Marantz SA-KI Ruby SACD Player

sharri

Does this procedure of testing Laser time work on older Marantz players?

Happy Listening!

I have a Ruby player. I have had it since July 2020, so about 20 months. Some things to note for new owners here. The player should be left ON all the time. The player automatically goes to Standby Mode after about 20 minutes of non use. Standby Mode keeps critical components on, mainly the ones that need long term temperature stabilization. The only reasons to ever turn the player OFF is to disconnect the unit from the system, or if you will be away from home for a long time.

My experience with break in was as follows: I noticed a small improvement after about a month of play. However I turned the player OFF at night initially. Once I began leaving the player ON and in Standby Mode I found a big improvement after one month, or thereabouts. It was not subtle.

Also, the player has what is called "Aging Mode" and you know the time of use on each laser. You can access Aging Mode:

(1)While holding down buttons "stop" and "open tray" simultaneously, press the power button to turn on the power.
The tray opens automatically.
(2) Insert a CD and press the "close tray" button to close the tray.
(wait until reading the disc.)
(3)Make sure that "Aging Mode" is displayed. Use the skip buttons to go to laser on time TB1 or TB2 then press play to get the time.

TB1 is the cd laser time and TB2 is the sacd laser time.

The Ruby is a great player!

rsfphil

Thank You for the follow up on SA-11S3 player.

Happy Listening!

 Thanks for update, and yes, I was referring to the temp. of the unit itself.

Right now I'm using #2. I tried them both and quite frankly I didn't hear much if any diference. You said the player runs on the warm side. Do you mean how the music sounds or the actual temperature of the player? The reason I'm asking is because the SA11s3 ran very warm. I would feel the top of the player and it felt much warmer than I felt it should. It was just slightly less warm than my PM11s3. When I removed a cd the cd felt warm. I've had many CD players over the last 30 years and this was the first time I ever experienced this with a source component or a ss preamp. I didn't know if that's how was supposed to be or if there was something wrong. Maybe that excessive heat caused the player to fail. The Ruby on the other hand runs just warm enough so that when you touch the top you know the unit is on. The difference was night and day. If your Ruby runs slightly warm I wouldn't worry about it. 

This is the note that I sent in with the repair.

1. When the unit is first turned on the drawer won’t open and the display won’t go through the usual cycling routine. The display just reads “Disc”.
2. It takes between 5 and 10 minutes and can take as long as 20 minutes before the drawer will finally open. During this time the display still reads “Disc”.
3. Once the drawer is open I can put a cd in, press play and every thing works fine, but the display still reads “Disc”.
4. If I turn the unit off and turn it back on a couple of seconds later the same thing happens. The drawer won’t open and the display just reads “Disc” and it takes a few minutes for the drawer to finally open. This happens when I press the open/close button on the remote or the cd player.

It got to the point where the drawer wouldn't open at all. The laser had to be replaced plus a couple of other parts (which they had), but they also had to replace a pc board which was unavailable.

I'm pretty sure I could have used the unit as a dac, but then I would have to buy a decent transport, digital cable and power cord and find a spot on my rack (which had no empty spaces) to put it on. I just felt it was time for a new player. 

 What filter are you running? I started with #1 and don't feel Im missing anything. #2 is supposed to be more detailed. I just feel  it has a nice analog feel to it. It really makes average to good CDs sound better. Of course ,I only have about 10 hours on it, but Im very optimistic. Notice that it runs on the warm side....

rsfphil

Yes, the Ruby will require several hundred hours of break-in. I own a SA-11 S2 Reference player. At will, talk about any issue(s) experienced with the SA-11S3 ?

Happy Listening!

To be honest at this point I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping it would be at least as good as my SA11s3 if not a little better.The Ruby doesn't sound bad, it just doesn't seem to be as open and transparent as the SA11s3. Maybe I'm expecting too much from the Ruby. I read elsewhere that the Ruby needs a lot of time to break-in. Music Direct said to give it at least 100 hours. I have about 75 hours on it so far and I'm hoping with some more break-in it will open up a little. I'll report back after I get a couple hundred hours on the unit.

 Thanks for posting. How you liking it ?  Im very impressed so far.

Marantz got back to me this morning. This was their reply.    

lo Robert,

Thank you for contacting Marantz Support, we value you as a customer and appreciate the opportunity to be of assistance!

