[Mindless]

I bought a used Linn Ikemi earlier this summer as some of you may know. This was a used unit from '99, in other words a fairly old unit from early in the production (Serial #2xxx).

In mid august I noticed that sometimes my CDs started skipping. I thought it was just dirt on the CDs or something. I took out the CD, wiped it off, put it in again and it played flawless. But the problems came back, so I ruled out the CDs being the problem.

Then I moved on to a possible grounding issue, thinking that the ground may be poor in this room. I moved it around in the house, trying different wall outlets. Problem remained. So, I concluded it was a problem with the unit and called the shop who sold me the unit about my problem and they came to the same conclusion as me. So now it's off for service, cleaning and possible upgrading.

So, what is your experience with CDP life-expectancy? I find this whole thing very annoying as I'm using a 20 year old Denon right now and it's working flawlessly.

 

[BigAmish]

My old 2002 Toshiba DVD player (with suprisingly good analog output) died after ~ 3 years of use. Low end Toshibas are known for poor build quality issues though. I'd like to think that established audiophile brands would last *much* longer though. Could be wishful thinking on my part.

 

[spritzer]

The life expectancy is hard to predict but it's almost always the drive that goes first, heck it's dieing in my 2004 Meridian G08. It can be the laser but it's most likely the that the various tracks have become dirty and you need to lubricate them. If you are lucky it isn't permanent but the drive could very well be beyond repair.

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mindless /img/forum/go_quote.gif So, what is your experience with CDP life-expectancy? I find this whole thing very annoying as I'm using a 20 year old Denon right now and it's working flawlessly.

Both of my regular CD players (Audio-Technica and Pioneer) are from the mid 80's and still work fine 95% of the time. Every now and then the AT one has trouble tracking on the inner part of the CD when first powered up, but I'm sure that would go away if I opened it up and gave it a good cleaning.

 

[TreAdidas]

I purchased a Rotel RCD-1070 in July of 2002. I had to service the unit in 2006 as the belt that drives the mechanism which ejects the tray and picks up the CD once it is inside the player wore out. Rotel told me it was stretched and it just considered normal wear and tear. Regardless, I was still surprised I was sending in a player that was only a few years old. Luckily it was only $75 by the time it was all said and done and I haven't had any issues since.

It did not bum me out too bad as I am using this player constantly and I have "musical ADD" where I only listen to a CD for a few minutes and switch to the next.

I guess it is safe to say you're not alone.

 

[Mindless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spritzer /img/forum/go_quote.gif The life expectancy is hard to predict but it's almost always the drive that goes first, heck it's dieing in my 2004 Meridian G08. It can be the laser but it's most likely the that the various tracks have become dirty and you need to lubricate them. If you are lucky it isn't permanent but the drive could very well be beyond repair.

Well I got full warranty so Linn will repair it if need be.

 

[ken36]

I purchased a Wadia 830i on Audiogon earlier this year. Worked flawlessly until last month when it I started having remote issues. Wadia doesn't support discontinued CDPs. I gave it to another head-fier who is an engineer and a tinkerer, just to preserve my peace of mind. An expensive lesson for me.

 

[Oliver :)]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken36 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wadia doesn't support discontinued CDPs.

Now if that isn't exactly the kind of attitude you would expect in the "lathed from solid" league. Used product... how dare you

 

[koshui]

It sounds like tray loader CD's securing mechanism is worn out.
There is a rubber ring where the CD is secured while playing. This will eventually get hard (from heat, just like breaks in cars) and thus the CD will start slip as the grip is lost. I have fixed few CD players and CD-ROM drives by softening the rubber with alcohol, but this will help only for a while..

 

[kramer5150]

IMHO....

CD player longevity can vary greatly depending on the design of the parts inside. I have an ancient technics deck from 1986, thats built like a tank and just keeps on going. This is the first DCP I owned as a teenager, and has survived countless moves, re-racks, and just overall wear and abuse. Someone made the comment once that the top of it looks like I used it as a kitchen cutting board. I would still be using it, but its a little on the bright side, with some metallic treble characteristic that I don't really enjoy. But physically its built like a tank. I'd still be using it as a transport if it had a coax-digital output, but not too many technics decks of the era had that feature.

Belt driven mechanics are a no-no. A lot of the older Denon, Adcom and Carver "Fulty Tray" units you see on ebay use belts to open/close the CD tray. Belts have a limited life-span and need replacing, compared to gear driven counter-parts. The gear drives may be noisy, squeeky, but they still work. Many times they can be revived with a little electronic parts cleaner, and a re-lube.

Some of the newer CD/DVD players (sub~$100) use low quality capstan motors to spin the CD. The motor brushes in these low end players typically last 1-3 years max, depending on how much use they see. With these kinds of sources, the motor will make a loud grinding/moaning kind of sound. Eventually the brushes or commutator will wear through completely and the motor will not spin the CD fast enough for the laser to sync and read data. Some of the more high-end transports use brushless motors, that do not have brushes and commutators to wear out. AFAIK... Brushless motors are an industry standard in PC CDR drives, I wish that were the case for CD/DVD players.

Someone please correct me where I am wrong

 

[krrm]

Bougth a Denon DCD 1800 (I think) in '86. My parents has just replaced it. After a few years it had some problems playing a few of my CD's. But I never heard my parents complain about that.

My current cdp is a Rotel RCD 990 from about '97 or something. No problems what so ever.

Obviously, I expect things to last

 

[tom_s252]

I'm currently running a Marantz CD-63SE, which is about 15 years old and going strong.

 

[Herandu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mindless /img/forum/go_quote.gif In mid august I noticed that sometimes my CDs started skipping. I thought it was just dirt on the CDs or something. I took out the CD, wiped it off, put it in again and it played flawless. But the problems came back, so I ruled out the CDs being the problem.

The laser pick up has gone. These things do fail, and are supposed to be used regularly in a reasonably steady temperature environment if you want them to last long. You should be able to get that changed at any independent repair shop that can get hold of the original laser unit. Any competent CD repair engineer should be able to take one look at the laser unit and know who made it, so that would save you a fortune at least on buying from Linn direct.

You could be lucky and just have condensation dry upon the lens.A lens cleaning CD won't do the job.You'll have to take the top cover off and locate the laser pick up lens.Best switch the CD player ON after opening it, press the eject button and let the tray come out. Now switch the CD player off AND UNPLUG IT FROM THE MAINS!!!
Get a cotton bud and "carefully" rub the lens in circular motion till you can see that it is shiny. Use a magnifier and very good lighting to inspect the lens for cleanness. So don't leave any cotton fibre on the lens after cleaning!

Switch unit on, let tray go back in, then plug out of the mains again. Now put on top cover and try.

I was a CD repair and design engineer by the way,so I know what I am talking about.

 

[ast]

computer + lossless = forever

 

[feckn_eejit]

I have never had a problem with a dead or dying CD transport... heck my father's Sony CDP-302 from 1985 still works!

Most of my CD transports/players are from the mid 90's, no problems... the Micromegas can be a bit picky now and then but they're French... just makes how good they sound when they work that much more rewarding!

*knocks on RS1's to avoid bad luck*

oh and mad props on the Ikemi, from what I understand a fantastic unit - what's it sound like??