Parts no longer available for the DVP-S9000ES...

Honda, Toyota, or HP?

The answer might surprise you. HP typically only carries printer parts for 5-7 years. After that, you get parts that are remanufactured, or built by a 3rd party. The auto industry is similar. Someone with more experience in that industry might be able to shed more light.

I'm really on your guys' side here. I've had a fair amount of high-end Sony gear, including the XA777ES, XA9000ES and SCD-1 (two of 'em actually), so this concerns me as well.

I am always considering spending $400-500 for SCD-1 laser and motor units to have on back up. Considering the $$ that I have invested in the player itself, along with the mods, I need to make sure it's going to spin discs for 10+ more years.

 

Ya, but how many 5 year old Camry's or Accords are on the road? Half a million I bet. How many DVPNS9000ES were sold? Maybe 5000. I'm not defending Sony for not having replacement parts, but it's all a matter of business. Maybe they planned for replacement parts for 7+ years, but they've all run out ahead of schedule, and the tooling no longer exists to make more. It's not cost effective for Sony to tool up replacement parts for the potential few thousand players out there that may need it. They budget for X number of years. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they suck.

 

Yes! Make sure to note that the bulb is only warranted for 90 days.

 

No excuses. You build it, you provide replacement parts. I guess the question is what is a reasonable time period to expect.

 

Its not an excuse, just a fact of business models. Here's another printer example: Try and get a replacment carriage assembly for a Canon IJ600 inkjet printer. Ain't gonna happen, just toss the thing. Same thing for a DVPNS360, 5 year old Sony DVD player.

Replacement parts and availability are all designed in during the production phase. You can't just tell Sony "you provide replacement parts". If you feel it's unreasonable, then just don't by Sony gear. However, you'll run into the same situations with Denon, Marantz, etc.

Your odds are better with smaller companies like McIntosh. Since everything's on such a hands-on level, you could probably call someone at their HQ and they'd pull a part off a junk machine if they were able to. Big companies like Sony don't work like that.

 

Oyama, did you happen to purchase the sony machine with a credit card? A credit card that doubles warranties on purchases made on the card? That might get you out of this pickle.

 

What good is a warranty without parts? It seems to me that there used to be requirement in the auto industry for a minimum 10 years for service parts. You should expect no less on a high end audio product.

 

Unfortunately not... Actually, I didn't even know such a credit card existed.

 

Well.....In the past, when we have had a client who purchased a Sony product and something happened to it just out of warranty, that client was able to get a warranty repair. I am not saying that the store that sold it to you should talk to their rep and see what kind of documents could be found showing that the unit is still under warranty, but something should be able to be done.

 

Actually I bought the unit directly from Sony, when I worked at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.The company would buy Sony merchandise in such large quantities, that we would get discounts.

 

This was from the Manager of the Sony Service Center in Larado, TX. They damaged the case on my 9000es. No parts for it in the US. Japan does stock parts. They were a sorry bunch in TX. Whether she (Mngr.) knows what she is talking about, I don't know. Such a great machine with terrible service.

John

 

I never had much faith in Asian Electronics just for the reasons mentioned above. I am not taking a cheap-shot, it's just been my experience and the experience of others.
My Pass Labs stuff, I bought used, is very well supported by the manufacturer, way beyond it's warranty.
I had a small problem I wanted them to check and they told me to send it in and they would check out the problem, fix it, and make sure all was in spec and if not fix that, for $50.00 plus shipping. No warranty, not the original owner...
They also assisted me in it's purchase as they keep a log of everything they sell and all problems associated with that particular piece, even letting know which revision it was and if it needed to be updated, Yes for $50.00.
The problem with any digital device is that the technology changes so fast, nothing seems to be up to date, even right out of the box, like computers.
I am getting an inventory of Philips CDM 12.4 drives for that reason and I am able to change them out myself.
I really would like to get an SACD player but it's hard to rationalize the purchase with this kind of stuff going on.

I have to say they now have pumped up the $50.00 figure to $100.00 which I think is still a great deal.

 

There are definitely S9000ES units stille under-warranty out there. Maybe the majority of 'em are out of warranty, but there's no valid excuse for Sony not having sufficent parts on hand or running off a few more. But, that's an expense and Sony Electronics is floundering and cutting corners. Some folks on this forum may have bought new 9000's last year? I was talking to folks who were looking at them, here.

The Hanover facility for the east is a joke, although I've heard that the Orange County facility for the west is better. Hanover made a mess of my XA777ES, twice. Ode Bros was my dealer The elder Oade Brother finally fixed mine, free of charge , and adjusted it such that it sounded better than it did new.
All I paid was shipping and insurance to Oades. I spent $150, three goes, shipping this heavy-butted player for a minor repair. IMO, Sony's 5 year warranty is a bit ingenuine, given their patentedly inferior service for ES items.

