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Origin Live company support

Looking for other’s experience to work with Origin Live Company in UK. I have their turntable motor kit. Control board is broken. Motor and power transformer work fine.

Feedback to my email to them (They replied to one email. No responses after my follow-up email)- I was told the motor kit is too old, and they do not service it; I was asked to buy a new one. Can’t buy the part I need, as the new control board is not compatible with old motor and transformer. Need to buy transformer, board and motor. No discounts for replacement, pay full price on web site.

I called them by phone. Feedback from call: I cannot afford the time to talk on the phone to customers. I give the best deal. Buy it and if you don't like it - send it back for full refund.

dcaudio
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Yeah not surprised. After about a dozen years a weak solder joint on my Conqueror arm started being a problem. Trouble-shot and fixed it myself. But in the process also tried to ask Origin Live about it. In the 12 years they have developed a newer much better arm wire and RCA. Forget exactly but at least a week getting an answer via email. Even then it was a simple yeah the new ones a lot better. Not one comment let alone answer to my basic questions such as IS IT USER REPLACEABLE?!?

You'd think they'd at least say buy with confidence it comes with detailed instructions enabling you or any competent tech to install with confidence.

Instead, I figured it out and fixed it all by myself. Which is what you should do. 

Sounds like if you can fix the control board you can get it working. Or, since the motor works, then find another control board. A hassle to be sure. But in the end you wind up knowing how the darn thing works, able to fix just about anything, and probably along the way learn enough to replace whatever is broken with better parts in other words it winds up being an upgrade.

Then live and learn, next time buy American. After enough similar experience with lousy customer service from foreign manufacturers (China by far the worst!) its what I'm doing. 
slaw's avatar
slaw
20,579 posts
 
Yet you're still recommending OL in your posts.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Because my Conqueror arm is superb. The arm itself ought to last essentially forever. But really it comes down to the only American made arm I know of that might be better is the one designed by Schroeder that Lederman is going to make for Soundsmith. At least I think it is "going to make" since its not on the website yet but its been talked about. 

Graham is highly regarded but having had one I just can't recommend either a uni-pivot or any arm with a lot of connections. Or any. The signal wire should be continuous from the cartridge pins to the RCA plug. Or if not that then the fewer the better. VPI aren't really up there either. Origin Live at least is good enough to recommend even knowing the customer service will probably leave a lot to be desired. 

I'm also recommending Buy American, and more and more emphatically as time goes by.
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