[EdmontonCanuck]

I'm in Australia and unfortunately we have some of the highest postal prices in the world. Second only to the Canadians I think.

Please don't remind me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HiFiGuy528]

  It occurred to me that since Woo Audio has a dealer in Australia, perhaps you could look into arranging an authorized repairer here.
 
Most of Woo Audio's products are large and heavy. Shipping them internationally back to the USA is extremely cost prohibitive. If there was a local repairer available, customers wouldn't be so stuck when anything goes wrong.

 
It is extremely rare for the USB DAC and controller to fail. Addicted to Audio or Minidisc can test your WA7 on their PC and Mac to see if your unit requires service before sending it off to NY for inspection/upgrade. Please reach out to George or Wing at your convenience.
 
https://addictedtoaudio.com.au
 
http://www.minidisc.com.au

 

[bobjane]

   
It is extremely rare for the USB DAC and controller to fail. Addicted to Audio or Minidisc can test your WA7 on their PC and Mac to see if your unit requires service before sending it off to NY for inspection/upgrade. Please reach out to George or Wing at your convenience.
 
https://addictedtoaudio.com.au
 
http://www.minidisc.com.au

I don't have access to a Mac for testing but I've tried a few PCs. Two other users here have reported the exact same issue. At this point I don't think it's reasonable anymore to assume user error.
 
Either way the unit is out of warranty so of course all responsibility lies with me.
 
My suggestion was for the possibility of a local authorized repairer with access to parts and repair schematics. Most manufacturers of bulky/heavy electronics do this. However I do understand that Woo is a small niche manufacturer and this may not be possible.
 
But please, let's drop the "get someone who's not an idiot (who's owned and operated the unit for years) to test it away from your evil PC then spend 80% of the amp's cost sending it back for repairs" line. No sensible person would do this.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

  I don't have access to a Mac for testing but I've tried a few PCs. Two other users here have reported the exact same issue. At this point I don't think it's reasonable anymore to assume user error.
 
Either way the unit is out of warranty so of course all responsibility lies with me.
 
My suggestion was for the possibility of a local authorized repairer with access to parts and repair schematics. Most manufacturers of bulky/heavy electronics do this. However I do understand that Woo is a small niche manufacturer and this may not be possible.
 
But please, let's drop the "get someone who's not an idiot (who's owned and operated the unit for years) to test it away from your evil PC then spend 80% of the amp's cost sending it back for repairs" line. No sensible person would do this.

 
"I don't have access to a Mac for testing but I've tried a few PCs. Two other users here have reported the exact same issue. At this point I don't think it's reasonable anymore to assume user error."
 
Do you have an iPhone or Android phone for testing? We have tens of thousands of users without any problems so two users does not confirm that the issue is with the unit. 
 
"Either way the unit is out of warranty so of course all responsibility lies with me."
 
We will work with you and try to accommodate if there is a problem with the unit, but we can't confirm the problem without an inspection.
 
"My suggestion was for the possibility of a local authorized repairer with access to parts and repair schematics. Most manufacturers of bulky/heavy electronics do this. However I do understand that Woo is a small niche manufacturer and this may not be possible."
 
In efforts to safeguard our technology/designs and avoid counterfeits or copycat products, we do not share circuit designs and service manuals with a third-party. 
 
There are two dealers in AU that can test your unit on their computer (PC and Mac) to confirm the problem BEFORE you spend money on shipping. In the rare occasion that your Woo Audio product needs to make the trip to NY, we can offer you our discounted FedEx shipping rate.
 
But please, let's drop the "get someone who's not an idiot (who's owned and operated the unit for years) to test it away from your evil PC then spend 80% of the amp's cost sending it back for repairs" line. No sensible person would do this.
 
We are not implying that and please don't take it that way. There have been many incidence that we receive a product in for service and we can not duplicate the customers concern or that the problem was a simple fix that can be done on the customer's side. I have personally experienced with sending a audio product to the manufacturer for service and getting it back with a note that says "NO PROBLEM FOUND". We try our best to help the customer before they ship to avoid this type of results.
 
We are trying to help and offered a few options. The ball is in your court now. 

 

[bobjane]

Thanks but I'll use it as it is and put the money towards a replacement.

 

[groovyd]

  Thanks but I'll use it as it is and put the money towards a replacement.

Yeah with Woo it is certainly a 'pay to play' and 'pay to service' sort of relationship.  I spent a small fortune just getting fit and finish issues sorted and again on upgrade.  These 'servicings' can easily double your investment.

