[Diamond_Jim007]

I have been digging for the fix to the Marantz TOC issues online and this pretty much confirms what Kyle told me years ago.]
Looks like Kyle bought one of the "old stock" players to be modded for me, am I lucky or what??
Now, modded and no money back guarantee on your work???
 
I found this on the SH forum
GoldenBoy
07-21-2004, 05:54 AM
 
I then proceeded to call Service Wide, just to make sure that I did not need an RMA or anything before sending the unit to them. I also informed the person at Service Wide about what I had heard about there being no fix for the problem with the SA8260. He, in no uncertain terms told me that that was absolutely false. There was, in fact, a fix for this unit.
So I asked him what the fix involved and he said that the problem was in the firmware, and since it wasn't[flash-able], that they would have to replace the module; that it would be soldered onto the circuit board under the transport. I quizzed him over the phone and he confirmed that some early batches exhibited the problem (and mine fell within one of those batches even though I bought it 6 months ago). He said that a "service bulletin" has definitely issued from Japan. At first he said they had to replace/remove (?) a capacitor and a resistor (or something like that), but he later phoned me and said the whole main board is going to be replaced which is easier for them than fiddling around with smaller parts. So I'm not exactly sure what the service bulletin says but it seems that it definitely exists and therefore the problem has been acknowledged by Marantz albeit privately.
 
And this one on the Audiogon forum
[size=smaller]08-30-09: Sharri
[size=larger]Macdonj,
I have a lot of experience with 8260's over the past 5 years. You need to send your player to the nearest Marantz Service Center. You can go to Marantz.com and find the service center nearest your location.
You most likely have the TOC reading error problem that made the 8260 such a pain in the a**. This is easily corrected with a resistor, and I think some new firmware. Any Marantz Service Center can do this repair as they have the Service Bulletin. Some don't install the resistor, and unfortunately the problems come back. You can only check for this by removing the entire transport assembly.
The Service Center will also check for laser output.
Cost for the TOC fix is $200, which includes return shipping. If you should happen to need a new laser, that will up the cost a fair bit. The Service Center should contact you if you need a new laser, and then it's your choice.
The player will not operate correctly without the TOC fix. A new laser is somewhat optional.
SA-8260 players with read troubles have real low resale value. So you are somewhat stuck.
If you send the player in to Marantz, it's a good idea to also send along 2 or 3 discs that the player fails to read.
Hope this helps[/size][/size]
 
 
[size=smaller][size=larger]and this one on the SA-CD forum[/size][/size]

Wildfi said:

Thanks Steve.

I've sent an email.

Like i mentioned earlier, I was advised by one of the technicians against replacing SACD lens as its known to cause issues due to the complications with the lens allignment. I also heard from a fellow forumer at another forum, he had the same exp and the the player was taken back to marantz svc center and its been there for 3 weeks now.

Q:
1. Have u heard/exp something like this before? It could well be that the technician was too lazy to do this and hence told me this. In the other guy's case, it could be just that the technician was a little too busy to do a good job.

2. Have you replaced lens for this player successfully

Quick Answers:
1. Some players that use the KHM-230AAA transport unit require some adjustment, but NOT the 8260.
2. Yes I have replaced transport units successfully.
 
So, I can pretty much conclude that we are getting miss information about the laser being the fix here the Marantz SA-8260 sold to me and Kyle of Reference Audio Mods.
Who refuses to offer a money back offer or to provide me with a fully functioning player from the very beginning of our journey.
This one piece being the first component l purchased. When, oh when are you going to honor your sales,to me KYLE???
You were so worried about Doug Jesse's sales on AA, what about me Kyle?? What about me???

 

[Uncle Erik]

Sorry to hear about this.

And - wow - what a wretched mess of work. Just awful. I haven't seen anything that bad since the last time a flaky "modder" got outed here.

This is why I'm a stickler for stock gear. Mods are often overpriced and terribly done. Photos in this thread are case in point.

