A Discerning CD player......

[Bryn]

Like I said.... get in running... let it play.... if no joy....
kit up and go in with your hands...

Or of course just ignore me again...

A Philips player I had a few decades ago developed problem gripping on to CDs as they spun. I had to resort to sticking little tabs of paper around CDs' centre holes to help it out. I wonder . . . Also, my Cambridge Audio Azur 650BD stopped playing CD-Rs (no problems with stamped CDs, DVDs, DVD-Rs or Blu-rays). Lens cleaning did nothing to resolve the problem. I upgraded to a real Oppo, retaining the 650BD for its DVD Audio compatibility. That notwithstanding, I reckon it's well worth giving your advice re. Conchis's troublesome Sony a try.

[Dave2002]

Yes - just tried a couple more, all classical. 'No Disc' was the result each time. And I've got the heating on!

Still not clear if it’s “just” a CD player. If you can estimate how much it's worth - then use that to try to figure a way forward. Unless you're very attached to it, it might be easier and cheaper to replace it. An alternative is to take it to a repair man, but that could cost £100 or more. It's a "how long is a piece of string?" sort of thing. What's it worth to you and do you really want it fixed.

If you're very lucky a repair man might spot something easy to fix, and might even do it FOC. We recently had a problem with a car door lock. One of the main dealers wouldn't even look at it unless we agreed a minimum charge of £95 (plus I'd guess VAT). I found a small garage, and the guy there looked at the lock, said it needed greasing, put some white grease in and took no payment. If I get really cross I'll publicise the name of the main dealer - appalling and insulting treatment - I can't say "service" as we didn't give them the chance. I'll happily publicise the services of the other garage - very good and humane service.

[richardfinegold]

I had a Meridian system which was terrific but, alas, Boothroyd Stuart seemed to loose interest in repairing/servicing their older equipment.

THey were probably trying to figure out how to fleece the entire High End industry with MQA

[Conchis]

Like I said.... get in running... let it play.... if no joy....
kit up and go in with your hands...

Or of course just ignore me again...

I NEVER ignore you.

:)

I'm not especially attached to the player but if I'm going to be using the study a bit more, I'd like it to be functional. The discs all play well on my Cambridge Audio system.

It's not like I'm without back-up. I can play stuff on my iPod through a portable speaker set I have and I can rig the Mac up to the speakers, as well. I just think it's curious that the player will play certain discs but not others.

[Dave2002]

It's not like I'm without back-up. I can play stuff on my iPod through a portable speaker set I have and I can rig the Mac up to the speakers, as well. I just think it's curious that the player will play certain discs but not others.

Have you been polishing some of those discs with Brillo pads again?

[Conchis]

Have you been polishing some of those discs with Brillo pads again?

Palmolive washing up liquid is my weapon of choice there! :)

[jayne lee wilson]

I NEVER ignore you.

:)

I'm not especially attached to the player but if I'm going to be using the study a bit more, I'd like it to be functional. The discs all play well on my Cambridge Audio system.

It's not like I'm without back-up. I can play stuff on my iPod through a portable speaker set I have and I can rig the Mac up to the speakers, as well. I just think it's curious that the player will play certain discs but not others.

Yeah.... this is just entirely typical of disc transports as they age or their lasers become clouded, they become less efficient at reading the t-o-c and accepting the disc for replay. It's almost always inconsistent.
All you can do is "troubleshoot through a process of elimination"... if running-in or cleaning doesn't work or inaccessibility prevents it, you can only seek a service somewhere, or buy a new one...

The more it cost originally, the more sophisticated the design, the more sense servicing makes even if expensive, as not too many redbook-only transports are being designed or built now, especially at lower price levels. ***
(The number of CDs you own is an important factor too!).

(*** yes, there are some wonderful Universal Players out there but pound-for-pound-for-sound, you often get a better result out of a CD-only transport
linked to a good up-to-date DAC, say... it is all about one's own priorities really...)

