Causes of CD player skipping?


Hello,
I own a Sony CDP-M555ES 400 CD megachanger that has began skipping pretty badly, especially on tracks 1, 2, and sometimes 3. The problem seems worse with CD-R's and CD-RW's. The tracks will begin playing, and then the player will skip to another place on the track, to the beginning of the track, or to another track.
I tried cleaning the laser lens and this did not work.
Any ideas on what could be causing this?
Thanks for your help.
daltonlanny

Showing 1 response by mlsstl

The laser mechanisms deteriorate with age and use so it is likely this part needs to be replaced. There is also an adjustment process that is required that typically requires some test bench equipment so it is not simply the installation of a new part. As such, it is generally not a self service item.

The last time I did this for a Denon the part was about $70. I've got a scope and other equipment so I was able to do it myself (a service manual showing the alignment procedure was another $15 or $20) but I figure most shops would want an hour or two of labor to replace, adjust and test it so it wouldn't surprise me if the repair cost ran $200 or so.

You may find it wiser to replace the unit from eBay or even use this as the opportunity to move to a PC based music server.