[ziplock]

So, I was doing my routine Friday thrift-store shopping and this sucker stuck out like a sore thumb. It had a "broken you fix it" sticker on it along with the $15 price tag. The unit powers up fine and the drawer opens, but it will not spin the disk, nor do I hear any other servos operating. I can hear what sounds like bits of plastic bouncing around inside. I'll have to see what kind of damage there is when I get home and can look at it on the bench. At $15, I'd say it's worth the gamble, no?

Pioneer #54: PD-91

~Z

 

[Bizzel]

Wow! That looks amazing. Rip her open!

 

[ziplock]

Yes, I thought so when I saw it. I love the over-built vintage style electronics from the 70's & 80's.

As you probably saw in the specs, this thing weighs 25 pounds! One hell of a cd-player if you ask me! I can't wait to get inside this thing.

~Z

 

[Herandu]

It's in the list of the best CD players ever built, and in working condition it will fetch easily more than 20 times what you paid for it.
From the fault description I would say that the laser pickup has gone. It can't detect a disc, which will in turn prevent it from spinning up. Get an estimate from a repair shop that can test the laser and quote you for a new one.
Sound wise it is in the high-end to esoteric range, whilst built quality is one of the highest ever. This is an elite unit and a classic vintage one at that. So get it working.

 

[piotr z]

some time ago I bought same player - same damage - I don't even know if that happend during shipping

- I didn't request for insurance

- seller agreed to take unit back but he devided repair cost - some 300$ !!!!!

 

[ziplock]

OK. Heres an update.

I carefully cracked her open last night and found out that the laser lense had came unglued. Age and some rough handling were the most likely culprits. Gently placing the lense in place allows me to play a CD (or two).

The first thing I noticed is that this beauty sounds amazing! I'm pretty impressed, the headphone amp in this thing alone sounds better than any of my current gear. Second, it does not like scratched CDs at all. Tons of skipping / artifacts during audio playback which increases with the severity of scratches on the disc. So long as I stick with scratch-free CDs, I'm good.

Even after getting the lense glued back into place, I imagine that the laser is going to need some sort of recalibration? I take it there is not a simple way of doing this?

Judging from some of the comments, perhaps I should drop it off to get serviced. I have a feeling this is most certainly a keeper.

~Z

 

[spyderx]

My friend used to service audio equipment for Pioneer in the mid-late 90's. There is NOT a simple way to calibrate the laser mechanism.

He used a Oscilloscope with a custom-made jig that was tied to certain test points on the board. There is a factory spec you need to then adjust everything to. I had Pioneer car stereos back then and he got them working perfect, and completely eliminated skipping.

Another thing he would do is use some sort of super-light lithium grease on the laser guides / motor mechanism.

Anyway, find someone who knows how to service.

That's a damn great find.

 

[ziplock]

I wonder if there is any hope for this unit to play burned CDs? Maybe it is just too old (20 years).

I've tried burning at 4x with no luck. My burner is a 4 year old Plextor 712SA.

I may just have to purchase some regular CDs for a change. Most of my media is legally downloaded MP3 and FLAC files.

I can always hope getting the unit serviced will clear things up.

Any suggestions?

~Z

 

[Herandu]

The laser pickup needs to be replaced. It is a highly specialized job on the player. The laser assembly needs to be re-calibrated after it has been replaced, and the two metal bars holding the laser assembly need cleaning and re-oiling. My advise is to look for a repair shop that has contact with Pioneer so that they can get the service manual. It is not a cheap player, so expect to pay quite some money for the repair. Make sure therefore that the repair is guaranteed.
If it was my unit, I would fix it myself since it was my field of work. But my next move would be to send it to an authorized Pioneer repair centre. It falls within the esoteric Laboratory Reference range, which means that an equivalent present day CDP of equal standing would be at least U$3000+.

 

[2ndbest]

Man, that it is a great find. You got yourself a real bargain, repair it and I'm sure you will enjoy it for many more years to come, or you could sell it and make a handsome profit.

 

[ziplock]

So, I don't exactly have a lot of extra cash to put this sweet thing in the shop so I started going nuts with the POTS on the control board.

I documented each and every setting with a digital camera zoomed up close. With these available for reference, I could easily set the pots back to default if need be.

I took the most scratched cd I could find and of course it sounded nearly like garbage when played. I tweaked settings one by one till the skipping stopped and playback was perfect.

Based on a hunch, I placed one of my many burned CDs into the unit and it played right away...

I'm a very happy man!

~Z