I bought my XA777ES & S9000ES expecting to use them 5-10 years. That might be a dubious prospect now...? I know one thing, if I need another SACD player, it'll be Marantz! Sony is right out unless I need a cheap one. In my book ES has come to mean Excremental Service....

 

Shakey is right on about how fast digital technology changes.

I bought my DVP-9000ES as both an SACD player and DVD player back when I had an all in one video / audio system. When I got my dedicated stereo system with the SCD-1, the DVP-9000ES became my DVD player in my video system. When my VCR's started to die I replaced them with Panasonic DVD recorders. Over 2 years ago I bought one for about $500 and got a 4 year extension on the one year warranty (from the seller not Panasonic) for $50. On my Sony XBR 32" direct view TV (standard definition) using S-video inputs I cannot see a lot of difference between the Sony and the Panny. Last fall I bought a newer version of the Panasonic DVD recorder when another VCR started to act up. The new one has more performance and cost $350. Panny had a mail in card for an extended warranty in the box so I mailed it in for information. Panasonic came back with a 2 year extension for $150! Who in his right mind is going to spend $150 for an extended warranty on a $350 machine? In two years I will be able to buy an even newer DVD recorder with more performance for $250. It is sad, but this kind of technology makes us a throw away society.

 

Update!

I received a call this afternoon from the Sony Factory Center in Toronto and they have fixed my player!

When I asked how they managed to repair it, they told me that it was actually a problem with the "Optical Pick-Up" and not the "Digital Board" that the other Service Center thought it was.

WOW...this has really made my weekend guys!!

 

Hi Rachael,

I agree with the fact that ES means Execreable Service. Sony US has lousy service and support. It's not just home equipment either, it also affects broadcast equipment too. Sony has had a Pro MD Recorder in Hanover of ours for 16 months. They won't sell us the repair parts to do our own service either. I just got a Sony DVP 80 DVD/SACD Changer. I like the sonics better than my Pioneer DV 563A. I just hope it lasts me a few years.

 

Oyama, Very good news.

 

I'm glad it's turned out well for you! I doubt I'll use Sony service if mine falters. Unless I have no choice...?

 

People who have been on this forum for a couple of years probably remember the long, drawn out battle I had with Sony when my C555ES died on me. Check the archives, if you're interested. It's a long story, which ended in me having to file a complaint with the New York State Attorney General's Office and the New York State Consumer Protection Board. The end result of which was Sony gave me a full refund. All of that and I had 3 years and 1 month left on my warranty!

 

Especially since a 45+ year old McIntosh amp can still be used on a daily basis.

 

Well, the one thing, if nothing else, that the 5 year warranty gives you is recourse to the law, which I found out first hand.

As for Marantz, I had problems with one of their units as well, first taking it to a Marantz service centre in Manhattan where they supposedly fixed the problem, but didn't. Then it was sent to Service Wide, at the behest of Marantz customer service, where they held my player for over two months waiting for a vapourware 'firmware update' before sending it back to me worse than it was before. I then sent that one back for a replacement directly from Marantz that I was told already contained the updated firmware, when in fact it had the same exact problem as the unit I originally had.

The only difference between Sony and Marantz, as my experience goes, is Marantz only has a 3 year warranty as opposed to 5 (longer is always better) and I didn't have to turn to the State Attorney General's office to get Marantz to cut me a cheque for a full refund as I did with Sony.

The bottom line, IMO, is that practically all of these companies are making rubbish products today, in countries with cheap, near slave labour, and parts being manufactured at times in several different countries, with poor quality control, before being assembled by a 13 year old working 12+ hours a day. And it doesn't matter how much it costs.

 

That's great. I've found the Toronto Sony service to be excellent in the past.

 

Javier, That 45+ year old Mac will need new tubes many times in 45+ years and it may need new capacitors, if it does then there is a concern that modern caps do not sound the same as vintage caps. Yes Mac has great quality, the problem here is that Sony seems to throwing away its repudation for quality.

 

Regarding a Sony ES CD recorder I had purchased (the dual deck unit w/ 5 disc changer on one side, recorder on the other) - I didn't even have it three weeks before it gave me problems! After two weeks, it wouldn't digitally copy a disc (I wasn't using SCMS or copied discs either, and I was doing the same thing I had for the first two weeks without problem - spent two hours trying everything to no avail). Of course, I got the pep talk when I bought it, but when I went to exchange it (within a month? I felt I was within my rights), I was told I'd have to wait a week. I asked for a refund and bought a TASCAM instead (works far better, even though it happens to have a SONY sourced transport). As for the SONY branded units, whenever they break or give me problems(and it seems all too often with me), there's only one phrase I repeatedly say....."It's A Sony!"