AudioAficionado.org  

Go Back   AudioAficionado.org > Audio & Video > CD Players, Digital Music & Servers

CD Players, Digital Music & Servers Aurender, dCs, Esoteric, Lumin.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 06-20-2020, 09:20 PM
joeling joeling is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 368
Default AMR - A cautionary tale

I bought a CD77 circa 2012/13. Finally got it working today in June 2020.

A short while after taking delivery of the unit, it developed a fault in one of the daughter boards. Had the unit sent in for warranty claim. This took quite a while. In fact, if I remembered it correctly, it was more than a year before getting it back. Unfortunately, the moment I fired up the unit all those years ago, the unit would skip a couple of seconds per track. Had to send it back for repairs. Every couple of months, I would inquire the status of repair but to no avail. This carried on for years. I moved on to other products. Finally, sometime last year, I received news that the motherboard is dead and irrepairable and a new board was needed. So, today, I took delivery of this old dinosaur finally. More than 1/2 a decade has gone by and this unit went from the most expensive CD player I have ever bought and expectations to take the place of pride in my main system to something that is now a side story of a cautionary tale - this brand and the management behind the brand is quite a piece of work. Very poor product and even poorer service. I am unlikely to make another purchase from this manufacturer anytime soon.

To add insult to injury, I had to pay some money for the replacement of the motherboard. 7-8 years owner of this CD player only to extract less than 50 hours of use out of it until this moment in time.

I welcome anyone who has had issues with AMR products whether it is the CD & or other models to chime in as well.

Regards,
Joe Ling
__________________
Source 1 - Bergmann Sleipner + Benz Micro LP-S + ARC ref phono 10 (should have done this ages ago)

Source 2 - Avid Acutus SP reference + Thales Reference tone arm + Benz Micro LPS (DS Audio Master 1 broken tip repaired but cost me USD2k. Still having issues - channel imbalance - back to dealer. However, channel issues not withstanding, sounded very very nice. Need to get it back soonest)

Source 3 - DCS Vivaldi + Antelope reference clock or Cybershaft Op18 (not floating my boat so far)

Source 5 - ROON ROCK with Aurender W20 as NAS & 2 units of SOTM switch with 10M input (the new frontier but still cannot beat CD for now) - ROON endpoint - Vivaldi upsampler

Amplification - Naim Statement

Speakers - ProAc Carbon 8 + JL FM113 x2 (replacement purchased - Stella Utopia EVO but due to lockdown, could be a year's wait)

Purepower 2000 x 2 (&$@#% but
sounds nice)

Shunyata Denali X 2
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 06-21-2020, 11:42 AM
2fastdriving 2fastdriving is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 5,772
Default

That's.... Crazy! I don't think I've ever heard of anything happening like that from any manufacturer!
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 06-21-2020, 11:51 AM
Masterlu's Avatar
Masterlu Masterlu is offline
AA Founder, Legend AV Owner



 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: South FL & Cape Cod MA
Posts: 78,522
Default

I own and have sold AMR gear back when they had a distributor in the USA. I never experienced anything like that before.
__________________
Ivan
FLORIDA
MX136, MC1.2KW(10) MC2KW(2), MCD1100, MS750(2) MVP881, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, HT-2 SUBS(2) HT3F(2) WS350(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) XCS350(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" MOTORIZED SCREEN, CINEMA-TECH SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Reference System: ACCUPHASE A300 AMPS, C3900 PRE-AMP, DP1000 CD/SACD TRANSPORT, DC1000 DIGITAL PROCESSOR, DG-68 DIGITAL EQUALIZER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, PS1230 POWER SUPPLY, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, WW PLATINUM CABLES
CAPE COD

