CD player reliability.... good and bad.


Since the mid late 80’s I have gone through probably 15 + CD players, some lasted me many many years, some were non working out of box, some lasted a week, some months, and as said some lasted years.
Is the shipping process causing some jolting of the unit, and innards get jolted and the tray or a small piece gets damaged? Or just the way they are made?

We take great care of our CD players, dust cover when not in use, don’t drop them, hit them, shake them.....yet they just stop working or things go bad, skipping, display goes out prematurely, tray rubs on something, or any number of issues...!! ??

BUT,....my cheap pickup truck CD player still works after 13+ years , dust, bumps, filth, exploding pops, lots of dust in my truck from my profession, dash, floor, everywhere, years of dust, caked all over, yet I put in a cd, and the darn thing still works.

But , recently it has started to act up, it plays everything I put in it, but sometimes won’t eject,...


anyway, why is it most CD players have a reliability problem. NOT all of them, but there seems to be a %10-15 of new players that arrive in non-working, or only last a short time.

Any thoughts......
128x128arcticdeth
My 1998 California Audio Labs Icon MkII is still going strong, but I share your concerns about finding something newer and reliable.

God thread if people have rec's on newer decks.

DeKay

Obviously any gear with moving parts will need attention at some time.  I don't view my Marantz Ruby as a "disposable POC".  

Really MC--I'll bet you never fuss and maintain your beloved table, do you?  My advice would be when the belt stretches, just toss the table in the dumpster.
One of the many benefits of hi-res streaming is that I rarely spin a disc anymore, which now makes malfunctioning transports a wonderful non issue to have.
Pretty satisfied with mine, which have all lasted 5-10 years or more. (except for the car ones, which not only suck, but tend to scratch the discs I use in them.  Or maybe it's just because I don't handle them as carefully when I'm driving. 
Now I just get them used.  Even changing out the laser assembly is much easier than one would think.

But whoa!  Leaving one one w/ disc causes wear on the laser?   (Oops).