Having a manufacturer or distributor refuse to service a component that has been modified by another is a always a potential problem with modified gear. You can't fault the manufacturer for that, in my view. Otherwise, they become responsible for another's work - the details of which they know nothing.
I think your best bet is to engage the help of your Esoteric dealer, who has a natural incentive to help you. He may be able to acquire the needed parts and know a tech who is competent to install them.
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Creeds,
Thanks for your response. I understand your perspective, but in this instance I am not asking Esoteric to be responsible for APL’s work. APL modified the DAC circuitry, the problem is in the transport which APL did not modify.
I fail to see how an Esoteric dealer could solve this issue. The dealer would necessarily need to rely on support from the manufacturer, and their national service representative.
John.
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Apologies I meant Cleeds not Creeds.
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johnax
... in this instance I am not asking Esoteric to be responsible for APL’s work. APL modified the DAC circuitry, the problem is in the transport which APL did not modify.
Perhaps, although Esoteric has no way of being sure of that. It’s also possible that modifications to the DAC could have an affect on the Esoteric’s power supply, which could also conceivably affect the transport. So you are indeed asking Esoteric to assume some responsibility for APL’s modifications. You should know that many audio manufacturers have the same policy and some - such as Audio Research - as especially transparent about it. I think that partially explains why modified components usually fetch less on the used market than a similar unmodified sample.
I fail to see how an Esoteric dealer could solve this issue. The dealer would necessarily need to rely on support from the manufacturer, and their national service representative.
As his customer, your dealer has an interest in keeping you happy. One of the most valuable roles a dealer can fulfill is being the intermediary between a manufacturer and end user and asking him to assist in obtaining a part or schematic is perfectly reasonable. In the same vein, your dealer is effectively a customer of the distributor or manufacturer, so they have a reason to keep your dealer happy by helping him with his customer.
The world of audio is a rather small club and a lot depends on relationships. Good customers usually get the best service, ime @johnax.
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If you go to the APL website, they show a USA distributor. I would contact them and see if they can help you. Another issue is whether you are willing to take the unit back and refund the guy’s money. I once had a guy call me 6 months after he bought a CD player from me and tell me it was making a noise. Really. Good luck.
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chayro,
Thanks for your input, you raise an interesting point. What is the obligation of a seller of pre owned equipment? Certainly the seller isn’t providing an extended warranty. In this case the equipment was quite old, and sold at a small fraction of the original cost. So in some sense I’m sympathetic to “buyer beware”. But the buyer states the the unit played SACDs for two days after it arrived, but then failed to play them. If it had been 6 months I might have had the same reaction you had. But two days? My moral compass tells me I have some obligation to work with the buyer and try my best to make it right.
John.
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I happen to be an attorney, but the obligations of non-professional sellers are an area I’m not familiar with. If I sold something that malfunctioned after 2 days, I would probably take it back, but I’m not sure I’d be legally obligated. Anyone could be sued for fraudulent misrepresentation, but they would have to prove you knew the item was not as represented. As I said, if it were me, I would just take it back, but you should check with APL. Maybe it will turn out better than you think. From a practical standpoint, it may be cheaper to take it back than to fix it.
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I'm in New Jersey if I can be of assistance to you.
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Esoteric web pages say it will not repair any Esoteric products that have been modified in any way. It al so cancel your warranty. Esoteric will not sell any new parts out side of the factory store. Finding someone to do the repairs may not be that tough, but getting new parts will be. I was looking at some Esoteric equipment That i heard at a Audio show. The company was selling speakers and cables. They had mod the Esoteric equipment, It sounded really good. I do not remember the model numbers, but it was their top of the line 2 unit combo at one time. My fear was the laser would go out since it was older. after digging through their web page and checking with their factory repair center TAP. I passed on the equipment. I think your best bet would be to check with APL to see if they can fix it. May be they have some used parts laying around. I believe the head engineer and CEO at APL is a gentleman name Alex. You might get lucky try talking to DCS they used to buy (may still do?) parts from Esoteric.
