[jamato8]

Warranty shouldn't matter when the manufacturer knows they had a problem and upgraded a part that wasn't reliable and which they knew needed to be replaced. Ibasso should send you the parts at no charge. Really, how much could those parts actually cost? I need to check my SR2 to see if mine have plastic or metal parts. I purchased them from Bloom Audio, but they are over 1 year old so I guess no warranty either. But a plastic part that isn't strong enough to hold up to normal use and had to be replaced with metal should, to me, be like a recall on any consumer product with a defect and be replaced at no cost to the consumer.

It would also mean that the store that sold them has had them for a long time and had to buy them from another store. They most likely then are easily a few years old. I bought a Leica lens years ago that was new in the box from an authorized seller. But the lens was a few years old. Had a small issue but Leica said even though it was new when bought, that it had been out or production and not considered to be under warranty any longer. I had a local repairman do the work.

 

[Shane D]

Warranty shouldn't matter when the manufacturer knows they had a problem and upgraded a part that wasn't reliable and which they knew needed to be replaced. Ibasso should send you the parts at no charge. Really, how much could those parts actually cost? I need to check my SR2 to see if mine have plastic or metal parts. I purchased them from Bloom Audio, but they are over 1 year old so I guess no warranty either. But a plastic part that isn't strong enough to hold up to normal use and had to be replaced with metal should, to me, be like a recall on any consumer product with a defect and be replaced at no cost to the consumer.

This not the riser, it is the headphone strap bracket.

The only fix for this is a whole new headband. iBasso has offered to sell me one for $60.00, plus shipping.

I reached out to Shenzhen Audio again tonight. It is about 7:00AM their time, so hopefully I will get a reply before midnight. Or not.

 

[dpump]

As I said before, the part was not adequate for its intended use and has been replaced with an upgraded part. Therefore, ibasso should not charge you for the part. There should not be a time limit when the original part wasn't adequate for its intended use. To me, it's like a recall on any consumer product or automobile where the manufacturer has to repair or replace the item because it wasn't adequate for its intended use. Why did ibasso switch to a metal part on later SR2's if there wasn't a breakage problem on the earlier plastic parts?

 

[jamato8]

As I said before, the part was not adequate for its intended use and has been replaced with an upgraded part. Therefore, ibasso should not charge you for the part. There should not be a time limit when the original part wasn't adequate for its intended use. To me, it's like a recall on any consumer product or automobile where the manufacturer has to repair or replace the item because it wasn't adequate for its intended use. Why did ibasso switch to a metal part on later SR2's if there wasn't a breakage problem on the earlier plastic parts?

I have an early SR2. No issues. But metal would take more strain but I have used mine a lot and they are fine.

 

[Shane D]

As I said before, the part was not adequate for its intended use and has been replaced with an upgraded part. Therefore, ibasso should not charge you for the part. There should not be a time limit when the original part wasn't adequate for its intended use. To me, it's like a recall on any consumer product or automobile where the manufacturer has to repair or replace the item because it wasn't adequate for its intended use. Why did ibasso switch to a metal part on later SR2's if there wasn't a breakage problem on the earlier plastic parts?

This is not the riser part, which was upgraded to metal. This is where the strap connects to the headband. Not sure if it has been upgraded to metal or not. It should be. In my case the whole headband needs to be replaced.

I think iBasso should give me a headband and bill the bootlegger. They can check my serial number and that will tell them who is reselling their headphones to other dealers.
I get that they want to protect their authorized dealers, but why penalize me for their corrupt dealer(s). I am sure that my serial # will tell them exactly who bought the headphone from them. Bill THAT person/company.

 

[Shane D]

Well, to wrap my story up, I am on my own. iBasso will only sell me parts. Shenzhen admitted that iBasso will not even sell them parts, but still requested that I return the headphones to China for repair. Not sure what kind of "repair" they can do without proper parts. They also said they would decide whether it was a part failure or abuse.

I mentioned to Shenzhen that iBasso offered to sell me the headband for $60.00, plus shipping. I said that if they would cover that cost, I would do the install. They said they would cover half the headband cost or I could send them back to China.
Screw Shenzhen! I will either "Frankenstein" something up or buy the headband.

I am disgusted with both companies. I will never buy anything from Shenzhen ever again ( I have spent almost $2K Canadian with them so far).
As far as iBasso goes, as I have often said, the sound is great but the headband is junk. I will also never buy another iBasso product.

And that's a wrap.

