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Echo audio

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Grant_Youngman

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Echo audio

PostWed Dec 19, 2018 3:41 pm

Has anyone had any recent support contacts with Echo Audio regarding legacy products (e.g, Audiofire 12)?

I have yet another (the 3rd) failing switching power supply. But I can get no response from their web-based "support" (and I use the term loosely) form after 3 tries, or a reply to a phone voice message (they don't like answering their phone).

It isn't a crisis (I have a spare Audiofire 12), but just wonder if anyone knows if these guys are actually still a going concern or just a website and phone recorder.
Grant
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Eric Sagmuller

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Re: Echo audio

PostWed Dec 19, 2018 7:36 pm

I don't think they offer support for the Audiofires anymore, but don't know for sure. I recently repaired one that had a failing filter capacitor on the 3.3 volt rail. This was not part of the switching supply, but it kept the unit from booting up. I always make it a habit to kill power to them when they are not in use, as there have been failures reported over the years.

Eric
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Grant_Youngman

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Re: Echo audio

PostWed Dec 19, 2018 10:46 pm

I'm not too concerned about having to find the problem and repair it. I can manage that.

But it seems odd that Echo won't even reply "yes" or "no" or just "go pound sand", rather than simply remain silent ..
Grant
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Eric Sagmuller

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Re: Echo audio

PostThu Dec 20, 2018 8:06 am

Yeah and their website seems very spars.

Eric
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Grant_Youngman

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Re: Echo audio

PostThu Dec 20, 2018 2:42 pm

For the record, I finally had a phone call today from Echo Audio. Seems they might be able to repair these things. We'll see what happens. Might be of interest to anyone out there still using Audiofires.
Grant
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engrssc

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Re: Echo audio

PostThu Dec 20, 2018 2:58 pm

Sounds as if some perseverance on your part, Grant, might pay off. :)

Rgds,
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Grant_Youngman

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Re: Echo audio

PostThu Dec 20, 2018 4:34 pm

engrssc wrote:Sounds as if some perseverance on your part, Grant, might pay off. :)


It did. I have an RA#, and will ship it off once the holiday mayhem settles down.

Just took them a while to get a "round to-it" :-)
Grant
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Eric Sagmuller

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Re: Echo audio

PostThu Dec 20, 2018 5:09 pm

Yeah good to know they still support their older stuff.

Eric
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Greggiep52

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Re: Echo audio

PostMon Dec 24, 2018 8:18 am

It is unfortunate that Echo has decided not to support their former customers with driver updates for MacOS and Windows 10. In my case, having run Hauptwerk on the same machine successively from Windows 7 through to the latest build of Windows 10, even though the original Echo Audiofire 12 driver is 'compatible' with each of these platforms, difficulties were noticed early on in the Windows 10 era. The difficulties were all associated with driver latency and resulted in regular and undefeated 'clicks and pops', sometimes very startlingly.

After proving that my issues were in the driver, I abandoned the Audiofire 12 for a Motu device - problem solved and 'clicks and pops' gone! And, the Motu people do support their customers with device driver maintenance and documentation.

Rgds,
Greg
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Eric Sagmuller

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Re: Echo audio

PostMon Dec 24, 2018 6:48 pm

My two 12's run just fine on Windows 10 using their latest, 8 driver. Then again I haven't updated the machine since I built it in 2016. I did have pops in my first unit back when I purchased it in 2008. Turned out the firewire chip was bad so they gave me a new unit, this was after the warranty had expired. I kept thinking it was my computer, then finally figured out it did it with the computer off. So their service wasn't bad back then, but that's 10+ years ago. Will probably go with Motu or RME in time.

Eric
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Grant_Youngman

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Re: Echo audio

PostMon Jan 14, 2019 3:42 pm

Just a follow up — my broken Audiofire 12 is on its way back, some capacitors replaced, from Echo, for a very reasonable price.

While I was talking to them today, I brought up the question of what macOS versions the latest version (5.9) of the Echo Console would work with beyond the spec'd 10.10.x. In the next weeks I plan to upgrade my aging HW platform (early Mac Pro stuck forever on OSX 10.7). To what I'm not sure yet — I have a wish list of features and the chipset I want and am looking at options vs. bank account vs. potentially angry spouse :mrgreen:

Anyway, Mike at Echo indicated that there was an UPDATED version of the Echo Console (for the Mac at least, I didn't ask about Windows) coming at some point in the near future. He thought it might have already been posted (not yet). No details, though. It wasn't planned, and sounded like the developer just decided to do it. So those of you still using Audiofire boxes, may want to check the Echo Digital Audio website download page from time to time. If I see something, I'll post it here, too.
Grant
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Eric Sagmuller

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Re: Echo audio

PostTue Jan 15, 2019 12:20 pm

Cool, that sounds promising on an update, at least for Mac's. They must still have the same technician, at least there was a Mike there when I had the problem I did. Of course for me that's not unusual. I've been the dept. technician for the last 27 years here, at the University I work at.

Eric
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Grant_Youngman

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Re: Echo audio

PostTue Jan 15, 2019 11:21 pm

New mac version of the Echo Firewire Console (v5.9.1) posted at https://echoaudio.com/pages/mac-os-x-software.

Don't have a way to test it since I don't have a firewire interface on machines with the most current macOS version(s).
Grant

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