Marantz cd player r...
 

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Marantz cd player repair

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My old but lovely Marantz CD63mkII KI Sig cd player has stopped working. It had been flaky for ages (not always recognising cds) but now it doesn't play at all. I've ignored the danger of death warning and taken the lid off (ooo, shiny copper!) and the disc doesn't spin when the drawer is closed.
Anybody know of a good repair person in the Manchester(ish) area? Do hi-fi repair people still exist?
Ta for any help 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oicP7k4Xgv0


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 1:57 pm
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Buy a working non-ki 63 on eBay and transplant the motor / laser assembly. Last time I took something like this to a repair place they wanted £100 to take the top off and have a look.

From memory the main difference between KI and non is the copper shielding, caps and some padding, maybe DAC / op amps too. No difference in the part on yours that is broken.

Nice piece of kit, worth fixing.


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 2:07 pm
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I used get it fixed.uk for a repair to my Arcam cd player, they did a good job, replaced the drive unit and replaced some capacitors,sound quality is great but… it took about 6 weeks, cost about £150. Wish I’d just bought a new one.


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 2:08 pm
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Buy a working non-ki 63 on eBay and transplant the motor / laser assembly

Good idea. I actually thought I had one of those (my dad's old one) but maybe I never got it from him. I'll ask if he's still got it (given he's never thrown away *anything* in his life there's a good chance!

it took about 6 weeks, cost about £150

I'd spend that much rather than get a new one, however, I'd rather spend less than that!


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 2:26 pm
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If you find a good place that happens to be north side of Mcr then please do share.

Need to get a Marantz amp and Gemini turntable seen to.


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 2:34 pm
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Found someone on YouTube with the same issue.

Someone in the comments also had the same issue and fixed it. Apparently I need one of these...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145406190181?

Soldering is involved though so I'm out as I only have a screwdriver and a hammer!


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 2:42 pm
 nbt
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I have a soldering iron you're welcome to borrow for a while


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 3:06 pm
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Looks like a straight swop to me. A plugin connector and the ribbon would be clamped in somewhere (no soldering needed)


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 3:11 pm
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nbt
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I have a soldering iron you’re welcome to borrow for a while

I wan't my cd player to work again, not get covered in solder!

Looks like a straight swop to me. 2 plugin connectors and the ribbon would be clamped in somewhere (no soldering needed)

Both the YouTube chap and the Ebay listing say that soldering is required.


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 3:13 pm
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Hi Simon

We have a soldering iron and I have done loads of soldering and electronics if you want a hand.

We also have a  Marantz  cd52 mk 2, That we don't use any more if you want it as a stand in.

Keith


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 3:25 pm
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Cheers mate. I do have another cd player in my bedroom so if I was desperate to listen to something I'm not stuck. I would like to mend this one at some point though, it matches my amp 🙂


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 3:27 pm
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Marantz stuff is very good , my 50se from 1991 still works perfect🤞


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 4:01 pm
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I used to love my old Marantz CD63 - no idea what model it was but don't think it was a KI.

Hope you get it fixed.


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 4:11 pm
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I can recommend Wilkinson's Hi-Fi in Nelson, Lancs.  Fixed my Marantz Amp at a very reasonable cost.

https://www.wilkinsons.tv/home/hifi-repairs-2/


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 4:43 pm
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Send it to this bloke and get him to mane a video fixing it. He's ace. 👍


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 5:37 pm
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One of my best Hifi bargains a couple of years ago was a Marantz CD6000 OSE for 50 quid from a bloke down the road. It was still in its original box and didn't look like it had been used. Remote was still packaged up and unopened. Using it right now into a SMSL Dac headphone amp and out through Grado SR80x headphones. Total cost less than £200 including the 0.50p copy of Orbital Snivilisation......sounds amazing.


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 5:59 pm
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I have a 63 KI Sig. It is the most musical thing I've ever heard. I bought mine from a guy who modified it way beyond the KI spec. Clocks, damping, servo board, loads of good stuff. The DAC itself was untouched so I now coax out to a Topping D50s

had a new laser fitted about 18 months ago by a skilled tech' named Sally. Unfortunately, it transpired that Sally is a male paedophile who is now serving 14 years for abuse  of a minor.

I'll have an ask around on a forum I'm on.


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 6:04 pm
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The forum concensus was Wilkinson's of nelson.


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 7:10 pm
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Cheers all 👍


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 7:36 pm
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If it uses a VAM1202 mech those are very difficult to get good stock of. There are plenty of shonky copies about and plenty of reconditioned mechs which may not last too long.

Out if interest, what does your player do if you don't put a disc in? Can you see the laser pickup moving up and down?

As an aside, is that Slanted & Enchanted?


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 8:29 pm
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Can you see the laser pickup moving up and down?

Yes. And Yes!


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 8:38 pm
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Nice 🙂 Bloody love that album.

Good, if your pickup moves up and down like in the second video, then at least you know the mech controller IC on the main board is at least partially working - that's it trying to focus on the disc.

But it should be moving the pickup horizontally to try and pick up the index. And the spindle should be spinning up. If you want, I can wander into the service department tomorrow and ask the expert for advice. He won't have worked on Marantz stuff professionally but knows a lot about CD player repairs!


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 9:10 pm
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That would be great, cheers 🙂


 
Posted : 11/12/2023 9:14 pm
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OK, had a word with the service department. And found a couple of useful links for you below. Basics are that buying an ebay replacement mech you'd probably be OK. But as they've likely sat on a shelf for 20 years, you may want to get some plastic lube on the gear that drives the sled motor. There is a step by step guide to removing and replacing the mech. It's 6 wires that just tack on. So anyone who can tin wires can do it, just don't use a welding bit!

The other link has some secondary info about halfway down. Shows you how to put it into service mode (power up holding stop and play). I reckon the display shoud then show P00 🙂 Press Next twice should make it show P03. Then press play and it could return an error code. If you're getting err 02 or err 10-13, that's definitely mech related.

https://www.iangclark.net/projects/CD63/CD63.html

https://www.audio-forums.com/threads/resurrecting-a-dead-cd63-ki.95354/


 
Posted : 12/12/2023 9:56 pm
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Cheers! Ger Err 02.

GetItFixed estimate £70 to repair, not spoken to anyone else yet.


 
Posted : 12/12/2023 10:11 pm
 Del
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As a minor hijack I have an old linn classik that developed a nasty habit of firing up by itself at full volume. Lovely bit of kit but linn washed their hands of anything produced before the 2000s iirc. Would love to get it fixed if not too costly.


 
Posted : 12/12/2023 11:51 pm
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Steve at Audiocomm.co.uk (in Woking) is is great & reasonable. He specialises in Meridian, but sorted a Linn Classik for me (via post). 


 
Posted : 13/12/2023 9:59 am

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