Fixing My Broken California Audio Labs CD Player!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ม.ค. 2023
- Jim's website: nicefindthriftique.com
He prefers to communicate via text messaging: 904-466-2629
It’s a California Audio Labs Icon Mk II CD player. Made in 1993.
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Watch my previous video about the CAL Icon Mk II CD player: • California Audio Labs ...
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More of this type of video please. Thoroughly enjoyable. Watched it front to back.
That's a beautiful legacy piece. Probably not too many California Labs CD players left out there. To me, that's a keeper.
I just started this cd collection hobby during the pandemic and had to fix an old cd by fisher it’s didn’t last long until it just wouldn’t turn on anymore. It’s fun now I find myself enjoying fixing cd players and selling them or throwing them out when i squeeze all the juice out of them.
This is a good ad for Jim. I would trust him with my equipment. 👍
There may be a laser adjustment potentiometer on the laser mechanism itself. I have had great success "repairing" cd players by slightly adjusting laser intensity. I'd give that a try. That player is worth that minimal effort. Yes you can buy a Blu-ray player for $50...but in "may" not sound as good as this item. Look for a potentiometer near the laser mechanism and try a little adjustment. It may kill the laser...but what have you got to lose. This method resurrected my prescious Toshiba SD 9200. 22 Years old... bought for $10.
I have a Toshiba SD-9200 that will be in my next video. It has the buzzing issue when CD is spinning at fastest RPM. Thanks
Love people who fix stuff.
Disc motor failure ( commutator and brush failure is common ) happens frequently in the Panasonic transports.
I got the same unit a few years back, it is a good quality unit for sure.
Google is your friend! Skyfi Audio has one on ebay for over $700, so I would guess it is worth fixing, or sell it as faulty for someone to buy and fix up rather than putting it in landfill.
I totally agree. I make every effort to avoid the landfill. Only when all repair or repurposing is exhausted...
Skyfi Audio has excessively Sky HIGH prices way overpriced everyone has the Pearl of Great Value .
I'm looking forward to your follow up as I have exactly the same player, and it's a beast & I did pay $1,000 for it in 1995 most money I paid for anything in my system, I also have the external Gamma DAC. I really like it & would like to keep it. Lately I've come across some old Phillips, Magnavox units with the 1541 DAC in them would go for a fortune in the Audiophile community. I also have an old Denon DCD-1500 which uses the PCM-56 Sigma Delta DACs, and they sound great I even picked up about 10 of them and was going to stack them. BUT same thing old and intermittent. It's a shame things don't last, and you can't just take an old cd drive mechanism from a computer and just use that to replace the internal unit but apparently, it's not feasible without added interfacing.
I liked that clip guys never to old to learn things
Look inside a technics 1200tt, its plastic with a steelplate inside. Weight is your friend to decrease vibration.
That motor is good but old oil or grease residue has probably gone sticky. Open up the motor, clean the ends where the it rubs on the case or a bearing and oil again with some sewingmachine oil. Should be good to go after.
Motor was replaced and I sold it shortly afterwards. Thx
I replaced a laser in my Denon CD/SACD player and I guess I was lucky - it worked perfectly without any alignment procedure.
I fashioned stabilizers made of pcv to brace the 9200 Transport due to excess vibration. Sad...but yes, I'm a hacker. The 9200 is absolutely worth it an no one will ever see this feat of engineering! Love your channel.
I would try to fix the motor. In most cases the brushes simply lose contact with commutator as it seems like this one
4:44 Those two large capacitors between the transformer and the power regulator heat sinks look like the tops are domed. I would have your tech check those for ESR especially if those are 85 degree temperature rated capacitors. Any capacitors next to a heat source are prone to failure. That would explain the wacky digits appearing on the screen and the motor not having enough torque to start. Well, one of many reasons, such as the motor itself.
It may be better to bail and sell it as is to someone who has the time to change out all those capacitors, it is the labor to pay someone else to do it that makes it not cost effective. The capacitors themselves are cheap.
I noticed it too. But when he changed views they looked fine, cheers.
Audiolab is an English company.. California Audio Labs is something else. But sounds like it.
