Cambridge Audio One CD player

[Frances_iom]

when you say completely dead - do you mean that no indicator lights come on - have you looked inside the box to see if any wires loose or burnt out components (make sure disconnected from mains) or do you not feel confident to do this or has it been made to make it difficult to open? I there any smell or signs of smoke inside the case?

[makropulos]

I was going to recommend this to the OP on the basis that I have it's partner amp https://www.richersounds.com/tangent-cd-mkii.html

On researching the gapless capabilities of it (alas it is not) I came across this interesting nugget http://audio-talk.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=7669

I found a workaround for the gapless playback issue with the Tangent CDII.

I decided to try DSOTM as a guinea pig for a little experiment:
I’d found instructions on the web from Mac expert Kirk McElhearn, on how to rip a CD to a single file using iTunes. It’s one of those hidden features that has been there since the year dot, but I’d never needed it until now; why would I?

Insert CD into the drive, then select it when it appears and iTunes has fetched its track info. Cmd-A (Mac) or Ctrl-A (Windows) selects all the tracks, then using the gear symbol at the right of the window, select the “Join Tracks” option from the drop-down menu. Import the CD and it shows up as a single track once the import is complete.

The single file is then burned to a CDR and, no gaps when the CDR is played on the Tangent player.

As the Tangent has no track display it made no difference that the album was a single file. It’s a workaround that shouldn’t be necessary, but it works perfectly and you only have to do it once for each CD that has segued tracks.
The CDR can be stored in the caddy with the original CD. I just labelled mine “ DSOTM single file version” Job done.
Abbey Road next, but not tonight.



I think this issue must be rather widespread. I'll keep an eye out for something suitable for the OP.

Thanks –and that sounds like a very ingenious tweak. As you say, the gapless issue is one that seems (in the last couple of years) to be becoming widespread, and the Hi-fi magazines are generally silent on the subject (which is maddening).

[makropulos]

when you say completely dead - do you mean that no indicator lights come on - have you looked inside the box to see if any wires loose or burnt out components (make sure disconnected from mains) or do you not feel confident to do this or has it been made to make it difficult to open? I there any smell or signs of smoke inside the case?

By dead, I mean brick-like: no indicator lights, no reaction of any kind. It would have made for a more exciting end, but there was no smoke or sinister electronic smells.

[Frances_iom]

By dead, I mean brick-like: no indicator lights, no reaction of any kind. It would have made for a more exciting end, but there was no smoke or sinister electronic smells.

the loud buzzing sound is sometimes an indication that the power supply smoothing capacitors have failed (a total failure of these is usually accompanied by them forcing their lid, possibly mounted at their base, with some white chemical extruded) - a common failing in old equipment especially if it has not been used for some time - if that is the case they may have taken an internal fuse with them - the capacitors + fuse are usually easily replaceable

[makropulos]

the loud buzzing sound is sometimes an indication that the power supply smoothing capacitors have failed (a total failure of these is usually accompanied by them forcing their lid, possibly mounted at their base, with some white chemical extruded) - a common failing in old equipment especially if it has not been used for some time - if that is the case they may have taken an internal fuse with them - the capacitors + fuse are usually easily replaceable

Thanks very much for this. I suspect it has been unused for a while, so that makes sense. I'll see if I can find somebody who is willing to do repairs.

[Bryn]

Thanks very much for this. I suspect it has been unused for a while, so that makes sense. I'll see if I can find somebody who is willing to do repairs.

Not too handy with a soldering iron yourself, then, makropulos? See https://electronics.stackexchange.co...udio-amplifier for some hints.

[makropulos]

I don't want this thread to drag on interminably, but I wanted to share the reply I've had today from customer support at Denon, asking about their current product range. This is what they said:

"Thanks for your email.
We currently have no units on the market that provide gapless playback for the CD player function."

I've just written back to ask for confirmation that they actually mean what they say. If they do, then it's pretty worrying news for anybody wanting to buy a CD player.

