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).
Service question: Who can service an Esoteric UX-1 CD/SACD player modified by APL NWO 3.0?
I recently sold my Esoteric UX-1 CD/SACD player with the DAC section modified by APL to the NWO 3.0 DAC. Unfortunately soon after the buyer purchased the unit the SACD laser pickup in the transport mechanism failed, although it had been working when I shipped the unit (CDs can still be played, just not SACDs). The buyer inquired with TAP Electronics, Esoteric’s national service center in the US, and they asked him to ship the unit to them, knowing it had been modified by APL, but then they refused to repair the unit because it was modified by APL. TAP Electronics inquired with Esoteric in Japan who also refused to repair the unit for the same reason. This is frustrating because even though the DAC section has been modified, it is the laser pickup in Esoteric’s transport mechanism that has failed, and yet Esoteric appears unwilling to support its customers by providing a path to service and repair the transport in this very high end (read expensive) piece of audio equipment. I have inquired with Keith Haas, the national sales manager for Esoteric, and after initially sending me an email saying he would “dig into this” and get back to me, he has gone silent and isn’t returning my emails now.
So my question is, does anyone know who else in the US can service the unit, meaning replace the SACD laser pickup? I like for buyers of my pre owned audio equipment to be fully satisfied with their purchase. Obviously the buyer of my APL modified Esoteric unit is not satisfied as he thought the unit would play both CDs and SACDs. I am trying to assist him in finding a way to get it fixed. In any case I will work with him to find a mutually satisfactory resolution.