the cracks too, so that other owners can see what to look out for.



********************************[size=medium][size=xx-small]
[/size][/size]

1. [size=xx-small]Most of the defective units and defective replacement units have come from batch dates: 16-09-2008, 16-10-2008/2008-10-16, 2008-11-17/17-11-2008 [/size][size=xx-small]and 02-12-2008.[/size]

1. [size=xx-small] If anyone has any problems getting a refund or a replacement, please read this post from Bill. He also suggests people contact him via PM with any questions.[/size]

1. [size=xx-small] Could owners please remember to state (wherever possible), the batch date and the colour of their replacements?
   [/size]

Thanks

[size=small]*** Here is an[/size] [size=large]Update from wbrownie 12th May[/size]


********************************

[size=medium]Red numbers added 28th October[/size]:


[size=medium]
[/size] [size=small][size=medium]9th November: Extra extra, read all about it[/size]

[/size]
[size=x-small]
[/size][size=x-small] PFE Version 2 due out this month with improved materials
to resolve previous cracking earpiece and cable issues[/size].



1. soozieq: Black PFE, volume became unbalanced to the left - action, replacement.

2. DeusInvictus7: WHITE PFE, crack in right cable - action, refund.

3. GreatDane: Black PFE, 2 cracks left side, long single crack on right > Photo 1 2 3 - action, replacement.

4. ihatepopupads: 1st pair, black PFE, left channel went out - action, replacement.

5. ihatepopupads: 2nd pair – black PFE, crack in left earpiece - action, replacement.

6. ihatepopupads: 3rd pair – black PFE, cable cracked - action, refund. Photos here - http://www.head-fi.org/forums/5993029-post308.html

7. vulc4n: 1st pair, black PFE, crack in left earpiece - action, replacement.

8. vulc4n: 2nd pair, black PFE, crack in right earpiece where the wire enters the housing - action, ??.

9. centerfold: Black PFE 112, crack in left earpiece > Photo - action, replacement.

10. nobm321: crack in right earpiece

11. ethan961: Black PFE, crack in left earpiece - action, refund

12. mierenneuker: 1st pair, black PFE, crack in left earpiece > Photo - action, refund request

13. mierenneuker: 2nd pair, black PFE, large hairline crack in right earpiece and small crack in left.

14. ulyses: Black PFE, crack in left earpiece - action, replacement.

15. fedorov: crack in left earpiece - action, replacement.

16. Merlin-PT: 1st pair, black PFE 112, cracks in left earpiece, big crack in right earpiece - action, replacement. Batch date: 2008-10-16.

17. Merlin-PT: 2nd pair, black PFE 112, marks on earpieces. Replacement sent in the old packaging so batch date is not known.

18. faranka: Black PFE, crack in left earpiece - action, replacement.

19. bina: Black PFE, crack in left earpiece > Photo 1 2 - Replacement 22nd April from OLD stock.

20. pi3guy: 1st pair, black PFE 112, crack in left earpiece - action, replacement.

21. pi3guy: 2nd pair, WHITE PFE 112, crack in left earpiece - > Photo - action, refund requested. Batch date: 16-09-2008.

22. HiFlight: Driver DOA - action, replacement.

23. jleewach: 1st pair, black PFE, driver DOA -action, returned and bought again.

24. jleewach: 2nd pair, white PFE, cable damage - action, replacement

25. jleewach: 3rd pair, black PFE, cracks in right earpiece - action, replacement

26. punnisher: 1st pair, black PFE, right earphone DOA - action, replacement

27. punnisher: 2nd pair, black PFE, crack developing near nozzle in left earpiece.

28. kevvyboy: Black PFE with mic, 3 weeks old. crack > chip in left earpiece, action, replacement.

29. b_jay_k: Black PFE 112, crack in left side > hole - action, not known yet

30. hsiu: 1st pair, black PFE, right channel dead after sixteen days - action, replacement.

31. hsiu: 2nd pair, crack in left earpiece.

32. imackler: Left channel cutting out and hissing. Returned.

33. doubts even here: Black PFE 112, 2 cracks in left earpiece, cable stiffening - action, replacement.

34. Bullseye: Black PFE 112, small crack started in left earpiece, 14th April. Batch date: 2008-10-16.

35. miprasetya: Black PFE 112, crack in left earpiece > Photo 1 2

36. buggalugs: Black PFE 112, small crack growing in left earpiece

37. gadgetman: Black PFE 112, small hairline cracks in both earpieces > Photo 1 2

38. polecat89: Black PFE 112, crack in left earpiece > Photo - action, replacement. Batch date: 12-02-2008

39. confispect: 1st pair, white PFE, cable problems - action, replacement.

40. confispect: 2nd pair, black PFE, cracks in left earpiece - action, replacement.

