CD player just tanked.

Absolutely try the Aux input and if it's the CD player it's likely not worth getting repaired unless it's something easy and cheap to fix.

If you do need a replacement, go the used route. CD players are being sold off since streaming and transports have become so popular.
   Maybe you'll be able to upgrade at a decent price.

 

It is the CD player. This morning there is nothing but static coming through it even when it is not on play. On play the static changes and you can hear some faint music through it. I changed it over to the auxiliary inputs on the pre-amp and it is the same. iPhone via RCA Y cable works on all inputs so thank goodness it isn’t the AR pre-amp.

I’ve got a Sony CD player that is probably 15 years old but like new. I could not tell a difference between it and this Arcam even though it is my understanding that the Arcam had a good reputation in its day.

lowrider, I may go that route but you know I’m trying not to spend more money on a hobby I didn’t know that I had. The stylus on the low end Grado cartridge on a fair-at-best Sony TT just broke. Another $50 for a needle for a worthless turntable for someone with maybe 15 worn out LPs! I’m probably $250 into this adventure (rack, good cables, cheap phono pre-amp, stylus etc)! My wife is perplexed. She doesn’t care what I spend but this morning she says, "three weeks ago you were happy with the system you had in high school."

There are other hobbies. Maybe this one’s not for you. 😬

Very true. The less I spend here the more I can spend on race tires and Nikon lenses. 

I agree with Geoff here; from your comments it sounds like this is a slippery slope, unlike some of us, you’ll be lucky enough to avoid. Congratulations! And, here’s to high end tires and lenses!

n80, judging by your other threads you love music and have been gifted some nice components. You've also been tuning the system and have taken it to a higher level.
  It costs nothing to try the Sony CD.

And if you commit to this hobby, a used CDP is not a major expense these days.

@n80. Listen to your wife. Get rid of the free stuff and go back to your high school gear. Be happy. 

Easy solution.  Go with the Sony for a while; there's not going to be too much of a difference.  If you're still interested in upgrading after a while, there are always multiple options on the 'gon at a variety of price points for a newer but used CDP.

celander, the funny thing is is that I my in law gave me all this stuff because my old tuner/receiver was acting up. As I was researching this equipment someone recommended shooting some DeOxit into the pots of the old receiver and now it works like it did in 1978 and now it continues use down at my cabin as it has for the last 15 years. 

I’m going down there today to get the Sony and my in law says he’s now found another whole system he doesn’t want. Rotel components and B&W speakers. I’ll look at those today. 

Sounds like you have married well, my friend.  😂😂

Wait til he gets his first Shakti Hallograph Soundstage Optimizer.

Hmmm...my plastic milk crates strategically placed near-field to my ATC active monitors achieves remarkably similar effects of contouring “the frequency, amplitude and time coefficients of the first reflections.”

Well, I was thinking I'd just get these and be done with it:

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis927ci-wilson-audio-alexandria-xlf-mint-one-owner-full-range

But last week there was a set of used speakers for around $450,000 and knowing they're out there would just make me crazy.

Back on topic, I got the Sony CD back home and got it all plugged in and everything works fine. It is probably all in my head but it does not seem to sound as good as the Arcam. It sounds sharp and precise but the bass seems a little more subdued and even a little muddy. The whole sound is not as full and rich.

I guess I'm going to have to move speakers around again.

I think you guys are creating a monster here.

Look, this CAN be an expensive hobby. You decide. I don’t know you or your wife but she may be right about returning to your 70’s system. Before you do that, ditch the Arcam and replace it with your Sony CD player. If all else fails, there’s always that Rotel/B&W system.

See above. That's what I did. I thought that I would not hear a difference between CD players but I'm pretty sure I do. I'll plug along with the Sony but maybe I'll upgrade CD players if I keep at this.

I got the Rotel/B&W system. Huge powered subwoofer, two tower speakers and a center speaker. All pretty beat up. There was a surround sound pre-amp and a large 5 channel amp. The amp and pre-amp are very foreign to me. No method for simple two channel hook up. I doubt the B&W towers are as good as my current Aerial Acoustics and I don't need the subwoofer. I might use the towers with my old receiver but I doubt 25 watts will drive them. The subwoofer is powered but I could not get it to drive the speakers. No sound from speakers at all even though the subwoofer was going.  I'll download the manuals but suspect all that stuff is going back in my brother-in-laws garage.