 

[voja]

Well, to wrap my story up, I am on my own. iBasso will only sell me parts. Shenzhen admitted that iBasso will not even sell them parts, but still requested that I return the headphones to China for repair. Not sure what kind of "repair" they can do without proper parts. They also said they would decide whether it was a part failure or abuse.

I mentioned to Shenzhen that iBasso offered to sell me the headband for $60.00, plus shipping. I said that if they would cover that cost, I would do the install. They said they would cover half the headband cost or I could send them back to China.
Screw Shenzhen! I will either "Frankenstein" something up or buy the headband.

I am disgusted with both companies. I will never buy anything from Shenzhen ever again ( I have spent almost $2K Canadian with them so far).
As far as iBasso goes, as I have often said, the sound is great but the headband is junk. I will also never buy another iBasso product.

And that's a wrap.

I understand that you are frustrated and that emotions got the better of you.

I and many others consider iBasso to manufacture top-grade audio gear, and I firmly stand behind this. The SR2 and the SR3 are exceptional headphones for their price! For the record, I have used the SR2 for two and a half years, never had any issues with the headband. If you are gentle with your headphones, I don't see how the headband holder would snap. I assume you applied extra force and stress, which is not something that you should do—it is not a cap. I saw this to be common among older folks, where they will put the headphones on and literally pull them down with unnecessary force, like it's a cap or something. The purpose of a headband is so the headphones rest on your head. This is why the SR2/SR3 have a slider mechanism, gently find the right spot and "freeze" it there. Nevertheless, the part should be able to bare such abuse. I know that this part has been replaced with a metal one on later SR2 production units and on the SR3, but I cannot confirm whether it is metal on the inside (the screws are tightly screwed in, can't open it).

Keep in mind, the SR2 is only the second headphone model from the company. They got just about everything right with it. The headband has been stripped to the bare minimum to serve a function, to save weight. I would never say anything negative about it, let alone call it junk.

iBasso isn't at fault here, you have to take full responsibility for purchasing their product from an unauthorized dealer. That dealer is the one that takes all responsibility, especially warranty claims. You should only be angry at yourself and ShenzenAudio.

Shane, you know I have nothing but love and respect for you. I completely understand why you feel the way you feel, but I think iBasso is getting undeserved blame for something that ShenzenAudio is fully at fault for. This is what warranty is for.

 

[jamato8]

Well, to wrap my story up, I am on my own. iBasso will only sell me parts. Shenzhen admitted that iBasso will not even sell them parts, but still requested that I return the headphones to China for repair. Not sure what kind of "repair" they can do without proper parts. They also said they would decide whether it was a part failure or abuse.

I mentioned to Shenzhen that iBasso offered to sell me the headband for $60.00, plus shipping. I said that if they would cover that cost, I would do the install. They said they would cover half the headband cost or I could send them back to China.
Screw Shenzhen! I will either "Frankenstein" something up or buy the headband.

I am disgusted with both companies. I will never buy anything from Shenzhen ever again ( I have spent almost $2K Canadian with them so far).
As far as iBasso goes, as I have often said, the sound is great but the headband is junk. I will also never buy another iBasso product.

And that's a wrap.

The cost of the headband is probably cheaper than the shipping, which is normal for a customer (I know I have paid plenty) to pay even for a warranty item when sent to the company in question. In an odd way, I don't see the issue. You can get a headband for the shipping it would cost you and the turn around time would be faster, since you aren't shipping to and then having it sent back to you. And if Shenzhen Audio will pay half, that means you only pay the 30 dollars for the headband plus shipping and shipping shouldn't be much. I have 3 Swiss made watches and not cheap ones. One has gone back 3 times, 1 2 times and the last one 1 time. Now that is some shipping cost for me. It happens and it doesn't matter who makes something or where it comes from. And one of the watches I had to pay for the issues as they said it was water damage and it is a diving watch that has never gone diving nor been opened! lol

 

[Shane D]

I understand that you are frustrated and that emotions got the better of you.

I and many others consider iBasso to manufacture top-grade audio gear, and I firmly stand behind this. The SR2 and the SR3 are exceptional headphones for their price! For the record, I have used the SR2 for two and a half years, never had any issues with the headband. If you are gentle with your headphones, I don't see how the headband holder would snap. I assume you applied extra force and stress, which is not something that you should do—it is not a cap. I saw this to be common among older folks, where they will put the headphones on and literally pull them down with unnecessary force, like it's a cap or something. The purpose of a headband is so the headphones rest on your head. This is why the SR2/SR3 have a slider mechanism, gently find the right spot and "freeze" it there. Nevertheless, the part should be able to bare such abuse. I know that this part has been replaced with a metal one on later SR2 production units and on the SR3, but I cannot confirm whether it is metal on the inside (the screws are tightly screwed in, can't open it).

