My Sony 555ES Liked The Bristol House Of Horrors So Much That...

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by CT Dave, Apr 1, 2004.

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  1. CT Dave

    CT Dave Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Connecticut
    So, here I've been enjoying my Sony SCDC-555ES for the last two weeks after it made a trip to the Sony repair center for an optical pickup replacement.
    I breathed a sigh of relief after I got my player back in tip-top shape, especially after hearing horror stories relating to Sony's Bristol PA. electronics torture center. I read the recent thread started by GoldenBoy detailing his disastrous experience with Sony. I read about RachaelBee's problems with Sony botching her player time after time. I kept hoping that my problems with my 555ES were over and done with...I wouldn't have a problem with my player so soon, right? Right? RIGHT????

    Remember when you were a kid, and you stuck baseball cards in the spokes of your bicycle because of that neat sound it made? That sound is not as neat when it is coming from a Sony C555ES.

    I noticed today when I was changing a disc with the disc exchange feature, while a SACD was playing, that it was making this noise. After changing discs a few times, and trying a variety of SACDs and CDs, it is obvious that it only happens when SACDs are playing, and then, only when certain parts of the discs are playing. The noise gets louder between about tracks five to nine, and kind of subsides as the discs play onward. There is no audible noise when CDs are playing, or the CD layer of hybrid discs.

    Now, when I had the original problem with the player, when it would not play some discs, and others would spin furiously, several times I heard a loud, whirring, buzzing noise coming from the player. I think what happened is the drive motor was damaged when the player could not read the discs. The noise I heard was probably the motor cooking.

    So now, again, I will have to send the player off to Bristol. Only problem is, I don't have a spare $50.00 or so to do it right now. I guess I will have to live without SACD playback until I can find some spare money and time to send it off again.
     
  2. Ronflugelguy

    Ronflugelguy Resident Trumpet Geek

    Location:
    Modesto,Ca
    That really S#$%s, I guess I'll hope mine continues to work. If it doesn't then I can expect it to come back from warranty repair not working, and I will then need to get another player. :( :rolleyes:
     
  3. Rachael Bee

    Rachael Bee Miembra muy loca

    Dave my sympathies go out to you! If these threads go on much longer we may develope the basis for a class action suit? I also have both of the SCD changers, 555ES & 222ES, with no problems so far, knock on wood! However, 2 nights ago my JA555ES MD deck went on the fritz. It plays back just fine but it can't remember what it's recorded, which just disapears like a wiff of smoke. Despite the fact that it is under warranty, despite the fact that it's an easy repair, presumably (?), I'm strongly considering having it repaired locally at my own expense. I no longer believe zee haus auf horrors can be trusted with ES equipment.

    What do you think the odds are that Dr. Badwrenchenstein transplanted clock radio parts into your changer? I bet they work late at Bristol when there's lightening...? Best wishes!
     
  4. CT Dave

    CT Dave Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Connecticut
    Sony has to be aware of problems with these players. The fact that some 555ES players have been problem free, while others have failed after a relatively short period of time indicates that some faulty components were installed in the machines when they were manufactured. Sony must have seen a pattern develop when these players all started showing up in their service centers for many of the same problems. If that is the case, and Sony knew about it, they should have not only notified the customers, but when a player with known issues shows up, they should go through it thoroughly and replace all the known problem parts, even if they haven't failed yet.

    By the way, could those of you who own Sony SACD players check the date of manufacture, which is on a small white sticker on the back of the player? Perhaps this would give an idea of when the problem players were sent out. Thanks :)
    Mine was made in April 2001.
     
  5. KeithH

    KeithH Success With Honor...then and now

    Location:
    Beaver Stadium
    Rachael,

    Sorry to hear that you are now having a problem with your 'JA555ES. I sincerely hope that you get it fixed without hassle.


    Dave,

    Sorry to hear of the on-going problems you are having. I hate to say it, but you may want to cut your losses and look at a non-Sony player.
     
  6. GabeG

    GabeG New Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Just how loud is this sound? If you didn't notice it until you were on top of the player, I might think it's normal. Ever listen to your dvd player playing a dvd? I can always hear mine when I'm within two or three feet of the player. Same thing with my sacd and dvd-a players. The reason that you can't hear it with cds is that the rpm of a cd is much lower than that of any dvd based disc.
     
  7. Rachael Bee

    Rachael Bee Miembra muy loca

    Keith, when my 555 MD got amnesia, immediately I recalled your saga. I doubt horror house has seen more than a handful of these creatures and that each repair attempt is a learning/smashing process...? For the time being I moved it to my living room system where I just listen to MD's anyway. It's just fine there till I decide what to do about it. It won't go to Bristol. It'll just be a playback unit before I send it there. I know a tech who can fix it if Sony can be bothered to supply the parts? Best wishes!

    P.S. - Dave mine is May 2001
     
  8. KeithH

    KeithH Success With Honor...then and now

    Location:
    Beaver Stadium
    Rachael, best of luck with the 'JA555ES. Definitely don't send it to Bristol.
     
  9. Mike V

    Mike V New Member

    Location:
    Connecticut
    Well! Thanks for bringing that up Dave. It's a shame I missed that other thread, because I believe that was the shop that totally destroyed (I mean literally) a very expensive early-model MD deck (501?) As a CT resident yourself I figured you might want to hear my story in detail (not to scare, but to enlighten!)..

