MCD201 issues resolved

[macomega]

I just got my MCD201 back from mcintosh and I am happy to say there is no more skipping and transport noise :banana:
I really think they fixed the problem this time. Thanks MR. Ogawa.

[Mike Gibson]

I'm glad to hear everything is fixed and working well. You can look forward to many years of enjoyment from your equipment now.

Mike

[carbonman]

If they work properly, and I have no doubt most of them always have, MCD201s will probably continue to work properly for many years. Mine has always given me great sound and played everything I tossed into it.

[masterlu]

If they work properly, and I have no doubt most of them always have, MCD201s will probably continue to work properly for many years. Mine has always given me great sound and played everything I tossed into it.

Ditto, but I guess I will retire it (or move it to another room) when the 301 gets here next week.

At least it's an easy swap out. No back brace needed ie: MC1.2KW...

[macomega]

Its really sad to say problem with noise from the transport is back and louder than ever.:tears:
I guess I will be sending this cd player back to mcintosh again. It is surprising that they haven't figure this out yet.

[howiebrou]

Its really sad to say problem with noise from the transport is back and louder than ever.:tears:
I guess I will be sending this cd player back to mcintosh again. It is surprising that they haven't figure this out yet.

Hmmm. I admire you for your loyalty and patience. :yes:

But seriously though, I very much doubt there is a fix which is 100% effective. More a question of a bad choice by Mcintosh choosing some sub-standard parts. IMHO, I would be done with it (I did) and not have the anxiety of a crappy player with no re-sale value. When I got rid of mine I felt like a huge load was lifted from my shoulders. Peace of mind is priceless imo.

Ask yourself this. At what stage and after how many returns to Mcintosh will you say enough is enough. :scratch2:

Good luck!

howie

[markc2]

Maybe the next time you talk with Mcintosh, maybe you could trade the faulty 201 for a 301?? I know there is a price difference but maybe that could be resolved?


Don't know if they would or could do this, but couldn't hurt to ask...

[vahe]

There is a 201 owner in our area that has been trying to sell his player with little luck, so far lowering the price by about $100 a week has not helped him, but I am curious how low the price can go before someone decides that it is worth the price. He is well below $2K at this point with no takers.

Vahe

[macomega]

I love to sell it and get something different maybe MCD301 but I don't want to sell something that has a problem. I don't think its fair to a buyer.

[macomega]

Is there anybody at mcintosh who could help me with this problem ?
I don't want to keep sending it to mcintosh and have a same problem. It cost $65.00 in shipping everytime.

[masterlu]

I love to sell it and get something different maybe MCD301 but I don't want to sell something that has a problem. I don't think its fair to a buyer.

I guess you'll have to give it away. ;)

No seriously, I do agree with you. :yes:

[jim777]

Is there anybody at mcintosh who could help me with this problem ?
I don't want to keep sending it to mcintosh and have a same problem. It cost $65.00 in shipping everytime.

It would cost you even more if you lived in Canada.. :tears:

[CarlV]

Is there anybody at mcintosh who could help me with this problem ?

Go here.
http://www.mcintoshlabs.com/contact.aspx

There is nobody from McIntosh paid to monitor this forum, it is completely independent of McIntosh.


Carl

[gelmhirst]

Thanks Carl, this is amazing. I was going to sell my 201 and order a 301, budget restraints and priority to do the amps first make me want to service my 201, for the well known issues. Shipping was a concern, I'm in Toronto/Cda, your link has an authorized service center in Mississauga, not a bad drive from the city! Great! Thanks, Greg

[lindstrom]

I agree. I think that McIntosh should let those of us who have already exchanged and had players serviced with not much success, trade the 201 in for the 301. Of course, we would have to pay the difference. I think it would convey good faith and professionalism on the part of the company, and of course, it expresses loyalty on the part of us - the consumer - to McIntosh. After all, any company - even one as fine as McIntosh can get one wrong occasionally. It is in the handling of resolution that the highest regard and loyalty is accorded. McIntosh has clearly earned that over the years. Now, as always, it must be maintained. I feel confident that they have been trying to do the right thing, but eventually success must trump good intentions, and time is running out on warranty periods.

Michael

[Record108]

McIntosh MCD201 Drive – Vol. 3

Remember my MCD201 CD player that I bought in late June? The one with the drive that did not work? Hiccups, hang-ups and the like? Yes, they gave me another drive. Do you remember my postings with regards to the second drive that did not work either (“latest firmware” etc.)? Hiccups, hang-ups, you read it all. Yes, I was promised another one. Well, I do have the third drive now. It didn´t take McIntosh longer to deliver it than just three little months which is not much if you take into account where it comes from (all the way from China).