 

[LNCPapa]

FWIW I did test it out on several PCs and 3 different Macs.  Until it warmed up none of them could see it.  Once it is seen by the system, as long as your don't reboot or power down the machine you can turn off your WA7 whenever you please.  If it is off and you reboot (and it's not already warmed up) it will disappear and you have to start over.
 
I got my WA7 in May of 2013 and started having the issue in April of 2015.  I reported it to Woo and during our troubleshooting thought we figured out what I was doing wrong.  Turns out it had just warmed up during the troubleshooting and started working as expected.  Over the last 22 months I have nailed down exactly what I need to do in order to use the WA7.  It's a bit of a pain but it still sounds just as good as it always has.

 

[groovyd]

Decided to upgrade my WA7 at home to the DiaLogue Premium HP Integrated as a dedicated headphone amp to drive my LCD-X 

 Got an upgraded WA7+tp+original ps for sale anyone interested pm me. Serious offers only, these weren't cheap and with all the upgrading either.

 

[sirmasterboy]

  FWIW I did test it out on several PCs and 3 different Macs.  Until it warmed up none of them could see it.  Once it is seen by the system, as long as your don't reboot or power down the machine you can turn off your WA7 whenever you please.  If it is off and you reboot (and it's not already warmed up) it will disappear and you have to start over.
 
I got my WA7 in May of 2013 and started having the issue in April of 2015.  I reported it to Woo and during our troubleshooting thought we figured out what I was doing wrong.  Turns out it had just warmed up during the troubleshooting and started working as expected.  Over the last 22 months I have nailed down exactly what I need to do in order to use the WA7.  It's a bit of a pain but it still sounds just as good as it always has.

 
FWIW I am seeing this exact same behavior on any PC I use my WA 7 with.  I bought mine in August 2013 but the issue didn't start until a few months ago.  I have to let the WA 7 warm up for many minutes before it will finally show it's DAC to the computer.  This happens whether or not drivers are installed.  For instance, the driver installer refuses to install the DAC drivers until it can see the DAC.  Well, if I uninstall the drivers and want to reinstall them, I have to turn on the WA 7 and then wait many minutes for it to "warm up" before Windows will finally see the DAC and the driver installation will let me continue.
 
At least I found out now I'm not the only one who is experiencing this failure and I am glad at least to see that it doesn't seem to get worse since LNCPapa has had the issue for 2 years now.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

@sirmasterboy It is extremely rare for the DAC or USB controller to fail. We can inspect your WA7 if you're confident the cause is not external. Our standard out of warranty inspection charge is $70 + return shipping.
 
Please email info@wooaudio.com to initiate the service request.

 

[protoss]

Class A amp, Is the Dac a dedicated Dac ? 

 

[LNCPapa]

It's definitely the DAC or USB controller - unfortunately I tried reporting this issue much earlier and didn't get anywhere - now it's just not worth the $70+ just to have someone "look" at it.  As I mentioned before I tried this on several machines running several OSes and with several different USB cables.  I've been "dealing" with this problem for the last couple years and I can replicate it with 100% consistency.  I have a headphone meetup coming up toward the end of May and I know I need to arrive and set up at least 30 minutes early in order to get it working by the time someone asks to hear it.

 

[groovyd]

  It's definitely the DAC or USB controller - unfortunately I tried reporting this issue much earlier and didn't get anywhere - now it's just not worth the $70+ just to have someone "look" at it.  As I mentioned before I tried this on several machines running several OSes and with several different USB cables.  I've been "dealing" with this problem for the last couple years and I can replicate it with 100% consistency.  I have a headphone meetup coming up toward the end of May and I know I need to arrive and set up at least 30 minutes early in order to get it working by the time someone asks to hear it.

$70 + another $70 shipping don't forget

 

[HiFiGuy528]

  $70 + another $70 shipping don't forget

 
Even at retail price, with insurance for $1000 and Direct signature by FedEx Ground from NC to NY does NOT come close to $70. We normally provide the customer our FedEx (volume discount) rate to help with shipping cost on out of warranty services. 

 

[groovyd]

   
Even at retail price, with insurance for $1000 and Direct signature by FedEx Ground from NC to NY does NOT come close to $70. We normally provide the customer our FedEx (volume discount) rate to help with shipping cost on out of warranty services. 

Shipping both ways was the assumption... or does your 'look at' fee include return shipping?  The box is quite larger and heavy with both units in it.