Jaycar Response Dissapointment - Ive lost $500!!!

[Torquative]

Hey all, just thought I would tel you about my issues with Response stuff and why I would never touch them again.

A few years back I brought Response 6" speakers. I was told their a good bang for your buck speaker. All I was running was ther standard head deck in a VX.

About 4 months later, one of them played up and it used to spike the radio and shut it off. I replaced it with yet another new Response speaker, but then it happened to another speaker.

So I vowed then never to touch their stuff

But then 12 months ago I was told theve changed, the Kevlar speakers are completely redesigned. Yeh ok, I'll go for that.

whacked them in and no issues really.

So 2 months ago I decided bugger it, I want an all in one amp so I can bolt it up and run the speakers and sub from the one unit.

I forked out $500 for a new Response 5 channel "class D"

Jaycar Electronics

Got it home, installed it - spent absolutely hours. Yeh it works fine. Put the car back together.

Next day in traffic I flick off the ipod and go for the FM. First radio station, my fav, staticy. Ok then, next one, static. 3rd one, static ... 4th one was audible but still full of static.

I also found that when it got "hot" it would have a high pitched squeal. One lunch time the car had been sitting out in the sun on a 30 degree day for 4 hours, got in, started the car and SQUEEEAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

So I had 2 weeks off over Bathurst. disconnected the amp and took it into Jaycar, with the complaint static AM FM reception and squaly noise.

2 weeks later I went in. "oh your the guy who owns the amp. yeh ok technical tell me nothings wrong BUT it overheats. I refuse to hand it back to you until I have tested it because if it overheats I fear your boot might catch alight"

I questioned the term "overheats". "yes, it gets hotter then this amp should under that load. The tech said it was too hot for him too touch but I dont know if that was him being a bit of a wuss or being serious".

Okay I'll leave it for you to test in store.

3 hours later "yeh come and pick it up, we'll talk then"

So he tells me "okay i hooked it up to this sub and ran it for this at this and blah blah blah - no issues". As for the static? Install it into the car and bring it in for me to check.

Okay so i did and sure enough same issue - static and squeal. I took it in, the squeal wasnt present but the static was. He tells me "because you habe a new car (VZ) the sensors and modules play with this amp being class d digital". as for the squeal well if it overheats then you would expect it to sqeaul - so it'd be normal behaviour. Just try to keep it cool then.

I think thats crap but anyway who knows ...

So I put it on ebay listing it for $1 and listed the issue Ive had.

The buyer whose into competition audio buys it, sets it up and then tears me a new a-hole. "it overheats, it has 5 decibel difference left to right, it squeals, the audio isnt clear, and only 2 of the 5 channels work and it wont power on for longer then 20 minutes"

They had a professional audio tech pull it apart and apparantly 6 hours later all he could potentially fault was the power supply. BUT apparantly it got that damn hot it melted the glue inside the box.

So I decided to just pay them the 100 bucks they paid for it. I'd already lost $400 in 2 months, whats another $100. I want to write it off completely. Jaycar dont want it back, they wont exchange it - I'm over it, and I cannot say Response stuff is anything.

So I'm going all Alpine now, never had an issue with that.

To everyone beware of Response stuff. I'm of the belief its still cheap because its exactly that, cheap

[hakhawk]

funny, i have 2 response amps(the previous silver ones), a monoblock and a 4x50w. theyve been nothing but great, dont even think about getting hot.

i even waited on ebay to score a second monoblock for my install.

seems theyve dropped again, like a yoyo, the first black series from memory was nothing flash.

why wont jaycar swap it for a new one? sounds like they were being slack, telling you to "keep it cool" and just put up with it.

you using the original headunit or an aftermarket job?

[daron]

you get what ya pay for and responce stuff is over priced for what it is
ya can get into a name brand for less than jaycar stuff
they have techs?
hehehe
they have kids with no idea what they doing
on the good side least the am is gone now and ya can go get good stuff

[vlv8vic]

you should have made them replace or refund it. they admitted something wasn't right then you were well within your rights to have something done about it.

Do you have the amp back now? try consumer affairs.

[Luke0011]

Problem with buying amplifiers and fitting them by yourself instantly voids the warranty. Regardless of the amp being genuinly faulty. And everybrand does produce faulty equipment from time to time. Ive had focal, alpine , pioneer amps faulty out of the box. I even had a soundstream amp output 24volts on the rca line from a 12volt supply !!!!!. Cooking a 1400 dollar unit. Ive also had an amp that had 12volts on the case and it still worked. But i do feel sorry for all the guys who fit stuff themselves and then have problems. If your forking out big coin on your gear, it makes sense to get it proffessionally fitted.

[1991_Vn2nV]

90% of the time places will refund the item whether it was professionally installed or not though.

[Phreddy]

Jaycar have gone way downhill in general lately. All they are now is a Toys-R-Us with flashing lights and electric shocks. And the people behind the counter know less than ever. But I've seen this happen to Tandy and Dick Smith as well over the years.