And for the record, my wife wasn't complaining really. The old system is still in use and hifi system is still in use. She just thinks its funny that two weeks ago I was happy with the old system and now I'm all fussy about SQ.

You have been given plenty- go spend $300-$500 on a good used cd player and be done with it. You are so far ahead of the game already as far as cost expenditure.  I have a Nakamichi cd player that is literally 20 years old and it rocks. I also have a yamaha Natural sound CD player I got off the Gon for $140 and it works wonderfully. I also have a pair of Focal Kanta No 2's that work nicely too.(understatement )   Point being - gear will last a real long time if not abused. a nice dinner out for 2 is like $120 to $150 + so what's $500 for the next 10 years? 

I'm warming to the sound of the Sony. I'm sure my ears/brain are playing tricks on me. But, if I come to the conclusion that it is really inferior then I'll do some research and shop around. I've been told that the CD player doesn't make a big difference. I don't know what the truth is.

I also made the comparison (between the Sony and the dead Arcam) right after I turned the system on and even the pre-amp owner's manual says it needs time to warm up so that could why I thought it didn't sound as good. I've been listening a couple of hours now and don't notice a big difference.

You can get a reconditioned (with full warranty) NAD player that sounds great on your budget.  I did and loved it for years till the drawer started acting up a bit.  I then compared the sound to an older OPPO DVD player (which plays SACDs) which I got for 20 bucks on Craigslist and found that the OPPO sounded every bit as good.  New or used, don't go with something too old, whatever you do--digital technology has improved over the years.

sounds like dry joints on the split supply to the audio pre amps.check they have the split supply usually 15-0-15 across the + and - on the supply rails relative to ground.If not pull the main pcb and solder up the regulators and other dry joints.check the ground on the rca out, probably off..solder anyway if you have the pcb out.some have a bottom inspection panel which makes life easy.Good luckColin Cape town

colin, I can solder and I have a tester but I am totally helpless when it comes to electricity and  probably couldn't identify or find the various parts you're talking about. I also solder like a monkey so I'd probably mess up most of the solders.

But, I sure don't have anything to lose. Either it goes in the trash or I take a peek inside.

The pcb is??? Primary control board???

There was a surround sound pre-amp and a large 5 channel amp. The amp and pre-amp are very foreign to me.

The subwoofer is powered but I could not get it to drive the speakers. No sound from speakers at all even though the subwoofer was
going. 

Let the sub power itself and don't try to power the B&Ws with 25w. The large 5 channel amp is for the speakers. The sub amp is for the sub. Use line level (RCA cable) from the preamp to the sub. 

If you MUST use speaker level inputs then there is probably a switch on the sub you need to engage to tell it to use line level or speaker level.

The manuals will be a big help getting you started with that new setup. You can just hook up preamp to the 5 channel amp with just  2 RCA cables and only run 2 channels off the amp to the speakers. You don't need to fully set everything up in 5.1 to get started. 2.0 or 2.1 should be great. Depending on the bass output in your listening room you may not even need the sub if you haven't been using one previously.

Also if you are young and without kids go racing now save your love of audio for when you can't justify racing (time/cost/risk) anymore due to having family and/or are paying for private school and college and all that other fun stuff. And then enjoy racing and audio after all that. I'm in the paying/saving stage right now and sold my track car and lifts and other toys related to the hobby as I just can't justify racing a few times a year for how much it costs and how I am putting myself at risk as well.

HTH!

PCB= printed circuit board. That’s all I know about technical stuff.

jennerl, I tried what you recommended but no go. I’m sure I’m doing something wrong. However, there is also a like-new Onkyo home theater system with standard speaker and sub hook ups and it is 85 watts per channel so I’m going to try that for simplicity.

Technically I am not racing. Just track days. I’m an instructor. I’ve got roll bar, race seats, HANS and all that for safety. We have an instructor run group and even though we aren’t technically "racing"....we are actually racing a good bit...informally...so safety is a serious (and expensive) issue.

My children are grown and on their own. I’m in pretty good health. Hope to keep doing this another 5-10 years. Other than tires and brake pads I’ve got the expenses pretty low.

Ah....you are where I want to be in 10--15 years when my daughter is out of school! Didn't mean to talk "down" to you at all, I had no idea your age or situation. What club or group do you instruct with?