41. Ctrl Alt: Black PFE 112, crack in right earpiece > Photo - action, replacement - white pair.

42. bakhtiar: Black PFE 112, thin hairline cracks on left earpiece, and visible crack on the leg/stem of the right earpiece. Batch date: 2008-11-17

43. necropimp: Black PFE 112, crack in earpiece > Photo - Batch date: 2008-11-17

44. active: Black PFE 112, used for 7 hours - 2 cracked chips in left earpiece, cracked chip in right earpiece > Photo 1 2 3 - action, refund.

45. polska9: 1st pair, crack in earpiece - action, replacement. Batch date: 17-11-2008
Replacement pair - Batch date: 02-12-2008

46. ignorant: WHITE PFE, crack in left earpiece. Batch date: 2008-09-16.

47. DeTrun: WHITE PFE, 2 hairline cracks in left earpiece, cable stiffening > Photo 1 2 - Batch date: 2008-10-17

48. DeTrun: 2nd pair, WHITE PFE, stiff cables and 1 small hairline crack. Batch date 2008-02-12, action, refund.

49. charlie0904: Black PFE 112, dent in left earpiece near the nozzle. Batch date: 2008-11-17

50. newfier raj: Black PFE 112, crack in left earpiece. Batch date: 2008-11-17

51. pianoplayer88key: Black PFE 112, cracked cable insulation > Photo - Batch date: 2008-12-02

52. yeahx: Black PFE 112, slight crack in left earpiece - Batch date: 2008-09-16.

53. shubhangam: slight crack in left earpiece

52. Bolt91506: Black PFE 112, crack/hole in left earpiece, small crack in right earpiece. Batch date: 2008-12-02

54. steviebee: Black PFE 112, crack on right earpiece, half a cm or so below the cable entry. Batch date: 2008-12-02

55. Yamas: 1st pair - Crack in right earpiece - action, replacement. Batch 2008-10-16

[size=xx-small]56. [/size][size=xx-small]Yamas: [/size][size=x-small]2nd pair[/size][size=xx-small]- [/size]Crack in left earpiece

57. ibis99: Left earpiece DOA - action, replacement

58. aTOOL: Black PFE 112, Purchased March '09 - Usual cracks.... plus cable cracking near joint to the connector > Photo 1 2 3 action, replacement

59. FLACvest: Cables hardening plus tear in the insulation/covering - action, replacement

60. karenistheone: Cracked cable - action?

61. schneller: Partially frayed cable about an inch or so from the right earpiece, exposing the wires beneath - action, not decided

62. Resonance: Earpieces shattered!

63. Davx: Black PFE 112, right channel DOA.

64. doubts even here: Outer cable broken and exposing the bare cables.

65. bullseye: Cable close to the 3.5mm jack seems loose inside or malfunctioning. Intermittent response from the left earpiece when the cable moves.

66. bungle9: Similar problem to this. Photo - action, replacement

67. Dhraakellian: Black PFE 112, cracks on the vertical sections of both the left and right phones. Batch date, 2008-12-02.

68. ah long: WHITE PFE, crack in left earpiece. Purchased Feb '09.

69. b j kay: 2nd pair, BLACK PFE, crack in earpiece, action, replacement

70. rockphantom: Black PFE 112, crack in left cable, action, replacement coming from Version 2

71. darkswordsman17: PFE, crack in left earpiece, action, in the process of contacting Phonak.

 

[GreatDane]

I'd like to re-post this pic that shows a crack which happened on both L & R. I don't recall seeing this problem reported. Mine also have the common crack on the L as listed.

Just yesterday I received my replacement pair thanks to Bill (wbrownie). He addressed my problem quickly after having no luck with my original vendor.

 

[soozieq]

Hi GreatDane, does this mean you have 2 cracks on the left hand side??? The regular one with an extra crack, and also the one on the right, making 3 cracks in total?

 

[Punnisher]

I'm listening to my PFE right now and enjoying rediscovering some of my music again.

I emailed orders@audeo-online.com and stated that my earphone was DOA. The next day they emailed me back and said they had sent me a brand new pair along with a pre-paid Fedex Express mailer. After I got my new PFE, I put the old pair into a Fedex Dropbox in my town. Easy!

 

[ethan961]

My problem was the typical chip-crack in the left phone, solved with a refund.

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soozieq /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi GreatDane, does this mean you have 2 cracks on the left hand side??? The regular one with an extra crack, and also the one on the right, making 3 cracks in total?

Yes, 2 cracks on the left side and the single long crack on the right as shown below which is very similar in position and length as the long crack on the left side.

right:

This is the common crack on the left:

 

[abitdeef]

^ That bottom pic of great Danes was exactly where my second pair cracked. The left one, but I'm too poor to have a camera

Thats a HUGE crack on the right one!