(I was in there to get some installation gear - cabling and so on - and most of what I wanted they didn't have in stock. The excuse given to me was "... our store manager and the area manager don't get along or talk to each other, so we're not getting stock in ...." - WHAT?????? Since when should personal problems between managers affect the running of the business? Maybe there's just more emphasis on getting the toys in stock, but not the real "electronic" stuff...)



I used to be quite pleased with Response stuff - Damn, I run it myself! But I also have done some installs with their gear, and whilst most of them are fine, there have been some silly failures - and getting something replaced - at either their retail outlet OR as a wholesale customer - is just so much pain as to most often not be worth it.

It's a real shame you've been kicked like that Matt - I know it doesn't help, but I've now had to replace 2 of the 4x50W amps out of my own pocket. I'm turning away from Jaycar myself now - and I've been a customer for over 20 years! They just ain't what they used to be....

[danja]

To everyone beware of Response stuff. I'm of the belief its still cheap because its exactly that, cheap

I put them somewhere between "proper brands" like Pioneer, Alpine, JL, etc and ****house brands like American Boss. But I've said before, they aren't the be-all end-all of car audio some people make them out to be, they are just (generally) better value for money than most brands.

I have a Response 400W monoblock for my sub, the quality isn't the best, but it does the job and only cost $250 or so which is fair enough. Doesn't get hot at all. I seem to remember someone having similar issues with the digital 5ch amp recently?

Jaycar have gone way downhill in general lately. All they are now is a Toys-R-Us with flashing lights and electric shocks. And the people behind the counter know less than ever. But I've seen this happen to Tandy and Dick Smith as well over the years.

I was so sad when DS when consumer on us and rolled back their enthusiast line, now I think they've completely abandoned it If Jaycar do the same where will we go?!?

[StoneX]

I used a couple for my first system and they worked great.... Got hot because I was new to car audio and ran everything too hard but never a problem. Because of that I've always recommended them to people for tightarse systems and no one has had a problem.

I have heard of several people on forums having problems though... So who knows... All products have a certain defective product percentage, maybe you keep scoring the bad ones.

[Tasmaniak]

for components, I still use WES....just keep getting a blank expression at Jaycar.

[holdenboy]

Hmm, interesting...i have a wholesale account with Jaycars distributor and have installed alot of response gear, be it amps, subs or speakers.....only had one problem with a 800wrms mono (which was in my own car), the amp was 11.5 months old and they replaced it with a new one within 2 weeks.

Sorry to hear about your ordeal, maybe you should call Jaycars' head office and explain the situation?

[kopper69]

Why not write a letter to jaycar head office or give them a call:

Jaycar Electronics (Head office)
320 Victoria Road
Rydalmere NSW 2116
Australia
Ph. (02) 8832 3100
Fax. (02) 8832 3131

Tell them exactly what you have told us (copy the post that you have written up if you want). Its good to get the word out for others benefit, but who you really want to be telling is the seller - they are the ones that can do something about it. Jaycar, being a reputable company should be willing to do the right thing or at the very least look into the situation.

Dont expect anything, just tell them what you have told us and see where they go.

[Phreddy]

You might be on the money there Kopper - Matt, I have a feeling that a lot of this might be coming from the staff in that Penrith store. (some while ago they had some reasonably sharp fellas there - I'm talking a few years here - but lately all the staff in there are pretty hopeless...)

Write to someone at head office, relating exactly this story to them - maybe they might make sure that the appropriate butts in the Penrith store get a damn good kickin'!! (metaphorically, od course... )

[Heffer_Slayer]

Man that sucks about your amp!!
I have a response 2x150wrms and it powers my sub fine. At least what i think fine anyway!

Maybe you just got a dud?
Sucks you lost all that money but, id be spewing

[garfa]

come on guys. letters wil not get acted on sa they are usually a one time event and companies do not have the time to firstly ascertain if the letter is legit and then secondly take corrective action.

This is not a good solution, but how ever this is your fault for not insisting on your money back/exchange.

if you could get the amp back great, go to a store, they will not be able to ignore you.

I recently had a problem with car seats. they were brought months ago and never installed. However without a receipt i easily got my money back. they tried the whole no receipt=no refund. you must be well imformed and understand your rights.

Get in contact with the ACCC, read the legislation, do a contract law course, if the consumer does not stand up for their right you will be walked all over.

i am aware this is not going to be a popular email but it needed to be said.

[cewing]

dam, musta been from a bad batch. I reckon many other people have had the same thing happen do them with those amps, and have kept silent...
if i buy a no frills brand and it dies, i sort write it off as a loss, and tell myself to not be so cheap.
I got a rockford fosgate, and after hearing some horror stories about cheaper brands(fires, ergh!) im glad i shelled out the little bit extra.
better luck on your next big purchase mate.

[immortality]

only heard good things about the responce amps up until this point. was considering using one. they also got a good review in a tech article i read in some 4 banger mag and also SM or SC mags as well.

no manufacturer has a 100% record, your always gonna get a dud once in a while. like garfa said. stand up for your rights and demand a replacement at the very least or get your money back.

i think i'll still try one, however i know jack about audio and SPL so it won't make any difference to me as long as it does a good duff duff

[Vg-ute-mad]

You might be on the money there Kopper - Matt, I have a feeling that a lot of this might be coming from the staff in that Penrith store. (some while ago they had some reasonably sharp fellas there - I'm talking a few years here - but lately all the staff in there are pretty hopeless...)

