RA280 defect no solution since 8! Weeks

[Smegel]

Ok…

I am sorry of your situation… but clearly you got a defective unit.
IMHO I would expect the dealer to get you a replacement, or some sort of loaner to you.
(A replacement would have been the optimal choice. )

While you’re mad at Rose not having a lot of replacement parts in Germany… think about what you’re asking… there are not a lot of boards in the RA280. Not a lot to go wrong. So shipping boards to sit on a shelf while it could be used in a product doesn’t make a lot of sense from Rose’s perspective. Also you have to consider timing.I believe they just had a week long holiday?

While this isn’t good, I think you should complain more to the dealer and see what they will do to accommodate you. Then contact the local (Germany) distributor to see what they can and or are willing to do.

I’d blame the dealer before Rose.

[Edi]

Hi, yes, I’m starting to think it’s the dealer’s fault. Unfortunately, we don’t have a Hifi Rose distributor in Germany. The distributor is Piega in Switzerland. I’ll contact them. We’ll see if that helps. The dealer in Germany doesn’t seem to have any interest in satisfied customers. I actually wanted to buy the new Streamer RS ​​451. But now I don’t think so. It’s a shame, really.

[Eleven]

I completely understand. I was fully prepared to purchase the RD160 until I lived with the RS130 for a time. Not going to happen. Not going to double down on the self-flagellation.

[Smegel]

@Eleven
I fully understand… and its a bit of a shame.
That RD160 Looks like a killer product. Got a good review from a YT Reviewer.

And this should be a lesson to HiFi Rose… that any negative experience can kill one or more future sales.

[Smegel]

Outch.

Hopefully the Swiss help out. @ROSEHAN , @ROSELOA is there any way someone from Rose Corporate could help apply some pressure on Piega and the dealer in Germany?

The RS451 seems to be a slightly improved RS520 without any amplifier.
I mean it has headphone output, built in wi-fi and BT and XLR out.
So you can pair it with a lot of good options.

When I saw this, I thought about pairing it w Orchard Audio’s mono blocks or you could go out to a pair of active speakers.

[ROSELOA]

Hello,

First of all, we would like to express our sincere apologies for the issue with the RA280 volume potentiometer.

We are aware of the delay in the arrival of certain replacement parts, and we are currently in the final stage of implementing a new process to maintain a larger inventory and ensure faster after-sales service. Once this process is completed, situations where repairs are indefinitely delayed due to lack of stock will no longer occur.

As you mentioned, the replacement parts for the RA280 potentiometer are scheduled to arrive between late October and early November. Although we have done our best to expedite the schedule, we regret that it did not meet your expectations.

We will make every effort to prioritize the preparation of this part and ensure it is available as soon as possible.
Once again, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the product defect and the disappointment with our after-sales service.

Best Regards,

[Edi]

Thank you for the message and for the repeated apologies. I don’t mean to offend you.

I respect Korean customs. However, in my culture, it’s customary to apologize.

Not simply to apologize. In Germany, the injured party is asked for an apology and either accepts it or not. Incidentally, I’ve since discovered that the problem with the volume control on the Hifi Rose RA280 has been known for a long time.

I cannot tolerate this behavior and will switch to companies with established market positions in the future. These companies also make mistakes, but they’ve largely passed the learning curve.

They probably don’t even know what they’re doing to future company founders with their casual attitude. Who can possibly trust new companies like this? I hope you understand. I would have hoped for a quick and generous solution here. It would also serve as a signal to future Hifi Rose customers.

Greetings from Germany

[Carnelian]

This is really your dealers fault. And/or the distributor. When it was clear the repair would talk a long time, they should have just sent you a new unit.

[Smegel]

@Edi, I agree w @Carnelian.

I don’t know more what @ROSELOA can do but offer an apology here…
I hope that they can send a message internally to their international sales organization and report the issue, asking Piega for some assistance.

In terms of knowing about defective devices… I think it depends on how bad the defect is…
If the number of defective units are small, Rose and their distributors should have kept a few units on hand in the region, and then when a defective unit shows up… if still within the warranty period, they should have exchanged the unit. Then repaired the original and resold it as refurbished.

Here in the US, there is Rose USA along w MoFi their distributor… so there is more support behind the dealer.

I would hope that Rose takes this situation to heart and that they consider how to best handle dealers that do not support their customers.

