Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

    re -1
    the standard discount price seems to be $299 right now (at least
    in Atlanta).  And I agree with -1, being able to select from 5 disks
    and play your favorite tracks is a super feature -- after having
    it I wouldn't be without it now.  BTW, for anyone in Atlanta, look
    in the weekender section of the Saturday Journal for coupons from
    MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC that gives you $4 off any number of CDs priced
    $12.99 or higher -- super deals.

RE: .0 on Sony CDP-C50

  Well I have owned mine for several months now and have ejoyed
it very much... I too purchased it for $299 mail order.  I have
seen it cheaper, about $280 in NJ where sales tax is ~6.5% so
it would be about the same price...

FYI... If you read carefully you'll see that Shuffle Play is
       really a random play with > one disk in tray. It picks
       another disk and then picks a song from that new disk.
       There is no record of what songs where played. With
       five disks it's unlikely to get a duplicate play in a
       short span of time, but it's happend to me!
       When only one disk is in the tray it acts just like the
       all the Sony single tray models with Shuffle Play. It
       will pick a random order to play the songs and then stop.
       With > one disk you continue to play forever and ever and ever....

                               Craig

    Recently, I too purchased a CDP-C50 (from Fretter- $300 including tax
    and a four-year 100% warrantee). Although I am pleased with the unit
    for the most part, I am having some problems with it. The first track
    of one of my CDs (Seals and Crofts Greatest Hits) cannot be played
    unless I go to the second track and play the first track backwards and
    then forwards (The first second or so can't be played). When the unit
    tries to play this first track from the begining all that happens is
    the disc spins and spins - no elapsed time appears on the display and
    the circle around the disc number doesn't flash (flashing is how the
    unit is supposed to tell you that you have a bad disc). This disc has
    no problems on my CD-5 nor on any other model that I have tried. The
    second problem has only occured (so far) on my Joni Mitchel album -
    Court and Spark. If I program the unit to play the second track and
    then any other track, after completing the second track it always plays
    the first second of the third track and then goes on to what I
    selected to play after the second track. 
    
    I wasn't sure if the problem was my unit was defective or if the design
    of the '50 was just flawed so I went back to the store with these two
    CDs and tried their CDP-C50 and another Sony model. The problems
    mentioned above occured consistently on the CDP-C50 but never on the
    other model. I tried the Seals and Crofts disc on yet another model and
    the first track played without hesitation. 
    
    Have any other CDP-C50 owners had problems like these? I wonder if
    these discs are flawed and the '50 doesn't handle the flaws as well as
    other models or if the unit itself has a design flaw and the these
    (normal) discs just bring the problem into the light.
    
    Anyway, I still have two weeks to decide if I want to keep the unit
    or not. If I run into any more problems than these, the unit is going
    right back. Otherwise I have to decide if the benifits of the player
    outweigh the problems I have with two of my discs. Anyone have any
    suggestions for other good multi-disc players?
    
    	-Ken
     

>    for the most part, I am having some problems with it. The first track
>    of one of my CDs (Seals and Crofts Greatest Hits) cannot be played
  
    Sounds very similar to a problem I was having with the C70; see note
    1312, and its replies.
    
    I too am now in the market for another multi-disc player.
    
    Not too impressed with Sony CD players, I am...
    
    Rich (I think the Pioneer looks good)

    
    Geez, mine runs like a clock.  Shuffle works fine, never mistracks...
    
    I've got a CDP-C70.
    
    DFW

    I got mine about a year ago.(right when the 4x oversampling model
    came out).  It's quite a tough machine.  I've never had a problem
    with misstracking.  I "abuse" it quite a bit.  I go to school in
    Boston, and the CD player made is home and back for vacations quite
    a few times
    
    It sure beats the hell out of those 6-disc cartrige players.
    I love it and highly recomend it to anyone considering buying a
    CD player in the inexpensive but not cheap catigory!!!($250-350)

    re .6 "it sure beats the hell out of the six disc cartridge
    players"
    
      Why???? I have a Pioneer PD M40, and have had zero problems with
    it. The random play never selects the same track, I have had no
    mistracking problems with it, and the cartridges are easy to deal
    with and store. My wife even dropped one, and the 1st tray broke,
    but trays 2-6 have continued to work fine, and even random play
    knows it isn't there and doesn't go to disc 1. 
    
