2. digital
  3. 167264-156992

Possible issues with Marantz CD player

I have a Marantz CD player,  CD 6004.  Lately, I  hear  a loud  burst of  static when playing CDs. It is random, and intermittent rather than a constant buzz.  Quite pronounced. Not a hum or buzz from light dimmers or TV or the like. 
Sounds more like a skip in the CD,or like the sound a tuner would make if you were changing stations and lost the signal.  A loud squawk.  

I have tried, but so far cannot replicate it with vinyl.

It has occurred with three different CD, usually on the first song. Then it will usually play the rest without incident.

Possibly some problem with the laser?

We have two large, active German Shepherds, so I thought we might have had a tail-strike to one of the speakers.  I took the dust cover off the speaker, examined the woofer visually for tears or deterioration.
These are Klipsch Heresy IIs, so the tweeter and mid range are pretty well protected.  It looked OK, and if it were the the speaker, I'd expect to be able to replicate the issue with vinyl. 

I also checked the speaker connections, at the speaker, and at the amp. Seemed solid. 

CD player is maybe 5 years old or so, pretty much bulletproof until this, assuming it  actually is  a problem the CD player. 

Anyone had a similar issue with CD players?  Or picking up random noise in the system somewhere else?





cincinnatipete

Showing 5 responses by cincinnatipete

cincinnatipete OP
43 posts
 
It happens with multiple discs.  
Worse on some than others, but I've not been able to play a CD without the intermittent and loud static for the last week or so.

 I can't replicate it with vinyl. Not difficult at all to replicate with CD.  Just insert t another one, and press play.  Within 5-10 minutes of listening or less, you hear it.  Then it goes away, usually recurs at random. 

I suppose it could be in the CD section of the amp,  which is old but has given very good service over the years. I could drag the Marantz up to work, swap it out with my Sony and see if the problem occurs at work, goes away at home. 

Sad part is, the Marantz otherwise punches past its weight, sounds pretty  darn good.  Since 1988,  I've had Denon, Luxman, Sony (non-ES) and this one. Until it started (presumably) acting up, it was as good as any I've owned, better than most. 

cincinnatipete OP
43 posts
 
Thanks all, for input.

Good to know on Marantz going forward. My non-ES Sony has been  most reliable. Also has SACD capability, though I only have a handful of those. 

An update:  Last night,  I ran a CD lens cleaner disc, played a few songs  off a CD that I had played the night before. Heard only music this time. Not the greatest test, because we shut it off early to watch TV.  We'll see how it does this weekend. Also, played both sides of another record album, hearing no static/squawking whatsoever. Further convinces me it's not the speakers.

I'd be loathe to be without a CD player.  But with the exception of lately, trying to get this figured out, I probably play 3-4 records for every CD. 

Long term, probably looking to replace. Besides Sony, any thoughts on Rega? Or Yamaha?  (Understand some don't like Yamaha house sound.  I must be OK with it, having had Yamaha integrated for 30 + years). Honestly, I really liked the Marantz sound until gremlins showed up. 
cincinnatipete OP
43 posts
 
Honest answer, a little less than last month:) 
We are trying to close on a house with some land, so holding other expenses in check .

Given I play much more vinyl than CD,  when I am in the market,  prefer to top out around $1500 for a front load, single play machine, with onboard DAC.

If it played SACDs as well,  might pay a bit more. Ditto a five year warranty.

An update:  after running the lens cleaner a second time, it has been on good behavior.  Knock on wood. 

cincinnatipete OP
43 posts
 
If your gold discs are playing fine, I probably would not run a cleaner through it. Might be something wonky about their lasers or even the way they mount them that the cleaner brushes aggravate. 
If they started acting up too, then the cleaner seems to give a temporary respite, for me at least. 
cincinnatipete OP
43 posts
 
That is exactly the sound I experience.  Random bursts.
Almost all my discs are silver faced. I'd have to try a gold one and see if it made a difference.

I was unaware Marantz discouraged the cleaner.  Come to think of it, I did not experience the problem until after I ran the cleaner through it.  Good reason not to try fixing what isn't broken, perhaps.

But . . . after the problem surfaced, the cleaner seems to provide at least a temporary fix. I run the cleaner, the problem goes away for a while. 

Worse comes to worse, I can move my Sony from work, back to the home system until I replace the Marantz.

Disappointing about Marantz, because the sound quality is pretty darn good to my ears, and especially so for what I paid for it. . 




More to discover