Life of a CD PLAYER!!

[jazzscot]

My CD Player just died!!
I have had it for 12 years , use it most days,
between 1 to 3 hours a session (sometimes a little more)
checked ever thing but no music sound just the CD
turning? "any help would greatfully received, even
telling me to buy a NEW one.

[soshigaya]

Sounds like you got your moneys worth to me. Mine go kaput in a few years.
What make is it ?
Dave

[jonesy]

jazzscot, what are the other components in your system?

[jkelman]

My CD Player just died!!
I have had it for 12 years , use it most days,
between 1 to 3 hours a session (sometimes a little more)
checked ever thing but no music sound just the CD
turning? "any help would greatfully received, even
telling me to buy a NEW one.

12 YEARS?? Consider yourself fortunate. My home unit gets less play than my discman (I'm out and about a lot, and it's a great chance to preview disks for review), so it lasts maybe five years. My discmans all last, on average, about 2 (and they are medium-end Sony players).

So at 12 years, without knowing the make, I'd say your machine has decided to move on, and it's probably time you did as well.
:shrug: :)

[Karl]

I hope my iPod will make it a little longer that just 2 years ... he is going to turn one year old in January ... :)

[jazzscot]

Many THANKS guys for replies & advice etc,
I'll check out a few stores today and see what's
available.
Jonesy the system is all DENON components.

Cheers
Jazzscot

[jazzscot]

Jonesy this is the make up of my system

*** CD: Denon DCD - 670
*** AMP: Denon DRA - 365R
*** TAPE DECK: Denon DRM - 400
*** SPEAKERS: Wharfedale Diamond 5

Thanks again
Cheers
Jazzscot

[jonesy]

Jonesy this is the make up of my system

*** CD: Denon DCD - 670
*** AMP: Denon DRA - 365R
*** TAPE DECK: Denon DRM - 400
*** SPEAKERS: Wharfedale Diamond 5

Thanks again
Cheers
Jazzscot

No reason not to stay with Denon, although Cambridge and Rotel do a nice job as well, as does Arcam. Musical Fidelity makes an excellent unit. Their entry level is more expensive but worth every penny not only in sound, but in construction. You might want to see what's out there in a clean, used Musical Fidelity A3. I highly recommend Van den Hul cable regardless of the player. As I'm moving to a new home tomorrow and will be going off-line for a week or so, I won't be able to continue with this thread - matter of fact, I'm racing through this right now and have to leave, but good luck, and I'll drop back in again.

[Tenorman]

Hi Jazzscot,
I think you will find that there have been a lot of improvements to players over the 12 years since your Denon was born. I got quite a surprise whn I compared the equivalent priced Marantz to my 7 year old one a couple of years ago. As things turned out I decided to go up a notch and got the Music Fidelity A3.2, which matched the MFA3 amplifier very nicely.

I would advise trying to get a listening test on your existing set-up. You might find that matching new kit to the older Denon kit may be a little difficult. Even the new Denons may not be a good match. Most amps and speakers give some sort of colouration to the sound until you move up into the stratospheric price ranges. If your amp and speakers are a bit bright with an emphasis on treble, getting a player with the same bias may produce a sound that you do not like.

Also bear in mind that 12 year old speakers may be getting a bit tired. The cones vibrate constantly and can weaken with age. This will tend to slow down the Bass response making it a touch woolly.

So if you do listening tests in the shop - don't be surprised if it does not sound the same when you get home - you could be on the long slippery path to a major upgrade - I can laugh, my bank balance has only just recovered from my last one which "finished" two years ago :elephant:

[clave]

My discmans all last, on average, about 2 (and they are medium-end Sony players).

What on earth do you do to them? :) I've got 2; a 14-year-old Philips and a Sony I bought earlier this year. The Philips is still going strong, although its anti-skip protection leaves something to be desired.

[jkelman]

What on earth do you do to them? :) I've got 2; a 14-year-old Philips and a Sony I bought earlier this year. The Philips is still going strong, although its anti-skip protection leaves something to be desired.

My discmans get used a lot. Probably 6-7 hours a day, every day. I keep it in a carrying case when I take it out, so it's never dropped or suffers any abuse other than extended use. After about 2 years I have found the anti-skip protection starts to go, and that's really irritating for me, as I take it on exercise walks, dog walks, etc., so having the dagnabed thing skip around is just too irritating.

Like I said, my home system lasts longer, but I do most of my listening on the diskman - even when I am writing reviews I am typically using the diskman with headphones rather than playing stuff on my PC...just habit I suppose.
John

[clave]

My discmans get used a lot. Probably 6-7 hours a day, every day.

