Sony ES SACD player problem

Yesterday, when I got home from work, I noticed that power was off on my DVP-NS999ES SACD player. I normally keep it powered up all the time. So when I pushed the power button, I got some type of red lines across the display area, and then they disappeared. Now I get no response at all from any functions, including power. I have checked all of the connections and power cord. Everything seems to be in order, but no power to the player. Does this sound like a problem anybody else has encountered with one of these Sony players?

I bought it a little over a year ago from a Tweeter store, so I assume warranties are all still intact, etc.

 

ES= 5 year warranty and built like a tank. I'll be getting one soon (maybe the 777ES)

IMHO though, Ian, don't leave it on 24/7. No need for the power supply to just work and work for no reason.

Call Sony for assistance with warranty and place to walk-in.

 

For most any kind of equipment, best to shut the power down when you don't need it. Certain stuff might need a warm-up, but on the main, even PC's are best allowed to rest for a bit.

Good luck, Ian, and hope this is fixed soon!

 

Yup, ES line carries a 5-year parts and labor guarantee. Most Sony products also have a "sleep mode" if you power down with the remote; this is how I turn off my Sony hardware...at the very least it saves wear and tear on the switch!

 

I agree, I shut down my SCD-1 when not in use. I love the contrast between Ed's and pdenny's avatars.

 

Sorry to hear about your problem, Ian. I have a 999ES, and it's always powered up and functioned perfectly. I also turn mine off, when not in use. Did you ever register your unit with Sony?

 

No, I never registered the unit. But I have all the paperwork including warranty info and sales receipt from Tweeter. Is this a case where I should be contacting Sony directly, or should I be dealing with Tweeter on this? What are people's experience with this type of thing? Thanks

 

Ian, Do not worry that you did not register, it is not required. Find out if Tweeter is an authorized Sony repair station.

 

My Krell has been on for 12 years and no problemo.

 

I recommend that digital audio components be left on in order to sound the best. You can hear this effect at CES on the first day when the sound is definitely cool and wayward; three days later those same systems are really cooking.

 

My pre amp, power amp (both SS) and my CD player have been on for 5 years continuously with no problems yet.

 

Okay, well it looks like some of you think that leaving your components on 24/7 is a good idea. That's totally fine.

However, where a power supply is concerned with (and especially in a tube amp stage where voltages and tolernaces are much have to be higher than average) leaving the unit to run without any work to do is bad because:

1. Electronics are managing power and using electricity. A waste of resources.
2. Power capacitence is open and vunerable to power surges and "burn out". If you're sleeping and the amp is smokin' up, greater damage (and even fires) are much more possible when you're away, sleeping, whatever.

However, it is your decision to do what you wilt. For me, I don't like running anything like good audio equipment or some computers unmanned for a great length of time. Servers and the like, with better power supplies and protection, it's certainly a different thing.

Anything can sound better left on for a while, but nah. Turn it off.

 

I'm another proponent of leaving audio equipment on 24/7 if possible. Minimally, I power down my amp every now and then to give it a rest. Otherwise, everything stays on, with the exception of my CD/DVD-A/SACD player, which has that annoying Energy Star auto-shut-off feature. Not being able to leave the player on means that it won't stay in my system much longer.

 

Everyone seems to have their own power management theories. I don't like leaving equipment on 24/7 as there are too many thunderstorms in NC being a big reason. My main amp, however, does go to sleep mode, so I do leave that on most of the time. I have a B&K amp that stays on 24/7 (except for thunderstorms it gets turned off when I am there).

I really don't like leaving source components on 24/7 at all although I seem to prefer them after they warm up somewhat. I guess it depends what tradeoffs you prefer.

 

I leave my gear off but leave the PC up all the time.

However, I recently changed the bios option to not power back up on a power failure. I live near a power plant and recently had some weather that caused power to come off and on several times. So now, when power goes out the PC won't come back on till I power it back up.

 

Just a thought: if you send the player in for warranty repair it may not be a good idea to mention the 24/7 power on. It could void the warranty.

 

Thanks everyone for your replies. I guess I will just call Tweeter and ask them what I should do and get the ball rolling that way. I think I still have a CD or SACD stuck in there. Hopefully it isn't a gold disc I'll have to see if I can find an empty case to figure out what it was.