And I am so happy with it. Wow, the Chinese know how to convert PC drives to high-end gear! It spins CDs! And SACDs! Eight months after the purchase I have a CD player! Just like this. And I have whole days without one single hiccup! I just love this drive – the sound of it brings back the memory of the trolley cars that stopped in front of my window when I was a student. My dealer and I now think of starting a new business: we will develop a tuning kit for McIntosh MCD201s – a rubber casing for this marvellous drive. It will make us rich. Thank you, McIntosh! Thank you and good-bye!

[howiebrou]

didn´t McIntosh longer to deliver it than just three little months which is not much if you take into account where it comes from (all the way from China).


Actually the drive is Korean :D

[Record108]

Actually the drive is Korean :D

We are both right. The supplier is a Korean company but their factory is in China. It is printed on the label of the drives.

[macomega]

well I sent my Mcd201 to mcintosh again on monday. This time they paid for the shipping. Hopefully it gets fixed this time by the way I ask the person at service, and he said having problem with noisy transport is very rare.:confused:

[Record108]

Three out of three transports in my unit were noisy.
Two had constant and one has occasional hiccups ....

[Record108]

IMO the 201 does sound great but the transport is somewhat loud. Does this have to be a secret?

I don´t think so. And many of the transports have hiccups. And the buyer gets tired and frustrated if the third fix is still not successful. Quite simple and understandable, actually. And IMHO the manufacturer should say: "We are sorry. We have now developed a reliable, silent transport and we will convert your unit for free because you have suffered enough and we want you to remain our loyal customer."
What kind of transport does the 301 have? It does not fit in the 201, does it .... ? Probably a naive idea.

[macomega]

I will be getting my MCD201 back this week. Hopefully this time it gets fixed.
Pray for me.:D

[eljr]

I will be getting my MCD201 back this week. Hopefully this time it gets fixed.
Pray for me.:D

Best of luck to you!

[Record108]

I will be getting my MCD201 back this week. Hopefully this time it gets fixed.
Pray for me.:D


Fingers crossed.

[rcarlton]

Good luck!

[macomega]

Well I got my MCD201 back with same problem. I sent out a e-mail to Mcintosh services and this was the response.
I
remember speaking with you and having the CD Player returned for the
second time for a noisy mechanism. The mechanism was replaced again to
ensure proper tracking and playback with skipping. The latest firmware
was installed and a full functionality test was performed. The noise
that you are hearing from the player is a known characteristic and is
inherent with all MCD201. The mechanism spins at a much higher speed so
some noise is detectable; the location of the pickup on the disc (outer
edge or inner edge) will also have an effect. This is not a defect or
sign of failure, but is a normal condition for the MCD201 CD Player.

[rcarlton]

Ouch....:dammit::pity::puke2::yikes::dunno::butt1: :headscrat::sadwave::puke::boxing::wtf::mad::whip:

I've been wondering how much McIntosh would charge to repair a MCD201 out of warranty with these problems (if they can fix it)? Should be able to pick one up on Audiogon for a decent price, probably under 2K.

[jim777]

macomega,

Again, unacceptable to have this noise with a 3k$ player.

Since I'm an electrical engineer, I'll translate their technobabel reply in plain english. "The MCD201 has a bad transport design and there is nothing we can do about it. So don't bother sending in your buggy players. Even though most transports run at 4x with no noise, this one has a real big problem (I'm sure that even the 301 is 4x, try to find a transport that does SACD without doing CD's at min. 4x). The MCD301 is now available (even if we said that the 201 was there for the long run) and it is exactly what the 201 should have been from the beginning (well it has the same feature set and it works). And we won't even give you an upgrade path to the 301, even though it costs more. We even changed the name to 301, because if we had called it 201 rev2, we would have even more angry customers."

Oops, will another 201 thread get deleted ;) - and sorry if this issue is a bit emotionnal for me.

[howiebrou]

macomega,

Again, unacceptable to have this noise with a 3k$ player.

Since I'm an electrical engineer, I'll translate their technobabel reply in plain english. "The MCD201 has a bad transport design and there is nothing we can do about it. So don't bother sending in your buggy players. Even though most transports run at 4x with no noise, this one has a real big problem (I'm sure that even the 301 is 4x, try to find a transport that does SACD without doing CD's at min. 4x). The MCD301 is now available (even if we said that the 201 was there for the long run) and it is exactly what the 201 should have been from the beginning (well it has the same feature set and it works). And we won't even give you an upgrade path to the 301, even though it costs more. We even changed the name to 301, because if we had called it 201 rev2, we would have even more angry customers."

Oops, will another 201 thread get deleted ;) - and sorry if this issue is a bit emotionnal for me.

:lmao::tresbon:

[masterlu]

Lemon Law that Thing...

