[Zoom25]

Even when we check units, problems can get missed.....

We did in fact have a handful of units that went out with a faulty ASRC (which caused strange noises - but ONLY in asynch mode).
(Note that the USB input on the DC-1 is ALWAYS asynch USB; "asynch mode" refers to having the ASRC enabled for all inputs.)

Any unit with that specific problem reported should have been repaired.
But, since we usually do ask the customer to do a bit of troubleshooting to confirm the problem, I can only assume that there was some doubt about the actual problem (or other unusual circumstances).

I suggest you call in, and perhaps we can find out what happened. (Ask for me.... Keith.)

Hi Keith,

It's good to finally get validation about this faulty ASRC. I found some of my emails that I have with Nick Kaumeyer in those early days and I detailed my problems there as well as on the Emotiva Lounge. Here is the link:

http://emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/26584/dc-1?page=70

I only have 6 posts there and they are all there on that thread from pages 70-73. I had relayed this and other stuff in my emails.

I totally understand companies wanting to diagnose the problem before asking for a return. However, when a customer actually does all the leg work and doesn't get any response or help back, that was the problem. I had called and emailed. I gave up after that.

Let me know what number I should call and when. If you want those emails I can send them to you. You can read from the Emotiva lounge forum posts as well that I linked above.

 

[Zoom25]

I'd also like to know Emotiva's stance on covering shipping costs. Both times when I bought DC-1 and Mini-x, it was around $80-$100.

If a customer buys something directly from Emotiva with full warranty, and it is defective on arrival and Emotiva is then made aware of it in the first day, does Emotiva ask their customer to pay for the shipping back or both ways, or do they cover for shipping both ways since the customer was not at fault. This is very important. I've had Audeze and Hifiman cover for me both ways when they messed up.

Thanks.

 

[Happytalk]

Buying things pre owned is a huge part of this entire community/hobby. I was just hoping for a repaired piece of equipment that I happen to really dig the sound of. I was specifically told that necessary parts were not available and that was one of the reasons it could not be repaired. If I knew that was a possibility, i would not have sent it in. I was also told the $100 may or may not go towards the repair in my initial phone call. The person I spoke to did not give a clear answer regarding this.

 

[KeithEmo]

I'd also like to know Emotiva's stance on covering shipping costs. Both times when I bought DC-1 and Mini-x, it was around $80-$100.

If a customer buys something directly from Emotiva with full warranty, and it is defective on arrival and Emotiva is then made aware of it in the first day, does Emotiva ask their customer to pay for the shipping back or both ways, or do they cover for shipping both ways since the customer was not at fault. This is very important. I've had Audeze and Hifiman cover for me both ways when they messed up.

Thanks.

Here is our current shipping policy here at Emotiva.... regarding returns.

All new products sold by Emotiva come with a 30 day unconditional money back guarantee.
This means that, if you're not satisfied for any reason, you can return it within 30 days for a full refund.
(Note that some factory renewed products and "clearance items" do NOT offer this; but it will always be stated in the conditions of sale.)

For domestic US sales.......
When you buy something - we pay the shipping to you.
If you decide to return it for a refund - inside the 30 day return period - YOU pay the return shipping.
If you receive a damaged or defective product, or it fails within those 30 days, we will gladly replace it - and WE pay the shipping for both the return and the replacement.
If it fails after the 30 day return period - then it is a "standard warranty repair" - and so you pay the shipping to us and we pay the return shipping.

For international sales the conditions are somewhat different.
For products purchased directly from Emotiva by INTERNATIONAL customers, the customer is responsible for ALL shipping charges.
(This includes shipping out, return shipping on returns, and shipping both ways for repairs and replacements.)
For products purchased in other countries from one of our distributors, the distributor may set other and different conditions of sale.
(Also note that certain upgrade offers may ONLY be available directly from us.)

 

[KeithEmo]

Hi Keith,

It's good to finally get validation about this faulty ASRC. I found some of my emails that I have with Nick Kaumeyer in those early days and I detailed my problems there as well as on the Emotiva Lounge. Here is the link:

http://emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/26584/dc-1?page=70

I only have 6 posts there and they are all there on that thread from pages 70-73. I had relayed this and other stuff in my emails.

I totally understand companies wanting to diagnose the problem before asking for a return. However, when a customer actually does all the leg work and doesn't get any response or help back, that was the problem. I had called and emailed. I gave up after that.