Incidentally, it looks as if the Marantz Melody (a similar all-in-one machine) does have gapless play: one customer review of the Cambridge Audio One (on the Richer Sounds site) says "but the Marantz Melody as it has gapless play".

[Dave2002]

I don't want this thread to drag on interminably, but I wanted to share the reply I've had today from customer support at Denon, asking about their current product range. This is what they said:

"Thanks for your email.
We currently have no units on the market that provide gapless playback for the CD player function."

I've just written back to ask for confirmation that they actually mean what they say. If they do, then it's pretty worrying news for anybody wanting to buy a CD player.

Incidentally, it looks as if the Marantz Melody (a similar all-in-one machine) does have gapless play: one customer review of the Cambridge Audio One (on the Richer Sounds site) says "but the Marantz Melody as it has gapless play".

I wan't intending to buy a Denon, but I'll avoid them like the plague now. It would be understandable if the feature were going to be expensive to produce or use extra components, but surely this is just a software issue, with really minimal impact on the underlying technology. Very poor, though maybe this company is trying to hasten the demise of CDs. Vested interests somewhere else, perhaps?

[cmr_for3]

Not sure if the OP has seen this model:

https://www.richersounds.com/marantz-melody-mcr412-black.html

edit: Should have read post above properly! doh!

[Pianoman]

The Denons you need to buy are the DM40/ 41 range - I have 2 with absolutely no problem. They've been a What Hifi best buy for years and gapless isn't an issue. My other player is the new Marantz MCR412 - more expensive but more powerful (60w into 6 ohms) and has bluetooth so very useful and beautifully built.
Here's the Denon review

https://www.whathifi.com/denon/d-m41dab/review

[makropulos]

Not sure if the OP has seen this model:

https://www.richersounds.com/marantz-melody-mcr412-black.html

edit: Should have read post above properly! doh!

It should be arriving tomorrow :)

[cmr_for3]

It should be arriving tomorrow :)

marvelous - do let us know how it performs. :-)

[makropulos]

marvelous - do let us know how it performs. :-)

First reactions are extremely positive. CD play is just as it should be (no infuriating gaps), the sound is clean and clear, the machine itself seems well made. So far, so good. Nice looking design too. Next step is to get a decent aerial for it so that I can get radio reception (the floppy wire included is –as these things tend to be –entirely useless).

An intriguing footnote: Denon and Marantz seem to share the same customer service people in the UK. I've had identical replies from both stating their machines do not offer gapless CD play. This is plainly nonsense since the Marantz certainly does. It's presumably a matter of terminology, and I'd like to hope that they can't believe anyone would make a machine that pauses at track points (like the Cambridge One). But it's still something about which there isn't much clarity from makers.

[Bryn]

First reactions are extremely positive. CD play is just as it should be (no infuriating gaps), the sound is clean and clear, the machine itself seems well made. So far, so good. Nice looking design too. Next step is to get a decent aerial for it so that I can get radio reception (the floppy wire included is –as these things tend to be –entirely useless).

An intriguing footnote: Denon and Marantz seem to share the same customer service people in the UK. I've had identical replies from both stating their machines do not offer gapless CD play. This is plainly nonsense since the Marantz certainly does. It's presumably a matter of terminology, and I'd like to hope that they can't believe anyone would make a machine that pauses at track points (like the Cambridge One). But it's still something about which there isn't much clarity from makers.

I do hope you have written up your experiences in this matter for publication in one or more relevant hi-fi related magazines, or if not, that you intend to do so. Cambridge Audio, and any others failing to properly implement the Red Book standard, need to be brought to book.

[makropulos]

I do hope you have written up your experiences in this matter for publication in one or more relevant hi-fi related magazines, or if not, that you intend to do so. Cambridge Audio, and any others failing to properly implement the Red Book standard, need to be brought to book.

Bryn, I haven't done that –I simply don't have the technical language to do a write-up. But I completely agree with you: the Cambridge Audio situation is clearly wrong (in essence, it's not a CD player according to long-established standard). But the other makers (at least Denon and Marantz) don't seem to understand the importance of gapless play either, and claim not to offer it when in fact they do.