Op-1 parts fail rate

Been awhile since I’ve posted but I’d like to start an unscientific poll/thread to get a rough idea of the fail rate of components in the OP-1 that other people are having.

Quite a few months back I had posted on these forums whether other people were having an issue with the input or output jacks lifting off from the connector board under regular use. In my experience I couldn’t get it repaired locally so had to purchase a replacement from ifixit.com.
So be it, these things happen I thought.

Not long after replacing the connector board (a few weeks in fact) i noticed my OP-1 would no longer appear/mount in disk or midi mode.
I settled and made due recording straight off of the OP-1 until seeing a few other people mentioning the same issue on various posts and stating that Teenage Engineering determined most likely cause to be the DSP board needing a costly replacement.

I am aware that Teenage Engineering is a smallish company but at this point I am becoming seriously unimpressed in the quality and reflection in cost that we are receiving for $1000+ instrument.

TL/DR
Post if you have had to/ or are going to need to replace a hardware part on your OP-1 due to malfunction.

No issues with mine since having to return it straight after purchase (had that issue with random patch switching/sequencer activating…Not sure what they switched. Maybe just replaced it as was brand new… ). But from reading this forum you’d easily be forgiven for thinking op-1 was made by Behringer… There’s always the ‘people only make noise when things DON’T work’, but it does seem to be a pretty sketchy little unit…

Mine just died after three months. I agree, the unit is fickle and certainly not up to scratch for the price.

I think the manufacturing process must have changed?


I have had my OP-1 since 2014 with no issues (touch wood).

Having been a member of this forum for a while, I do see more and more that newer units are having issues. I feel for anyone with a faulty unit.

I’ve had mine since 2014 as well with no issues but recently the headphone output signal goes out if the cable moves to one side. So basically it’s going bad. I’ve been real careful with my op1 and plugging cables in but I’ll probably have to get a replacement board at some point. Kinda sucks.

I bring mine everywhere, always have it with me when I’m away.
Never had the slightest pb so far, my feeling is that it’s closer from a tank than from a plastic toy.
:smiley:

Also 2014 ftw, btw.
:wink:

Mine just died after three months. I agree, the unit is fickle and certainly not up to scratch for the price.
Wasn't a hardware fault? -> https://www.operator-1.com/index.php?p=/discussion/comment/48833/#Comment_48833

My speaker broke a while ago, maybe 2 years earlier, and the quality of the inbuilt mic became less usuable. Both, the speaker and the io board I replaced on my own. Speaker cost me around €34,- but I’m not really sure if it was really broken or I just had to activate it by desoldering and soldering…
My OP-1 is from 2012…

One thing to bear in mind is just how many OP-1s are out there, I seem to remember reading that at one point TE were selling 500 units a month, so if we assume there are quite a few of them in the wild the reported (here) failure rate seems quite reasonable.

I received mine second hand, it’s an early/mid 2016 unit. No issues so far except a single hair under the screen, reminds me of how much I love my kitties -_-
I use it atleast 10 hours a week…hoping it stays strong, not even the slightest worry so far

Post if you have had to/ or are going to need to replace a hardware part on your OP-1 due to malfunction.

This way you’ll likely get an estimated fail rate of 100% :slight_smile:

I wonder how much the ‘portability’ comes in to play also? Like my OT/SP’s etc are pretty rigid in my setup. Rarely unplug those ins/outs/psu etc or move them around the house or travel with them. Whereas my Op1 i/o is constantly being unplugged and the unit taking slight knocks or slight stresses on the headphone socket etc. ‘Shouldn’t’ be an issue but possibly gradually contributes to some of the issues?