Ladder Schumann DAC Warning

Excellent info and thanks for sharing, and best of luck in getting this problem sorted. 

Yes I second that -- this is exactly the kind of info buyers need. Buyers beware!

This seller has no presence, no storefront, in America, you are ordering from China. It’s hard to resolve problems and shipping costs a bundle. So people should be aware that they are rolling the dice with no automatic return policy.

Once I had a similar issue, I purchased a cable from a maker in Australia. When I checked into returning it I discovered that most of the cost to return was in the shiping. So let the buyer beware.

   I don't think it's easier thru Amazon. Amazon always puts this standard "free returns" statement but this depends on the seller's policies, so actually it is somewhat misleading for Amazon to say that.

there’s a lesson in world economics here too.

It’s very likely that, given the scale of the Chinese vs. US economy, yes, the true value of the unit IS $150. Ladder markets it for America on OUR economic scale.

I know, I know, it sounds bizarre, but I had this happen once when stationed in Cambodia in 1992. I wanted to buy a pair of Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses in the central market and spent a good 20 minutes haggling, finally paying the man $36 (he turned and handed $1 USD to a buddhist monk standing by - for good karma… we’d call it tithing). I thouight I got SUCH a great deal as the EXACT same glasses back in Honolulu were selling at $175+.

Years later I showed these to an optician (B&L seller) who verified that yes, they were B&L Ray-Bans (I still had my doubts), optically flawless. My son wears them now.

But why so cheap? $36 in Cambodia at the time wasn’t cheap, it was like a month’s wages for some folks. B&L cranked out product, distributed it worldwide, their income averaged out to a net gain. If they were priced everywhere at the Honolulu (or Beverly Hills) price, they wouldn’t sell ANY and their workers would go hungry.

OH, and thanks for bringing this up. Ladder WAS on my list for consideration until I read your post.

I've heard that Ladder, Denafrips, and Musician Audio are all made in the same factory with slight differences in the designs. You can compare the specs and buzzwords, this does seem to be the case from what I can tell. 

Denafrips will cost more but should give you better support (in theory). Less so with Musician, and as you are experiencing, even less still with Ladder. Personally I would be comfortable buying Musician Audio from a dealer with a good reputation, but not off ebay or anything like that.