    I sent the MD deck in for a simple repair with a faulty jog dial problem. It's just a damn switch - a simple repair if you have the part.. The once mint-condition unit (save for the repair required) lingered in their center way past the expected time of repair (4 weeks) so finally I called them and they informed me the unit was lost, but they'd locate it :confused:. Well, after a full 8 weeks and many calls (none of which they initiated, BTW), they told me they located the unit in Japan (???!) & Sony would ship it back pronto. They did, and it came back to me looking like they unleashed a team of raging sumo wrestlers on it. :D It was dented, scratched, and the original mint packaging I sent them was mauled and missing foam, wraps, etc (you could tell it wasn't a shipper issue). Just sloppily bubble wrapped in a broken carton. And all the functions that did work before - you know, like play, record, those sorts of things - were all not functioning. All I got were errors. What a miserable experience.

    It took 3 more months and dozens of phone calls and threats to resolve that problem, but only after having been shrugged off repeatedly by the Tweeter shop I bought it from, like I was troubling these guys :rolleyes:. Finally I got chummy with the CEO of Tweeter by writing him a long letter detailing everything & pleading for his assistance (as a long-term customer, which I was). To his credit he ended up taking responsibility for making it right on my behalf, which he did to a point, and he was the first person of everyone I dealt with to call me with information. He definitely could have done more though for all that aggravation. For one, this dude Travis should have gotten fired just for being such an unhelpful jackass, which would have been somewhat satisfying too. :) And I ended up getting an ES unit at cost, but they asked that I pay them an extra $50 to cover the difference... They totally should have eaten that one, but I was sick of the back & forth & just wanted to hear some music again! Oh well... For a while, anyone who asked my opinion on consumer electronics were warned to stay away from Tweeter and from Sony. And there were many who took my advice! :laugh:

    Well, anyhow, best of luck with the madness and stay away from that repair center. It's like a freakin' black hole in there! I do like Sony products though.
     
  10. CT Dave

    CT Dave Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Connecticut
    Yikes!! :eek:
    Mike, your experience with Sony has to be the most bizarre of all. How can an audio component with a minor repair get sent all the way to Japan, and no one in Bristol knew about it? The folks at Sony in Japan must have been surprised to see a player from the USA show up for repair. Scary indeed.

    GabeG, the noise my player makes is loud enough that I don't think it is part of the normal operation. I noticed today that the noise gets louder the longer the player is on. I know SACDs spin at a faster speed than CDs, but this is not a sound a healthy motor makes.
    Also, I know that it did not make this noise before the first repair. As I said earlier, I think the motor was damaged when the optical system failed and I heard loud buzzing and whirring noises when discs were loaded.

    So now the dilemma is what do I do to get the player repaired? I bought the player new in the box from a seller on Ebay. It is under warranty, but I would rather pay out of my pocket to get it fixed properly than send it to Sony and take a 50/50 chance that it will come back repaired, and in one piece, IF it comes back at all. I could call Sony and get the names of some of their authorized repair centers. Do any forum members have suggestions regarding audio repair centers in the Connecticut - Massachusetts area?

    :help:
     
  11. GoldenBoy

    GoldenBoy Purple People Eater

    Location:
    US
    The problem you described is a quite common one with the C555ES and happens exactly as you say. In fact, it is for that same problem that my C555ES got sent to Bristol. If what Sony has told me thus far is true, I am afraid that you may be in a bind. I was told that my player could not be fixed (no more parts?) and that it would need to be exchanged. Unfortunately, Sony told me that they no longer had any C555ES units in either A stock or B stock to exchange it for. This is why I am now stuck trying to get my flippin' money back from Sony for the past month. :( :realmad:

    I am about to update the thread I started on the status of my situation.
     
  12. GoldenBoy

    GoldenBoy Purple People Eater

    Location:
    US
    This may not be helpful, but the problem you describe may not have been a result of the initial repair. As I stated above, this problem is not uncommon with some C555ES players. Mine had never been in for any sort of repairs and was in perfect condition, but after barely 2-years of use, it developed the very problem you described. It was so loud that it deterred from pleasurable listening of SACD's (especially quiet passages) and that is why I sent it in for repair. If only I had known of the problems with Bristol (and Sony CR in general) before I sent it in. :rolleyes:
     
  13. CT Dave

    CT Dave Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Connecticut

    Perhaps the second problem with my player was accelerated by, rather than caused by, the problem with the optical system failure. If a faulty batch of components went into C555ES players, I guess it was just a matter of time anyway before my player developed another problem.

    I am currently looking into other repair options for my 555ES. If it is a problem with the drive motor, surely there must be a replacement motor which could replace the factory installed one. It seems Sony should make replacement parts available for components that are only two or three years old. Sony was able to replace the optical system in my player, even though the 555ES is no longer being made. On my first repair invoice, the replacement optical device had a different part number than the original part, by the way.

    GoldenBoy, I am beginning to wonder if your C555ES had an unscheduled encounter with the floor of the Bristol facility, and that's why Sony is giving you such a runaround and telling you it is "unrepairable". :shake:
     
  14. GoldenBoy

    GoldenBoy Purple People Eater

    Location:
    US
    It's funny you should say that, as I was just telling someone today how I suspect they may have wrecked my player right there at the Bristol service center.
     
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