HiFi Reliability

[Al ears]

The problem is that it relies on people telling the truth for starters - there's too many idiots out there that are just out to spoil things or hold grudges against manufacturers for whatever reason.

Also, why would WHF out a manufacturer for reliability issues when their mag might rely on some of them for articles/advertising etc?

+1

It would be extremely difficult to put in place and the values will always be skewed as in all owner comment reviews.

I could say I have had my amp for ten years and never had a problem with it but this doesn't mean anything for the next one off the production line. ;-)

 

[Andrewjvt]

Anything can break but it's how it's dealt with that counts.

Also people are not honest when they are angry with a product or such.

 

[tino]

Everyone's been talking about hardware reliability but often software can be a major problem. Control apps cease to work and built in streaming/internet radio services stop working or get pulled. Promised updates never appear or if they arrive they break some other existing functionality.

These days I would worry about paying lots of money for hifi that relies heavily on software services because I would worry about the manufacturer's ability or desire to update and support it in say 5-10 years from now.

 

[Al ears]

Everyone's been talking about hardware reliability but often software can be a major problem. Control apps cease to work and built in streaming/internet radio services stop working or get pulled. Promised updates never appear or if they arrive they break some other existing functionality.

These days I would worry about paying lots of money for hifi that relies heavily on software services because I would worry about the manufacturer's ability or desire to update and support it in say 5-10 years from now.

I think most of us were referring to the old days when it was just hardware.... ;-)

 

[steve_1979]

Anything can break but it's how it's dealt with that counts.

+1

 

[grimharry]

Anything can break but it's how it's dealt with that counts.

+1

+1

 

[Tonestar1]

Surely exactly the same issues apply to the JD power survey for cars? Lots of people hold grudges or opinions against certains brands of vehicle. These things average out when you get the true scores in. And to the point around advertising why do What Car publish these at the end of every review if they would be subject to the same prospective loss of advertising. i appreciate the market is not as big but there is no reason why peoples opinions on long term ownership shouldn't be surveyed, published and used by the prospective buyer to make an informed decison. WHF might not be the place but there is certainly a place for an owners reveiw survey.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Surely exactly the same issues apply to the JD power survey for cars? Lots of people hold grudges or opinions against certains brands of vehicle. These things average out when you get the true scores in. And to the point around advertising why do What Car publish these at the end of every review if they would be subject to the same prospective loss of advertising. i appreciate the market is not as big but there is no reason why peoples opinions on long term ownership shouldn't be surveyed, published and used by the prospective buyer to make an informed decison. WHF might not be the place but there is certainly a place for an owners reveiw survey.

Maybe because your hifi can't get stuck on the motorway with your baby in the backseat.

 

[nopiano]

This has made me realise I have no concept of the number of units if Hi-Fi sold each year. I know about 2 million new cars are registered per annum, but what about Hi-Fi?

Actually, I just don't think it's such an issue, as the average car must be at least ten times the cost of the average Hi-Fi, and I don't recall JDPower surveying washing machines!

 

[hybridauth_Twitter_23062536]

Choose an amplifier that doesn't run hot after several hours and it's more likely to be reliable.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

I thought that but I think it's erroneous as it depends on the design of the components. If they are more tolerant to heat it doesn't matter, but if a cheap and cheerful amp runs hot all the time that 'might' be a problem.

 

[hybridauth_Twitter_23062536]

I thought that but I think it's erroneous as it depends on the design of the components. If they are more tolerant to heat it doesn't matter, but if a cheap and cheerful amp runs hot all the time that 'might' be a problem.

Waffle, really.

 

[QuestForThe13thNote]

considering most of the electronics products I've bought in my lifetime have been Japanese, Korean etc, I can only remember one such product going dodgy and that was a Sony blu Ray player. It needed its lens adjusting or something and it was under a year old and in warranty. I took it to this local repairer.

On my cyrus stuff a different matter. I've bought 11 boxes in the last 5-6 years, both problems were on new products. A CD player display reading funny order numbers, given back to richer sounds and replaced for a new one. Then I had a x power power amp not switching on the power supply, an exchange for a new one, although the amp was working ok. Then I swapped a streamer as the display was blanking which I think was a network issue, but they swapped that too. I haven't had any other problems, but from this experience I've probably just been unlucky but it does lead me to believe that the failure rates of audiophile stuff must Im sure be a lot higher than sony, Panasonic, who I'm sure have much tighter control of failure rates and all sorts of business reasons as to why supplier ensure zero tolerance, due to the costs to put things right if components made by suppliers were to fail. I know Cyrus went through loads of issues with CD players as mentioned. If I'm honest I don't think they would be considered anywhere near as reliable as the mass produced stuff but then again I've had good reliability of recent. And one good thing with Cyrus is they only charge standard rates to put a whole unit right, unlike an expensive Yamaha etc, where if out of warranty the labour and component costs outway the units value, they don't do the work, and you have to write it off.

 

[Squall Leonhart]

I thought that but I think it's erroneous as it depends on the design of the components. If they are more tolerant to heat it doesn't matter, but if a cheap and cheerful amp runs hot all the time that 'might' be a problem.

When it comes to gaming PC power supplies the more expensive ones have capacitors that can handle higher average temperature and usually you get capacitors from more reputable companies like Nippon Chemi-Con which also make capacitors for stereo amplifiers. I assume with more expensive stereo amplifiers you would also get higher quality capacitors also. But that's just capacitors though, not sure about the other components.

 

[swiftmick]

Further to this subject, I said I wouldnt name names, however as I am not impressed with customer after care. Its time to name and shame.

I am on my 2nd MJ Acoustics award winning subwoofer. The first one developed a fault after 12 months. I contacted MJ Acoustics only to be told I would save time and money to sell it on ebay?

A few months later I purchased a MJ Acoustics Reference 100. and again after 12 months of use the subwoofer developed a fault which was traced down to a faulty capacitor. I emailed MJ Acoustics asking if they could provide a replacement capacitor?

No reply. Nothing.

I ended up popping into Maplin. bought a replacement capacitor for 19p!

Subwoofer working as it should.