[pandab55]

Customer service is very important to me when i spend 500 on headphones.  I am getting the ADH5000s.

 

[snapple10]

[size=10pt]I have a Denon CD player that I had to send in for repair last year. I called Denon who had me ship the unit to a third party at my own expense for service.[/size]
[size=10pt]My denon headphones have not needed warranty work so I cannot comment on that. Hope it helps.[/size]
  

 

[ACDOAN]

Denon/Marantz has its own fanboys but I am no longer one of them. For your own good, please Google AVS forum and Polk club for the so called Denon Marantz Holding Corp.
 
Since the time they have a new facility in China, the quality of their products is way out of line. Some installers claimed they would not touch Denon products even with the top of the line AVRs.
 
I had some good deal last year for one of Denon AVR and ended up returned them 2 times at my expense of shipping.
 
I own the AH 100A the 100 year SE but I do not expect much with their longevity and durability. Mostly, I bought them for my collection. 
 
This is again my own assessment based on my own experience and with others' experience from AVS/ Polk club forums. Take it or leave it as YMMV.    

 

[pandab55]

Thanks for your responses.  I hate dealing with crappy customer service.   Any suggestions for headphones in the 500-600 dollar range?  with good customer service?  My electronics always seem to develop issues.

 

[pandab55]

Or I guess I could pay extra to get a squaretrade warranty.

 

[b0wl1ng]

Never had a problem with any Denon product, had a good few over the years as well, The AH-D5000 seem bullet proof had mine for almost 3 years, a fantastic product.

 

[pandab55]

thanks

 

[ricmiclaw]

Or I guess I could pay extra to get a squaretrade warranty.

An after-market warranty is only an insurance policy. A basic principle of insurance is to purchase it only for losses that you cannot reasonably cover yourself, such as if your house burned down with everything in it. Few could afford to replace their house and contents out of pocket but if you find a $500 purchase financially scary such that effecting repairs out of pocket could be an issue, you might consider a more modest purchase. If you like Denon, the D2K is very nice, too, and costs about half the D5K.

For whatever it's worth, Consumer Reports analyzed the after-market warranty products and concluded that they are almost never worth their high cost relative to the underlying product; they "kick in" only after the basic warranty expires (the period during which most electronics fail anyway, if they're ever going to fail during their useful life); and require use of selected repair services who may not be convenient to you plus, typically, deductibles.

Speaking only for myself, if all my audio gear totaled, say $100K+, I'd have my homeowner's insurance agent in with an estimator to add the gear to my homeowner's policy. I would not purchase insurance for an individual $500 item. It's (the insurance) too expensive, offers only add-on benefits (after the basic warranty expires), and I would only make the purchase if I could afford to replace it out of pocket.

Naturally, you're going to do what you feel makes the most sense for you but that's how I would handle it.

 

[pandab55]

thanks for your advice.  my experience with electronics has led me to think that there is a 50% chance of failure within three years.  Squaretrade will warranty the headphones with accidental coverage for 3 years.
 
 

 

[ricmiclaw]

thanks for your advice.  my experience with electronics has led me to think that there is a 50% chance of failure within three years.  Squaretrade will warranty the headphones with accidental coverage for 3 years.
 
 

Denon typically warrants for one year (don't know about your particular case) so you'd really be paying for a two extra year warranty subject to everything else I mentioned. If you don't accept the fundamental point about extended service contracts not being worth the expense, as insurance is intended to cover catastrophic, not ordinary expenses, then spend the money and good luck. Nothing personal intended; I don't purchase them myself and just thought your question was worth my $0.02. Personally, my experience with headphones is that if they fail at all, they fail quickly, not years later. But that's just argument from a single experience, which has no real value to you. Take care and enjoy your D5K.

 

[Croozer]

Lets see, I have owned the following Denon products:

AVR-4806 AV Receiver

AH-D2000 Headphone

AH-D7000 Headphone

I have never had a problem with any of them, but its better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.

 

[pandab55]

I understand what you are saying.  Thanks for your advice.