I’m not an audiophile, but I enjoy listening to cds and having music playing in the house. Mrs. Ivorybill and I have an 11 year old JVC 5 disk cd player. For the past year or so the cd tray hasn’t been shutting properly and will often cause the player not to start. Gently pushing the door after it has closed gets the player going and has been our solution to this glitch.
However, when I played some cds tonight the vocal tracks on three different disks sounded really odd, as if the singers were in another room in the recording studio. Fiddling with the bass, treble, high filter, and loudness controls on my receiver didn’t improve anything. The tracks for the instruments were clear as a bell. As you might imagine, the Manheim Steamroller cd sounded fine (no vocals), but the disk skipped several times while we were decorating the tree. Something is not right with the player, obviously.
Do cd players read different tracks on the disks, which would explain the problem? Have any of you ever experienced a similar problem? Is this repairable, or am I looking at having to get a new cd player?
Audiophile here. Your first problem sounds mechanical, like the motors that turn the plastic gears that open and close the tray are getting worn out. The second problem, from your description, sounds like you are hearing the music 180 degrees out of phase, so that evereything that’s panned into the middle of the stereo image drops out. All you can hear is a faint remnant of it, and/or its reverb. Is this close? That can be fixed by ensuring that the red wire on your amplifier’s speaker terminal goes to the red connector on the speaker, and the black goes to the black. To further illustrate, the wire between the amp and the speaker should have one side with a white stripe on the plastic sleeve. Make sure the wire inside that striped side is plugged into one terminal, either red or black, at the amp and the speaker. Doesn’t matter which, as long as it’s not red at the amp and black at the speaker, or vice versa. Check both left and right, and make sure they’re wired up in phase. If they’re wired up properly, and there are no otherwise loose connections among your RCA patch cords (try tightening them; and jiggle the cord while music is playing and listen for crackling or dropouts - there might be a short), then (insert Twilight Zone theme) your machine is possessed!
It’s probably time to get a new CD player. It couldn’t hurt, and it will most likely help.
Fritz, thanks for the 180 degree advice. Given fishbicycle’s somewhat more detailed description:
Exactly. One of the cds had an echoey sound to the vocals, as if the backup singers were a 1/2 beat behind.
Probably so. I installed some new speakers yesterday - - ran wires under the house and up to the receiver and was in a hurry to get the kids to the zoo. I remember not being 100% sure I had red/red, black/black connected properly. The cds we played yesterday and today were Christmas instrumental disks, thus the delay in troubleshooting. Doubt I have the energy to go downstairs and futz with it tonight, but your diagnosis sounds suspiciously accurate.
You’re right. Kids, mortgage, eating, Katrina, etc., are putting a dent in the disposable income. If the wiring isn’t the problem, I think we’ll make room in the budget for a new player.
If I was able to help, then I’m glad. It does sound like a simple case of crossed wires. As for the issues with the drawer, and the skipping, you can probably get a spiffy new player for less than it would cost to get the motors replaced in the old one. Eleven years is a lot of service! New players are so much better than old ones, and they offer the added bonus of being able to play CD-Rs, and some will even play CD-RWs. Some of them may even play CD-ROMs of mp3s, if you’re into that kind of thing.
Nothing like having the person in need of help not give you all the information! Thanks for jumping in with good advice and a quick reply.
You were very helpful. It was crossed wires, but I had a devil of a time finding where. I went down last night and even with a flashlight couldn’t be sure which wire was the redder one. So I gave up. I went down today and looked - - red/red black/black from receiver to speaker, still reverb, no vocals. Switched right for left speaker at the receiver and voila!
However, when I went to turn the receiver around, I bumped the RCA connector, and it went back to sounding crappy. I wiggled the wire, and it went back to sounding good. So now I’m thinking that the receiver - - which is an absolutely ancient Marantz from the mid-70s (hey! I told you I wasn’t an audiophile!) - - may be finally showing its age.
Never rains but it pours! Maybe we’ll put a modern stereo on our list for '06.
Any suggestions for brands and/or models that will sound alright but not break the bank?
Either 1) There’s a short in that cord. Do you have another RCA patch cord around? If not, they’re cheap at Radio Shack, or 2) the jacks have come loose on the receiver chassis, and can probably be tightened with a screwdriver. If you can move the jacks around by gripping them in your fingers and wiggling, they’ve come loose and are causing a partial signal disconnect. Note, this hardly ever happens with any equipment.
Well, they were built like tanks, so even though it’s been 30 years, it should still be working. I’m using a '70s amplifier as well. Works like new.
Sorry, I haven’t been in a stereo store since they disappeared in favor of big box stores that sell mainly home theater equipment. I have no idea what’s new in strictly two-channel equipment, sorry. Somebody who does know will be along shortly, no doubt.