I think you'r a stand up guy for getting involved. More sellers like you and the used market would be a much better place. Good luck and post if you turn any more info up.
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I know if the unit is modified, you loose the warranty.As long as you are willing to pay for the repair , they should repair it.If you choose outside repair, they won’t sell you parts. That’s what happen to me when my esoteric sacd won’t play,they don’t want to sell parts, only TAP has the access of the parts.The seller took it back.I decided to buy Marantz SA10 sacd player after that.
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johnax
Another +vote for consulting APL. Keep me posted on this development.
Happy Listening!
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I would call parts connection in Burlington Ontario. Yes I know it would be out of country but they sell parts and work on units from around the world. So from there stand point I am sure they can guide you on shipping requirements etc.
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Having worked in electronics manufacturing (and repair) for many years, I can assure you that most (if not all) OEMs do not want to deal with repair of units that have been modified by a third party. Their procedures and manuals are written to service units as-manufactured, and they cannot return to service any units that fall outside the scope of the OEM documentation (unless of course the modifications were factory-authorized, in which case the OEM documentation would exist).
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I think this is a case of caveat emptor. The UX-1 is an old player and anyone buying a player of that age is taking a big gamble as regards the continued functioning of the machine, and the laser in particular. The fact that the player was modified is self-evidently going to cause problems in terms of it being serviced by the manufacturer. Really, it is up to the buyer to be aware of those facts, but it never does any harm for the vendor to point those things out to the buyer for the avoidance of doubt in the event that a problem arises. Its unfortunate that the SACD pickup failed so soon after purchase but (certainly in Europe at least) it is at the vendor's discretion as to whether to take the machine back out of goodwill. That is based on the description above that the machine worked perfectly before and (albeit briefly) after it's receipt by the new owner. There appears to be a laser assembly for the player for sale on ebay at an affordable price. Lastly, I would ask the Esoteric service agents whether there is actually a spare part available (independent of the question of whether they would supply it), as there may very well not be.
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Several people have suggested reaching out to APL. We have done that and APL has offered to assist if possible. APL’s main office is based in Bulgaria which likely requires expensive shipping costs. Also APL may or may not have the laser pickup in stock.
I did hear back from Keith at Esoteric and I understand that one solution proposed by TAP to the buyer is shipping the unit to APL, asking APL to remove the transport and ship the transport to Esoteric in Japan where Esoteric can replace the laser pickup, and then Esoteric could ship the transport back to APL, who could reinstall it into the unit and return the repaired unit to the buyer. While this may work it is a complex process requiring several legs of shipping across the globe.
This is a complex situation given that TAP has apparently decided they will not remove the transport and ship it to Esoteric in Japan for repair due to their concerns about doing damage to the unit in the process. According to fatdaddy2’s post most OEM service centers won’t work on modified units. I don’t know if that is the case, but as a consumer who spent a lot of money on this unit, it is certainly disappointing.
I intend to resolve this with the buyer, likely by refunding him a portion of the sale price, and move on. I appreciate the input posted here.
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johnax
... one solution proposed by TAP to the buyer is shipping the unit to APL, asking APL to remove the transport and ship the transport to Esoteric in Japan where Esoteric can replace the laser pickup, and then Esoteric could ship the transport back to APL, who could reinstall it into the unit and return the repaired unit to the buyer ...
That seems like a great solution and one that would address everyone's concerns.
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I wonder how much all that shipping may run.
If I was the seller/OP, I would take the Unit back, maybe offering to refund 90% of the price, keeping the rest to cover shipping costs and your time. I would do this just to maintain a good rating on the listing service through which he made the sale (if not Agon). Then perhaps do all that shipping rigamarole if you wish or else cannibalize the unit for spare parts, or sell it to a repair place that will do the same.
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So here's another twist on the question. Will TAP repair a unit that was not bought in the U.S. and not the original purchaser? I know it's out of any warranty but will they do repairs?
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