Can anyone tell me about HiFiAudio?

[Loalaweiter]

Just a notice: I got banned immediately on DIYaudio forum when replying to a similar thread (as a first poster)

I can't log on and can't contact administrators to ask about what basis I had been banned on.

What did I don to get banned, maybe you know the answer (affiliation=?)?

As a person increasingly seeing the value of kits based on actual restauration experience and succeses such as eBay Love Peace Music / AK Eastpoint's I had posted an imo objective review of my experience with 4 of them.


3 USA based, one European one.


Marblehead = communcative, ask in advance, they may evolve if many people convey their wishes clear enough. Maybe help them with a few specific BOM so they'd to the service of kit assembly work and make kits available that have been agreed upon by AK users.

Hifiaudio = see above. The totally not useful one. Again, the rule is to ask many questions in advance but thanks to the over enthousiastic people that didn't and have thus paid the price we can now write the conclusive review here in this thread.


www.audio-high-store dot com : good for nichicon caps etc.. good parts , price , cheaper shipping (for europe) mixed bag: assembled based on service manual. The good thing is service of reshipment for lost package without aditional cost or lots of discussion, the bad thing is: sells kits based on USA service manuals in Europe.. Too bad if your power supply is different. Communcation about such essential topic goes into the void. Avoid if not for single parts. At least they allow "user space" for reviews etc.. can post experience , review, blow of steam.

 

[dhodgeh]

Hmm.....

I don't know what really got me started to breathe new life to my Onkyo A-7, but I did purchase a rebuild kit from Hifi Audio off of Reverb. I obviously had not seen this thread or I certainly would have been wary.

Be that as it may, the kit seemed to be fairly complete, other than you had to request the documentation. When the dox arrived, the detailed instructions were anything but. No problem, I've been dabbling in tube electronics, but nothing as sophisticated as a solid state integrated stereo amp.

I did have one question, which was answered with a terse reply that the subject was covered in the dox (not). I emailed another question and did not receive a response. I sez to myself this dude need to work on his customer service skills......

Anyway, with the help of a couple of YT videos on dealing with vintage gear, I did get the caps in, and all is well for the most part - got one glitch I'm troubleshooting.

If I ever do this type of thing again, I will certainly source my parts elsewhere.

D

 

[lbcgav]

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.

One word: dgwojo.

Look him up here if you're not familiar.

 

[Xiapuda]

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

A little late on this thread but recently ordered a rebuild kit for the power supply and amp boards on an SX-636. First issue was extra and missing caps in the kit. Next was 6 each of two types of transistors when there were five different part numbers to replace. Finally, when I asked for a cross reference on the transistors the response was “ I would suggest you keep the originals in place if they are good”. Avoid this vendor!

 

[krautmaster]

Hmm.....

I don't know what really got me started to breathe new life to my Onkyo A-7, but I did purchase a rebuild kit from Hifi Audio off of Reverb. I obviously had not seen this thread or I certainly would have been wary.

Be that as it may, the kit seemed to be fairly complete, other than you had to request the documentation. When the dox arrived, the detailed instructions were anything but. No problem, I've been dabbling in tube electronics, but nothing as sophisticated as a solid state integrated stereo amp.

I did have one question, which was answered with a terse reply that the subject was covered in the dox (not). I emailed another question and did not receive a response. I sez to myself this dude need to work on his customer service skills......

Anyway, with the help of a couple of YT videos on dealing with vintage gear, I did get the caps in, and all is well for the most part - got one glitch I'm troubleshooting.

If I ever do this type of thing again, I will certainly source my parts elsewhere.

D

Is it the pesky selector switch giving you trouble, the AUX in particular? It seems to happen with all the A-7 and A-10 integrated amps... I just fixed mine with a lot of cleaning then DeOxit D5 fader lube. I also had to desolder the treble switch, take it apart and clean out a bunch of gunk--it is working great now.

 

[lo IQ]

A little late on this thread but recently ordered a rebuild kit for the power supply and amp boards on an SX-636. First issue was extra and missing caps in the kit. Next was 6 each of two types of transistors when there were five different part numbers to replace. Finally, when I asked for a cross reference on the transistors the response was “ I would suggest you keep the originals in place if they are good”. Avoid this vendor!

I’ve had two experiences with them, one good and one bad. A kit to renew the color of Mc meters was just a pack of blue films of different sizes. No good. But I got a set of nos Sylvania at7s that are perfectly fine. Of course, the tubes are from a supplier, not a kit.

 

[Peregrinari1]

Yeah, wish I had seen this thread before I ordered the kit to rebuild my Dynaco Stereo 70. HiFiaudio.com's lack of instructions is pathetic. I contacted him to get instructions and the guy was rude and claimed he had no record of my order. I sent him proof after proof including pictures of the box, the parts, the amp I'm trying to restore as well as the actual receipt from Ebay and screen grabs of all the Ebay transaction info. The guy still claims to no be able to find the order. This guy is a scammer. Avoid at all cost. I basically gave 100 dollars and a whole lotta hassle in my life away to this idiot.

Tom

 

[Loalaweiter]

After reading all this, Hifiaudio if anything is a master of eBay limits' stretch & manipulation. The +++ feedback looks mostly written by robots, not the kind of people that post here and can write a couple of happy and specific lines.

Is there a collective pressure action we can take to eBay so that those listings don't top and polute the "marantz recap kit" style search results?
Like all send email to eBay with specific info about capacitor kits not cutting it and the eBay rating system failing on this item.
I can imagine they -Hifiaudio- are good at something, like assembling LED kits, but that doesn't help those who feel they are scammed by the vastly more expensive & complex recap kits and the marketing talk making it sound like they are "one of us".

edit: on a positive note I see that the model I purchased a kit for now includes the missing but must replace parts (transistors) as I suggested in my feeback, so they are willing to improve after I send free consultency worth 500USD (their NYC style)

 

[Sandman0724]

Avoid Hifiaudio like the plague. My experiences, for what their worth, match what others are saying above exactly.

