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Ha-ha, lot of questions :-) ! I try my best answering them, but again, I might be subjective (and wrong too) here and there, so I expect others to share their view. - "Is the KMS-260E a later model, and thus probably superior to KMS-260A?" - This I really cannot answer properly. I guess a Sony engineer would know the "secret". They did the upgrades for a reason, that is sure, but the reason can be just as simple as a new spec diode, for example. My statistical base is small, I can speak about only 100-120 decks I had my hands on for repair. This is certainly not representative, but I could not find any evidences for one type of laser being better than the others. To me, they are all good, and proper settings are the most important. - "I found these inexpensive lasers" - this was not a question, one note here though: it may worth to double check with the seller, what they actually sell. Most Chinese sellers use the same photos from their wholesalers (or taken from their fellow sellers), as well as titles/descriptions. Most cases they just list all suffixes like compatible versions, but only sell one and only one type. As I saw, most of them sell 260E lasers (funny enough, sometimes pulled from non-Sony devices, as their photo shows), few of them sell 260B (for almost twice as much), and I have not recently seen any 260A versions (not if I wanted one). - "should I take it to a tech to make sure the laser is properly calibrated?" - It does not hurt to perform a "sanity check" on the laser status. I'd expect though the tech knowing that they do, and having all the necessary test gear. - "Do they [the lasers] drift over time?" - Heat can cause some drifting in actual laser power vs. given settings. But this is different from the changes that occur as the laser ages. Over time, the power of the emitted laser beam decerases, this is normal. Checking it regularly - depends on the use. If you record live performances, that are one-time kind, you may want to (as well as to use at least one mirror device recording for back up). If you do your CD or vinyl complations, your deck "will tell", when to replace its laser, and the most you can lose is the very last recording (that you can redo hopefully). - "What causes the MD disc to not run true?" - Many things, actually. Just to name a few: manufacturing error, disc dropped to the floor, disc left on a hot place for long (car dash, top of the amp), etc. And you bet: it is rare, but drive mechanism can also be a cause - see my post here, for "fun" :-) . - " On that topic, can I lubricate the drive mechanism myself?" - Sure you can. Do it carefully, and use the proper grease, developed for these fine mechanical devices. There are several known brands and products, the most important thing is that the two main components (the oil that lubricates and the "soap" that carries the oil and keeps in place) must not be separating with time, thus the grease will not dry out and harden. Two more notes: 1) never use silicon grease in these devices, and 2) before applying the fresh grease, always clean the parts completely from any residues of the old lubricants. - "I'd read somewhere it was better for capacitors and other electronics to leave them powered on than to leave them off for extended periods" - Yes, but let me make some differentiation here. 1) Inside unused caps the chemical complex can change with time, therefore switching unused electronics on regularly might help as these caps sort of "reformatting" themselves, that can limit these irreversible chemical changes. However, leaving the electronics always on will not stop their caps from drying out (it is actually the opposite, especially, if these caps are located close to other parts, that generate heat, like a power resistor, heat sink, etc.). Electrolytic caps do dry out over time, and if left in that state with the device powered down for an extended period, caps can disintegrate (with a "puff" sometimes) when powered on again. 2) What electronics do not really like is frequent switching on and off, for the transients that may cause damage. This much is true (and I did not say one should pull the AC cord after each disc played or recorded). If you never switch off your electronic device, you may save it from these transient shocks (provided the device is plugged into at least a surge protected AC outlet, or running on an UPS). But this will not save them from ageing. Having the "Standby" function on most electronics is exactly there for this reason, it keeps only the least minimum needed circuits running, and shuts of the rest, to save power and device lifetime. - "Those photos are horrible. How on earth did it get so dirty? Was the laser or mechanics damaged from that?" - I have no idea, I was surprised too. The deck came with "usual" C13 error, and after completing a full strip-down/clean/rebuild circle it worked again flawlessly. I saw a similar one the other time, and that laser was already dying, thought that deck had already run more than 2000 hours, so that could count as well. - "I am guessing that this loading mech was built by Tascam and is not a Sony. Any suggestions on where I can find parts?" - I am sorry, not only my experience is limited, but is restricted to a few Sony decks only, so no clue here. Pfhew ... now it begins looking like I was writing a book :-) . If you reached down here with reading, you deserve a beer or your favourite drink :-) .