If you have to have modified gear, get an iron and DIY it. Otherwise, it's too easy to be preyed upon.

 

[Diamond_Jim007]

Quote:

Sorry to hear about this.

And - wow - what a wretched mess of work. Just awful. I haven't seen anything that bad since the last time a flaky "modder" got outed here.

This is why I'm a stickler for stock gear. Mods are often overpriced and terribly done. Photos in this thread are case in point.

If you have to have modified gear, get an iron and DIY it. Otherwise, it's too easy to be preyed upon.

Thank you, a true travesty, I might add.
Pity is that Kyle knows all too well that he is committing business suicide by holding out for who knows what??
Any honorable business would have cashed me out years ago instead of airing out their dirty laundry like this...
At this point satisfaction should be paramount at all costs to avoid the [size=12.0pt]inevitable [/size]train wreck we have here.
Kyle, get with the program buddy, you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!
 
Sometimes boat anchors are just what they are......

 

[alec cat]

What a travesty. And what a blindingly obvious crazy waste of your money over a long period of time. What on earth were you thinking? As Obi Wan said, "Who is more foolish? The fool? Or the fool who follows him?"

 

[tk3]

It's always amusing to see these kind of manufacturers come to the forum and think they're being "reasonable" but completely miss the elephant in the room.
You have a customer here that did not get what he ordered and he's very obviously not happy about it. Either take that stuff back and work out a refund, or give him what he paid for.
What's so hard about that if you're an honest business? Anything else you're saying are just attempts at diverting the topic, and not very successfully at that.
 
It's also amusing how different your tone is on the forum and in those emails. And of course it's always a good idea to post emails and information about customer purchases unsolicited,
that sure inspires confidence for any future buyers.

 

[Diamond_Jim007]

Quote:

It's always amusing to see these kind of manufacturers come to the forum and think they're being "reasonable" but completely miss the elephant in the room.
You have a customer here that did not get what he ordered and he's very obviously not happy about it. Either take that stuff back and work out a refund, or give him what he paid for.
What's so hard about that if you're an honest business? Anything else you're saying are just attempts at diverting the topic, and not very successfully at that.
 
It's also amusing how different your tone is on the forum and in those emails. And of course it's always a good idea to post emails and information about customer purchases unsolicited,
that sure inspires confidence for any future buyers.

I absolutely agree, funny I'm answering his email and he's over here claiming I owe almost twice of what he stated just minutes earlier in private emails.
The very same figure I have stated from the beginning. Now offering t replace the laser what is so clearly documented as the fix
by Marantz, long discontinued I might add, requires a new transport w/updated board, new firmware and a 1k resister.
Do you possess some magic fix that Marantz doesn't know about themselves?
 
How about a money back guarantee to backing up your work?
 
Time to prove what kind of business you are running here online.
 
 I feel that we are way past the repairing stage for the Carver or Marantz. It's time to refund, replace or take matters to the next level.
Many have suggested some local county, state entities to contact and on online and court related legal steps I can follow. None of which would fair well for you.
Thank you for making this so clear....

 

 

[milosolo]

This thread is a waste of time and I wish these two would take it offline. To be frank - who commissions custom made wood chassis audio components anyway? I can sort of understand face plates but the entire chassis? JMO

 

[n3rdling]

Terrible overpriced garbage.  How can somebody be dishonest enough to charge $5000 for a modded Class D amp??  I won't even get into his nonsense about the wall not being able to "provide enough current for digital" and then his stupid car amp/battery idea.  It's clear to me he's a bit of a loon, which goes hand in hand with just about all the "tweakers" I know of.  He reminds me of Mikhail honestly.  Please at least get that nice Metcal back...I'll gladly take it! ;P

 

[Diamond_Jim007]

While away, Kyle and I have penciled out an agreement where he has agreed to replace the Marantz transport assembly in my player and
cash me out of the Carver amp less the outstanding balance owed. I authored the Mutual Release Agreement and expect a signed hard copy in the mail Tuesday.
This next Saturday Kyle will come to my home, repair the Marantz and settle up.
 