Write to someone at head office, relating exactly this story to them - maybe they might make sure that the appropriate butts in the Penrith store get a damn good kickin'!! (metaphorically, od course... )

So true Phreddy! I walked in there last year for some 2 Gauge power cable to do a install on a mates car, and asked for some 2 Gauge and he looked at me like I had two heads lol. I had to show him using their catalogue. Sure enough if he was learning, but cables comes under the basic knowledge that you need to know to work in a electronics outlet like that. I found out later, that they had lost all the good staff due to pay issues. So now they get anyone to work there. Suppose if you throw peanuts, you get monkeys!

But Torquative, get onto their area manager and talk to him about it and tell him or her, that you will get on to the department of fare trading, if nothing is done about it. It's your hard earned money, why not?

[PINKY355]

Just watch which Alpine you buy and for the matter, any brand. Ive seen exactly the same Alpine speaker cones being sold as of one the cheaper Jaycar range. Obviously with different branding on them. The Jaycar ones were $60 a set and the Alpine were $130. This was a couple of years ago but it shows that alot of companies outsource more than just components but infact whole products. As stated by some of the guys above, Most of the time you get wha you pay for and sometimes you get a bargain.
For the money over the years I've used a fair bit of the Jaycar "Responce" range and without problems.

[Galixia]

im running the response 6.5" splits in the the front and Venom 6x9" in the back... all Jaycar brought... i paid like $170 for all the speakers the splits have a bit of a crackle in them if i try to pump them but down low they have great sound. the only problem i have with the venoms is they r a bit quite so have to turn the gain way up on the amp to keep up... but i dont care cause i got what i paid for... one of my tweeters stopped working so i took it in there and was given a new one straight away...

[Phreddy]

Don't get me wrong - on the whole I have had a fairly good run with the Response gear - I'm running it myself and have never had a problem with my own.

However, I have now had a total of three of the 4x50W amps fail - over the last couple of years I suppose I've actually sourced maybe 8 units in total - so all in all 3 from 8 is a pretty hopeless failure rate.

(one of those I went through the hassle of warranty replacement, but the other two ended up coming out of my pocket to replace for the customer. It was easier to eat into my profit from the job, than to jump through all the hoops they want you to. I could've gone further, but I just don't get the time.)

I don't know whether maybe the factory that makes these things are suffering a few QA issues, but the result is the same. Product which is normally outstanding bang-for-buck, has now become one of the "avoid these" brands. Shame, but that's the way it is.

Jaycar / Electus quality has suffered in general though. I normally buy connectors and other hardware items from them - I rejected an order of 100 RCA sockets recently because they were JUNK!! I just couldn't solder to them - and I had even tried giving the solder areas a clean-up with a needle file - but the solder just wouldn't wet to the connector! Next thing I knew the whole thing became distorted because the excessive heat I had to bore into the thing had melted the insulator. Yes, a PLASTIC insulator, instead of bakelite or teflon - CHEAP AND NASTY!! RUBBISH!!)

I'm now looking for a reliable supplier of these things - as sad as it is many of my components now come from suppliers in the UK and Hong Kong, because Aussie suppliers are just dropping the ball too much.... LEDs which don't colour match properly, junk connector components, overpriced relays and ICs... the list goes on.

Anyhow - as for my spec'ing Response gear for future installs - not unless they drastically lift their game. It's gone from "... Response went faulty on you?? That's unlucky..." to now "... your Response gear works?? That's lucky..."

[<RaBBiT>]

i have had the same problems with jaycar products a few years bak and i too have never touched the stuff ever since

its is crap audio

[padrickz88]

I have had pretty much only good experience with jaycar......

Brought a set of kevlar 6x9's.... My sister turned them up for to long with constant distortion so that stuffed them...
So i walk back into the store and tell him i want an exchange or a refund, he said he cant do it without a receipt to which i reply with "OR! you could just replace/refund them because who the hell else sells response? no one, so i suggest you give me an exchange atleast, after all i did recommend all my mates to buy your amps and speakers"

Within 5 minutes i had a new set and was out the door

A couple of my mates have the silver amps, great..... But there is a problem obviously with quality control because i have heard some crappy stories.

[StoneX]

I would told you where to go Blowing up speakers should never be covered by warranty. Where I work we cover pretty much everything except for faults caused by user error, blown speakers are always user error or faulty other equipment.

Some places just like to get rid of irrational customers though

[ScoHar]

If you are looking for another brand, this prob isn't what you want to hear, but I had a Kenwood Amp bought it and it had a 1 year warranty 1 1/2 years later it sh*t itself and wouldn't power up, rang kenwood they told me they changed their warranty to 3 years and my amp was still covered, I told them I installed it myself, they got courier to pick it up from my work, about a week later it was sitting on my desk at work again all fixed. Couldn't rave enough about the help kenwood has given, no argument, no grissles just great service.