Let me first say that Audio Research has changed hands and there repair polices have changed, secondly they repair 5-7 units for me a year....They have maybe found a source for lases now, so they don't have to replace the entire transport......My understanding is also that Philips is not supporting that transport anymore either, but I have found in this world of information we do not always get correct or true information.......I do know that most of the "Chinese made lasers are of very poor quality .....Because I have had some of the on-line repair guys (e-bay) use them with poor results.......So that's all I know for now..........