AS part of the agreement, I will have a warranty in writing in the event that the player fails.
I agreed to post this tentative and follow up to his credit.
 
I would appreciate if the moderators would keep this thread open, so I can report here, the only thread that Kyle has posted.
 So he may receive credit for taking responsibility and following through.
 
Thank you to those who have been so supportive in my quest.

 

[preferred user]

Good luck. Unfortunately unlicensed untrained dealers doing substandard repairs in a haphazard 
manner can and do create real safety , reliability and performance problems for exorbitant amounts of money . There is a big difference from prudently engineered safety conscious modifications that have a price to performance ratio within reason. As opposed to what the pictures show here. I hope the wooden chassis is treated with fire retardant. If he cant fix your CDP have him get you an Oppo. Looks like it is beyond repair to me , also ask him if the warranty includes termite damage. Oh... make sure you have plenty of fuses and working smoke detectors. Maybe the state can teach him to do do something useful.... like  making licence plates
regards.
RE/
California Bureau of Electronic & Appliance Repair Regulations
2741. Electronic Sets and Appliances - General Provisions

 

[preferred user]

 QUOTE from e mail above 
You know me Jim, I am never satisfied with sound! I have done heavy research this summer and i believe digital has incredible potential but is extremely difficult to attain. Power Power Power. It is all about the Power. Unfortunately our mains are so polluted that conventional power supplies have no chance at all to deliver the current required for real music. Certainly with good correction we get far in sound but believe it or not there is still an entire level that is missed. Car audio has provided a superb foundation for a real world solution. As you know, they have extremist just like home audio and have pushed for more sound over the years. The key is, they have done all this on batteries! I believe this is our answer. Applying there power principles to our home audio circuits have produced results I only dreamed of! Later in the year I will venture into the car audio amplifier as a solution. Could be just as promising. Imagine a wildly modified battery power CD player feeding into a silver rock TVC then being amplified by a 500W modified battery powered amplifier! No mains at all....Oooohhhh. The quest has begun. Best regards, Kyle takenaga
 
Could  THIS   be one of his prototypes ?
 
 

 

[Uncle Erik]

Car audio? Please, the extremists are mostly interested in making the loudest bass burp. Fidelity means nothing.

Batteries are a backarseward way of providing power. If you want clean power off the mains, run an isolation transformer, a RF/EFI filter, then a series of nice big caps and chokes. Cheaper and smaller than batteries with the same result. And you'll never have to replace the batteries, either.

As for the Marantz, the 8260 is notorious for the TOC error. I'd sell the thing for parts and get a SA800x model. I've run a stock SA8001 for about four years and it hasn't so much as hiccuped. Great measurements, too, so there's no need to mod it. If you want cleaner power, run it off a $50 hobbyist isolation transformer. It won't have a sexy audiophile case, but it will take noise and DC off the line. If you want to go a step further, you can get a RF/EMI filter from Digikey or Mouser for $3-$5. Put that in a Hammond diecast aluminum box with a couple of IEC outlets and you'll get clean power for under $20.

 

[DaveBSC]

All of these operations I have seen, RAM, The Upgrade Company, all of the others, seem to be the same sort of very shady operations offering "incredible upgrades!" over stock, for "only a few thousand dollars!" I wouldn't trust any of them with a ham radio. Talk to real customers, and its nothing but scams and broken promises. Upgraded components mostly seem to either break immediately, or never get shipped at all.
 
If you want a better component, buy a better component. OEMs will not touch this stuff if anything goes wrong, and chances are it will. The only exception are the guys at Noble. They are former EAD engineers, not hacks working in dad's basement with a $50 soldering kit. If you own a vintage EAD component, they can do great things with it.

 

[The Monkey]

I'm glad both sides offered such clear explanations of just what the hell was going on.

 

[JamesMcProgger]

Quote:

I'm glad both sides offered such clear explanations of just what the hell was going on.

 
and how does it ends.