Lawrence's brand new Zero DAC/AMP burned up my Senn's!!
Feb 4, 2009 at 9:23 PM Post #76 of 98
Boy, some people on here really are gluttons for punishment. They just can't get enough of these cheap chinese amps...the price being slightly lower than a reputable product, they'd rather repeatedly spend in increments of $150 rather than pay the hell up for a decent amp.

Keep this thread near the top so that anyone that's enough of a risk-taker/ignoramus to buy a Zero is warned - neither the stock nor the modified ones have a good reputation. It's only a matter of time before they make someone into a crispy critter, melt their ears off, or deafen them. Darkvoice is bad enough with their shoddy power switches, but this sort of stuff is so much worse - the amp that not only doesn't work, but attacks the rest of your gear.

This is why the audio-gd compass was created, and they actually have a solid reputation. If you can't stand to save a little longer to get a reputable product, then don't get into head-fi. Or stick with something fairly foolproof like a CMOY until you have the money for what you really want. While some people with lots of skill like Peete can mod the hell out of Zeros and get good results, they do not represent the average Zero buyer who cannot just poke around inside with a multimeter and swap parts out a la carte.
 
Feb 4, 2009 at 10:25 PM Post #77 of 98
Come on...scooter...your taking this a little far......this was an isolated and very vocal incident...do I think the Zero is a crap shoot ? Yeah...isn't everything at this price point ? Try and name anything in the budget range that isn't made in China......I can't think of anything audio related that isn't.

Peete.
 
Feb 4, 2009 at 11:27 PM Post #78 of 98
After my experience with Chinese CRAP. I say never again!
 
Feb 4, 2009 at 11:35 PM Post #79 of 98
Quote:

Originally Posted by atbglenn /img/forum/go_quote.gif
After my experience with Chinese CRAP. I say never again!


Better have a look on the back of all your gear...anything Made in China ...by your definition is crap...better get rid of it....silly isn't it. Crap isn't the specific domain of any one country...they are all equally adept at producing crap....so....as with anything, do your research and things work out for the most part.

Peete.
 
Feb 5, 2009 at 12:06 AM Post #80 of 98
Quote:

Originally Posted by Pricklely Peete /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Better have a look on the back of all your gear...anything Made in China ...by your definition is crap...better get rid of it....silly isn't it. Crap isn't the specific domain of any one country...they are all equally adept at producing crap....so....as with anything, do your research and things work out for the most part.

Peete.


The only difference is what the company can get away with, and whether they value their reputation or not. I think for a product to get on a shelf in the US, it has to pass more scrutiny. This makes it more expensive, but controls the quality a "little" better. The real trick is finding a Company like Audio-gd, or Darkvoice, LD, etc that make a good product and that you can buy direct from saving a ton of $$$ in the process. The important thing is to find a Company that values their reputation.
 
Feb 5, 2009 at 12:22 AM Post #81 of 98
scootermafia : A little harsh, lots of things are made in China and of good quality, labor is simply a lot cheaper and there is no sales tax, it's a good place for business. It has little to do with lack of quality control.

les_garten : Yes, companies have their reputation, but when you're looking at a few isolated cases of failed units (vs thousands of perfectly working ones), the company's unwillingness to QA all of them is a fact of life. As for stricter standards, apparently you really haven't seen a lot of the junk sold in US by US companies.
wink.gif
They also like to rip you off more, what can I say, capitalism at it's best.
 
Feb 5, 2009 at 12:48 AM Post #82 of 98
Quote:

Originally Posted by FallenAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif
scootermafia : A little harsh, lots of things are made in China and of good quality, labor is simply a lot cheaper and there is no sales tax, it's a good place for business. It has little to do with lack of quality control.

les_garten : Yes, companies have their reputation, but when you're looking at a few isolated cases of failed units (vs thousands of perfectly working ones), the company's unwillingness to QA all of them is a fact of life. As for stricter standards, apparently you really haven't seen a lot of the junk sold in US by US companies.
wink.gif
They also like to rip you off more, what can I say, capitalism at it's best.


