Members timrocker Posted December 19, 2010 Members Share Posted December 19, 2010 Hi, I'm starting to think that the head on my Tascam CDA 500 is either dirty or magnetized. Good CD's skip, and others glitch. Anyone ever used a CD head cleaner?Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 CD players don't have "heads". Instead, they use lenses and lasers. Magnetism doesn't play into the equation at all, and unlike analog tape player / recorders, they don't require periodic degaussing. If it's a decent quality CD player, I'd send it in for service. If not, I'd toss it and get a new one. Most CD lens / laser "cleaners" I've seen / tried have been ineffective in terms of improving tracking and eliminating skipping and glitching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the stranger Posted December 20, 2010 Members Share Posted December 20, 2010 I've used the lens cleaners and they help, but on an older unit that has been played a lot, it doesn't always work. My assumption is that these devices get out of alignment/adjustment/etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 I've used the lens cleaners and they help, but on an older unit that has been played a lot, it doesn't always work. My assumption is that these devices get out of alignment/adjustment/etc. That's exactly it. Unless your gear is in a regularly smoke filled or extremely dusty room or something like that, I suspect that it's usually less about the lens getting dirty than it is about alignment, drive (disk rotation) and related tracking issues - not "dirt" issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members timrocker Posted December 21, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 21, 2010 That's exactly it. Unless your gear is in a regularly smoke filled or extremely dusty room or something like that, I suspect that it's usually less about the lens getting dirty than it is about alignment, drive (disk rotation) and related tracking issues - not "dirt" issues. My living room does get a lot of dust. The unit is right next to the heater/AC wall unit, which brings in desert dust up the ying. It is also across from the kitchen. Basically, I'd really like to try any and all remedies that are near and cheap before I go sending it off to a Tascam/TEAC repair facility. I'll check some electronics superstores and Radio Shack. This week. Thanks for the good info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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