Need some help

[VictoriaGuy]

I contacted Ian at Gigawork. (The vendor that sold the board to the DIYer who built this for me. Ian via e-mail suggested that I re-seat the DAC board and take off the upsampling board to see if it is defective. I took off the up-sampling board twice and jumpered it properly to no avail.

.................................... The guy has terrible customer service and does not seem to be interested in anything but selling new boards. You are lucky to get a response from him every two days. And when he does respond he makes no sense.

BUYER BEWARE that if you purchase one of these boards from him and have a problem you bill be on your own. He has NO interest in servicing you and only wants to sell new boards - where the quality is very suspect.


...........................
I'd be happy to send it to one of you and pay you if you would be willing to help me fix it. I have spent over $300 on this project and have nothing to show for it. It worked perfectly for the first couple of weeks but then just died one morning.

I have dealt with Gigawork on 5-6 different occasions, including buying the DAC mentioned in this thread from him.

Customer service has been excellent in every instance.

Example: I bought the (assembled but uncased) DAC from him and realized that I wanted to rig an input selector switch (optical/USB/coax). I emailed Ian for advice/wiring diagram. He replied within 8 hours, and said he had put a pre-wired switch into the mail for me . (China to Canada). No charge. Switch arrrived before I'd finished up the case for the DAC.

BTW, the 'unmodified' DAC works very well.

Once you start tearing into a PCB, the original vendor's obligation to you has expired, IMO. A new Gigawork DAC is just a bit over $100 - my advice would be to buy one and stick it in that case.


John

 

[digitaleagle]

I'm glad you got good service from him. I have had the exact opposite experience from him. First he offered to send me a new DAC chip for $35.00. I agreed - I sent him the money via Paypal - the next thing I know he is refunding my money and refused to send it to me or communicate with me anymore. Go figure.

I am not about to spend another $100 on this when I already have invested over $300 in it. The original modifier of this abandoned me. I have not been able to get hold of him for over 9 weeks. It's not another $100 for a new board either it is $100 + $45.00 in shipping costs.

I'm about ready to throw it in the trash and be done with it - but I'm just hoping someone can help me figure out what is going on here. I don't mind putting a few bucks more into it to get it working - but it's not worth spending $100 or more to me.

If anyone is interested in the case and board for parts - please pm me with an offer.

I'd much rather put the money into a new commercial DAC.

I'll upload some more pictures of the DAC board and case tomorrow - so you can get a better idea on how it is put together.

Thanks for your response and any help you could give.

 

[VictoriaGuy]

I'd much rather put the money into a new commercial DAC.

That's a better idea for your needs, I think.

For me, buying used gear from anywhere but a reputable local hi-fi dealer is a bit like gambling (I don't really gamble, but same idea).....I don't spend more than I'm prepared to lose, and with a smile and a shrug. 'Win some, lose some...'
Double that for eBay....
Taking a soldering iron to a working unit with PCB construction: "Whee! Here we go!!!!!"
And believing everything I read about 'improvements' due to 'mods'...well, I'd wanna hear it to believe. (And by hear it, I mean in a blind (at least to me) test....so lets not go there).

I always keep in mind that some of those rosy gear reviews are written by guys who will be trying to sell their item to me next month.....
In the boating world, you never hear anybody badmouth their current boat...but the last boat had a lot of drawbacks.....same idea in audio.

John

 

[Bill Fuss]

I'm glad you got good service from him. I have had the exact opposite experience from him. First he offered to send me a new DAC chip for $35.00. I agreed - I sent him the money via Paypal - the next thing I know he is refunding my money and refused to send it to me or communicate with me anymore. Go figure.

I am not about to spend another $100 on this when I already have invested over $300 in it. The original modifier of this abandoned me. I have not been able to get hold of him for over 9 weeks. It's not another $100 for a new board either it is $100 + $45.00 in shipping costs.

I'm about ready to throw it in the trash and be done with it - but I'm just hoping someone can help me figure out what is going on here. I don't mind putting a few bucks more into it to get it working - but it's not worth spending $100 or more to me.

If anyone is interested in the case and board for parts - please pm me with an offer.

I'd much rather put the money into a new commercial DAC.

I'll upload some more pictures of the DAC board and case tomorrow - so you can get a better idea on how it is put together.

Thanks for your response and any help you could give.

Send it to me and I'll see what needs to be done with it. Drop me an email.

Bill