Let me know what number I should call and when. If you want those emails I can send them to you. You can read from the Emotiva lounge forum posts as well that I linked above.

I'm honestly not sure what happened with your case.... or why it wasn't followed up on.... this was quite a while ago....
I can tell you that, before this happened, we had never had any problem with ASRCs, so in the beginning we didn't even consider the ASRC to be a likely culprit.
Also, the actual problem itself is difficult to describe (I tend to call it a "scritching or chittering noise"), which can also lead to it's being complicated to diagnose.
(Once you know to look to the ASRC, it becomes obvious as the cause when the problem only occurs when the ASRC is enabled.)

In any case, just call the main switchboard number (1-877-366-8324) and be sure to tell me who you are.
We don't have direct-dial-in extensions here.
(You're still under warranty so it will be a warranty repair.)

 

[KeithEmo]

Buying things pre owned is a huge part of this entire community/hobby. I was just hoping for a repaired piece of equipment that I happen to really dig the sound of. I was specifically told that necessary parts were not available and that was one of the reasons it could not be repaired. If I knew that was a possibility, i would not have sent it in. I was also told the $100 may or may not go towards the repair in my initial phone call. The person I spoke to did not give a clear answer regarding this.

The way we look at it (and this is pretty standard in the repair industry in general)....
The "diagnostic fee" is intended to cover the labor costs of handling and testing the unit (think of it as "the office visit fee" you pay your doctor).
If the customer decides to go ahead and contract for the repair, the diagnostic fee is "rolled into" the total cost of the repair.
In many cases, it may even cover the entire cost of the repair.
(With electronic equipment, the diagnosis is often the largest part of the labor costs of the repair, and so the diagnostic fee really is covering part of the repair cost.)
However, if the customer decides not to go ahead with the repair, since the labor required for the diagnostic has been used, they are still required to pay the fee.
(The conditions should have been explained up-front.)

Because we offer a very long warranty (compared to most electronic equipment), we sometimes run out of repair parts for certain units.
While many electronic parts are quite standard, and remain available indefinitely, others are only produced for a short time.
And, because they may be quite expensive, it only makes sense to purchase a limited number of spares.
(If we buy a whole bunch of expensive spare parts, we're going to have to pass the cost on to our customers as higher prices.)

In some cases, we may have a pretty good idea what's wrong from the symptoms....
However, in many cases, we simply won't know which part is at fault until after we perform those diagnostic tests.
We always try our best to notify customers if there is a significant chance that we may not be able to perform a repair....

 

[Happytalk]

It's all good. Just being honest about the frustration. I appreciate the discussion, and it's very small potatoes compared to what's happening the world these days. However music can healing force, or even just a life enhancement, and the gear is part of that... Also, there still may be some development in this situation.

I still feel that Emotiva is a great bang for your buck company, and have been considering (for a few years) either one of the integrated's or a set of mono block amps once budget allows. For now, a friend of mine let me borrow a pair of bryston 2b-lp pros and I am good, but based on the things I've read, emotiva amps produce a fullness and punch with a nice front row seat type sound stage. Hope to hear a set up in person one day. For now I'm laying low, though.

 

[wormcycle]

Hi, everyone....

I do sympathize with the situation this DC-1 user has found himself in, and I think it does rate an explanation.

The DC-1 is a very complex product and, as with many complex modern products, some of the parts are very specific to that unit (they were either manufactured custom for it, or were only produced for a very limited amount of time). As most manufacturers do, we make an attempt to figure out in advance what may go wrong, and to stock sufficient spares to cover any problems that may occur during the life of the product. However, sometimes, when it comes to special parts, we fall a bit short. (And, unfortunately, because they're special or no longer available, it's not just a matter of "ordering a few more spares".)

As it turns out, the majority of the (few) problems we've had with the DC-1 have usually turned out to be failures of components like power supply regulators, for which we have spares, or which are still available, and we keep a few complete factory renewed units available we can swap for the defective one for those situations where that is not the case.

As for the warranty.... While we regret the situation this particular customer has ended up in, as a few people have already noted, this is why we offer an excellent warranty on our products. If his DC-1 was under warranty, and we found ourselves unable to repair it, he would have found himself with a working factory-renewed replacement unit at no cost. If we were unable to provide one, he would have been offered some sort of credit towards a replacement unit. (As it was, the DC-1 still sells for $499, and we have offered him a factory renewed replacement at a cost that is far below that, even if you count the diagnostic fee as part of the cost...)

