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Gorkus
21
Mar 6, 2021
A cautionary word about these units (I've written my experiences elsewhere, so I'll copy them here, feel free to ask for further details): I had the opportunity to purchase an otherwise functioning ADI-2-DAC FS with a defective screen for very cheap (<1/4 price, 400CAD) , they go through revisions silently that require completely different parts that you can no longer acquire directly. I am an individual who is comfortable soldering electronics, and would otherwise have no issue replacing an lcd. To quote their replacement parts dealer's website: "RME has changed the type and size of their OLED's and replacing the oled needs a new front panel and hardware modifications we suggest that you contact your local RME distibutor to have it replaced." - I ended up contacting: [RME, local headphone shop who stocks RME, RME Parts Distributor, Canadian RME Repair Hub (there's only 1 place in canada for RME repairs & it's in montreal, they charge 75$/hr for labor out of warranty + parts & ship to get it out to germany since it apparently requires a pcb modification that only the factory in germany can do). This resulted in the expert technician at the RME repair center telling me personally he would not touch the defective unit at any price if he were in my shoes since the repair will almost definitely cost more than a new unit (after I asked their opinion) - so IMO (and in the opinion of the expert technician) as soon as a RME product is out of warranty with a problem, it's next to worthless. If the screen dies, the thing is worth about 50$ in scrap metal/connectors. TLDR: I sent so many emails to figure out that a semi-functional (pass through was still working) adi 2 dac out of warranty that I would be more than comfortable fixing myself is near worthless due to their ongoing revisions , and saved myself about 400CAD in the process (yeah, it did seem like a screaming deal at first). I don't imagine buying one of these in the future (though I was deadset prior), and now I further value the lack of a display screen and discrete source components (most lcd screens have a limited lifespan anyway + difficulty getting the exact part to replace) because they are easier to repair, replace & isolate issues when you can swap parts around and only have to deal with common pcb packages.
(Edited)
brainwave
703
Mar 6, 2021
GorkusThank you.
c_r_z
863
Mar 6, 2021
GorkusOut of curiosity, what's the warranty period over there?
GorkusLCD lifespans are pretty decent. It's not like they go out in a year... The rest of this is kind of "whatever" I guess. I'd never purchase a defective unit from anyone, much less expect the company to help you service it (and by that I mean provide the parts). I imagine most people won't have their product fail/be defective well after warranty expiration. Their warranty from an authorized dealer is 5 years, which is plenty solid (but it is probably not 5 years from Drop).
(Edited)
racheski
248
Mar 6, 2021
GorkusSo the cautionary tale is to do your due diligence before you purchase a used/defective piece of audio equipment to determine if an authorized dealer can have it repaired. I really don't see how this is an issue with RME whatsoever.
Gorkus
21
Mar 7, 2021
postwarscarsI'm not sure where you are seeing 5 years, I thought it was 2 years at the time of writing (which the unit was just out of), however going to the manual for the ADI-2-DAC F/S it states (pg 68):
  • Audio AG grants a limited manufacturer warranty of 6 months from the day of invoice showing the date of sale.
Edit: and the cautionary tale is that there are silent revisions in which they make some older components obsolete & then stop offering them in their replacement parts store, giving someone who has the technical ability no means in which to repair the unit. Edit2: the "5 years" figure referred to above only applies to purchases made within the UK through authorized dealers within the UK [source]. [edit: shrink wrap with the UK 5 year guarantee may qualify]
(Edited)
c_r_z
863
Mar 7, 2021
GorkusWow, this is bad. Over here they used to offer 2 years until early 2019 then they switched to a 3 years warranty.
GorkusCorrect, it's 5 years in the UK. It has a blanket warranty of 6 months regardless of purchase location, but the actual warranty varies by country (good luck with finding that info though). As for the revisions, it may be silent, but it also could be due to the issue the unit has with the display going out (obviously hypothetical on my end). It's hard to say what their reasoning is, but I just find it hard to fault them for the OLED replacement issue. The only thing it would've saved you is time, knowing about the revision. OLEDs are definitely a more specialized part than most, I don't imagine they'd want to source old ones for the minority of repairs that would need it.
brainwave
703
Mar 7, 2021
postwarscarsFail of OLED screens often happens in one-two years, and often after the warranty ends. I had two units gone defective in this manner, one was SMSL DAC and the other was a hi-end Bluetooth receiver. I don't know how widespread the problem with their old OLED screens, but that RME quietly decided to change the OLED brand and related circuity tells that they might have known the OLEDs in old units may go bad. Every reputable company stocks all the necessary parts and does repairs under warranty or after it ends. Car manufactures provide parts and repairs for old models for 10-20 years and many higher-end audio companies for up to 10.
