Can anyone tell me about HiFiAudio?

[TriodeLuvr]

1. Always use a CC for eBay purchases.
2. Return defective orders to the seller in total if you have a problem.
3. Return defective orders under eBay's "Not as Described" option for free return shipping.
4. If anything goes wrong and eBay or PayPal refuse to orchestrate a refund, keep the return tracking info and file for a credit with your CC company.
5. Don't waste time arguing with eBay, PayPal or especially the seller. In fact, in most cases, I don't contact the seller at all prior to a return.
6. Don't worry if the part had to be installed in order to test. Your CC company will take your word for it.

I was burned a few times in the early days of working with eBay and PayPal, but the steps above have resolved every issue since then. Note that none of the steps involving your CC company will work if you purchased from a foreign seller. If you did, and if eBay won't provide buyer protection, you're SOL.

Jack

 

[RS Steve]

A few years back, HifiAudio was selling a rare Fisher 1800 receiver. It was all original and contained all of its original tubes. I was contemplating a purchase but thought the price was more than I was willing to pay at that time. After a few weeks I saw it for less money, but he had removed all the original tubes and had them for sale separately. I simply sent a message stating the history and facts about the rare 1800, and that it was more valuable if it had the original tubes still in place. In return I was blocked from any purchasing or messaging, and the response was just plain nasty. I have heard many similar complaints about how this person responds, and how a lot of orders are wrong. The replacement power switch / volume controls he sells have the notch in the shaft indexed wrong, they require you to rotate the pot in a different orientation to get the knob to be correctly positioned. This requires extending the original wires for them to reach the connection points, something that to my eyes looks butchered. Next, the pot has much more travel to the point that it turns on the unit, causing no volume to be heard until it's at 1/3 position. It has to be turned to 1/2 location and a little beyond to get a normal listing level output. All things that should be pointed out in the add, but are not. The guys attitude takes the cake though, it's a shame since the offerings are well needed to the restoration of vintage gear.

 

[mcdan]

Don’t purchase anything from this person! I got burned too. It’s mouser, Digi-Key and Antique only.

Dan

 

[AlTinkster92]

Yep, ask me about the volume pot I got from this guy a few years ago. I had a excellent installer and the control was crap. Stay far away from HiFiaudio

 

[tomdowns]

HiFiAudio.com used to be good, but the last couple of years there stuff has turned into real junk. You have a better chance buying a random grab bag of parts then a kit from HiFiAudio.com.. They will give you a run around and lie out their backside, stay away..

 

[GordonW]

HiFiAudio.com used to be good, but the last couple of years there stuff has turned into real junk. You have a better chance buying a random grab bag of parts then a kit from HiFiAudio.com.. They will give you a run around and lie out their backside, stay away..

The pattern, both as captainfantastic and as the later hifiaudio incarnation- was to give decent service long enough, to get a reasonably high rating on eBay. Then, the real nature came out- denying responsibility, blocking buyers, ghosting people with problems, blaming the buyer, etc.

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[sanford12]

If the guy is from New York it could be the guy I bought parts from to rebuild a KX-200. The parts got the job done but they were cheap and the 200 didn't sound good at all. Don't know if it was the parts or the amp but didn't want to rebuild it again to find out.

 

[PecosPhil]

I bought a recap kit from him. Calls himself CaptainFantastic. He sent all the items and lots of instructions and overall I'd say the quality of the caps were OK.

I had to write to him over a problem and he answered in return and I figured he wouldn't.

He had the Kenwood KR-7200 broken down by individual boards which was good and each board had it's instructions and bag of capacitors with it's number on it.

What I didn't like was there were a couple of caps that were axial and he sent radial, which is OK I guess but I ordered axial from Mouser to make it look more like the original. How hard would that have been to do?

Another problem which was really messed up was that on two or three boards his list of caps were wrong compared to the Kenwood schematic parts diagram I have. He sent the wrong caps and included fuses for a board that has no fuse. I wrote him and told him the trouble and he answered saying he was sorry and would send the correct ones. Never did. I ordered them from Mouser.

I'm glad I had the Kenwood information otherwise I would have been in trouble. On some boards the caps are listed as Ci12, Ci13, etc and he has bad eyesight I guess because he wrote them as C112, C113, etc. Not a big problem.

Overall it was a learning experience for me. Most of the things he sent were ok and the Kenwood is working fine. Glad I watched a lot of recapping videos on YouTube so I was more informed than just from his information. I will never buy from him again. I will just order from Mouser or some other place and do it all myself.

I included the problem with one board as pictures so you can see. The information is different and makes it confusing.

 

[kwayde]

They changed their name again, this time to Hi-Fi-Audio-rocks.

 

[RS Steve]

They changed their name again, this time to Hi-Fi-Audio-rocks.

They spelled it wrong evidently, they used RO in place of SU on the last word.

 

[onearmrog]

Hey Guys,
Saw this outfit advertise on ebay selling rebuild kits. Any info on them would be helpful.
Thanks,
Paul

i\P=]URCHASED A LAP AMD FILTER KIT FROM THEM ON EBAY AND THE DAY I RECEIVED Wanted a feedback I replied that it may take a while to get to this and will leave feedback then 4

Hey Guys,
Saw this build kits. Any info on them would be helpful.
Thanks,
Paul

IU purchase4s vas ledasp5rawsi9jm

 

[Jimbo40]

Bought a kit for a concept 16.5 from captaincraptastic. Hifi audio.
He emailed me saying I left neg feedback without contacting him first so he could address my complaints.
I said what's to address, the kit was inaccurate, and that I used 75% of my own stock. Wrong diodes, a bag of transistors with no placement guilds,
1 film cap that fits knowwhere.
So he blocked my access to all the electronic files, which were useless anyway.
Get your kits from Ben at peaceloveandmusic.
His are outstanding and he is a great guy.