Wow that a very cool cd player those are hard to come by nowadays
You have to clean and re lubricate the gears after 27 years. I highly doubt the caps are bad enough to cause the motor to not properly drive the laser. Especially since this is a high end model.
Quite the laser head runners need a dab of grease as it gets sticky with age.
Nice video about the CAL cd plejer, watched the video and would like to ad some remarks on it. I understand that the service repair guy have to make a living on repairs and give his personal advice, but I'm sure he isn't familiar with this brand as he is comparing it with a blue Ray or dvd player is totally wrong.these where regarded as very well made but most important great sounding units. As a service repair his would just replace it with a new motor which is ok but most likely it's easier for him, Motors could be refurbished and i have done it many times. These player's are very good and are reparable.
Like most tech guys, he’s not an “audiophile”.
Is it possible to find out where Jim got the motor from. I have one with the same issue.
So is there a part two? Or are we waiting for parts? Would love to see the rest.
Yes, waiting for parts. I plan to do some kind of follow up in the future.
@@MODAC thanx for the update enjoyed this vid. Looking forward to the end result 1st dibs if it goes up for sale.
I fixed my CD last month - felt like a million dollars!!
I still have a Sony CDP-302 CD playback deck that I bought in 1985 that I paid $400.00 for, and for the life of me, do not see why that unit should be $1,000. The Sony has a linier drive motor for the tray, and absolutely no belts or pulleys. I occasionally have to lubricate the rails for the tray.
Sentimental midget. That's brilliant!
Can the control circuit of a CD Player be repaired ?
Contact Jim!
I made rude comment. I deleted it and feel remorseful. It was uncalled for and I have no excuse. I apologize to all.
Yours is my favorite comment of today. I bet it was a fun post, and I hope you're forgiven by all.
Didn’t some of the CAL cd players have Panasonic/Technics drives?
That’s what he said
I have a broken California Labs CD player. It's been sitting in my basement for many years. I saw a resistor that looked burnt. I won't (can't) fix it.
CDP -C345 5 DISC CD PLAYER TRAY STUCK OPEN
I agree. Don't fix these CD players and most audio equip. Better to buy another.
So, did the CD player get fixed, or?
Yes
Hi ambfrom India . I have a Philips Discman ( model 1998 ). It had a natural death as after extensive use for the 1st 5 years it was ignoted but I want it to come alive. Mind if I send it by Fed Ex to you fot its resurrection ?
Not sure it’s worth the expense. Ship it to Jim. His link is below.
Yes to wima
Le mécanisme à certainement été changé car c'est pas le mécanisme d'origine.1992 1993 ils n'avaient pas ce type de mécanique la c'était plus gros.
Please compare the sound of your Spring 3 DAC + good cheap streamer (e.g. Zen Stream+linear PSU) with a turntable+arm+cartridge+phono stage that COSTS THE SAME as your Spring 3 DAC + Streamer rig and be SURE that you compare them with a track from an album that came from the same Recording Master... I'm pretty sure that your digital rig will sound way better than your turntable setup. And please don't tell me about 60s & 70s recordings... Do the comparison with later recordings when digital was mature technology and ALL albums recorded Digitally... Vinyl simply CANNOT match digital regarding snr, dynamics, channel seperation, noise, pitch stability and accuracy. And with a GOOD R2R DAC, like the HOLO, you will achieve the "Musicality" (i hate this word) of analog.
Had to send it back.
It seems Jim don't know much about CD Player's , or the sound of an CAL CD Player at all. To fix this Mashine it would be nessesary to meassure the RF signals, to check the motor of a dead spot, and not complaining about the quarz cristal or capacitors. A lot of bla bla bla instead of a repair.
Question: does that unit playing now or is it still worn out ???
Jim replaced the motor and it worked perfectly afterwards. I sold it shortly afterwards. Jim is a highly experienced and skilled tech. I completely trust his judgement…on the other hand, you appear to be a bit clueless.
do you only think about making money? ,because at the low end it's not worth it.....,but if it sounds good you do it for passion or for money, well you should do something else in life