(Edited)
brainwaveThe average lifespan of a (decent) OLED screen, ignoring other internal factors, is like 5 - 10 years of average use. It sucks that happened to you, but it sounds like you were unlucky, and the reasoning is fairly anecdotal.
c_r_z
863
Mar 7, 2021
postwarscarsAFAIK the panel on the RME ADI-2 DAC is IPS, not OLED.
brainwave
703
Mar 7, 2021
postwarscarsI don't know about the RME screen, but I could tell you for sure that the failed OLED screen was the major problem with the original SMSL M8. You can search the M8 discussion here on Drop or on internet audio forums. Same with my bluetooth DAC. Anyway, refusal or inability to repair currently produced units is unacceptable for a company that cares for its reputation.
c_r_zThe link above lists it as OLED on RME's website, so I'll just assume that's correct. There's not a ton of variance in longevity, either way. As for brainwave: that may be true, but that case is not a blanket case for all screens. Prevailing knowledge is most modern screens last a long time, but faulty batches or bad engineering is a thing. Also, RME didn't say they weren't standing behind their product: it was out of warranty and second hand, most companies won't touch that. The issue is they silently updated their screen and don't allow purchase of aftermarket parts for the repair of the older version. It's a sort of middling point to me, a lot of companies do this, not just RME, and I imagine few users are inclined to do those repairs themselves regardless, so there's little incentive to stock the old replacements.
(Edited)
c_r_z
863
Mar 7, 2021
postwarscarsStrange, both the older revision printed manual I have and the newer revision PDF mention it is IPS: https://www.rme-audio.de/downloads/adi2dacr_e.pdf Based on the glow on the older, non FS unit, that one is an IPS panel for sure. The main issue here is that the warranty in Canada is pretty bad, the 5 years warranty in the UK mentioned in the posts above and the 3 years warranty in my country seem a much better deal.
(Edited)
brainwave
703
Mar 7, 2021
c_r_zIndeed, the ADI-2 manual mentions "high resolution IPS" screen several times. It appears to confirm Gorkus' story of quiet hardware revisions. Also, the RME has not refused outright to repair the unit, but the technician said the repair would cost more than buying a new unit which is essentially the same as SOL. I was seriously considering buying this DAC, but now I'm unsure... the lack of transparency and RME after warranty support does not make me confident in the company.
(Edited)
brainwaveYou are still mistaking the circumstances, because this isn't a warranty issue, since it's a second hand unit issue. I'm not saying they're refusing literally, but that they aren't going to help someone who purchased second hand, and out of warranty service is pretty straightforward with most companies. To c_r_z: do we know what the warranty is in Canada? I mean, the warranty isn't really relevant to the issue in this case, but it's good info to have. I'd hope it's more than 6 months. Also, I'd probably prefer OLED to IPS in this case, but that's likely the revision. I would assume it's cheaper on RME'S end.
(Edited)
Gorkus
21
Mar 8, 2021
postwarscarsI think both you and c_r_z are right in different regards. I don't see my experiences as being an issue necessarily (I didn't even purchase the unit, so no skin off my bones) with RME, but it is something that has had an impact on my purchase considerations going forward. I wasn't planning to have a third-party repair the unit & was upfront with the support vendors about trying to get the parts so I could replace it myself before later considering if a service repair would be feasible. Regarding the warranty, it is rather difficult to get official documentation confirming the warranty (I've searched a lot of documents/forums, in which the officials redirect people to the manual & service page to contact the individual country's authorized warranty provider) which I do see as a slight concern. Canadian retailers show a 2-year period in some listings, though I can't seem to find any official RME statement confirming so [listings ref 1, 2]. Strangely enough, it seems like I was incorrect in my earlier description of the 5-year warranty - outside of the UK you can possibly get the (5-year) warranty as long as you purchased from a UK retailer & have the code on the shrink wrap of your box based on this person's experiences after speaking to C/S. You need to get a different power cord, but that may be the route I would go if I were set on purchasing one of these units.
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yulewang
2
Apr 23, 2021
GorkusI have an extra screen --- I ordered one from the LCD company right before they stopped manufacturing it, as a backup of my ADI-2 Pro FS screen. you can sell the broken device to me if you want.
(Edited)
confuzyon
52
Aug 31, 2021
GorkusJust after the 2 year mark mine started to have significant issues. The relays all started to go - meant the sound on one of the channels would be inconsistent. It was super annoying. No repair option. I am now the proud owner of a paper weight. I will never buy a RME device again.
(Edited)
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