Not to sound mean, but this is why you pay $499 or $599 for a new unit rather than significantly less for a used one; and why you make sure that, if you purchase a used unit, you get a proper warranty with it. That's the extra value you get for buying a new unit. (Not all products offer long warranties, or allow their warranty to be transferred.) Unfortunately, one of the drawbacks of offering a really good warranty is that we're forced to give preferential treatment to those who have a warranty.

As for the repair fees.... I think you will find that those are essentially the same as you will pay at any qualified repair facility for a non-warranty repair (including those that repair stereo equipment and your local garage). The initial $100 fee is considered to be a "diagnostic fee", which is typically credited against the total repair cost - if the repair is performed, but is not refundable if the customer chooses NOT to have the repair performed.

How about demos? I just bought, yesterday in fact, the demo unit from Emotiva authorized distributor in Canada, summithifi.com. I have a receipt and they claim the unit has full warranty. Is that correct?

 

[MWSVette]

How about demos? I just bought, yesterday in fact, the demo unit from Emotiva authorized distributor in Canada, summithifi.com. I have a receipt and they claim the unit has full warranty. Is that correct?

Not to speak for Emotiva but, I believe that their warranty is fully transferable as long as you have the original purchase receipt. So I would think a demo from an authorized dealer would be covered.

In any case enjoy your new unit. I have had mine for about 3 years and am quite happy with it.

 

[Sal1950]

How about demos? I just bought, yesterday in fact, the demo unit from Emotiva authorized distributor in Canada, summithifi.com. I have a receipt and they claim the unit has full warranty. Is that correct?

Not to speak for Emotiva but, I believe that their warranty is fully transferable as long as you have the original purchase receipt. So I would think a demo from an authorized dealer would be covered.

In any case enjoy your new unit. I have had mine for about 3 years and am quite happy with it.

Yes, maybe Keith will respond here but that is usually the case. Dealer demo units aren't considered as ever being a sold-registered product so the manufacturers warranty usually starts from the dealers official date of sale to a retail customer.
Hope you enjoy your DC-1, I've had mine for a couple years now and love it. IMO the DC-1 offers the best bang for the buck in DAC's around.

 

[wormcycle]

Yes, maybe Keith will respond here but that is usually the case. Dealer demo units aren't considered as ever being a sold-registered product so the manufacturers warranty usually starts from the dealers official date of sale to a retail customer.
Hope you enjoy your DC-1, I've had mine for a couple years now and love it. IMO the DC-1 offers the best bang for the buck in DAC's around.

I love it so far. It is my third Emotiva product and I have only good experience. Thanks for trying to help but I really want to hear from Keith on this subject.

 

[KeithEmo]

If a "demo" unit is sold as "new - with a full warranty" then we will consider it to be a new unit for warranty purposes.

How about demos? I just bought, yesterday in fact, the demo unit from Emotiva authorized distributor in Canada, summithifi.com. I have a receipt and they claim the unit has full warranty. Is that correct?

 

[wormcycle]

If a "demo" unit is sold as "new - with a full warranty" then we will consider it to be a new unit for warranty purposes.

Thank you, the receipt says: B stock, new

 

[mrravioli]

Hi guys. I just bought a used DC-1. The remote comes with no battery. I'm trying to get the backplate out but don't know how to do it. Anyone can help?

 

[Sal1950]

Plate is attached with two small screws, then the back slides out.

https://emotiva.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/stealth_DC-1_user_v15.pdf

Page 13
Stealth DC-1 Stereo D/A Converter - Operator’s Manual
Hardware Configuration
Inserting or changing batteries in the remote control
The Stealth DC-1 remote control is opened by removing the two small screws in the
bottom end cap (the end without the LED).
Once the screws are removed, the end cap will come off, freeing the back plate to slide
out. Carefully slide the back plate all of the way out and remove it.
Insert two AAA batteries into the battery holder - observing proper polarit
y.
(We recommend alkaline batteries.)
Replace the cover, being careful to engage the edges in the slots in the side pieces, and
keep the end with the rubber pads towards the battery holder.
Replace the end cap and the screws.
Note: The remote control ships with batteries installed, but with a small
insulator strip between the batteries and battery terminal to prevent
discharge during shipping. Before using the remote control for the first time,
you must open the remote control and remove (pull out) the small insulator
strip between the end of one of the batteries and the battery terminal.
Note: The screws securing the end cap of the Stealth DC-1 remote control are
tiny. A screw driver of the correct size is included with your DC-1