Keep in mind, the SR2 is only the second headphone model from the company. They got just about everything right with it. The headband has been stripped to the bare minimum to serve a function, to save weight. I would never say anything negative about it, let alone call it junk.

iBasso isn't at fault here, you have to take full responsibility for purchasing their product from an unauthorized dealer. That dealer is the one that takes all responsibility, especially warranty claims. You should only be angry at yourself and ShenzenAudio.

Shane, you know I have nothing but love and respect for you. I completely understand why you feel the way you feel, but I think iBasso is getting undeserved blame for something that ShenzenAudio is fully at fault for. This is what warranty is for.

iBasso products never really appealed to me as I don't use IEM's and already have a few DAP's.

Emotional? That's a reach. Disappointed? For sure!

So, you love and respect me, but you assume that I am an old guy that doesn't know how to use headphones and that I abuse them? You are wrong on two out of the three of your points. I am old.

I have bought at least 30 headphones since 2014. This is the first outright failure I have had (I think). And I never felt the need to check if the dealer was authorized. I tried to buy direct from iBasso, but at that time they weren't even selling their headphones on their own website.
Shenzhen Audio is not exactly an unknown shop on AliExpress.

I do bare some responsibility as does iBasso. They have a crooked dealer that is reselling/bootlegging their products. And they know who it is by the serial number I gave them.
They could have sent me the headband and billed the crooked dealer, but that is, of course their choice and a judgement call.

I do find the headband "junkie" and have referred to it negatively several times. At this point I no longer feel any need to be polite.
Voja, just be honest that you are an iBasso fan boy and get over it. The same way that I am a Grado and Focal fanboy.

Shenzhen sucks completely and I am disappointed in iBasso. But, so be it.

 

[Shane D]

The cost of the headband is probably cheaper than the shipping, which is normal for a customer (I know I have paid plenty) to pay even for a warranty item when sent to the company in question. In an odd way, I don't see the issue. You can get a headband for the shipping it would cost you and the turn around time would be faster, since you aren't shipping to and then having it sent back to you. And if Shenzhen Audio will pay half, that means you only pay the 30 dollars for the headband plus shipping and shipping shouldn't be much. I have 3 Swiss made watches and not cheap ones. One has gone back 3 times, 1 2 times and the last one 1 time. Now that is some shipping cost for me. It happens and it doesn't matter who makes something or where it comes from. And one of the watches I had to pay for the issues as they said it was water damage and it is a diving watch that has never gone diving nor been opened! lol

The headband and shipping will cost me a minimum of $60.00US, plus shipping to Canada , but I never really got a final price.
I could probably ship them back for $50ish dollars. But I don't trust them at all now. They have admitted that iBasso won't sell to them and they may not even approve my "repair".
I am not going to accept their offer of $30.00 as remedy. It does NOT fix the problem or let them off the hook.

I am tempted to just buy the headband and sell them on. I think I will try some kind of patch first though. Just picked up a tube of crazy glue. I do like the sound.

A very disappointing experience, but that's part of life.

 

[voja]

So, you love and respect me, but you assume that I am an old guy that doesn't know how to use headphones and that I abuse them? You are wrong on two out of the three of your points. I am old.

Sorry if that's the way it came off, I just wanted to say that this is something I saw to be a common practice among the older gentlemen. There was no negativity and ill intentions behind my message.

Voja, just be honest that you are an iBasso fan boy and get over it. The same way that I am a Grado and Focal fanboy.

That depends on how you define "fanboy". I am someone who is here strictly for professional purposes (this can be heavily misinterpreted), I judge headphones as they are. I'm not one of those reviewers that will shill based on how expensive of a product they get for free. I recognize(d) all exceptional qualities in iBasso products, and I praise(d) them for that. If that's being a fanboy, sure, I will accept being called one. I simply notice the additional effort and care iBasso puts into its products, and it earned its respect from me. Also, if supporting iBasso's ethics and principals is being a fanboy, I'd be more than happy to be called one! As far as I am concerned, they are a role model for the industry.