You may not have noticed my quotes above in my post. QA, is just making sure the chips are plugged in the proper orientation,etc. There are degrees of QA. Also, the US, does have certifications like UL, CE, etc, as well as consumer protection laws. Was I saying that everything made in the US or OK'd for sale in the US was by definition a Panacea, No, I don't think I said that. Go back and look for the quotes again.

Now, back to the Zero deal. Where there's smoke there's fire. These things are popping like Firecracker's at Chinese New Years here.

All things from China being bad, Nah, Don't think so. Let me know though, if so I need to quit buying all the stuff I've been buying there!
 
Feb 5, 2009 at 1:55 AM Post #83 of 98
Well, I said cheap Chinese stuff. Then I recommended audio-gd for a budget friendly product that is built well. There are Chinese companies that have a lot of passion - audio-GD, little dot is solid, even darkvoice isn't that bad and it sure sounds good to the ear, Moodlab stuff is great. There are just a few odious products produced by people that are more into profit than quality - the Zero isn't even that bad usually - but people have had problems. And people like Lawrence that really aren't careful end up turning a mediocre amp into one that destroys gear.
 
Feb 5, 2009 at 5:11 AM Post #84 of 98
I'm not commenting on Zero being good or bad.

I just know I think probably would shed a tear if I spent 150 bucks and spent all that time excited and anticipating.

And then my AD900s destroyed, the headphones that have provided so much music enjoyment and still working great, then fried from a DAC/Amp that I thought would complete my setup...

Its something I never thought about or ever entered my mind, will my headphones survive the Amp?
 
Feb 6, 2009 at 8:48 AM Post #85 of 98
Quote:

Originally Posted by mbd2884 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Its something I never thought about or ever entered my mind, will my headphones survive the Amp?


It's something to keep in mind though when buying a new amp. It's always advisable to try out your new gear with a very cheap pair of headphones first, just in case. Strange things will always happen, especially during transport. This is sound advice that was already the rule for a lot of people here before anyone had even heard about the Zero.
 
Feb 6, 2009 at 3:06 PM Post #86 of 98
Quote:

Originally Posted by Drosera /img/forum/go_quote.gif
It's something to keep in mind though when buying a new amp. It's always advisable to try out your new gear with a very cheap pair of headphones first, just in case. Strange things will always happen, especially during transport. This is sound advice that was already the rule for a lot of people here before anyone had even heard about the Zero.


Amen, this thread taught me this very lesson. I found this thread when I was waiting for a DV 337SE to arrive. I scrambled around trying to find something I could burn up to test things with. It had never occurred to me that I should worry about it.


.
 
Mar 8, 2009 at 3:31 AM Post #87 of 98
Came across this thread whilst researching the Zero.

So I take it most of the issues mentioned here are about the Modified Zero? I'm considering buying just a stock Zero (ZERO 24/192 DAC DA CONVERTOR, HEAD AMP(Upgrade Version) - eBay, Speakers, Desktop Laptop Accessories, Computers Networking. (end time 13-Mar-09 03:22:09 AEDST)). Would that give me any big issues to worry about/

I have been looking at the Zhaolu D3 and Compass, but the Compass's considerably higher price is a bit off-putting....

Opinions on this matter?
 
Mar 8, 2009 at 4:12 AM Post #88 of 98
Quote:

Originally Posted by nsx_23 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Came across this thread whilst researching the Zero.

So I take it most of the issues mentioned here are about the Modified Zero? I'm considering buying just a stock Zero (ZERO 24/192 DAC DA CONVERTOR, HEAD AMP(Upgrade Version) - eBay, Speakers, Desktop Laptop Accessories, Computers Networking. (end time 13-Mar-09 03:22:09 AEDST)). Would that give me any big issues to worry about/

I have been looking at the Zhaolu D3 and Compass, but the Compass's considerably higher price is a bit off-putting....

Opinions on this matter?


Nothing wrong with the Modded Zero. This was sloppy build by the Factory that did this deal. The Zero's got so popular that the Factory started slapping them together with, ahhh, ZERO QC.

.
 
Mar 8, 2009 at 4:28 AM Post #90 of 98
Quote:

Originally Posted by nsx_23 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Right, but the Zero I linked to on ebay should be fine?


Well, any of them can get hit with Bad QC from the factory. that vendor is known for supporting the product correctly when there are issues. So, you'll be OK there.

.
 
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