hi, only my second post here, my other one is on the Op-1 forum. Unfortunately having looked on this forum my question is more or less the same.
Seems there are an awful lot of posts saying people have hardware issues, powering problems, LEDs not working - the basic stuff.
I had a look on some forums for the Digitakt and I’m not seeing anything like the number of posts about that kind of thing.
The other red flag to me is that I completely failed to see anyway of contacting TE other than a Swedish phone number. I thought it was me but it appears that the email support has now been removed? Do you get the email in with the product?
The products, both the OP-1 and OP-Z look fantastic (I already have a PO-33 and that is great) but for me they would take all or most of my music budget …I’m nervous if the products have a high failure rate.
(In case anyone wonders why I’m looking at the OP-Z and OP-1 but already have a Digitakt, it’s because I’m looking for something to sample directly via a mic and then be able to play the samples polyphonically)
I have my OP-Z for one year now and have no problems so far.
I also think, that there will be no posts like „I have no problems with my…“. So maybe the reality is another than the forum.
I don’t know how many units are out there, but maybe that would be a better indicator for the quality. When there are e.g. 100000 units out there and here are 50 users with problems, I think it’s not a big issue.
Also you don’t know how the unseres treat their units. It’s the same as with phones…there are many unseres with no screen protector and no scratches on the display
I have 3 POs with no problems. (My initial Robot purchase was returned due to bad button on arrival but the replacement is fine)
My OP-Z has been little used and very gently handled, but developed tye encoders popping out issue. That said, it is an easy fix.
In my experience, TE customer support is wanting. My girlfriend bought me an Arcade direct from TE for Christmas 2018, not knowing I already had one. She contacted TE for a returns number and is still waiting, over a year later.
I have no regrets purchasing all these TE devices.
Just buy from a reseller whose customer service will protect you from ever having to deal direct with TE.
@ marnor. Good point about handling. I’m probably going to have whatever I buy in the studio 99% of the time. I’m thinking of talking to my local reseller re what they see in terms of returns vs purchases.
@cloudburst. Yes the lack of support is a bit of a worry. The local shop offers a blanket 2 yr warrenty and potentially 5 yrs but I suspect that won’t be the case for TE products.
I sold mine , but I had no problems with, if Ihad any double triggering it was just because I didn’t have it on a firm surface.
It was so fun to use that I’m thinking about buying it over again, the only annoyance was the battery life wasn’t great, but you could use an external.
I am concerned about reports , but I’d probably just get extra cover with it. Not the sort of device you bash away on anyway.
I’ve had mine for a little over a year and have taken great care of it, but my volume knob has already cracked and my lower keys constantly double or triple trig on the device. I’m very disappointed with the QA on the device. I really love it but each time i take it out of its TE OP-Z pvc wrap up case i wonder if something else is going to break. I baby this unit like no other one.
It’s really disappointing. I hope they fix their QA pipeline, because it is a novel device deserving of so much.
If i could do it all over again, I’d get the Squarp Pyramid as my sequencer…but i do love the form factor of the zed.
I need to find someone to service the unit so i can get the double trig problem fixed.
If you cracked the volume knob I don’t see how you can say you took great care of it? It is not something easy to break, you would have to hit it pretty hard to crack it. Maybe people have different definitions of taking good care of things?
And you can buy a new volume knob on ifixit. The double trig’s can be fixed too through the service company TE uses.
Nope. Never banged it. It cracked via a hairline fracture. I assume the stress of turning it off and on took its toll on the knob. Maybe it slid out and this caused it. I baby this unit so i was really surprised when it happened.
I ordered a replacement from TE and was able to get it for $5 when they were running a free shipping offer (normally $25 with shipping).
Looking into getting it serviced now but not in a rush honestly. I was also of the opinion that people with issues were hard on the units, but after my experience i realized it is definitely a QA problem with the first batch of units.
I really hope they fix this pipeline cause it is a magical device.
IMO the OP1 and OP-Z are not of the same build quality. The opz is so much fun i make music on it all the time, take it to work, on the plane, jamming with other people, using midi keyboards and other external stuff! but, it really isn’t a “studio” or “pro” quality of build at all. There have been a lot of issues with them it is true. (this forum evidence)
The op1 on the other hand has a much much better track record of reliability over time, maybe except the battery lasting on older models.
The opz is a music maker no doubt but i would probably never rely on it during a live show, especially if it was my main piece of gear,
If a volume knob cracked it must have had a problem in manufacturing, mine had been very sturdy and is a normal plastic thing, not particularly frail. I disagree… sure the magnets have been a problem and double triggering… but I kinda expected that kind of thing from a device that does so much and is so small… I mean what do you really expect? Some things are just not supposed to be so small… The fact they pulled it off just amazes me. The plastic they use is actually extremely strong for a plastic, it’s still a plastic, but the fiberglass makes is very strong… the other side of that is it’s so strong that if not cut right it can bend and warp, it must be cut at the right angle with the fiberglass… is the same with carbon fiber.
I don’t think people are giving this thing a fair shake really… people bought it knowing the company and knowing that this thing is trying to do the impossible… the op1 has had lots of problems too also, it still does… lots from this newest version had qc problems, some wouldn’t even work… Maybe you just don’t hear it as much being here and not on the op1 forum, or maybe it’s been around so long that allot of the problems have been forgotten… but I didn’t forget, I still remember people complaining allot about it…
TE will never have the build quality of Roland or somebody… I don’t think it’s fair to expect that… They are a tiny company making very weird stuff at the edge of possibility and profitably… they are a risk nomatter what you get from them, you have to know that going in.
I know allot of people will say “well, I really don’t need it to be so small! I just want it to not have problems!” But I think really? So you really don’t like that you can put it in your pocket? Because I know for me it’s a huge asset… the main reason I use it so much!! If it was bigger I wouldn’t carry it with me near as much and I really appreciate this thing!!
Well that’s what TE said to a guy who had asked them about repairing his keyboard, they said the party want available yet because they are being used to make new ones but it would become available.
I’ve had minor problems a couple of times and have contacted TE over the support email to get help. Both times they answered quickly and took care of the problem, or instructed me on how to fix it in less than a week.
The Op-z has a cult like following. For some reason some users don’t want to admit that it is a badly engineered product, unlike the OP-1, wich is a wonderful machine, a modern classic.
I would love to buy an Op-z again because it’s intuitive, fun to use and it’s the kind of gear that inspires you to create.
I think it’s important to recognize it’s flaws so the guys at Teenage Engineering can address and fix the manufacturing problems.
I want to be more optimistic about them fixing the issues with the oplab but it’s still not reliable even after the firmware updates (it is better than before though). I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve gotten my units replaced by TE. They seem to have mitigated the double trig issue compared to earlier units but the oplab thing is still not ok. So yea there is some bad engineering on the Z.
If they get the manufacturing right they have a winner. In fact, I would love a premium built opz with an aluminum body and industrial grade buttons. I actually like the led interface and the form factor it just needs to be more reliable
