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Need advice: repair CAL CL25--or buy new/used CDP?

My CAL CL25 CD/DVD/96/24 player is "on the fritz". CD's which always played perfectly suddenly stop in the middle of a track.....or I load a CD & the readout says "no disc", or some other indecipherable message. This has been a GREAT CD player, plus played DVD movies, & 96/24 discs by Chesky. However, I don't know where to get it repaired (Boston area), & I heard that CAL was bought out by another company.

So I'm thinking of just getting another CDP, but am getting wary of buying used Digital w/no warranty. I've always liked Meridian, but I'm pretty sure the warranties aren't transferable. Maybe Cary? Or ARC? Don't know if the warranties are transferable on those, but at least the companies would be around to fix their products even if I had to pay.

Lastly, I do use the CAL occasionally to play movies, so if there are any DVD players out there that are also great CDP's, I'd like to know. And, my budget is maybe $1000--$1700, more or less.

Any advice on getting the CAL fixed, or getting a new/used CDP, would be greatly appreciated!

thanks, Steve

steveaudio
steveaudio OP
331 posts
 
Is cleaning the lens something I could do myself? If so, how? BTW, thanks for all the followups, lots of good advice here!

Steve
jsbail
368 posts
 
Steve, a little 99% pure alcohol on a Q-tip will do the trick
tobias
1,534 posts
 
Only if the player won't run and you have no other choice. The best way to clean a CDP lens is with a high-quality cleaning disc like the Parasound, available from uhfmag.com and others. Run it every month or so and problems won't build up.
bstueche's avatar
bstueche
5 posts
 
I have a CAL CL-15. Three days ago it stopped playing music even though the panel indicated that the player was working. I had just learned how to put black marker on cd's and thought that I had somehow gummed up the laser mechanism. Today I unplugged the power to the unit in addition to just turning it off. I believe this reset the electronics which had probably been zapped by static electricty generated by my shuffling on the rug. It now works just fine.
simplysounds
4 posts
 
This is from the SoundStage Review (http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/duvall07.htm)

"Twice during my time with the CL-20, the music died into silence in mid-song. While there was no loss of power to the unit, and the display kept on ticking, the output sputtered away into silence. Remembering similar problems with the Audio Alchemy gear of yore, turning off the unit and unplugging the power cord for five minutes did the trick. I suspected there was a microprocessor somewhere inside that needed resetting, which the service techs at CAL thought was correct. Engineering however thought that because of the switching of various clocks, that a simple field fix whereby snipping a small resistor that connects a couple of pins across an IC chip would better synchronize the various clocks. I performed the five-minute vasectomy of the resistor, and the problem has not returned. One other operational note: If you push the open/close tray button prior to depressing the power button, the unit will appear to power up and the display will show the disc playing after pushing play, but you may not get sound. Turn the power off with the power switch and then back on, and everything operates as it should. The tray button should not be thought of as the power on switch."
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