[76firefly]

First time posting so sorry if this in the wrong place.  Long story short. Bought an E7 through Dealextreme (now wishing I would have bought it through Jack from Micca) and less then a month of use the jack where the usb adapter plugs in to the unit is broke, it just floats around inside the unit now.   It still functions as a portable amp, but not as a DAC anymore, not to mention I can't charge it anymore, at least I think that's correct. The only thing I'm thinking of doing to save my $80 is to buy the E9 (this time from Micca) so that I am able to charge it once again and use it as a DAC for the E9. I'd appreciate any feedback on this or possible work arounds.By the way, I guess I could try to return it to DealExtreme but I have a feeling it would be 2 months of wasted effort.                                   So, any advice anyone?  Much appreciated in advance!

 

[billybob_jcv]

Welcome to head-fi - sorry about your wallet....
 
I don't like throwing more money at a problem without really fixing the issue.  If you buy an E9, you will still have a broken E7.  I think I would rather spend the money on a new dac/amp (even if it is just another E7), and then work the warranty issue with DealExtreme and/or Fiio.  If you get it replaced/repaired, then you can always sell it.  

 

[kingpage]

Any signs of physical damage to the USB plug? Have you thoroughly check it's really the USB at fault?
 
Technically, you can't use the amp without the ability to charge the battery inside. You should contact Dealextreme to see what options you have available.

 

[76firefly]

Billybob - yeah, I know you're right, just didn't want to wait around for a few months while it was all sorted out. Took 5 weeks just to get it from Hong Kong.
 
Kingpage - yes, it's definetly the usb plug, I opened the back just to look if it was something I could handle with a soder, and the plug came tumbling out. It still does function with the LOD and ipod, or with the 3.5 connector in from my headphone jack on the laptop, but of course it's not doing it's DAC duties.
 
So what I was thinking of doing was just ordering the E9 that way the E7 could still do it's DAC duties as well as getting charged with the dock connector, which was mainly the reason why I bought it for in the first place. But I guess I'm wondering with the USB connector broken inside the unit will it still function with the dock connector of the E9?  That would be my main concern.

Thanks again for your responses!

 

[kingpage]

If just the USB connection cable is broken, it can be easily replaced by FiiO or any other standard USB cables, but if it's because of the female port on the E7 then your best bet is to find a local computer hardware repair shop or return it to the seller for a replacement unit. But it sounds like it's only the cable, not the actually E7 broken?

 

[billybob_jcv]

My point was that for the price of the E9, you could just buy another E7 to use while you are dealing with the repair issue.  Then, you could sell the repaired/replaced unit when (and if) you get it.  You would therefore not be out of an amp for any period of time.

 

[76firefly]

Well, I got my E9 in the mail yesterday in a bid to be able to charge and utilize the DAC on the E7 because the usb port on the unit is loose and no longer connected to the circuit board inside. Well just in case anyone else has a faulty usb charge port on their E7, you should know that even with the unit docked into the E9, you still can't utilize the DAC. I can charge the E7 again so I can use it as a portable but it just won't register with my laptop. So being that I don't need a 130 dollar charger for my E7, (thanks Jack at Micca for the quick delivery by the way!), I guess I might as well return the E9 to Micca and scrap the E7 as a total loss since I won't be able to charge it.  This really sucks because I was so looking forward to using those two together! Unless anyone else has any ideas???

 

[kingpage]

Take a high-res photo of the inside of your E7, see if anyone here is able to tell which components are fried or if they are easily replacable.
 
How did it get damaged in the first place, was it already broken when you got it?

 

[JamesFiiO]

Very sorry for the problem.
 
1, you can send back the E7 to us, and we will send you a new one. please send mail to market@fiio.com.cn with your detail address, phone number.
 
2, Yes, anyone who have same problem can be solved by buy an E9, so the E7 can still work as DAC and portable amp.
 
3, We can send you a free L7, it is connect to the dock connector of E7, so you don't need to buy a E9, of course, you need to take a high resolution photo to show as that you do have such problem.
 
Note 1, please take care of the USB socket, in case it will damage when you pluging the USB cable, or damaged when curve the cable.
 
Note 2, please buy our products from our official seller from local market, we already have so many sales agents all over the world, they can give you best service in case you have any quesiton or problem in our products. and you can save some
 
             freight to send the RMA back to china or hong kong.
 
Note 3, Don't worry about the quality problem, we had sold out lots of amp so hard to prvent some individual problem, and we will move to new factory and hire more worker to inprove the quality control .
 
 
Hope this can help anyone who have the same problem.

 

[76firefly]

Kingpage - Well, no it was working for the about a month, noticed that sound would sometimes go in and out if the usb cord moved when I shifted the laptop. Tried to be real careful with the connection because I know those things don't usually get better when a connect is starting to fail. Shortly after I noticed the usb connect inside the E7 was a little slanted, and then no charging or connection anymore with the laptop. So it did work at first, maybe I did something (sometimes I can be clumsy!), not ruling that out.
 
And Feiao, (1) thank you for the offer, I will be sending an email shortly, I do have all the packaging and receipts. And yes, you are right, I should have bought it through the authorized dealership in the U.S., it would have made this so much less of a headache. (2) Actually I do own the E9, but the E7 does not work on it as a DAC (probably because the whole USB connector is not even connected to anything anymore inside the E7, it's just floating around).However, it does charge through the USB cable connected to the E9 while docked. It just doesn't show up as an option in the Sound Output options on neither my laptop or desktop, like the E7 did when I first got it. I was really hoping it would work because then I wouldn't have to worry about trying to return it or losing out on my investment. (3) The L7 would be a great option however if the E7 doesn't register while docked to the E9 then probably the L7 wouldn't work either?
 
And I love the products, I just wish I had taken the advice sooner and bought it from the U.S. authorized dealers! I just want my music sounding good again!!!
Thanks again.

 

[kingpage]

Good luck, I hope it will be sorted out soon.
 
A L7 still wouldn't allow you to use the E7 as a sound card on the computer if both the USB port and the port in the middle are broken (as it doesn't work with the E9 except for the charging part.

 

[Jack C]

Quick update,
 
James contacted us to help out a fellow Head-Fi'er even thought the E7 wasn't purchased through us. We'll get this swapped out for 76firefly so he can get back to enjoying his music again.
 
Jack

 

[JamesFiiO]

Thanks for the great service from MICCA, I will contact 76firefly to send the defective E7 to MICCA first.
 
BTW, please buy our products from local seller. otherwise you may need to send back the RMA to us and pay the freight to send back to us.
 
but if you buy from local seller, it will be safe and fast , and have best service.

 

[Sephiroth619]

Now that's what I call customer service. Kudos to Fiio and Micca.

 

[jeansumisu]

Dang, My E7 just had the exact same problem, but I purchased mine in December from Micca on Amazon.