For anyone who visits OADE you may be familar with this topic. In repsonse to this issue I forward to Marantz the below letter.
To whom it may concern,
After contacting you via phone and confirming that most if not all Marantz stand alone CD burners will soon be rendered useless I am truly disappointed. The specific media it they require is no longer made available, i.e., CDR's with burn speed of lower than 42X.
Your comments were basically that it was too bad but there is nothing you can or will do about it.
IMO, this is a no way to treat your consumers! Thousands of units have been sold ranging in price from $500 to $3,500 over the past 7 years and many over the last 3-4 years that the consumer has to accept as outdated and useless equipment. I bought my 630 around 4 years ago for around $1000.00 and now it is a book end.
It would be nice for you to offer a software upgrade so that your machines could accept the higher speed software, or a deep discount on a new deck or some kind of refund on the old. But, no! It appears that it is Buyer beware!!!!!!! I really feel sorry for someone who bought a deck a year ago only to have it be useless today.
Your response to the thousands that have been taken of their hard earned money is a potential scam of major proportions and unless remedied should be taken up as a "Class Action".
Anyway, unless you remedy this situation I will never buy another item from Marantz again. I know many others in the same camp who feel the same way many of them are consumers, pro-sumers and or professional.
Your response to this situation is appreciated.
Anyway, I doubt that they will respond but if they do I will keep you updated.
Ray