Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

Define "fair  amount".  There  have been quite a few notes elsewhere in this
conference  about  this  problem, including one by me. I have a Maggie which
does  the same thing (more noise on low-numbered tracks). It's my second one
(I  returned  one  to the store); both do it, but the first player was worse
than  the  current one. Consensus from previous noters seems to be that this
is  a  common problem, especially among Maggie and Phillips players, and not
harmful if you can stand the noise.

You should,  of  course, convince yourself there are no chafing or otherwise
physical damage signs on your disks...

    On the low numbered tracks, you are listening to the information
    on the center of the disc and it is spinning at close to 500 rpm.
     As you move to the higher numbered tracks, you are listening to
    the music closer to the perimeter and the disc slows down to the
    neighborhood of 200 rpm.  If their is a slight balancing problem
    that is speed sensitive, this might account for the noise you hear.
    

    	I have the cheapest Pioneer and it doesn't make a sound. Why
    not return a less than satisfactory product and not worry about
    the source of it's noise?

    If you want to keep the player...
    
    I talked to one of the service people in a stereo place out here
    about some of the noisy Maggies.  He said he'd seen the problem
    and had some success reducing it by using the Discwasher CD plate.
    
    I saw one of these things, evidently its a black metal plate about the
    size of a CD that you put on top of the CD in the player.  Its supposed
    to damp out vibration? 
    
    This certainly isn't an endorsement since I think it costs around
    $30, but maybe?  
    
    Whether or not it gets rid of noise, has anybody had any experience
    with these things or the "Mod Squad" one?  Do they do anything?
    OTHER THAN MAKE SOMEBODY A FORTUNE?
    
    D

    
    My advise is: Don't worry about the noise. I've had a maggie 1050
    for just about a year now. It makes a slight noise when spinning
    up, with some disks louder than others etc. etc....
    
    But, I've never had any problem with the player's performance. I
    have over 100 disks in my collection now and the maggie reads and
    plays every one of them flawlessly. I've never even experienced
    so much as a skip. And the sound is superb (for which the maggies
    are famous). 
    
    As far as damage to disks goes, there isn't any. Each disk I own
    is as new as the day it was bought. So, don't worry about the spinning
    noise. It's not damaging your disks. It's just there. As long as
    the player performs well, you have nothing to worry about.
    Enjoy your Philips player and take comfort in the fact that you
    didn't have to part with your left arm to own it.  
    
    Rob 

Re: .5

I agree.  I  should  have  added in .1 that my Maggie (1050 also) has played
every  disk  flawlesslessly  and  sounds superb, and there is no sign of any
damage  to  any  of  my  disks.  Probably  not  to  worry.  You  could get a
bottom-of-the-line  Pioneer,  but  you might want to first do a side-by-side
listening  test.  Some  players  really do sound worse than others. And some
players skip. Compared to skipping, the noise is quite acceptable...

    RE: .0
        
    I have a Philips 360 that does the same thing - it's not loud enough
    to irritate me very much, but it is enough for me to be aware of
    it sometimes. However, I can also hear the 'fridge humming, the
    clock ticking and an electricity meter whirring away in the cupboard
    if I put my mind to it. As long as the noise doesn't spoil your
    enjoyment of what you're listening too, then just ignore it.
    
    RE: someone's comment about price. In the UK, Philips CD players are
    much more expensive than they are in the USA for the same model. My 360
    was 250 pounds (~400 dollars), and I think the new 273 is same price.
    The bottom of the line player is still over 300 dollars, whereas
    I think it goes for closer to $150 in the USA. This is what I find
    most annoying about the player !!
    
    Trev
    
    

    	re.6
    	YOU might want to do a side by side.
    Some players sound worse than others and some of the worse sounding
    players cost more.

    Many thanks for all the comments. I did take it back to the shop,
    and discovered that this model (371) is generally noisy, while its
    predecessor (160) is not. In fact the new model is a cheapened-up
    version of the old one, and the slightly altered design of the disc
    tray (fewer moving parts) may be to blame for the disc not quite
    sitting pretty in the drive.
    
    So I switched the machine for a 160, which appears to work perfectly.
    (I'm still certain that good conventional 'rock in groove' systems
    sound better, but that's another argument...)
    
    Richard.