[macomega]

Lemon Law that Thing...

I think I have to at this point.:(
What is the process ?

[masterlu]

Have your dealer go to bat for you.

[macomega]

Sorry but what do you mean by bat ?

[Indy]

It's an American term related to baseball, an American sport played between April and October, where men on a field try to hit a small hard ball the size of a large lemon, while others try to catch the ball and throw that player out of the game.

"Go to bat" relates to, sometimes when the Pitcher (the one delivering the ball or as in your case one trying to get his issue resolved) )needs to be rested on the bench and an alternate batter placed in the pitchers position that has better skills at hitting the ball. :D

[jdmeyers]

The solution for Mac, IMHO, is simple. To any customer who owns a 201 and wishes to upgrade to the 301, take the 201 to any authorized Mac dealer you will be given a credit in that amount towards a 301 at MSRP. No questions asked. Whether or not the 201 is quiet or not.

I ain't no accountant, but say (for sake of arguement) the difference in price between a 201 and 301 is $1,500. And say that 50% of 201 owners opt to do this, but 50% with quiet 201s opt to keep theirs and hope for the best.

If, say, 250 units are "traded up" and are essentially junked by Mac, the D&M corporate accountants love the right off, yes? But remember, that's 250 x $1,500 into the Mac coffers as well and 250 Mac loyalists who will appreciate the gesture of corporate responsibility by Mac and reward the company with more years of patronage.

Make sense? :scratch2:

[macomega]

:QUOTE=masterlu;1784552]Have your dealer go to bat for you.[/QUOTE]

I moved about year ago and my dealer is 1000 miles away. I don't know what to do at this point.:worried:

[Record108]

Ouch....:dammit::pity::puke2::yikes::dunno::butt1: :headscrat::sadwave::puke::boxing::wtf::mad::whip:

I've been wondering how much McIntosh would charge to repair a MCD201 out of warranty with these problems (if they can fix it)? Should be able to pick one up on Audiogon for a decent price, probably under 2K.

Estimated 450 USD (or get an estimate from a dealer - and double it!)

[Record108]

The solution for Mac, IMHO, is simple. To any customer who owns a 201 and wishes to upgrade to the 301, take the 201 to any authorized Mac dealer you will be given a credit in that amount towards a 301 at MSRP. No questions asked. Whether or not the 201 is quiet or not.

Make sense? :scratch2:

Since a design that works is now available (the 301, at least we hope it works ...), a trade-in programme would be a fair treatment for us that have suffered enough (I have the third drive in eight months and still there is transport noise!). I would also accept it if they exchanged my transport for one of the new type and just said "sorry!". Would that 301 drive work in the 201 .... ?

[masterlu]

Since a design that works is now available (the 301, at least we hope it works ...), a trade-in programme would be a fair treatment for us that have suffered enough (I have the third drive in eight months and still there is transport noise!). I would also accept it if they exchanged my transport for one of the new type and just said "sorry!". Would that 301 drive work in the 201 .... ?

Nope, it is way too narrow. You would need new front glass & probably even more.

[Record108]

Nope, it is way too narrow. You would need new front glass & probably even more.

Sigh!

Has someone tried to "tune" the 201 transport like my dealer has proposed (wrap it in rubber)? What do you think of that?

[masterlu]

Sigh!

Has someone tried to "tune" the 201 transport like my dealer has proposed (wrap it in rubber)? What do you think of that?

Sorry, trade in time. IMHO

We have all "bit the bullet" before.

[Record108]

The solution for Mac, IMHO, is simple. To any customer who owns a 201 and wishes to upgrade to the 301, take the 201 to any authorized Mac dealer you will be given a credit in that amount towards a 301 at MSRP. No questions asked. Whether or not the 201 is quiet or not.

I ain't no accountant, but say (for sake of arguement) the difference in price between a 201 and 301 is $1,500. And say that 50% of 201 owners opt to do this, but 50% with quiet 201s opt to keep theirs and hope for the best.

If, say, 250 units are "traded up" and are essentially junked by Mac, the D&M corporate accountants love the right off, yes? But remember, that's 250 x $1,500 into the Mac coffers as well and 250 Mac loyalists who will appreciate the gesture of corporate responsibility by Mac and reward the company with more years of patronage.

Make sense? :scratch2:

Post Scriptum: Make sense.

And it should be possible for McIntosh to get some money back from Raymedia for the damage done to its business and reputation, whether there is a clause in the cooperation agreement or not. I have negotiated so many cooperation agreements for my employer and I swear that none of our suppliers would have got away with this.

(Message from the CEO of Raymedia on their website: "We are continuously creating new value for our customers with clear focus on the core competence of the business we are in.")