MX150, MC501(2) MC1.2KW(10) MC2301(2) MR88, MVP881, MCD1100, MDA1000, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, ESOTERIC K-01X 30th ANNIVERSARY (BLACK) SACD/CD PLAYER, G02-X CLOCK, HT3F(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(4) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) KALEIDESCAPE STRATO & TERRA SERVERS 80-TB, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" SCREEN, SONUS FABER STRADIVARI, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, FORTRESS SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Analog Rig: CLEARAUDIO INNOVATION WOOD, UNIVERSAL ARM w/ Da VINCI' CART, 2nd UNIVERSAL ARM w/ GOLDFINGER STATEMENT CART, HRS-MXR REFERENCE RACK-GLOSS BLACK w/ M3X SHELVES, AESTHETIX RHEA SIG PHONO-PRE, BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Reference System: BURMESTER 911MK3 AMP(3), 088 PRE-AMP, 089 CD PLAYER, 100 PHONO PRE-AMP, 948 POWER CONDITIONER, ACCUPHASE DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, AVID ACUTUS REFERENCE SP TT, GRAHAM PHANTOM II SUPREME ARM, BENZ MICRO LP-S CART, GRANDIOSO P1X/D1X STACK, G1X RUBIDIUM MASTER CLOCK, N05 NETWORK PLAYER, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, SONUS FABER AIDA SPEAKERS, JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(2) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) WW PLATINUM CABLES

Library System: GRANDIOSO M1 MONOBLOCK AMPS, C1 LINESTAGE PRE-AMP, K1X CD/SACD PLAYER, G1 MASTER RUBIDIUM CLOCK, E02 PHONO-PRE, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, AERIAL ACOUSTICS 20T V2, AERIAL SW12 SUBS(2), CANTON REF K1’s, VPI HRX TT w/ SDS POWER SUPPLY, ORTOFON CADENZA BLACK CART, KLAUDIO RCM, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2, SHUNYATA OMEGA QR’s, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Esoteric/Bryston System: ESOTERIC C02-X PRE-AMP, P-02X TRANSPORT, D02-X DAC, G02-X CLOCK, BRYSTON 28B3 CUBED MONOBLOCK AMPS(4), BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2(2) EVEREST 8000 POWER CONDITIONER(2) ALTAIRA CG & SG HUBS, AMR-DP777-SE DAC, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, QUADRASPIRE RACK, WW PLATINUM CABLES
Accuphase/Canton System: ACCUPHASE E800 INTEGRATED, DP570 CD/SACD PLAYER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, PS530 POWER SUPPLY, CANTON REF K3’s, CANTON REF K5’s, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS MXR REFERENCE MAHOGHANY RACK w/ M3X2 SHELVES, WW GOLD CABLES
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 06-21-2020, 12:48 PM
SCAudiophile SCAudiophile is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Greenville SC
Posts: 4,531
Default

A very unusual story and I think one-off for AMR,...had a friend who was highly involved with them out of Fayettville GA and sold their gear for quite a few years along with Rosso Fiorentino and other quality brands. Their top player and DAC around 2011-2013 were a fantastic sounding combination, thought about purchasing...decided to stay with Esoteric but I never heard any stories like this, very sorry to hear it happened to you.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 06-21-2020, 04:38 PM
W9TR's Avatar
W9TR W9TR is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: The Neutral Zone
Posts: 4,665
Default

AMR pretty much exited the market and focused on their other mobile audio brand, iFi Audio.

A cautionary tale for everyone buying expensive products from small privately held companies.
__________________
Main System:
Amati Futura Mains
Amati Homage VOX Center,
Proac Response 1sc Rears,
Three MC2301's for L,C,R
MC 602 for the rears
C 1100, MX 151, MCD 1100, MR 80
Nottingham Dais with Wave Mechanic
Sumiko Palo Santos Presentation

SurfacePro 3, RPi 4, ROON, WW Starlight Platinum USB, Schiit Yggdrasil, Benchmark DAC3 HGC

MX 151, OppO BDP-95, JVC RS-500 DILA projector, 106" diagonal Stewart Luxus Screenwall Deluxe with Studiotek 130 G3 material.

Lake House:
Ohm F, MC 275V, C2300, MR 77, Rega P3

OnDeck:
McIntosh MAC 4300v
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 06-21-2020, 06:30 PM
SCAudiophile SCAudiophile is offline
Guest
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Greenville SC
Posts: 4,531
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by W9TR View Post
AMR pretty much exited the market and focused on their other mobile audio brand, iFi Audio.