My problem is I feel in love with the wrong marque to track. Porsche Club racing and Porsche Club HPDE events, car and parts are like money vacuums! I'm located very close to Lime Rock Park in CT and it's really the only way for me to race unless I wanted to do Spec Miata. Since our racing season is so short due to the weather we don't have enough other established car clubs. BMW has a great club and Audi's is "OK" but neither does anything more than HDPE out here. The clubs that allow any marque/driver are like the the wild west and are too risky to bring a Porsche too.

Anyhow back to the audio stuff good luck! Feel free to message or email me if I can help you out at all.

Racing is a whole other level of expense regardless of the car compared to HPDE.

I drive with NASA. They are loads of fun to run with but the racing classes are serious and you don't see too many shiny late model high branded cars.

DE4, for me, is tons of fun. Find 4 or 5 guys with comparable cars/talent and race all you want....just don't call it racing. I drive a 2007 Nissan 350Z that is not worth anything. I think it is a lot more fun when I don't have to worry about wadding up an expensive car.....but it certainly does not drive like a Porsche!

Funny thing is, down here in the south I skip July-Sept.NASA SE doesn't even run in August at all. Just too dang hot.

Yes, back to the music. I'm fortunate to enter the hobby with upper level stuff but for me there is sticker shock for every little tweak. I'm getting used to it.

I used to go to Limerock quite often. It’s a very small narrow track compared to some. The Porsche guys are very good at club events. I used to like the vintage stuff, seeing a pre-war Alfa on that track was a hoot. I drove that track back in the Skip Barber 3 day training sessions many years ago, using those Formula Jr. cars with Dodge Neon engines? I cannot imagine putting a powerful heavy car on that track but I know people who used to race there- Bill Hubbell (yes, his grandfather or great grandfather invented the electrical plug) was one.
That track at the motorcycle museum in Birmingham Ala is very nice. Porsche uses it as a training facility.
Cars can get pretty nutty; almost makes this hobby look sane. I’m well out of it at this point and never had the skill of a real racing driver. I did like the long rallies over B- roads on sanctioned events. We did the Targa Florio some years ago in Sicily. That was splendid .

I drive VIR frequently. Awesome track. The other two tracks I drive are local unknowns but still lots of fun. Barber is on my list. About a six hour drive. I'll probably drive Road Atlanta this year.

Limerock and Watkins Glen would be great but I don't see me towing a car that far.

The fellow I go to events with has a '67 Mustang. He built every inch of it including the engine. 675 hp. No power steering. No power brakes. It is faster than you'd think in the corners (5 link suspension in the rear) and it is terrifyingly fast in the straights.

For me one of the great aspects of track driving is that you find out where you and your car stand right quick. It can be humbling....to be passed by a Miata.

I have video of me on the back stretch of VIR at about 140mph. A Ferrari 458 Challenge car was there for a test-n-tune. 18 wheeler support vehicle, engineers, tire warmers, etc. He comes by me and it looks like I'm going 30 mph. I'm guessing he was up around 175 mph. Wonderful sound.

Targa Florio in Sicily! Must have been wonderful.

n80 OP

On the back of your Arcam CD92 there is a sticker, by any chance does it have a "T" after the CD92,
http://www.hifido.co.jp/photo/10/627/62793/i.jpg
If it does it’s very sought after having the "Ring Dac" D/A converter in it and the best/last HDCD chip PMD200, these are very good sounding units, worth fixing, if I wasn’t in Australia I’d be banging down your door to buy it, give me a price including post I'll buy it.

ARCAM DIVA CD92T: dCS RingDAC + PMD200, KSS-213C laser

Cheers George

George, I looked at it quickly this morning but did not see a "T" on there. I'll look again when I get home from work.

On the front it does say: CD92 dCS Ring DAC and HDCD.

@n80 If the Rotel preamp or the Onkyo receiver has a built in dac, you can take a simple rca to rca cable and see if the Arcam’s coax digital out works. If it does, you can use it as a transport. If you are not hearing much difference between the Arcam and the Sony, just use the Sony. Change the isolation feet on the Sony and put a book on top of the chassis, and it will make an improvement ( this is if the Sony is a flimsy design, but works on many cd / dvd players ), without spending much money. Sell the unit to George, as, being you, I would not get it repaired. Enjoy ! MrD.

