That's unfortunate on many levels. I have a pair of GE Reference speakers and have been happy with them since 2019. I also added a GE sub and the amp died shortly after I bought it. GE replaced it no issue, but that was back in about 2021. Hoping for the best! Yeah always worry about amp issues on the Reference...
Goldenear….recent experience and lesson learned
Against better judgment, I bought a pair of GE Triton 3+’s new from my dealer about a year and a half ago for my home theater. I went against my gut, and bought a pair of powered speakers. Of course, last week one of the amps died. The speakers are still under warranty.
Reached out to my dealer, who called GE. Apparently GE no longer has replacement amps. I can remove the amp and send it in for repair, but no replacements are available. Pretty sh-ty. Nice job Paradigm (probably old news, put Paradigm now owns GE). Never been a Paradigm fan…and this just confirms my feelings.
Should have followed my gut and bought non-powered speakers and a separate sub instead of GE, Chinese assembled junk. Lesson learned!
Just a heads up for all you GE owners if/when you have amp issues.
Prior to buying any GE speakers, call Paradigm to confirm they will have parts in the future to support your purchase.
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We hear spot stories here and there when people have a problem or not with products, but sadly there is not much to go on statistically regarding reliability of various products in this domain out there. Personally I have had very good luck over the years with few product failure issues knock on wood. So my best advice is do your homework and take your chances where you must. Stick with vendors that have a good reputation for service and support in general, though that in general seems to be an increasingly scarce thing these days. Otherwise, be ready to move on when something finally reaches its end. I always keep plenty of spares around just in case. Can’t be going for weeks or months without my hifi. That’s right out! Also when it comes to reliability, also good practice to try and keep it simple. In the end, most everything we buy is replaceable eventually when the time comes. I used to work in a store that sold mostly refurbed gear, mostly made in Japan, back in the 1970s, all the best known brands of the time. They all had issues from time to time but the very popular Advent 300 receiver seemed to have the most, probably because they were very popular and certainly not the most reliable, which seemed to be the pattern. Lots of refurbed Pioneer, Marantz, and Sansui gear there as well. Regarding Goldenear specifically, they offer very good sound value out of the box, so that is a plus to factor into the equation. Worst case is questionable value out of the box + no support/service available when needed. Did you know the average lifespan of a modern now Chinese-made top rated name-brand water heater is only 8-12 years? They do not make those like they used to, thinner metal, etc. to keep the price down of course. Same for most household appliances. We will see about the higher end hifi gear, which likely has a very bright future these days in regards to offering good overall TCO and value. The good news: I’ve had many Class D amps over the years (Bel Canto Icepower, Fosi, Hypex, GanFET) including no less than 9 currently, 4 in a single pair of active speakers (Vanatoo). All still going strong. The only issue was a bad IC in a Bel CAnto ref1000m amp, the most expensive amps I have ever owned, acquired here second hand. Bel Canto fixed for me for a reasonable price within a few weeks. Well done!
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@dynacohum Dang! I wish I would have known. Thanks for the insight. Well, good luck to Paradigm. |
@mapman Well put. |
@deep_333 I bought the GE speakers as an inexpensive option for my basement home theater. With that said, I assumed they would last longer than a year and a half. My 2 channel rig is all McIntosh and Bryston. BTW, I’ve had a few hiccups with McIntosh over the years. However, I’ve always had great luck with them troubleshooting, sending parts or simply replacing equipment. 👍🏻
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