My name is Jim. I am the Tier 2 Technical Support Lead for Marantz. I understand that you have an SA-KI Ruby and you are trying to determine whether the warranty is for three or five years.

Technically it is both. Marantz reference level products, by default have a five year warranty. And the SA-KI Ruby is a reference level product. However, there is clause in the warranty that states that for Super Audio CD players;
"

• Optical Pick-ups and/or CD-Drive Mechanisms are only warranted for 3 years. After that time, Marantz will reimburse for the labor required to replace the part for the remaining duration of the 5 year warranty.  The customer will be responsible for the actual cost of the part.

• All other components are covered for both parts and labor for the 5 year period.

"

So for the unit itself and most parts and labor the warranty period is five years. For the optical pick-up and CD-drive mechanism specifically, the warranty is three years.

If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us again. 

Thank you for contacting Marantz Customer Support.  Have a great day!


 

Warm Regards,
 
Jim
Tier II Technical Support Lead
Denon | Marantz | HEOS
Sound United North America

So it looks like the warranty is 5 and 3. I feel a whole lot better.

Thanks for the info. According to the warranty sheet that came with mine it appears to be 3 years. Hopefully we never need to find out.

I just got off the phone with Marantz USA and Music Direct. Marantz said it was 5 years for everything including the laser. That didn't sound right. It's usually 5 and 3. When I told them about the enclosed warranty info saying the warranty was 3 years I was told they would contact higher management and get back to me. When I called MD they told me it was 5 for everything and when I said it's usually 5 and 3 I was put on hold and when she came back she did say it was 5 and 3. Hopefully that is correct. The way the conversations went didn't instill a whole lot of confidence. Only time will tell.

Did the warranty info sheet say 3 years?

Keep us posted. Mine arrived yesterday, also January 22.

I read the same things you read before I placed the order. I just re-read the warranty info that came with the Ruby and it says 3 years parts and labor. It doesn’t mention Reference gear at all. My SA11s3 came with 5 years on the unit and 3 years on the laser assembly. I assumed the Ruby would have the same warranty. Maybe the Ruby isn’t considered part of the Reference Line or maybe Marantz enclosed the wrong warranty info in my unit. My Ruby was manufactured in January 2022. Maybe Marantz changed the warranty for this production run. I sort of doubt that, but almost anything is possible in this crazy world. I’m going to call Music Direct tomorrow and see what they have to say. Even if it is 3 years it’s as good or better than most.

and this:....

MMike D.

Verified Reviewer

01/06/22

Q: What is the warranty on this ? Thanks 

 Answers (1)

Music Direct

01/06/22

A: 5 Years. 

Brian 
312-738-5987

Was This Answer Helpful?  0  0

 Re: the warranty, this is from MD website:

Graced by a laser-engraved "Ken Ishiwata" signature on the top of the front panel and copper-plated chassis, SA-KI Ruby delivers on the profound possibilities always promised by CDs and SACDs. Marantz's five-year parts-and-labor warranty and our 100% Music Direct Guarantee crown a signature piece meant for singular listeners. 

rsfphil

Nice score on the Ruby. Can you speak about the issue(s) of the SA-11S3 ?

Happy Listening!

I like Marantz, but I would be hesitant to buy from a company that doesn't support their stuff with parts.

I stand corrected on the Marantz warranty. It looks like the Marantz Reference still carries the 5 year (3 year on laser assemblies) warranty. The warranty information enclosed with my Ruby says 3 years on both. I guess the Ruby isn't considered part of the Reference Line.

I left mine on 24/7 the first week or so,  then used standby..I know the Aesthetix CD Player still burns-in while in standby...

The Ruby arrived today and so far so good. It replaced a Marantz SA11s3 (which up to that point was the best CD player I ever had) that after 8 years finally died. I sent it to United Audio which is the factory authorized service center for Marantz. They found the problem, but the parts were unavailable and it couldn't be repaired. Very disappointing to say the least. It now sits in some landfill in PA. Getting back to the Ruby it has a manufacture date of January 2022 and right out of the box sounds very good. I'm sure it will sound better after some more hours. Speaking of hours do you Marantz SACD owners put the unit in standby when finished listening or do you leave it on 24/7. One more thing. It looks like Marantz reduced the warranty from 5 years to 3 years and that is for the entire unit not just the laser assembly.

it’s a great player and DAC, enjoy !!!

Just ordered one also.