Marantz SA-11 S1 drawer not opening and some SACD won't read


Greetings everyone. 

I have a Marantz SA-11 S1 Reference player and for the past 2 years or so, the drawer has a hard time opening and closing. I have to push the button up to 7 times and eventually it will open. I should also mention that I am the 3rd owner and have owned it since February of 2010 and the built date is June 2005, so most likely it's an early model. The other issue is that some SACD discs will not play and some other ones will skip at random during playback. Red book CD or burned Cds play perfectly. It seems that the issues with SACD happens with some recent ones.  I assume that the drawer not opening is a worn out belt, gears or lack of lubrication. My main concern is that it may need a new laser assembly and some folks have mentioned that they are impossible to find. Not sure if it is a Toshiba, Phillips, etc. I have contacted United Radio which is a certified Marantz repair center and also Just Audio in Baltimore since I would rather send it to someone reputable. I have found some replacement drives on Ebay for around $30 and they could be a cheap knock off. Any ideas on how to proceed?? I love the built quality and the sound is beautiful and I don't mind spending some money to get it back to it's former glory. Thanks  in advance and I look forward to your answers. 
pivetta

Showing 1 response by fabbe

Hi, I've had the same problem on the same player and there are two main problems you have fix. 
The laser Head Is worn out and you have to change it. I've done it twice during the years. And you have to change the drawer belt. 
I found da Toshiba laser for about 15 euros on eBay and the belt for about 5. Here you you can se how to do It by yourself.
Best regards,
Fabrizio

 https://www.stereo.net.au/forums/topic/81872-marantz-sa-11s1-cd-player-basic-renoservice-warning-pic...