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ihatepopupads /img/forum/go_quote.gif ^ That bottom pic of great Danes was exactly where my second pair cracked. The left one, but I'm too poor to have a camera Thats a HUGE crack on the right one!

So you've had 2 pairs fail? Not good.

When I first realized that my left side had the small crack I didn't see that very visible long crack so I don't believe it existed at that point. Since discovering that small crack I didn't use my PFE much because I feared that a small piece of plastic would fall off into my ear...maybe too paranoid.

I can't understand how those long cracks could have formed since they saw little use(maybe twice) while waiting 4 weeks for a replacement from the original Phonak dealer...which never happened, but I don't want to go there.

I always stored my PFE in the case. I used normal pressure to get a good seal which isn't much force.

I really like the SQ from these IEMs but if my second pair fails I don't know if I'd want to go for a third...but considering the piss poor CS that I've received from the unnamed vendor, I doubt that I'd have much luck getting a refund from them. I regret not dealing with Audeo World in the first place for purchase. I plan to baby my new pair which isn't far from my norm anyway...fingers crossed.

[rant over]

 

[ethan961]

On the left side that bottom pic crack actually formed into a chip for me. I would post pics if i still had them.

 

[abitdeef]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatDane /img/forum/go_quote.gif So you've had 2 pairs fail? Not good. When I first realized that my left side had the small crack I didn't see that very visible long crack so I don't believe it existed at that point. Since discovering that small crack I didn't use my PFE much because I feared that a small piece of plastic would fall off into my ear...maybe too paranoid. I can't understand how those long cracks could have formed since they saw little use(maybe twice) while waiting 4 weeks for a replacement from the original Phonak dealer...which never happened, but I don't want to go there. I always stored my PFE in the case. I used normal pressure to get a good seal which isn't much force. I really like the SQ from these IEMs but if my second pair fails I don't know if I'd want to go for a third...but considering the piss poor CS that I've received from the unnamed vendor, I doubt that I'd have much luck getting a refund from them. I regret not dealing with Audeo World in the first place for purchase. I plan to baby my new pair which isn't far from my norm anyway...fingers crossed. [rant over]

And I might get another pair! Because I'm having fit issues with westone 3 and want a clearer sound than ie8. I will say the replacement service I received was excellent, one day turn around time on their dime.

 

[abitdeef]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ihatepopupads /img/forum/go_quote.gif And I might get another pair! Because I'm having fit issues with westone 3 and want a clearer sound than ie8. I will say the replacement service I received was excellent, one day turn around time on there dime.

The defective plastic sounds like a bad batch of pellets, or cured wrong. With such small parts the defective numbers could be quite high.

White doesn't seem to have this problem.

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ihatepopupads /img/forum/go_quote.gif White doesn't seem to have this problem.

Get yourself a white pair then... and then paint them black

GreatDane - You have an enormous crack!!

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soozieq /img/forum/go_quote.gif Get yourself a white pair then... and then paint them black GreatDane - You have an enormous crack!!

Good point about the white, if I did end up with a third pair it might be white. I hope we can get some feedback from Phonak about this...hopefully good news about this problem being resolved for all units currently being shipped.

...I can't begin to comment on my big crack.

lol

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatDane /img/forum/go_quote.gif Good point about the white, if I did end up with a third pair it might be white. I hope we can get some feedback from Phonak about this ...hopefully good news about this problem being resolved for all units currently being shipped.

I think it's in their best interests to address it before it goes much further. There are many many happy Phonak owners out there, that much is obvious, but with defective pairs still being shipped out, it won't be long before people start becoming wary of buying them. In fact, I saw someone earlier today who wasn't sure whether to buy a pair because of the QC issues.

I know Phonak will replace them fast, which is great CS - but potential buyers will probably want to know if the problem has been fixed, and not have to worry that they may end up with a defective pair too.

The only way to keep track perhaps, is to see if there are any double failures. ihatepopupads seems like the only one so far, but that's because he likes to be different

Quote:

...I can't begin to comment on my big crack.

It needs no comment. It's out there in the big wide open for all of us to see

 

[ignorant]

!!!Potential buyer!!! I was on the audeo site 5 mins ago ready to purchase a pair of pfe's but I wanted to check if the black pfe's still had the crack problem. This thread is still pretty recent so I guess I'll just settle for white, which is a huge disappointment because the black ones look waaaay nicer, and i doubt you could see scrapes/dirt/normal wear and tear as easily (yay for low maintenance!) From what I've heard there aren't as many owners with the white pairs so there might have been little to no reportings of any defects, but I'm under the impression that the CS is forgiving and responsive so I'm willing to take my chances with the white pairs. It would help if the colors were listed along with the defects though, just to see if it's a defect solely concerning the black models.