 

[Rip Jones]

I have bought from hifiaudio.com, and he is "hit or miss". The Cr-600 Rebuild kit I bought, had good parts in it. His document is pretty good, for the most part, but not the "step-by-step" that he implies. Then bought a lamp kit. His eBay listing showed a printed document, but in reality, all he sent were a couple of YT links. I have had good experience with Marblehead Audio, who also sells on eBay. Am going to check with "affinity for artifacts" for my next rebuild.

 

[kwayde]

I have bought from hifiaudio.com, and he is "hit or miss". The Cr-600 Rebuild kit I bought, had good parts in it. His document is pretty good, for the most part, but not the "step-by-step" that he implies. Then bought a lamp kit. His eBay listing showed a printed document, but in reality, all he sent were a couple of YT links. I have had good experience with Marblehead Audio, who also sells on eBay. Am going to check with "affinity for artifacts" for my next rebuild.

Marblehead sold a kit with the wrong size caps. They didn't fit in the space where the others were. The trim pots were wrong too. They were facing the wrong direction so I had to move a couple caps to the other side of the board to have the room to cock the pot a little crooked where I could adjust it.
A couple Wima caps didn't fit in the space where the old ones were, but I was able to place them on the other side of the board. The four main filter cap lead spacings were too close together to fit where the old ones were.

I was finishing this kit for a person who had bought the kit, but then asked me to finish it.

I contacted Marblehead and asked if he even put one of these kits in the amp. He said no, he just looks up service manuals and puts a kit together using that. Told him that's not the way to do it.
Don't know if his other kits are similar, but I'd be cautious and ask if he knows for sure that the parts actually fit in place. Way too many wrong things with just this kit.

 

[Rip Jones]

Marblehead sold a kit with the wrong size caps. They didn't fit in the space where the others were. The trim pots were wrong too. They were facing the wrong direction so I had to move a couple caps to the other side of the board to have the room to cock the pot a little crooked where I could adjust it.
A couple Wima caps didn't fit in the space where the old ones were, but I was able to place them on the other side of the board. The four main filter cap lead spacings were too close together to fit where the old ones were.

I was finishing this kit for a person who had bought the kit, but then asked me to finish it.

I contacted Marblehead and asked if he even put one of these kits in the amp. He said no, he just looks up schematics and puts a kit together using that. Told him that's not the way to do it.
Don't know if his other kits are similar, but I'd be cautious and ask if he knows for sure that the parts actually fit in place. Way too many wrong things with just this kit.

Strange. The Technics kit I bought, had no problems. I also bought a CR-800 kit, that I have not gotten to yet. He did give me a "song and dance" about the protection relay for the 800, however. I think I am going with Ben next time. Sorry you had the problem. Now you have me worried about the 800 kit.

 

[kwayde]

Strange. The Technics kit I bought, had no problems. I also bought a CR-800 kit, that I have not gotten to yet. He did give me a "song and dance" about the protection relay for the 800, however. I think I am going with Ben next time. Sorry you had the problem. Now you have me worried about the 800 kit.

Ben is reliable. I've bought a number of parts from him and never had a problem.

 

[Jimbo40]

I've bought marblehead, and was fine, captainnotastic was not good and Ben, peaceloveandmusic is the best for me.

 

[martytoo]

Absolutely avoid hifiaudio.com - horrible customer service.

This hifiaudio.com guy is a jerk and then some. I wanted a simple light kit for a Marantz 2216B. For the instructions promised in his ad he pointed me to a 10 year old youtube video done by a nice Eastern European who only replaced 6 of the 8 or 9 bulbs that should be in the kit.

Hifiaudio's kit was missing one of the seven needed fuse style light bulbs and included a bunch of useless LED's.

The guy seems clueless. I wanted instructions regarding replacing the "STEREO" light and I wonder if he even knew what I was talking about.

I returned the kit and bought from caddyjoe in California who also sells on eBay.

 

[ListeningAAD]

Well this bums me out! (first Post) retired and in the past couple of years I have the vintage audio bug, being the youngest in a Brady Bunch similiar family setting I grew up listening to my older brothers HiFi. New Gear back then,, now consider vintage Audio funny how time goes by anyways have been into finding some of the old gear I remember and now own Marantz 2270, 2275, 2238, Model 3300 pre amp and a model 16b. wanting to tinker a bit I purchased a 2238 in need of reconditioning and the model 16 needs to be reconditioned as well I thought just ordering a kit would be the best way to go (wrong) just starting to dig into repairs and finding the kit doesn't seem to be making sense (wrong caps, cheap etc) now reading the posts I think I will be better off searching out parts myself the kits weren't cheap and find myself still in need of ordering more parts needed wish I would have read this topic first because it is the same fella that is mentioned in other posts (crap).

 

[RS Steve]

Well this bums me out! (first Post) retired and in the past couple of years I have the vintage audio bug, being the youngest in a Brady Bunch similiar family setting I grew up listening to my older brothers HiFi. New Gear back then,, now consider vintage Audio funny how time goes by anyways have been into finding some of the old gear I remember and now own Marantz 2270, 2275, 2238, Model 3300 pre amp and a model 16b. wanting to tinker a bit I purchased a 2238 in need of reconditioning and the model 16 needs to be reconditioned as well I thought just ordering a kit would be the best way to go (wrong) just starting to dig into repairs and finding the kit doesn't seem to be making sense (wrong caps, cheap etc) now reading the posts I think I will be better off searching out parts myself the kits weren't cheap and find myself still in need of ordering more parts needed wish I would have read this topic first because it is the same fella that is mentioned in other posts (crap).

The folks that hang out on the Marantz section of the forum can steer you to what you need and where to order.