DOH! My CC-4000 just died? Anyone else have this happen? (1 Viewer)

[John Garcia]

(non OSE) I was in the middle of listening to some CDs, when it just stopped completely. Now there is no power at all, and that also means my CDs are stuck in there because I can't open the tray.

I have everything hooked to a Panamax 4300, and none of my other components have any issues. It is in an open rack, with more than enough room to stay cool, so I have no idea what's going on. I picked it up for a good price in Jan, so it not that old at all.

Has anyone else experienced this with this specific player?

 

[KeithH]

John, that is an unusual problem for any player. Have you tried plugging the player into another outlet to make sure that the Panamax didn't blow a fuse or something to that effect? If that doesn't work, then you are obviously looking at a repair. Did you buy the player from an authorized dealer? If so, then you will have no problem getting the player repaired under the warranty. If you send it to Marantz, make sure you include a letter stating explicitly that you expect to get your CDs back. I'd send the empty jewel cases with the player. Opening the player yourself voids the warranty, but you could take a chance and take the lid off to remove the CDs. Hopefully Marantz wouldn't be able to tell that you popped the hood. If you do open it up, unplug it first, even though it appears to be dead.

 

[John Garcia]

I called my dealer and then I took the player over to them. They are an authorized Marantz seller, so I have a full warranty. They could not figure it out either, and they say they've never had one come back for any reason, let alone this serious of a problem. I asked them if it would be OK if I took the cover off, and they said it would be better if I let them do it, so that is what we did. They took the cover off and managed to get the loose CDs out, but we couldn't get the one that was playing at the time. They had one that they could exchange it for, but I ended up swapping it out for a Sony CA70ES, which I will have to do some more research on before I pull it out of the box. Sounded noticably better than the CC4000 in one of their listening rooms with a setup nearly identical to mine with my CDs.

Thanks.

 

[KeithH]

John, the CD that was playing would be clamped, so removing it could be difficult. I hope you are able to get your CD back somehow. I'm glad to hear that you found a player you like even better than the Marantz unit. I've found the 'CA70ES to be more detailed than the Marantz changers. The Marantz changers are warm, but I like the sound of the 'CA70ES better. I once had two 'CA80ES changers, a step-up model from the 'CA70ES, in each of my two systems, and it too gave a nice detailed sound.

One other changer you might consider is the Sony SCD-CE775. It once sold for $350, but Circuit City and Best Buy now have it for $180-200, as it is being phased out. It is getting to be difficult to track down, but you should be able to find one. Anyway, in addition to playing CDs, the 'CE775 plays stereo and multi-channel SACDs. I have not compared CD playback of the 'CE775 and 'CA70ES, but the 'CE775 is good for the money. The 'CE775 is not as good as Sony's ES SACD changers, but of course, the 'CE775 is cheaper. Build quality of the 'CE775 is not quite as good as the 'CA70ES, but you ought to give the 'CE775 a listen. One advantage of the 'CA70ES is the five-year warranty, but you might find the 'CE775 to be the better player. SACD is a bonus, as SACDs on the 'CE775 sound excellent considering the low price.

 

[John Garcia]

I was actually looking at the 775 when I bought the CC4000, but I decided against it because there are not enough SA titles for the majority of what I listen to on a daily basis, and there still aren't. I'm not sure I would want to step down to the non-ES gear for a feature that I probably won't use much, even if it costs a little less. Not to mention, the dealer took the CC4000 and I paid the difference to get the CA70ES. My dealer is having a big sale tomorrow, so I will probably just leave the 70 in it's box and see what deals they have tomorrow.

I've heard the 775 once, and I was pretty impressed with it, but I was listening to SA, not regular CDs. I prefer the build quality of ES units overall. I read a review of the 775 at the time, and it said the regular CD playback was not so good. Unless they have a really good deal on an ARCAM or NAD CD player, which I doubt, I will probably stick with the 70ES.

Anyone have opinion on the NS775 DVD/SACD player?