I know that this is a reply to an old thread but as the owner of two Esoteric units, one of which was repaired by TAP, as long the unit is all original and they have the parts, they will repair anything Esoteric, even if you are not the original owner, plus if the unit is out of warranty. The bottom line is that the total cost of the repair is on you. Shipping is rather nightmarish, at least for me as TAP wants the item in question shipped via freight to them plus the return. Be sure to contact TAP before deciding to ship anything to them so you can discuss with them possible repairs, repair time, costs etc. That seems to be a "no-brainer" but TAP has told me that items just happen to show up at their doorstep with notes packed along with the item needing to be fixed as to what needs to be repaired.
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.