CD sputtering?

Here's a recent CD anomaly: after initial power up via the front panel switch, when starting a CD the sound has a flipita-flipita, staccato quality. My prior experiences with CD skipping were more erratic, producing unpredictable dropouts and jump forwards. This new behavior, unlike skipping, follows the program in a more well timed but choppy, zip-zip-zip-zip sounding, rhythmic way. The DAC shows lock at all times. Stopping the CD and pushing play again preserves the faulty behavior. Removing the CD, closing the empty drawer to get the no disc readout, and then reloading the CD usually restores normal playback. Sometimes just opening and closing the drawer does the trick, sometimes not. Once the CD does start properly, it plays fine all the way through. Any ideas what is going on? A few months ago I added 25 feet of digital interconnect between transport and DAC with good results. Maybe the line needs to clear itself after idling overnight? Your thoughts are appreciated.