Anyone solved MF Tri Vista SACD problems?


I am starting this thread for my friend who bought this Musical Fidelity Tri Vista SACD player as used two years ago. Now the transport mechanism and also the servo board (we think) are broken. Does anyone know if there still is some company who can repair these players or modify them with new parts (transport+servo board). It seems to us that Musical Fidelity has moved forward and abandoned its old Tri-Vista customers. No help from their side at all. All info/help is appreciated.
mkilpi
Can I bring some sanity to this thread?

The following facts apply to the UK and Australian markets. I don't live in the US so don't know what happened there or why.

Fact - Musical Fidelity gave full new price value for exchange on other MF products to first owners whose TriVista SACDs failed during their warranty period.

Fact - Musical Fidelity gave large discounts on other MF CD players to first owners whose players failed after expiration of the warranty period.

Fact - the problem with the transports in both the TriVista and kW SACD players is nothing to do with "parts obsolescence". Philips left MF and a number of other manufacturers badly in the lurch by supplying insufficiently robust SACD transports (these have a failure rate approaching 100%). Philips then refused to support these transports with parts or replacements once the failures began. This has been well documented on Audiogon and elsewhere. MF are not the only manufacturer affected - Krell and dCS have been placed in the same position.

Fact - if you have either a TriVista or kW SACD player there is no point in asking for or expecting it to be repaired by the manufacturer. It can't be done. The transport replacements are gone.

How many of the people slating MF on this thread are initial purchasers? If you are, you may be able to get something out of the dealer or distributor. If, however, the US distributor has changed since you bought the player and the current distributor won't play ball, you are probably screwed. That is hardly MF's fault however.

If you bought it used, your only recourse is the dealer.

If you bought it used privately, you're probably screwed.

The problems with these Philips transports came close to sending several companies to the wall.

Given that plus the fact that with the best will in the world nothing can be done to fix these players, the apparently widespread belief on this thread that a manufacturer is somehow responsible to secondhand purchasers of a player - no matter how high-priced - after expiration of the warranty is simply unrealistic.

If you want someone to blame, blame Philips.
No, MF is to blame for not thoruoghly testing and stock piling transports like any responsible company would.( ie Bryston has stock piled over 4000 drives for their cd players).
MF products can become obsolete in every way even before the warranty runs out. This is unacceptable and I personally will never own another MF product( I bought new)!!
However, they do make a great door-stop and conversation piece.
So Budt, enlighten me. I've heard the standard anti-MF rant from US owners before. Tell me something new, such as:

What was the product?

When did you buy it?

When did it fail?

What happened next?

Were you offered anything by the dealer/distributor/manufacturer?

If so, did you refuse it (and why)?

Why does MF attract all the hostility and not Krell? What did Krell do differently?

Your post is light on detail, but it implies that you bought a new MF product, which failed?/became obsolete? (it's not clear from your post) under warranty and MF left you completely holding the baby. It's hard to believe that US consumer law would allow that in any form.

Here's my story:

I bought a new TriVista SACD in 2003, the drive failed under warranty and after quite a few months of uncertainty, I accepted the MF exchange offer and replaced it with a brand new kW 500 amplifier at no charge.

It did cost me money because at that point I had no source and two amplifiers. Sorting that out meant spending, but it also became an upgrade. Six years on I still have and love the kW 500, so overall I'm not at all unhappy.
First off, I bought mine new ($7,000) from an authorized dealer. 2nd, it went back for repair and came back unrepaired. Third---shame on them for using an "unrobust" transport--they new they were using a crap transport when the built/designed it. Fourth, why would I trade mine back to them for another one of their "unrobust" players--as that is all they had when mine broke down. Fifth, my dealer came through with flying colors - not MF.
Gtfour, please make sure you post when your kW stops working. It's only a matter of time. Good luck.