Posted on 03/09/2009 10:08:13 AM PDT by ShadowAce
Thanks for the info. I aree that a motor problem is more than likely. But, a new turntable is not in the cards. Perhaps it's time for some delicate mechanical surgery.
p.s. I hate it when “agree” comes out as “aree”. :-)
Thanks for the (auction / estate sales) tips, guys.
Yeah... I saw that a while back. It just didn’t seem to meet my needs. ;-)
“Perhaps it’s time for some delicate mechanical surgery.”
Slow down. Your problem is more than likely not mechanical, but rather electrical (i.e., servo, bad capacitor, etc..).....C
*I should have expected there to be an avid CD-hater out there.
Please share your wisdom. Expound on all the “lies about CDs”. I’d love to read about how horrible they are, especially in comparison to what they replaced: Reel-to-reel, Vinyl, Cassette and 8-Track tape. *
Don’t forget the wax cylinder...or the 78s which broke if you dropped them.
CDs never were able to live up to the hype but each format that preceded them was just worse. It’s nice that there are some who are content to listen to vinyl still in this day and age, but let’s be serious, just like audiotape, you are slowly eroding the media every time you listen to it—no matter how well you take care of it. Does that make any sense?
And yes, in the future everything will be digital, lossless and totally portable. [by the way, I’d like someone to compare the actual weight of 4TB of Flac audio versus the equivalent of vinyl] Some people will still complain about the loss of their precious album cover art, how the sound isn’t as warm, etc, but people probably complained when the buggy whip was replaced, too.
That is entirely possible. I'll check out what I can with the equipment available. It's been many years since taking courses in how electrical stuff works... and the old oscilloscope and other devices are long gone.
In my experience, they absolutely lived up to it.
The only possible exception is in regard to scratches, skips, etc. Early Sony players were able to deal with scratches just fabulously, but later, cheaper models not so much. I suspect that the error-correction circuitry is relatively expensive, and so was dropped or scaled down for consumer-priced models.
Still, they handle scratches far better than vinyl, and the hot interior of a car far better than cassettes. Also, a CD can be resurfaced for a couple of bucks and returned to like-new condition. How about the scratched LP's?
I think CD's are and were everything I'd ever heard of or hoped they would be. But maybe that's just me. ;-)
They were hyped as being the end-all of recorded sound. While modern music production methods might be mostly to blame, certainly, they are not and have been surpassed by SACD & DVD-A.
I still hear the same argument about CDs vs vinyl.
All you have to do to make a CD sound like vinyl is add some scratch and pop to the mix, then reduce the dynamic range by about 20 dB.
I’m not a “CD-hater”. I just am not all enamored of them as everyone was just because “it’s the latest”, as they are now obsessed with every gadget available on what was supposed to be just a phone. It adds no real value.
So maybe “lies” was strong, but as in the case of “unbreakable” and unshakable, it’s hogwash.
CDs:
-DO scratch, and scratch readily. Especially since it’s not convenient to put them back in those horrid cases (see comment).
-have to be handled gingerly. Thumb in hole, fingers on sides - and don’t just plop it down. And watch those fingers - they will be sliced sometime.
-are NOT easily used in cars - you can’t take them out of any cases easily, without scratching it or slicing your finger. You cannot simply toss them aside while driving and expect them to stay intact, as it were, after years of usage (probably not months, either). You have to fit them in a tiny slot while driving.
-”jewel” cases - ggrrrr. Too narrow to read the end. From a brand-new wrapper to the CD inside the case, things are about impossible to get off and out. What is with those stupid box-width sticker-clamps impossible to remove when purchased? Most of the time sticker pieces are still there when you finally rip open the case. And it’s not fun trying to pop out the CD while grabbing it “properly”. Sometimes it’s damned pain, others don’t work well at all and fall out. Again - try this while driving.
-electronics necessary to “keep it from” skipping (really, just memory playback) on the road and when walking; not a “problem” but it adds to cost of machine - and doesn’t work in really rocky rides.
The bit of sound quality you get out of it (mostly in the treble range, ending up somewhat tinny as it ignores the bass) isn’t really worth the trouble, not to mention price.
If I remember more I’ll let you know. These are off the top of my head.
“you are slowly eroding the media every time you listen to it—no matter how well you take care of it.”
And you are INSTANTLY destroying it when you -oops- scratch that delicate surface. Just like the phonograph. Everything old is new again.
At least cassettes can take a tossing to the side easily and don’t have to be carefully placed back in their precious holders.
Yes, they do scratch. Better players can correct for a degree of scratching without audible errors. They can also be resurfaced for a couple of bucks to make them like new again.
-are NOT easily used in cars - you can’t take them out of any cases easily, without scratching it or slicing your finger. You cannot simply toss them aside while driving and expect them to stay intact, as it were, after years of usage (probably not months, either). You have to fit them in a tiny slot while driving.
This depends on the driver/operator. I don't have any problem getting CDs out of their jewel boxes while driving, and I can hit the loading slot every time. :-)
-”jewel” cases - ggrrrr. Too narrow to read the end. From a brand-new wrapper to the CD inside the case, things are about impossible to get off and out. What is with those stupid box-width sticker-clamps impossible to remove when purchased? Most of the time sticker pieces are still there when you finally rip open the case. And it’s not fun trying to pop out the CD while grabbing it “properly”. Sometimes it’s damned pain, others don’t work well at all and fall out. Again - try this while driving.
The stickers can be a pain, but it's nothing to do with CD technology. It's theft-deterrent packaging, courtesy of our noble media giants. Videos and many other products are just as annoying to work with.
I prefer keeping the CDs in my car in some other kind of organizer rather than the jewel boxes, most of the time.
-electronics necessary to “keep it from” skipping (really, just memory playback) on the road and when walking; not a “problem” but it adds to cost of machine - and doesn’t work in really rocky rides.
I don't see this as a problem, personally. I've been quite impressed with the rough ride some CD players can take without skipping. Again, it depends.
The bit of sound quality you get out of it (mostly in the treble range, ending up somewhat tinny as it ignores the bass) isn’t really worth the trouble, not to mention price.
I have to disagree with you here. The sound quality is as good as it gets. There are newer, surround-sound DVD-A goodies and so forth, but a CD can still reproduce everything the human ear can hear, bass and treble. The improvement over previous recording technologies was revolutionary, not just a "bit".
No, they aren't bullet-proof, but I don't feel like CDs were over-sold either.
For most people and for general use, CDs are pretty good. They will never, and can never, exceed what a high-end turntable would offer in terms of sheer sound quality, but that is a narrow interest segment. It is like comparing McDonalds to Ruth's Chris, or a Chevy Cobalt to a Mercedes 500SL.
From a practical use standpoint, my biggest "nit" is not their audio use, but their use as a file medium for computer systems. Here, there is no forgiveness, and an "approximation" over a scratch does you no good. That's where your own nit about the jewel cases, the delicate handling, and the associated space comes into play.
*And you are INSTANTLY destroying it when you -oops- scratch that delicate surface. Just like the phonograph. Everything old is new again.*
Yes, this is why you might as well rip all your media to a lossless format on a 4TB server with automatic backup options.
Followed closely by Dark Side of the Moon
Dark Side of the Moon reminds me of one way the vinyl was better, the album covers. The impact of that famous cover is really lost on a CD sized box.
The original cover had no writing whatsoever, no album name, no group name, nothing. The CD I purchased (many years ago) had what looked like a sticky label telling you it was "Pink Floyd ~ Dark Side of The Moon." Sadly it was not a label but printed on the artwork, further spoiling the effect.
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