dgc

Please excuse my rant but I've been having a string of bad luck lately. The electronic gods have not been too kind.

In the past two months the following hardware required repair:

SONY KP-57WV700 - flicker issue, some resistors and all CRTs need to be replaced
SONY DVP-S9000ES - tray wouldn't open. Fixed within 2 weeks
SONY 5AES - minor issue with blue LED, no discrete 6.1

XBOX - Dirty disc errors requiring dvd drive replacement. 3 dat turaround (amazing service from xbox)
1680 Audiovox Portable DVD Player - Display is out

Apparently Sony quality isn't what it used to be. Thankfully, all my equipment repairs were still under warranty and have been satisfactorily completed with the exception of my HDTV scheduled for this Friday.

Personally, I don't have much confidence in sony's "authorized" repair TV techs. I'm sure they will replace the parts but I'm not confident they will restore my convergence and geometry to an acceptable level. I have a feeling I will end up pushing for a replacement.

Pretty scary, huh?

Thanks for reading this rant,... I always feel a tiny bit better after venting. I just need to remind myself of all the social ills in the world today. That problems such as faulty material items pale in comparison..

drmoze

I used to have similar problems. A not-too-cheap Hi-Fi Sony VCR, anemic Sony receiver, Sony CD changer, all went bad within 2-3 years of purchase. I found a great solution for that. And it doesn't begin with "S." No problems since, even with a few quality-name refurb units.

If you're getting replacement equipment (now or later), I suggest you try my solution!

dgc

I've never had problems with sony products in the past. There ES line of components always performed well and I've always loved their form and function (design & build) quality as well as there intuitive GUI setup functions. They also design their various component products similarly so they look good together.

I've recently learned that company loyalty is a thing of the past.

TheKobra

Could be a power problem. Any spikes in the past few weeks?
If so you should get a Monster Power!

dgc

No spikes. Besides, I have a pretty decent surge protector. While I think it's important and I eventually would like to feed my setup with "clean" power, I can't bring myself to spend the $$$. Something like Monster Power is on the bottom of my A/V upgrade list.

drmoze

Ditto. A good rated surge protector is key. Persistent spikes and surges could lead to some equipment problems, but any decent surge protector will safeguard against those. Can't see spending 5-10x as much for the pretty-colored "Monster" brand. You won't hear/see any difference from their 'conditioned' current input. (After it goes through the components' transformers, cazpacitors, etc? sheesh!) Amazing how many people love to throw big bux at Monster products, which is all CC and BB push these days. I'd *love* to meet their marketing and promo guys. They have a whole generation of HT owners convinced that the cables, connects and surge protectors are just as important (and costly!) as the active components.

BMAG

The Panamax M8 is available for around $50 (I bought two from Crutchfield). It is an excellent combination surge protector/"dirty" power protector. It is not a line conditioner but will kick in if it detects dirty power (under-voltage) to protect your equipment. I had always assumed that a surge or spike was the only enemy. I learned the lesson the hard way when an ice storm caused a surge followed by a series of brownouts in my area several weeks ago. My old surge protector stopped the surge but allowed the dirty power through and my Tosh 43H70 was toast. Three weeks in the shop and ~$500 later it is as good as new and now plugged into the Panamax.

drmoze

Nice tip on the M8 (with all outlets widely spaced, for those transformers!). Another heads-up, they're only $32 at buy.com. I might pick one up.

lordzeppelin

THe Belkin Pure A/V is pretty nice too, and it can be had for $50 this month on belkin's website (check AT for the thread for 50% belkin.com). That's what I've been using for a while...

Also check out the Tripp-Lite ISOBAR 8 Ultra - better than monster, and it runs about $60.

DVD Polizei

You know, I was about to make a joke that you had a bunch of Sony equipment, and OMG, I was right. Stay away from Sony. Get Denon receivers. While I have a Sony DVP-S7700, it's rock-solid and I think I might just stay away from another Sony DVD player in the future--just because. Oh, and Sony repair techs ARE scary.

dgc

As you can tell, I have good reason to bad mouth sony but that doesn't necessarily mean I won't purchase sony products again. It all depends on getting the biggest bang for my HT buck on great performing products and so far Sony has fit the bill. Although I prefer not to need it, I've had excellent warranty service thus far.

I've only purchased the higher end sony stuff (ES line) and never had any problems over the years. Just lately I've been having some bad luck. It's always when your stuff gives you problems you start compaining about that brand.

Other brands of equipment I curerently own are a pioneer laser disc player, a panasonic dvd player, toshiba dvd player an Anthem amp, and B&W speakers. So you can see, I'm not one of those extreme Sony loyalists. I've just been able to get some great deals on their equipment.

drmoze

IMO there are *much* better bangs for the buck in receivers than the ES stuff. Even with a Sony discount.... I'd still buy Spny tube tv's and MP3 players, but I will never buy one of their VCRs again (whenever I might buy one!) or DVD players. There's better quality available for the same $$$ or sometimes much less.

dgc

At the prices I paid, I doubt it.

drmoze

Well, that of course depends on how cheap you got it. Nearly free, I'd probably use one for a 2nd system in the gameroom or MBR. But, for example, if I could get a Sony ES STR-DA4ES for even $600 (list is $1k), I'd still pay another couple of hundred for a Denon 3803 or similar. YMMV of course, but Sony is more about bells'n'whistles in my experience.