***
My two transports, a Krell 300 and a Marantz CD63 KI Sig, are both 20 years old. The Marantz had a custom-rebuild/finish in 2005 and has never yet needed a service (although I did apply Lithium Grease once or twice to stop the draw mech screeching); the Krell has been back to Absolute Sounds twice - but again more for an unobliging draw mech. I took my courage in both hands to clean the laser manually (against Krell's own advice "not something an end user should attempt" ) - and it worked, restoring consistent read/replay; BUT its TEAC mech has an unusually accessible laser, so...

[Dave2002]

The more it cost originally, the more sophisticated the design, the more sense servicing makes even if expensive, as not too many redbook-only transports are being designed or built now, especially at lower price levels. ***
(The number of CDs you own is an important factor too!).

(*** yes, there are some wonderful Universal Players out there but pound-for-pound-for-sound, you often get a better result out of a CD-only transport
linked to a good up-to-date DAC, say... it is all about one's own priorities really...)

***

I agree about servicing if the original was a good one - otherwise times have moved on.

Re redbook only transports - do you mean CD only, i.e. not DVD, not Blu Ray etc., or is there something very special about "redbook"? Are there things missing from new devices which were in redbook, or are the differences really just "unwanted" extras?

I have heard that almost all "CD" players are now multi-standard, and that some CD only transports from previous years are better/were better made.
However, I've also heard that feeding the digital output of a DVD or Blu Ray player out to a DAC can give very good results.

[Mal]

The discs all play well on my Cambridge Audio system.

Why not replace the Sony with a bottom of the range Cambridge system? Richer sounds are selling Cambridge Audio TOPAZ CD5 for £150, maybe less if your local branch has an "open box" offer.

[Bryn]

Why not replace the Sony with a bottom of the range Cambridge system? Richer sounds are selling Cambridge Audio TOPAZ CD5 for £150, maybe less if your local branch has an "open box" offer.

Given my experience mentioned earlier in this thread, if buying a Cambridge Audio device, make sure you get the 6-year guarantee. Bear in mind that some Cambridge Audio badged items are jointly produced by Oppo, who are ending their audio product line. See https://techsupport.cambridgeaudio.c...D-Oppo-Digital for instance.

[Mal]

Given my experience mentioned earlier in this thread, if buying a Cambridge Audio device, make sure you get the 6-year guarantee. Bear in mind that some Cambridge Audio badged items are jointly produced by Oppo, who are ending their audio product line. See https://techsupport.cambridgeaudio.c...D-Oppo-Digital for instance.

From What HiFi? review of the Oppo UDP-203: "Detail is crisp and punchy, too. There’s a real solid smack when aliens thud against glass windows, ..." Sold! :)

[Bryn]

From What HiFi? review of the Oppo UDP-203: "Detail is crisp and punchy, too. There’s a real solid smack when aliens thud against glass windows, ..." Sold! :)

Bought one last year, along with a multi-region kit, as alluded to earlier. Looks like it is no longer available. Very sad.

[Dave2002]

Bought one last year, along with a multi-region kit, as alluded to earlier. Looks like it is no longer available. Very sad.

I never bought a CD recorder - and for some while I regretted that. I didn't buy one of the newer Oppo players either - I expect I'll get over that too.

In the meantime, if you did buy an Oppo 203 last year, then even used they are now going for close to £1k, and there are a few listed as new on eBay for rather more than that. I did think about buying one last year - perhaps I should have bought two, and sold one on! Ah well...

The world moves on - what is comparable or better these days?

[Dave2002]

From What HiFi? review of the Oppo UDP-203: "Detail is crisp and punchy, too. There’s a real solid smack when aliens thud against glass windows, ..." Sold! :)

I have a friend who has one of those - and not only that be he's fitting bottom shakers in his seats to get ludicrously severe vibrations when something bad happens in the films he watches .......

Not too subtle, I think.

http://www.bassshakers.com/faqs/aura-bass-shaker-versus-buttkicker/

[Bryn]

I never bought a CD recorder - and for some while I regretted that. I didn't buy one of the newer Oppo players either - I expect I'll get over that too.

In the meantime, if you did buy an Oppo 203 last year, then even used they are now going for close to £1k, and there are a few listed as new on eBay for rather more than that. . .

See http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...413#post686413 , bought new from the Eton branch of Richer Sounds.