That explains it -- you make 'em work pretty hard. (My 1st Sony died because i'd worn out the motor.) Though how you can stand to wear headphones for that many hours a day is beyond me....

Like I said, my home system lasts longer, but I do most of my listening on the diskman - even when I am writing reviews I am typically using the diskman with headphones rather than playing stuff on my PC...just habit I suppose.

You've got company! I prefer to use my portable when I'm writing, and (very often) would rather listen to it than to my stereo system. (No other noise to interfere with it, much easier to get to X point in a particular track, etc.)

[jazzscot]

Thanks Tenorman for your advise & help, I've made a
few notes for when I search out this purchase.

Cheers again from N.Z.
Jazzscot

[rhinozoot]

a while ago I had a disc jamm in a multi disc player, it moved around and made it impossible for the drawer to reopen.

just mentioning it at the shop and at work,this is something not exactly uncommon

we got a new relatively simple NAD amp,cd with some good marked down $200 pr tannoy speakers

it does not cost much extra but I would get a decent amp to cd connector, and speaker cable, specialist things work much better with sound than appliance cords

delighted with the new system

[jkelman]

That explains it -- you make 'em work pretty hard. (My 1st Sony died because i'd worn out the motor.) Though how you can stand to wear headphones for that many hours a day is beyond me....


There are people in my condo building who honestly don't recognize me when I'm not attached to a set of headphones.

While I would rather there was another way, the only way I can listen to the amount of music I do is with the 'phones. Hmmm.....maybe they'll come up with implants some day!

Best!
John

[Harold_Z]

jkelman, What kind of phones do you use with the discman?

[jkelman]

jkelman, What kind of phones do you use with the discman?

Sony MDR-V300. They are "regular" phones, not the ear plug type, but are light and comfortable, and for $80 CDN, sound as good as I want to spend on something where they are subjected to a lot of abuse from varying weather conditions. That is to say, these have lasted me two years so far, and they sound great and are having no problems with cables, etc. I'd recommend them unconditionally.

John

[Rocket #9]

jazzscot,

I'll second the recommendation for Rotel. Great value-for-money and my stuff sounds great. Their recent integrated amp and CD player both got rave reviews from The Absolute Sound (audio magazine), and they're not particularly expensive. My interconnects, by the way, are ecosse, which you may appreciate, given your monicker.

Ed

[Tenorman]

I'll second the advice on Multi players. I don't know anyone who has one who hasn't had loads of bother, irrespective of make. The CD juke-boxes seem to be better made, but I can't see the requirement in a domeastic situation.

[Frank Mullen]

From the symptoms, I'd suggest checking to see if your laser has crapped out.. I have no way of judging how much repair costs are vis-a-vis the cost of a new machine. If you find out, let us know.

[Tenorman]

In the UK you can expect £150+ to replace the drive mechanism and laser in a single deck. This comes from 1 repair each to a Marantz CD deck and a Sony MD deck. The general recommendation from repairers seems to be scrap a multi deck, rather than repair it - their purchase pricetend to be at the cheaper end of the scale anyway and the multi CD mechanism is a fair proportion of that cost.

Also according to all the UK Hi-Fi magazines that have covered it, you do not get anywhere near the same quality of reproduction at the same price point, when comparing single with Multi CD players

[clave]

Drive mechanism and/or laser repair costs in the US: you're better off buying a new CD player, on the whole.

I've never owned a multi-disc player and don't want to, for multiple reasons, one of them being jamming, another being that they generally seem to be made of cheaper materials, etc. I'm not surprised at the mention of compromised sound quality.

[pepperminta]

i have a panasonic discman - the anti skip is good - like 40 seconds? i don't know how they measure it.

bought it 5 years ago and it still works.

although... it looks big and clunky compared to people's ipods and mp3 players. (especially at the gym!)

my husband has an mp3 player and likes it - it's smaller and weighs less than my discman. it looks cool too. :)

for everything other than running/working out, i love my discman because it still works really well.

sony is a good brand too - had a stereo (portable) for a long time...8 years? it broke while we were moving.

[Dennis_M]

Hi Jazzscot,

Also bear in mind that 12 year old speakers may be getting a bit tired. The cones vibrate constantly and can weaken with age. This will tend to slow down the Bass response making it a touch woolly.