I'm pretty sure it sounded better than the Sony. That was my immediate and initial impression. The more I listen to the Sony the less I notice but I am convinced as in many sensory things, we get used to what we're being exposed to. So I think my immediate impression was correct. But again, I do not have audiophile ears yet.

The Sony is extremely flimsy. You can pick it up easily with one hand and even then it feels light. The Arcam is stout and heavy.

Please excuse my ignorance but what is a "transport"? Do you mean that even if the CD mechanism is broken I can use it as a DAC?

mrdecibel, running an RCA from the CD player's coaxial out to the Rotel pre-amp's coaxial in works. 

I can't comment on the SQ since I'm still feeling out this Rotel/B&W system (which is clearly not in the league with my other stuff which is what I am now used to.)

Diagnostically does this mean its the DAC on the Arcam that is toast? That would be a shame since it is my understanding that that is its best feature.

Anyway, at least the CD player can still be used with this Rotel system either in my brother-in-law's den (he is not an audiophile) if his wife will permit or in my cabin in which case even if it isn't hifi it will be better than what is down there now. So given the circumstances, win-win I suppose.

n80 More, the analog output stage, but yes, the digital section feeding the analog output section ( toasted ). If the digital stage was completely toasted, it would not feed the Rotel. The Arcam is now being used as a transport, and there are good dacs for not much money for your higher end system, if you want to go that route. The workings of cd / dvd players are much more complicated than this, but I am trying to simplify it. Enjoy ! MrD.

Thanks MrD. I think I will leave my explorations at that and keep this Arcam with the Rotel/B&W system. Sad end for it but better than the garbage can.

I also noticed that the HDCD indicator light came on several times while playing a non HDCD CD. The disk was recorded in Q Sound but I don't think that has anything to do with HDCD

It can be a defect, but some cds were recorded with the HDCD process, without any indication of it. Try a book on the Sony ( even without changing the feet, and see ( hear ), if you can hear a difference. Do it while a cd is playing. A hard covered book ( based on music, lol ) is best. Enjoy ! MrD.

Keep us posted if you fix the Arcam- n80.
Happy Listening!

On the front it does say: CD92 dCS Ring DAC and HDCD.

Oh yes this is still a good one even if it doesn’t have the T on the back. Just that if it has the T it has the last best HDCD chip in it the PMD200, instead of the older PMD100.

BTW there is a list of over 5,000 HDCD CD’s floating around on the net, and yes more than 1/4 do not have any indication on them that they are HDCD.

Cheers George

N80 - I have owned an Arcam cd93(upgraded  from cd92)for nearly 15 years. It is built solid sounds great! and has played flawlessly since day 1. It has definitely been put through its paces😎
Very nice piece. 
 I would look in to getting it repaired, at least get an estimate.

Unfortunately this one has been moved, probably roughly, several times and then stored in a damp basement for several years.

I may look into repairs if I can find somewhere to get an estimate. 

It seems like back in the early days of CD players I recall that there was a switch or a screw or something that locked down something within the unit to keep it from getting damaged when moved.

Off topic, but I have an almost OCD trait in that I do not like seeing, having or knowing about high quality gear that doesn't work or isn't being used. I have some nice film cameras that I keep in good working condition even though I rarely shoot film. All my obsolete old computers still run like new. This CD player is going to bother me until I either get it running or get rid of it.

Part of what motivated this whole journey into hifi/audiophile territory is that I could not stand seeing the two systems I've put together sitting in my brother-in-law's basement. The Rotel/B&W system is sitting in the middle of my living room floor and has nowhere to go. It is mine to use but not to sell so it might end up back in the basement!

I have found a high end audio repair shop near me. They charge $40 for diagnostic and estimate and they list Arcam and many other very high end brands as brands they work on. They claim to have extensive in-house parts inventory.

I'm currently looking at new CD players in the $300 range, like the NAD 530.

So the question is, how much would you spend fixing this older Arcam CD92? Would it be worth spending $200 to keep it running or just get a $300 NAD?

n80
what is the name/location of your local high end audio repair shop?
Happy Listening!

Audio Video Doctor in Charlotte, NC

n80 - the Audio Video Doctor is closed.  The owner passed away a couple months ago. 

Well, crap. Web site is still up. Any recommendations for the Charlotte area?

No recommendation for repairing CD players locally. I would just buy a new one (as has been discussed).