Should I dump this thing and run? Or is it worth getting the laser replaced, and maybe the VFD too? I can only surmise that the player was left on all the time for several years, and the resulting heat buildup killed the laser. How much am I looking at for a repair, and is it even worth my money? The display also seems rather dim to me, with uneven pixels, suggesting that the VFD might need replacement. My thinking is that the DVD-wavenlength laser is toast. It too is a hybrid Redbook/SACD Stereo/SACD MC disc.
Ironically, the disc I bought to herald the arrival of the player, the aforementioned SACD version of Wish You Were Here, also is not recognized at all when placed in the tray. I also re-seated any cables that might have jostled loosed during shipping. I popped open the player today and cleaned the lens. The question is, would repairing this myself be an option? Or is it even worth it? I really like the sound of the Marantz on my self-built tube system, and the much-antipicated WYWH SACD is on its way to my house. This precludes its use as a main player unless it is repaired. However, I bought this specifically to play SACD's, and the fact that it won't even read the CD layer of hybrid discs makes it useless for some of my titles. The seller was gracious enough to offer most of my money back, so at best, I ended up with a near-reference CD player for next to nothing. Now, I do recall that the older 8260 had similar problems with a crummy laser assembly, but I was under the impression that the 8001 did not? It would seem as though the laser has given up the ghost, so I may look into a repair from Marantz. Changing modes from CD to SACD makes no difference, and it shouldn't - as the player should see one layer or the other, not the absence of ANY disc in the tray. When a SACD disc is inserted (for example, DSOTM or a Mercury Living Presence disc) the player will spin up, and quickly decide that there is "no disc" present. I've tried cleaning the unit with one of those CD lens cleaner discs, and that made no difference whatsoever. Oddly enough, the player won't even read the CD layer of the discs! Yet ordinary "Redbook" discs play just fine. The player arrived today and looks very nice, but there's a BIG problem: the unit won't recognize SACD's, and all of my current discs are hybrids. Perhaps against my better judgement, I recently picked up a used Marantz SA-8001 off Audiogon for a decent price.