I have a problem with my old CD player. It's a Marantz CD 52 SE. The tray has recently developed a shuddering problem as it ejects the disk. It's almost like the little gear teeth are juddering to catch on the rack which pushes the tray out.

Is this a common problem with this player.

I'll be very disappointed if it dies a death. It's a much loved, long serving part of my system.

Does anyone know if there is any way to fix it?

Sounds to me as if it's just the grease drying out on the drawer. You can fix it if you're reasonably confident about working on the insides of electronic equipment. Unplug the player, remove the cover (can't remember this model but you'll need either a No. 1 Pozidriv screwdriver or a T10 Torx) and have a look at how the mechanism slides. Feel for grease on the sliding surfaces. If you need more grease you should use special plastics lubricant: you can buy it from CPC (www.cpc.co.uk, I think), order code:

SASPG35SL66 (costs about £8 including VAT)

It's actually made by Electrolube and their part no. is:

SPG35SL

You can also use lard to lubricate plastic surfaces, but it's not a great long-term solution!

David, sorry to tell you this but your problem is identical to mine and my solution was to throw it out!
The teeth from the cog literally disintegrate (I couldn't see any in the bottom of the player!) and thus the problem is set to get worse over time, as mine did. I took my player (The same as yours) to my excellent local Hi-Fi shop (www.powerplant.co.uk) and they recognised the problem right away, as it is a common fault and they told me that it also occurs in many of the older Arcams. They had their engineer take a look at it as he had one cog left; however it was not the right size and therefore cost effective just to throw it out. The cogs themselves are not made anymore and so it would be a big task finding one and likely to cost at least over £100 to repair. You can still of course continue using it until eventually your draw does not open and you will have prise it open to rescue your CD! Sadly it’s a lose lose situation.

Hmm, thanks guys.

Interesting.

And a good suggestion Richard, thank you.

Michael, it's a Marantz not an Arcam, but your suggestion confirms my worst fears. That's exactly what it sounds like.

However, I can't explain this. The draw works totally fine. If you turn the machine off - then leave it 60 seconds. Then turn it back on, it works smoothly EVERY time. Never a niggle. Then it keeps working perfectly for all your listening session.

But then if you leave the machine on for a couple of hours untouched say (I don't know how long to be honest, I leave it switched on as someone once told me that was better for the machine), then it stops working again. Regular as clockwork.

Does that odd behaviour change either of your opinions?

Which do you think it makes most likely?

Many thanks once again.

Mine was also a Marantz (If you read mine again you will see that I said it "also" occurs with many Arcams).
It is very stange what you said about it working fine when it has not been on for very long. Mine did occasionally work OK, but did slowly deteriate.
I still stick by my first diagnosis and as its a fairly cheap player fixing it is not really economical.

P.S. The reason for leaving Hi-Fi components on is to allow the internal components to stay warm, as they sound better warmed up. That is why many newer pieces of kit has standby modes rather than a straight turn off.

I hope this helps.

Seems the place to ask questions about my old Marantz CD 52 SE! Does anyone know how hard it is to replace the input/output connectors at the back of the set. I only get sound out of one speaker unless I wiggle the leads into the output connectors! I really hope it can be fixed as I love this player...Happy new year to all.

dave

I've not done the connectors on that particular machine, but they're almost certainly the same as on loads of others. First, you've got to get the board out. That's fairly straightforward, involving typically a dozen or so screws (back panel to sockets, board to base) and a few spring-lock pillars which are easily release with pliers or strong fingernails. You'll need a No.10 Torx driver for most Marantz machines, that or No.1 Pozidriv. Be careful disconnecting multiway cables, and make a note of which way round they go as they are not always on keyed connectors.

But the tricky part is getting the sockets off the board. If you're not used to this kind of thing you'll quite likely damage the board and it's a right pain to repair. For this reason, I normally recommend you do everything possible to repair the sockets themselves. A little careful levering around with a small screwdriver can often restor contacts to the right position, and a quick spray with Caig (www.caig.com) or similar cleaning spray will remove contamination. Loose plugs can also be tweaked - the outer (earth) connection with pliers and the inner either with Mole grips (used carefully) or, for solid contacts where grips don't work, with a hammer and improvised anvil. Just flatten the pin very slightly and it will make much better contact in any wonky socket. If all that fails you can still do the connectors!

Oh, don't forget to unplug the unit before working on it.....

Richard

hi i have a marantz cd63 and when i insert a cd it says 'dISC' anyone help please !!!!!

try to clean the lens