Affinity for Artifacts (Ben) is top-notch excellent. You can reach out to him if you need something and it's not listed. He'll do his best to help you out and in most cases, he does. Several months ago I was looking for a kit for a Kenwood KR-7400. He didn't have one, but said he would build one. I gave him the part information I had, the rest he tracked down. Then he emailed me about a month later telling me the kit was ready & available. I was impressed by the follow-up. His replacement Marantz power switches saved the lives of a couple of my dead 2250's.

For lamps, Ebay user "projectblk86" (Joe) and dgwojo.com are the best.

 

[rdbolin]

I'm working on a sansui G-8700db. And all my parts have come from Ben, affinity for artifacts.
Kits was shipped fast. Parts was exactly what schematic called for and very detailed step buy step instructions. I've gotten some stiff from digikey.. but 90% has come from Ben
He is polite and replies to messages promptly.
MY experience with him has been 100%..
5 stars.

 

[tourmax]

+1 for AFA.

Bought a few things off the gent over the years.

Always good stuff and any “kits” are very complete.

Can’t say on the communication part because I’ve always been satisfied right off the bat.

Again; good stuff.

 

[rotobadger]

So, I purchased a resto kit from hifiaudio for my Sansui AU-222 before I saw this thread. I tried to cancel my order on a Sunday as it had not yet been shipped. He immediately rejected my cancellation.

I’m hoping I get lucky and everything works out, however. He didn’t reply to my message asking him for an explanation.

I’ll keep this thread posted on my experience. I will be completely honest. If it’s all good, I’ll say so. If it’s not…

Well, I hope that’s not the case.

I’m a native New Yorker (from Bronx, lived in Washington Heights) and travel to Manhattan and Brooklyn for work several times a year. Kind of wished I’d waited and just asked to pick up in person so I could inspect everything right there.

 

[Mumbles]

So, I purchased a resto kit from hifiaudio

 

[jobrewer1983]

If you've done a 400, then maybe you want to look for better components than what he offers. Looks to me like you're paying mostly for the manuals.

Yea sorry, a $100 bucks for $20 bucks in caps. Totally with ya on this one ^^

I say download the SM and purchase the parts from mouser, and if you have any questions along the way post it to AK. Many folks have helped me along the way, I've had issues finding modern replacement parts, I make a post to AK and usually can get it figured out pretty quickly.

 

[rotobadger]

Quick update.

Package shows stuck at post office in Brooklyn for a week. Says “Shipment Received, Package Acceptance Pending”.

I contacted the seller and he replied he’d look into it.

To be fair, I can’t say that this is his fault for sure.

But, we’re off to a terrible start.

I’ll continue with updates. I’m eager and curious to see if he sent the correct components and the instructions he promised.

 

[spark1]

I think one of the reasons this can happen is that seller has printed a shipping label but has not yet delivered the package to the post office.

Not saying that's the only possibility. But It's one of them.

 

[rotobadger]

Ok, I just opened the package.

To start, I’m already confused. These are the transistors he sent for the au222.

Are these appropriate replacements? I can find little info on these transistors. Or am I misunderstanding?

Again, I’m a newbie. I just don’t want to use components with incorrect values.

Looking through the service manual, there appears to be several types (numbered) of transistors. However, what I’ve pictured here is all I’ve been sent. Am I to understand that these PNP transistors will replace all existing PNP and likewise for NPN? That seems weird to me.

Also, the main filter cap he sent (Epcos) is 2200uf and 100v. The service manual says 1500uf and 63v.

I understand this can actually be an improvement but I wish to keep the quality and “personality” of the 222 intact.

There are many other components he sent that I haven’t gone through yet to see if they align with the values that are called for in the manual.

I do know, for some caps, it’s best to stay at the same rating as the original.

Sorry for the newbie questions but I’m trying to make sure I have the right parts before I dip my toe in.

My place is to start with the caps on the main board. Test. Then move on to find the noisy transistor. After that, continue with the recap.

 

[Whisper04200]

New member here, joined a few mins ago after coming across this thread.

I purchased light bulb and blue meter replacements for my MC2300 from hifiaudio on his reverb store. The ad shows printed installation instructions along with the parts, so I naturally assumed that those would be included with the parts. Nope, apparently you’re supposed to email him for a pdf? Anyways, I’ve emailed him (and also messaged him through his website and reverb), so I’m hoping that they arrive sometime soon. He took over a week to even put the lights in the mail.

Does anyone happen to have the pdf already? If so, please share! And in the future I’ll be sure to follow the advice of all those who have made the same mistake and avoid this shop.

Sean

 

[tourmax]

New member here, joined a few mins ago after coming across this thread.

I purchased light bulb and blue meter replacements for my MC2300 from hifiaudio on his reverb store. The ad shows printed installation instructions along with the parts, so I naturally assumed that those would be included with the parts. Nope, apparently you’re supposed to email him for a pdf? Anyways, I’ve emailed him (and also messaged him through his website and reverb), so I’m hoping that they arrive sometime soon. He took over a week to even put the lights in the mail.

Does anyone happen to have the pdf already? If so, please share! And in the future I’ll be sure to follow the advice of all those who have made the same mistake and avoid this shop.

Sean

I think someone discussed this before and they were pointed to some YouTube videos and that was about it.

hopefully you get the pdf you want. Post again if you do.

 

[Whisper04200]

.