CD player vibration from CD's

I can say 100% for sure that it happens with unbalanced discs, much like a car tire will vibrate if not balanced... (of course, it might also be caused by warped discs, but that's an other matter...)

the unbalanced condition can be caused by add-ons like barcode and ID stickers, anti-theft strips, clear laminations, etc. that rental places and libraries sometimes attach to the top surface of discs... in fact, I can simply look at a disc and predict whether or not it will cause my BDP-83SE to vibrate, and by how much

one would also expect that an out-of-round or slightly misplaced center hole would cause a vibration, since that would cause an imbalance

I've noticed that most commercial discs (unaltered) will play smoothly, but not always "perfectly" and there might be some very minor vibration... I have noticed that CDs that I've burned myself are actually the most consistently perfect... perhaps they have higher manufacturing tolerances and no artwork?

I have discovered that I can "fix" a problem CD simply by adding some masking tape on the opposite side of the offending junk, to act as a counterbalance... I just did that to a really bad disc, by adding 3 layers of masking tape (a short strip approx. 1.5" long)... before was vibrating noticeably and I could even hear banging in the cabinet, then after, almost zero! (luck guess as to how much weight to add)

I have tried testing some especially bad discs in 2 other disc players: my ancient 1987 Sony CDP-302, and my Oppo 980H... the Sony played discs perfectly with virtually nothing felt! (quiet and dead steady)... the Oppo was also OK, but did show some vibration still, but only maybe 10% of what the BDP-83SE did

SO THE BIG QUESTION:
is there something wrong my particular BDP-83SE unit, ie., one that Oppo will be able to fix somehow, OR, is this apparent hyper-sensitivity to disc imbalances INHERENT with BDP-83s?... maybe there is a reason for it?

If someone could please try adding some masking tape to a known perfect disc, then playing in their BDP-83 and testing for vibration, that would be HUGELY appreciated...

it would help me decide whether or not sending into Oppo would just be a waste of time & resources

thank you!

I have been using three 1 inch strips of black plastic tape applied radially on CDs for some time. I suspect the tape reduces vibration of the CD whilst spinning. Of course there are a number of CD mats that address vibration, too.

Geoffkait: in my situation, I am applying the tape to correct (ie., offset) any *imbalances* a disc has, same way that a tire garage puts lead weights on the rim of a car wheel

I am guessing that imbalanced discs do not actually "vibrate", but rather that the entire disc drive/transport unit absorbs the forces generate with each revolution, and this then gets transmitted out to the entire chassis... I seem to feel a definite side-to-side motion in the vibration, not so much all around... but obviously it does eventually get mixed over

I have to wonder how all this shaking affects sound or video quality... given all the effort put in to "reducing and isolating vibrations" by manufacturers (incl. Oppo), wouldn't the severity of these vibrations make that look like a joke?

heck, a really "bad" disc even caused my wife's drink to shake after she had placed it ontop the Oppo the other day!.. she pointed it out to me, unprompted

still hoping to hear from other BDP-83/83E owners who can play a purposely imbalanced disc, and if they get chassis vibration even for a very small imbalance

thanks!

Ssouci,

I have the same problem with my Oppo player. My old sony has zero vibration with SACD's while the Oppo shakes. Did you ever find a solution? Does the unit need to be repaired? I'm wondering if the old sony maybe spins at a lower rpm, but I assume all SACD's require the same rpm, new or old player.