DO NOT BUY - HiFiBerry USB interface!

[omegaorgun]

I got two of these and used them with a new XLR DAC and both are beta test crap that does not work. They are also not very friendly to deal with and they should not be selling untested beta products for full price.

They also rejected my return so I lost $15 in shipping and the case was closed so I lost about $85 and left with a broken item.

Nobody told me this was a requirement, I was honest about the value and they then added this requirement to suit themselves after rejecting.

Why am i posting this? to let other head-fiers know that this is what they will have to deal with if buying directly from HiFiBerry. Get from amazon prime just in case.

 

[judson_w]

Not knowing what all you have tried or what version of Windows you are using, have you tried going to Control Panel -> Sound and checked to see if the device is showing up under Playback as an option? If so, is it selected?

If it is not there, perhaps checking Control Panel -> Devices and Printers to see if there are any unspecified devices or make sure that it is recognized?

Lastly, have you tried other USB cables? I had an external hard drive that I thought was dead because the light came on but it was not recognized, but I was using a new cable. The cable I was using was one specifically for charging so it allowed for power to be transmitted but not data. I do not know if this device came with its own USB cable or if it is one you had to provide.

 

[omegaorgun]

Not knowing what all you have tried or what version of Windows you are using, have you tried going to Control Panel -> Sound and checked to see if the device is showing up under Playback as an option? If so, is it selected?

If it is not there, perhaps checking Control Panel -> Devices and Printers to see if there are any unspecified devices or make sure that it is recognized?

Lastly, have you tried other USB cables? I had an external hard drive that I thought was dead because the light came on but it was not recognized, but I was using a new cable. The cable I was using was one specifically for charging so it allowed for power to be transmitted but not data. I do not know if this device came with its own USB cable or if it is one you had to provide.

Hi

Windows 10 and went to control panel/sound, looked for activity in device manager. Nothing to indicate any recognition of a device. I have tried 3-4 usb cables, waiting to see will HFB help me figure it out.

 

[buke9]

Is there a driver that might need to be loaded?

 

[buke9]

I just bought a new HiFiBerry USB-I2S DOA and XLR DAC + case. The unit has a green light but absolutely nothing in windows. If I am missing something please tell me as I would have assumed all jumpers were in position to work with windows.

I think it's DOA.

I thought a HIFiBerry was a stand alone Linux machine.

 

[omegaorgun]

I thought a HIFiBerry was a stand alone Linux machine.

They released a USB board that can be used in windows so you can have a standalone and dedicated dac. With no XLR board on it does see a device but then appears to vanish. The solder joints might be damaged or there is a bug with the XLR as it will not be detected when combined.

HiFiBerry support are troubleshooting with me. Could be a bad board or has incorrect firmware.

 

[omegaorgun]

Don't buy the HifiBerry USB, horribly flawed and bad customer service. They had the return item in hand and rejected it.

 

[SoraNeko]

I got two of these and used them with a new XLR DAC and both are beta test crap that does not work. They are also not very friendly to deal with and they should not be selling untested beta products for full price.

They also rejected my return so I lost $15 in shipping and the case was closed so I lost about $85 and left with a broken item.

Nobody told me this was a requirement, I was honest about the value and they then added this requirement to suit themselves after rejecting.



Why am i posting this? to let other head-fiers know that this is what they will have to deal with if buying directly from HiFiBerry. Get from amazon prime just in case.

Hey, it sucks! no warranty you can use? Paypal? Aliexpress? anything?

 

[omegaorgun]

Hey, it sucks! no warranty you can use? Paypal? Aliexpress? anything?

They accepted the return when the case was started but rejected the parcel due to me not putting $20 value on it and it was shipped back to me. I never remember being asked to put any low value on and i marked it as a return. Paypal will refund the money in my favor due to this action.

They have a design flaw which causes the USB interface to cut out when the pin of the XLR touches a jumper. The units are shipped from China so not sure how much testing is done with all the compatible products.

All I can say is buy them from amazon if you must get one. I am sure the rest of the product line works as intended but the customer service was a bit robotic.

 

[SoraNeko]

They accepted the return when the case was started but rejected the parcel due to me not putting $20 value on it and it was shipped back to me. PaypaI never remember being asked to put any low value on and i marked it as a return. Pal will refund the money in my favor due to this action.

It's just bad business to carry on like this, they have a design flaw which causes the USB interface to cut out when the pin of the XLR touches a jumper. The units are shipped from China so not sure how much testing is done with all the compatible products.

All I can say is buy them from amazon if you must get one!

I'm drown out in this world and never heard of "hifiberry" that already think is a red flag

 

[theshank]

They accepted the return when the case was started but rejected the parcel due to me not putting $20 value on it and it was shipped back to me. I never remember being asked to put any low value on and i marked it as a return. Paypal will refund the money in my favor due to this action.

They have a design flaw which causes the USB interface to cut out when the pin of the XLR touches a jumper. The units are shipped from China so not sure how much testing is done with all the compatible products.

All I can say is buy them from amazon if you must get one. I am sure the rest of the product line works as intended but the customer service was a bit robotic.

Is there any chance you still have the USB interface or tested it with a different hifiberry dac? I'm wondering if there might have been an issue with the XLR connector's balancing that crashed the USB interface.

 

[ScubaMan2017]

I got two of these and used them with a new XLR DAC and both are beta test crap that does not work. They are also not very friendly to deal with and they should not be selling untested beta products for full price.

They also rejected my return so I lost $15 in shipping and the case was closed so I lost about $85 and left with a broken item.

Nobody told me this was a requirement, I was honest about the value and they then added this requirement to suit themselves after rejecting.



Why am i posting this? to let other head-fiers know that this is what they will have to deal with if buying directly from HiFiBerry. Get from amazon prime just in case.

@FireLion ... I saw this 2019-post. I'm interested in building a Pi streamer with "a hat" like this bolted onto it...

([touch screen] + [Pi 3] >>> hat >>> TOSlink or SPIDIF >>> external DAC).

Did you eventually get satisfaction with this issue? Looking forward to your musings, FireLion. With respect, ScubaMan2017. 19:18 EST, Dec. 26, 2020.