I receive no benefit or compensation from iBasso, just like I am not being paid to say what I have said. As a professional, if I may call myself that, I recognize qualities and share them. Positive and negative qualities, free of bias. I maintain a neutral position as a critic. For example, I might personally dislike something due to personal preference, but if it is a genuine quality, I will state it as such. I won't crap on something just because it doesn't fit my personal preference. And if it's the other way around, where I personally feel some type of way toward a product, I make sure to clearly justify and explain why.

As for your situation, Shenzen Audio is the one that should be held responsible. Based on what you shared here, they sound very shady and irresponsible. That's not how you treat a customer. For as long as I've been following iBasso threads, I've always heard positive feedback for customer support. iBasso always took care of its customers, and I think that you are being treated the way you are because you purchased from an unauthorized dealer. I think the company did a very good job at providing a list of authorized dealers on its website, under the "Where to buy" section. Also, what Shenzen Audio told you about iBasso not wanting to sell them a part is likely a lie to avoid taking full responsibility. Think about it, you told them you can order the headband yourself and told them how much it will cost you, yet they only offered to pay 50%? They are taking the easy route out by saying you need to send the headphones to them so they can decide whether its due to failure or abuse.... and they know damn well that you will not bother sending your headphones all the way from Canada!

 

[Shane D]

Sorry if that's the way it came off, I just wanted to say that this is something I saw to be a common practice among the older gentlemen. There was no negativity and ill intentions behind my message.


That depends on how you define "fanboy". I am someone who is here strictly for professional purposes (this can be heavily misinterpreted), I judge headphones as they are. I'm not one of those reviewers that will shill based on how expensive of a product they get for free. I recognize(d) all exceptional qualities in iBasso products, and I praise(d) them for that. If that's being a fanboy, sure, I will accept being called one. I simply notice the additional effort and care iBasso puts into its products, and it earned its respect from me. Also, if supporting iBasso's ethics and principals is being a fanboy, I'd be more than happy to be called one! As far as I am concerned, they are a role model for the industry.

I receive no benefit or compensation from iBasso, just like I am not being paid to say what I have said. As a professional, if I may call myself that, I recognize qualities and share them. Positive and negative qualities, free of bias. I maintain a neutral position as a critic. For example, I might personally dislike something due to personal preference, but if it is a genuine quality, I will state it as such. I won't crap on something just because it doesn't fit my personal preference. And if it's the other way around, where I personally feel some type of way toward a product, I make sure to clearly justify and explain why.

As for your situation, Shenzen Audio is the one that should be held responsible. Based on what you shared here, they sound very shady and irresponsible. That's not how you treat a customer. For as long as I've been following iBasso threads, I've always heard positive feedback for customer support. iBasso always took care of its customers, and I think that you are being treated the way you are because you purchased from an unauthorized dealer. I think the company did a very good job at providing a list of authorized dealers on its website, under the "Where to buy" section. Also, what Shenzen Audio told you about iBasso not wanting to sell them a part is likely a lie to avoid taking full responsibility. Think about it, you told them you can order the headband yourself and told them how much it will cost you, yet they only offered to pay 50%? They are taking the easy route out by saying you need to send the headphones to them so they can decide whether its due to failure or abuse.... and they know damn well that you will not bother sending your headphones all the way from Canada!

First off there was no mention on their site at all about their headphones, never mind authorized dealers of them. Which I found really weird.

IBasso told me that they will not deal with dealers that are not in their chain and I am sure that is true. I ran a retail store selling fitness equipment. I could not get or buy parts if a company had an authorized dealer anywhere in my area. Sometimes a customer would get pissed off at their supplier and ask me to take over their maintenance and repairs. My hands were tied as I could not get parts. And it was the same way with my (good) suppliers. You have to be partners with your suppliers.

The bottom line is that iBasso knows Exactly who they sold this set of headphones to, by the serial number. They just don't care and that is their choice.

I will cut and paste my last reply to you:

"Shenzhen sucks completely and I am disappointed in iBasso. But, so be it."

 

[mformoriarty]

@shenzhenaudio would you guys be so kind as to help the man out?

 

[Shane D]

@shenzhenaudio would you guys be so kind as to help the man out?

Thanks for the thought, but I don't think it will have much effect.

 

[Pesado]

I love my SR2, it's one of the best headphones i own

I won't buy the SR3 because i don't see much difference between them to justify the investment, but if they launch another model (closed back maybe?) i'll go for it.