Beyond your experience… anyone who reads this thread will think twice before buying.

[Edi]

The dealer who sold the device (Hifi Rose RA280) in Germany just celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Projekt Akustik Schönberg GmbH
Tremskamp 51 - 51a
23611 Bad Schwartau
Germany.

I’d like to congratulate them on that.

I think there are to much defect devices who have technical problems.

[Edi]

Initially, the dealer had promised me a new device. He said the exchange was currently being negotiated with the distributor (Piega) and the manufacturer. That was four weeks ago. Now I’ve learned that too many devices are affected to exchange them for new ones. So, the customer is being saddled with this. It’s a shame. I don’t think they’re doing themselves any favors.

[Ben]

i ve had to wait several weeks just to vet a replacement wifi dongle in germany.
It is certainly not the dealers fault because they sent the unit to a national distributor…

[Edi]

I don’t care who’s at fault. I paid a lot of money and don’t have a device because some overpaid idiot isn’t doing his job properly.

[Eleven]

How long after you purchased it did you notice the problem? I personally think the retailer should give you store credit so you can buy another (different) product. I find it hard to accept, let me put it differently, I find it unacceptable that the best Rose can do is offer an apology. Something is seriously wrong.

[duffer5]

HiFi Rose always seems to apologize — whether that’s sincere or simply a reflex to deflect criticism is unclear. Either way, actions speak louder than words, and the forum is filled with apologies but very little tangible progress.

It’s an odd and frustrating dynamic for users like @Edi: repeated assurances without follow-through make the brand appear insincere and disorganized. It’s a bad look for HiFi Rose and yet another example that things are not under control.

[Edi]

The device was in use for 14 months. In Germany, the warranty is 24 months. As I said, someone isn’t doing their job properly.

[Edi]

Yes, exactly. Hifi Rose apologizes and thinks that’s the end of the matter. The customer is responsible. I always thought Asians were honest people. Unfortunately, my impression isn’t that. In Germany, we have a term for people who steal your time. We call these people “Tagdiebe” (day thieves).

[duffer5]

Still no reply from HiFi Rose. Unfortunately, this continues a familiar pattern—quick to apologize, slow to act, and showing little sign of genuine commitment to improving customer support.

[Edi]

HIFI Rose merely a hobby brand or a serious business, that is the question?

Do you want to install HiFi ROSE on this device?

Bonte

Aug 3

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BorisM

Aug 3

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2

BorisM

Aug 4

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2

Smegel

Aug 5

Well dude, I actually do have cat 8 rated patch cables.
Oh wait, you’re an ‘audiophile’.

I’m just some guy who works in IT and has a cluster of servers in my home office.

Been doing IT for far too many years.

BorisM

Aug 5

@Smegel

Oh wait, you’re an ‘audiophile’.

Apparently reading comprehension isn’t your strong suite. And from the mention of CAT7 cables, neither is IT. Must be a tough life.

Smegel

Aug 5

For you maybe.

I guess you’re not familiar w the IEEE 802.3 standards? Or the working group that set the standard?

The Category 8 standard was developed by the ANSI/TIA-568 standards body, more specifically, the TR42.7 committee. The document that details Category 8 cabling is ANSI/TIA-568-C.2-1, and was published in November 2016 as a standard, therefore Category 8 is no longer in a draft format.

Now I said CAT 7 which was an earlier standard. CAT 8 cables will probably be the last because of limitations on speed in terms of using copper cables.

As you were saying?

Do you also want to talk about RF Interference in terms of patch panel / cord length cables and why the gauge of wire is less of an issue at these short distances?

But I bet you can hear things over 100kHz too right?
I’m just an old guy who’s hearing has dropped to between 16kHz and 17kHz on a good day.

BorisM

1

Aug 5

Just look up what CAT7 standard is, then get back to us, when you manage to jam a CAT7 cable up your Rose. Or, stick to discussing speaker interconnects with the equally clueless.

Poor Schmuckel, he still thinks that it is other peoples’ posts he needs to hide so people would not see that he’s an idiot. It’s too dumb to realize that it needs to hide its own posts instead.

1

Smegel

Aug 5

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BorisM

Aug 5

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closed Aug 5

This topic is temporarily closed for at least 4 hours due to a large number of community flags.

