The Sony was not much in use, but a Nakamichi-OMS-5EII is in daily use since 1990 - 32 years.
Of course the belt driving the laser (never seen this in other players) had to be replaced, one years ago i put in a
gear to replace the belt, see Images. Later, the heavy brass gear was replaced with lighter version made of POM.
Also an extra bearing for the cheap disc motor aded, Electrolytic Caps replaced about 15 years ago.
Laser had to be replaced (I bought replacement lasers in 2000) but it was my fault
as i accidentally zapped it by ESD. The rest works fine.
So maybe not fair towards the Marantz
but a friend has exactly the same Nakamichi that runs flawless
and was never touched besides replacing the belt. All adjustments were still textbook-perfect.
The old lasers last because they are cooled by the diecast laser housing.
It may also play a role that the light emitting area was bigger, the heat of the light was more evenly distributed.
Maybe someone with knowledge about laser emitting diodes and their evolution could chime in.
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