I had to chuckle when I read this. I suppose it's true for low-end speakers. My speakers are Klipsch Cornwalls, purchased new by me in 1972. I also have a pair of 19 year old Klipsch Heresys purchased on e-Bay as a center channel. They are as good now as they ever were, and if you feed them some well-recorded big band music, say Gordon Goodwin's "Swingin' for the Fences" and crank them up- Presto! You have a 20 piece big band in your living room. Of course, I can only do this when my wife's not around.....
Dennis

[Tenorman]

I don't know the brand of speaker you mention - probably not available in the UK. The speaker cones of all speakers weaken with age. That age will depend on the number of hours that they have been played, the conditions under which they have been kept etc. Some will last way longer than others. The first signs are a slight lack of sharpness in the bass. A staccato deep bass note doesn't end sharply because the cone continues to vibrate after it should have stopped.

There is also the deterioration in contacts and wiring. The better the original speaker, the less this should be affected by age.

Ever wondered what your speakers would sound like if they were re-coned.

PS my 20 year old speakers from before my upgrade are fitted to a system in my spare bedroom

[Dennis_M]

Here is a link about Klipsch Cornwalls, which also contains a link to the bio of Paul Klipsch.

www.belgaudio.com/kcintro.htm

Klipsch was probably the number one high-end manufacturer of speakers in the late 50's to late 70's period. The company is still around, but has compromised in quality in recent years.
Dennis

[sheldonm]

Jonesy this is the make up of my system

*** CD: Denon DCD - 670
*** AMP: Denon DRA - 365R
*** TAPE DECK: Denon DRM - 400
*** SPEAKERS: Wharfedale Diamond 5

Thanks again
Cheers
Jazzscot


My cd player is also made by Denon and I've had it since 1989!!! Still works great!

Mark

[maygar]

I have had my Marantz CD72SE for nigh on 20 years, a couple of years ago it went wrong, but it cost only 50$ to get it repaired; compared to upgrading, it was well worth it. Since it has worked fine, and it still sounds good.

[jazzscot]

An update on my Denon problem, for the last month or so
I've had a loan of a player,but the old one's back in working
order thanks to a friend ,please don't ask me what was done
as I'm not very technical in these matters, something small
had to be replaced!!! NOW it's working, it's like a friend
returned. (END OF STORY) "thanks for all the advise"

[jscratch]

I hope my iPod will make it a little longer that just 2 years ... he is going to turn one year old in January ... :)

My little guy just turned a year old in November. :)

[RoKa]

I have had my Marantz CD72SE for nigh on 20 years, a couple of years ago it went wrong, but it cost only 50$ to get it repaired; compared to upgrading, it was well worth it. Since it has worked fine, and it still sounds good.

I still use 1984'th Maratz and I like the sound. By the way, so problems with mechanics began to appear :(

[Saundra Hummer]

I still use 1984'th Maratz and I like the sound. By the way, so problems with mechanics began to appear :(

With most items built today they build them to last a certain period, not like in the olden days. Think of lighbulbs, now they use aluminum filaments not brass and they burn out in a few weeks while the brass last and last; that is unless a surge knocks them out. They build refrigerators to last ten years we've been told, and on it goes. Even with the terrific new technology built into things, allowing electronics to do amazing feats, they are still building them to only last relatively short periods of time, depending on price range I suppose, knowng that if a refrigeratior only lasted 4 to 5 years people would almost be up in arms over it. Europe might be better than here in the states or over in Japan. Companies want and need to keep themselves up and running, bringing in those profits so they build for throwaway. There was a report on someone, I can't recall who it was or what they sold, but their product was so good that it went out of business as it took forever for it to break down and their beng a need to replace it. So perhaps this is what's behind the way things work today, keeping the business up and running, thus making us a throw away society. :violin

[Javry]

Thanks Tenorman for your advise & help, I've made a few notes for when I search out this purchase.
Jazzscot

Jazz,
Here's a few players that might interest you. Musical fidelity, Theta Complii, Sony777es, Sony SCD-1.

I'm not sure how much you want to spend....or how much time you spend listening to music but you're going to be surprised at how far the players have come in the last 12 years. It hasn't quite gotten to the quality of a good turntable but it's geting there. I would recommend a universal player. That way you could enjoy DVDs, SACDs, MP3s, and DVDAs.....all in one player. The Musical Fidelity and the Sony SCD-1 are not universal but I think the others are. Look on Audiogon if you're interested in a used player. If music is what you're primamrliy interested in, the SCD-1 is a great player.....but it's a bit expensive. You can pick up the Sony 9000es for around 500 to 600 and it's a very good player that retailed at 1500 when new.
Javry

[jazzscot]

Javry, many thanks for your advise, I'm still checking out options while my
old one still got a bit of life in it,plus with other distractions taking my time up
at the moment I'm not using it as much. Thank again,I'll look into those
suggestions of yours soon.