2 months later

opened Oct 2

This topic was automatically opened after 57 days.

9 days later

SPaul

17d

Rosehan, what else do you hear about point 3, namely “We are also preparing an urgent patch for issues with the USB port that arose after the update and will promptly provide a corrected update guide”? Don’t you think you have exceeded any reasonable deadline?

3

ROSEHAN

15d

@SPaul

This issue has already been fixed, and the updated version has been released.
If your Rose device is running Rose OS version 5.9.09, the USB port issue has already been resolved in that version.

duffer5

2

14d

Your communication continues to fall below acceptable standards. You now appear to assert that this specific issue has been resolved, yet no such resolution was formally communicated. You further state that a corrected update guide will be provided—presumably for the RSA720—however, that documentation remains outstanding.

Despite repeated assurances over the years that HiFi Rose is committed to improvement and values its user base, the opposite has occurred. Customer service, technical support, and both software and hardware performance have demonstrably declined, placing the brand well below industry standards.

I encourage current users, prospective owners, and the HiFi Rose team to revisit the very first post in this thread. What was true then remains true now—nothing has changed.

HiFi Rose must take immediate and material steps to correct these deficiencies. @ROSEHAN @moderators

4

SPaul

14d

Rosehan I think you misunderstood! It’s about the update for RSA720 not for RS130. Why are you still selling RSA720 if you haven’t solved the compatibility issues and the USB port functioning issues for a year?

2

ROSEHAN

14d

@duffer5 @SPaul

We are planning to post updates about critical issues on the HiFi Rose Community soon, including progress reports and clear status updates (e.g., “in progress” or “resolved”) for better transparency.

We regret to inform you that the DAC recognition issue when connecting the RS130 and RSA720 has not yet been addressed in a new update. Our development team has confirmed that they are still actively working on resolving this problem.

1

duffer5

2

13d

@ROSEHAN @moderators

Your latest response not only contradicts your July 25th statement, but it underscores a deeper issue that continues to go unaddressed—HiFi Rose publicly stated that an urgent firmware update was underway, yet months later there has been no release, no follow-up, and no clarity.

This ongoing pattern—announcements without execution, promises without timelines—is precisely why users remain so frustrated. You say support will improve, yet our only support channel is this forum, and even here communication is fragmented, technical guidance is minimal, and essential updates remain overdue.

Repeated assurances of “we will do better” lose credibility when the reality reflects the opposite. Calling something urgent in July and leaving it unresolved through October signals either a lack of coordination or a lack of respect for your users’ investment in your products.

We don’t need more promises—we need delivery, transparency, and accountability. Until then, the gap between what HiFi Rose says and what HiFi Rose does will continue to erode trust.

Anyone joining this discussion need only review the very first post in this thread—it’s the same concerns, the same assurances, and now, even less accountability than before. Nothing has improved; if anything, the situation has deteriorated.

4

Edi

2

13d

Bla, Bla, Bla. And Bla. To many words. And nothing happens.

1

12 days later

duffer5

2h

Yet again, HiFi Rose remains silent. Their approach to support feels superficial—apologies and excuses without any meaningful follow-through or change.

1

Edi

2h

Unfortunately, still no word from Hifi Rose.

I contacted the distributor for Germany by email and phone. That’s Piega/Hifi Rose in Switzerland. Customer service promised me over a week ago that they would look into it. To this day, I haven’t heard anything. During the phone call over a week ago, they told me that the RA280 couldn’t simply be replaced, as the other RA280s they had tested in the meantime all had the same problem with the volume potentiometer. As if I had to wait for a new volume potentiometer. Yesterday, I spoke with the German retailer. He told me exactly the same thing. However, he’s going to provide me with a loaner unit, since Hifi Rose refuses to send a new one. Because, as I said, this new unit will probably have the same problem. There must be some real geniuses working at Hifi Rose. I’ll be looking at other manufacturers. It’s a shame. The RA280 sounds really good. But I’ve lost all confidence in the design of these devices. Once I get my amplifier back and the warranty has expired, I’m worried something else might break. Like I said, I used to have a Lyngdorf TDAI 3400 and a Yamaha A-S3200. I never had any problems with those. We’ll see what the future brings.

[Smegel]

I’m sorry to hear this…

Seems that HiFi Rose needs to mature a bit.