On the topic of leaving equipment on or off, I think people handle this differently. I think most people turn off their tube equipment between sessions. But I know lots of people that leave solid state or CD/SACD players on indefinitely with no problems. My guess is that whatever happened to my player is not directly related to being powered up all the time. The only thing I can think of is that it was hit with some sort of power surge, but it is plugged in to the same Monster surge protector as all my other components, some of which are also always on. They are all fine. In any case, I will not be making a point of explaining my 24/7 use of this component to the manufacturer, as I see it as irrelevent. Either I have a machine that is working fine, or I have one with problems. The latter seems to be the case.

 

Folks, Just like Sckott each person should do want they want to do on this business of leaving SS gear on all the time. I personally turn my gear off but leave my PC on all the time. Here is the actual research data on the impact of turning things on and off from a major computer corporation (I do R&D for that major computer company). Every time an integrated circuit (IC, chip, transistor) is powered up there is both an electrical and thermal shock to the device. This is a wear out mechanism and the more on off cycles the more chips will wear out. IC's are also tested for power on hours and all chips will eventually die after so many power on hours, however, usually on/off is harder on chips than power on hours. All chips are graded for reliability and in general the more expensive the equipment the higher the reliability grade that goes into the chip. Some other points:

1. Most modern PC's go into an energy save mode when left on and not in use, some audio/video gear does the same but it is not as universal as with PC's.

2. Some folks claim that SS gear sounds better if left on all the time. I leave that to the individual.

3. Sckott is absolutely right that if you leave your gear on all the time and there is a bad electrical surge or a lightening strike bad things can happen. My entire front-end (tubes and ss) goes through a PS Audio 300 Power Plant and when there is a surge (I have had a lightening strike while the system was on) that baby shuts down, protects everything that is connected to it and does not come back up until I reset it. My two tube mono-blocks are protected by PS Audio Ultimate Outlets that have been shown to withstand a lightening strike. Highly, highly recommended whether or not you leave your gear on all the time.

 

Okay, I called Tweeter, and they recommended calling Lake Electronics in Albany. So I did that and they say they can work on it. So I guess I am in business.

By the way, the warranty on my player is only for 3 years parts/labor. I don't know if that is just the particular model I have or if all ES products are now only 3 years. Something to keep in mind for anybody considering a big purchase from SONY though.

 

I sure don't leave my tubes on 24/7. Not cost effective at all.

 

Ian, I know the literature with the gear says three years but if you check with Sony they will tell you it is 5 years, I had a VP at Sony at one of the HE200X shows in NYC assure me of this. Since yours is only one year old it does not matter, it is covered. How far is Albany from you?

 

About an hour and 15 minutes. I will be passing through on Monday, so I will drop it off then. I have no idea how long it will take them to repair though.

Strange that Sony would honor a 5 year warranty, but only include a 3 year warranty slip with the product. You would think they would want to advertise the longer warranty.

 

Keep in mind that if your home suffers a large direct lightning strike where ALL the power is shunted to ground THROUGH YOUR HOME WIRING GROUND CIRCUIT as opposed to a hit on the power lines running to your home, chances are that anything in your home that is on and running is going to fry. This INCLUDES most home-grade line protection systems, line conditioners, surge suppressors, APS backups, ect. A lot of stuff that is plugged in and turned OFF will fry, too, as will some of the wiring in your walls along the path to ground. Luckily, this type of hit is relatively rare, but after seeing it happen, I keep my equipment turned off if I am not home, and unplug it AND all my line protection systems radical storms.

 

DWMANN is correct, most close lightning hits will jump throught anything as long as it has a wire path to follow. This includes surge protction MOV's and power switches. Best to unplug if leaving for extened period during storm season. As far as equipment left powered on, most rule of design is if it has a power switch, use it. SOme equipment such as pre amps, phono stages have no power switch and are designed to stay powered on all the time. For the most part most CD players that have a power switch should be turned off when not in use. Pioneer Elite CD player used to have a standby switch which worked as a power switch. it kept all the active electronics on but the main power off. This is the ideal condition for units desired to have a powered on state all the time. Just my thoughts!! LOVE YOUR EQUIMENT AND MUSIC!!! ENJOY!!

 

That's weird... I bought mine brand new, and it came with documentation stating a 5 year warranty.

EDIT: Actually, you're totally right! I just dug out the files... My 222ES said it had a 5-year warranty, but the documentation with the 999ES says it's only 3 years.