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CD player - skips and static pops ... related?

Over the last 5,6 months or so, my Meridian 506.24 has started skipping. Initially, it was just once every couple of weeks, but recently its been once a day. Also, recently, I hear a static pop coming through the speakers usually accompanied by a skip but NOT always. Are these two issues related? Is this typical behavior for a dying cd player? Ugh ... I love my Meridian and don't want to start auditioning players again.

I'm reasonably sure that the pops are not related to my amps. Both power(SS)and pre (tube) have been upgraded recently and the problem existed before the change. I'm also sure that it's not a tube issue, replacing with new tubes has no effect. This popping occurs at low volumes and normal volumes so I don't think I'm clipping the amp. I'm reasonably sure the speakers are fine, they went back for a refinish job a couple of months back and were also checked out and given a clean bill of health.

Other than the skipping & popping everything sounds great, no obvious distortion of any kind.

The Meridian is getting up there in age. This static popping has me worried that maybe there is another issue involved here. Could electrical surges being causing this?

Thanks in advance for any advice.
tooter
tooter OP
85 posts
 
I think I will try the compressed air first. If that doesn't work then the q-tip/alcohol route. Hopefully that will do the trick.

Gs5556 - my first hunch was what you are describing - arcing. Hopefully we're wrong, and a lens cleaning will do the job. The thought of putting significant $ into repairing an older CD player isn't particularly appealing ... hopefully it's an easily repairable issue.
rudd
51 posts
 
Hello, my CD player suddenly began skipping and the fix was an optic lazer replacement. The "quick fix" for my particular situation was to elevate the front of the CD player approx 4-6 inches when inserting a CD. Once the CD was mounted and all track were initialized, I could then lower my cd player into its original position and let the music play without error. It was a pain but it worked....good luck
sfar's avatar
sfar
1,760 posts
 

Besides a dirty lens, the other cause of skipping I'm aware of that's user-fixable is heat. If the player is sitting on top of your amp or is in an enclosed cabinet, or both, the heat can create enough change in the dimensions of the player parts to cause laser alignment problems. That probably wouldn't explain the static pops, though.
tooter OP
85 posts
 
Somebody just posted a thread about occasional pops heard through his/her speakers thinking that maybe static electricity could be causing this. A fellow a'goner responded supporting this. I wonder if I am experiencing this also. I live in NYC where we have very dry winters. I am going to try a humidifer and see if that helps the popping. Hopefully the air/q-tips will alleviate the skipping!

Thanks everyone!
jax2
3,031 posts
 
I wonder about using alchohol to clean a CD lens. Couldn't that leave streaks? If you smear some alchohol with a soft fabric over a glass or plastic surface you will sometimes observe streaking once it evaporates. I'd also question using Q-tips. I'd never use either on a camera lens. For laser lenses I've actually used good lens cleaning tissue with lens cleaning fluid which does not tend to streak when it evaporates (though most do contain some form of alchohol). Now I'm just operating based on conjecture and experience with camera lenses, which are coated lenses. Regardless, alchohol will streak a plain glass or plastic surface as well if allowed to evaoporate. Q-tips not only can release loose cotton fibers, but can also harbor foreign objects in those tiny nooks and crannies. Don't even think about using the ones you used on your ears and put back in the box for later use to save money!

Just my .02 cents.....add .98 cents more and you can buy yourself...well...absloutely nothing in this economy.

Marco
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