Do Old CD Players Require Servicing Like Amps?

If it's broke, you may not be able to find parts to fix it ! I got belts for my Marantz CD-94, but then the laser went bad -- and well, the laser assembly wasn't available, bummer.

With all that's going on with Digital, when broken... just replace it. The result will be much better.

Or consider pc based music which can be still better.

More so; any component with moving parts (disc drives, tape decks, etc) will require more service than an amp (unless the amp is poorly designed, incorrectly biased or RoHS compliant!).

SACD's laser averages 2-4 years (at least for Sony and Philips mechanism's. No idea so far about Esoteric SACD mech's.

one minor note. lasers are not all the same. the fail rate is, all things equal, a function of output power. More output, faster to fail. Systems that are read only and simple as possible will last the longest (read, many thousands of hours. maybe 10K or more??) Lasers that are called upon to write material put our more juice and will not last as long. Should you have a laser that also writes labels as in many PC's it will go faster still. I'll bet SACDs are high density and hence lower wavelength and higher energy so they don't last as long (just a guess). Even if you could easily send it for refirb it's likely not worth it.

Simaudio.....10 year warranty!!!

Bryston......20 year warranty (at least on all their other equipment)!!!

Pepe