      I don't know what your problem is, but my bottom of the line
    Pioneer has performed flawlessly.
    
                     Wayne

    Also re .6 "it sure beats the hell out of the six disc cartridge
    players"
    
    Please start your reasons for believing this. My Pioneer PDM-500
    is far superior in almost every category to the Sony CDP-C50 I had
    for about 2 days. The only possible thing I'd think you could hold
    against the Pioneer is the (very slightly) longer access time to
    get from disk to disk vs. the Sony. This is more than compensated
    for by the brain-damaged shuffle-play algorithm the CDP-C50 uses
    vs. the Pioneer, which will never repeat a selection when doing
    random play.

    
    Also re .6 "it sure beats the hell out of the six disc cartridge
    players"
    
    I also have a Pioneer.  A PDM-60, and I'm very happy with it.  I
    didn't like the Sony method because the carousel only spins one
    way.  Going from disk 5 to disk 4 takes an extremely long time.
    The Pioneer is far more consistent in the time it takes to switch
    disks.
    
    I keep 2 cartridges loaded up, and my fiance� can have 3-4 hours
    of music by inserting a cartridge and hitting random play.  (As
    long as I don't leave the equalizer switched to be playing the
    cassette deck --- she hasn't figured out how to switch it back)
    
    And finally one last laugh at the shuffle play algorithm.  Do it
    right or don't do it at all.
    
    -Dave

    I, too, have owned a Pioneer with the 6-disc cartridge (PD-50?)
    for almost 2 years and have had only very minor problems with mis-
    tracking -- most of which vanished as soon as I cleaned the CD
    thoroughly. Granted, it's NOT a magnificent high-fidelity component,
    but it seems to hold up very well mechanically. And since I listen
    to lots of music on "private" labels (i.e., recorded by tape recorders
    hidden under overcoats in people's laps), that aspect isn't really
    of much concern to me. CDs still beat 78s and most of the old mono
    33 1/3s.
    

    re: .9
    
    The Sony CDP-C70 does turn the turntable in the reverse direction,
    in fact swaps disks and finds tracks very quickly.
    
>    And finally one last laugh at the shuffle play algorithm.  Do it
>    right or don't do it at all.
 
    Hear, hear!  If only the CDP-C70 had gotten it right, or if only
    they had used a real processor and a 2764.....  :+)
    
    Willie   

    Has anyone who has had problems with the shuffle play or track 1
    taken their player in for warranty service to see if it can be fixed?

    (Please refer to .3 for the problems I've had with this unit)
    
    I brought the unit back to Fretter yesterday and spoke with the repair
    person there. He said that according to his coworker (who was in the
    back room) this problem couldn't be fixed, its a flaw with the design.
    
    Sony claims that they don't know of such a design flaw (but then again
    they claim that they don't know of the skipping D-5 problem that
    recurrently appears in this notes file). They suggest that my unit has
    an alignment problem and can be fixed.
    
    It puzzles me that one of the problems (many times in program mode the
    unit plays part of a selection that wasn't programmed before it goes to
    the next programmed track) is so evident on my machine and on the demo
    at Fretter, and yet, most people who have the unit don't seem to have
    this problem. It may be that my unit and the demo unit were both from
    the same bad lot (made on a monday, perhaps). 
    
    Anyway, I returned the unit and purchased the Pioneer PDM-500. So
    far I am pleased with this model (although I've only had it for one
    night).
    
    P.S. - The shuffle play problem of playing the same selections over
    and over is a design flaw and can't be fixed.
                                                  

    When I said that I discussed the "problem" with Fretter and the "design
    flaw" with Sony I meant that I discussed both the Track 1 (unit
    wouldn't play the first track on a disc) problem AND the program mode
    (playing parts of unprogrammed tracks) problem with each of these
    parties. Fretter said these problems can't be fixed, Sony said that
    they could be.
    
    	Sorry for any confusion.
    
    	-Ken