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esoteric x-01, ux-1 etc reliable?

I am considering buying a used Esoteric CD/SACD player, and I have heard a lot of praises heaped on top the VRDS-NEO transport. But what worries me is that I read somewhere that Teac Esoteric has discontinued the laser assembly used for the VRDS-NEO transport. Is there any owner or users willing to share their experience regarding the reliability as well as the lifespan rating of the laser head. Also, it gets even more complicated for modded units as the manufacturer warranty is likely void. I am hoping owners of the best modders like RAM, APL etc can shed some light on this.
opusone

Showing 2 responses by fplanner2000

fplanner2000
616 posts
 
Chungted - I asked Esoteric that exact question - the response I got is that it would be too expensive to do this on a large enough scale to be profitable, according to the bosses, both for the customer and for Esoteric. There also other complicating factors, since production and new product decisions apparently come out of Japan. Alex, on the other hand, has the freedom and flexibility to produce what sounds best to him. IMO, Alex is a one-of-a-kind.

I agree with you on the transport - happily that's what I have as well.
fplanner2000
616 posts
 
I have a UX-1 upgraded to a UX-1pi by Esoteric - great to work with and no transport problems whatsoever. The Esoteric support has been great and their transports are pretty solid and bulletproof, which is why so many other manufacturers covet and use them in their products and have in the past.

Chungted - I'm confident Alex will take care of your problems to your satisfaction, and do so in a timely manner.

As far as a "modded" unit, Alex has fixed the laser on my APL-modded Denon a number of times - quickly, inexpensively and without any problems or drama. The laser is a known problem area with the Denon.

My involvement with APL is solely as a long-time APL customer.
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