A cautionary tale for everyone buying expensive products from small privately held companies.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 06-21-2020, 11:43 PM
doggiehowser's Avatar
doggiehowser doggiehowser is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Australia
Posts: 2,411
Default

They’ve just hired JC of Parasound fame so they might return.
__________________
AcousSignThunderTA5000PurpleHeartNS WandMasterPearwoodII PSA DSD BHK ThielCS3.7SS2.2
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 06-22-2020, 06:32 AM
joeling joeling is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 368
Default

My anger is spent & I am moving on. One thing good that came out of this was the discovery of DCS.

The repaired unit is working so far but I am unlikely to sell it.
__________________
Source 1 - Bergmann Sleipner + Benz Micro LP-S + ARC ref phono 10 (should have done this ages ago)

Source 2 - Avid Acutus SP reference + Thales Reference tone arm + Benz Micro LPS (DS Audio Master 1 broken tip repaired but cost me USD2k. Still having issues - channel imbalance - back to dealer. However, channel issues not withstanding, sounded very very nice. Need to get it back soonest)

Source 3 - DCS Vivaldi + Antelope reference clock or Cybershaft Op18 (not floating my boat so far)

Source 5 - ROON ROCK with Aurender W20 as NAS & 2 units of SOTM switch with 10M input (the new frontier but still cannot beat CD for now) - ROON endpoint - Vivaldi upsampler

Amplification - Naim Statement

Speakers - ProAc Carbon 8 + JL FM113 x2 (replacement purchased - Stella Utopia EVO but due to lockdown, could be a year's wait)

Purepower 2000 x 2 (&$@#% but
sounds nice)

Shunyata Denali X 2
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 06-22-2020, 07:15 PM
doggiehowser's Avatar
doggiehowser doggiehowser is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Australia
Posts: 2,411
Default

Where did you buy the AMR from?
__________________
AcousSignThunderTA5000PurpleHeartNS WandMasterPearwoodII PSA DSD BHK ThielCS3.7SS2.2
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 06-27-2020, 10:16 PM
joeling joeling is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 368
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by doggiehowser View Post
Where did you buy the AMR from?
My local dealer in Brunei
__________________
Source 1 - Bergmann Sleipner + Benz Micro LP-S + ARC ref phono 10 (should have done this ages ago)

Source 2 - Avid Acutus SP reference + Thales Reference tone arm + Benz Micro LPS (DS Audio Master 1 broken tip repaired but cost me USD2k. Still having issues - channel imbalance - back to dealer. However, channel issues not withstanding, sounded very very nice. Need to get it back soonest)

Source 3 - DCS Vivaldi + Antelope reference clock or Cybershaft Op18 (not floating my boat so far)

Source 5 - ROON ROCK with Aurender W20 as NAS & 2 units of SOTM switch with 10M input (the new frontier but still cannot beat CD for now) - ROON endpoint - Vivaldi upsampler

Amplification - Naim Statement

Speakers - ProAc Carbon 8 + JL FM113 x2 (replacement purchased - Stella Utopia EVO but due to lockdown, could be a year's wait)

Purepower 2000 x 2 (&$@#% but
sounds nice)

Shunyata Denali X 2
Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Audioaficionado.org tested by Norton Internet Security

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:04 AM.



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.10
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
©Copyright 2009-2023 AudioAficionado.org.Privately owned, All Rights Reserved.
Audio Aficionado Sponsors
AudioAficionado Subscriber
AudioAficionado Subscriber
Inspire By Dennis Had
Inspire By Dennis Had
Harmonic Resolution Systems
Harmonic Resolution Systems
Wyred4Sound
Wyred4Sound
Dragonfire Acoustics
Dragonfire Acoustics
GIK Acoustics
GIK Acoustics
Esoteric
Esoteric
AC Infinity
AC Infinity
JL Audio
JL Audio
Add Powr
Add Powr
Accuphase - Soulution
Accuphase - Soulution
Audio by E
Audio by E
Canton
Canton
Bryston
Bryston
WireWorld Cables
WireWorld Cables
Stillpoints
Stillpoints
Bricasti Design
Bricasti Design
Furutech
Furutech
Shunyata Research
Shunyata Research
Legend Audio & Video
Legend Audio & Video