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Warrenty and lifespan of cd players

I am wondering why it is that so many people here, there, and everywhere, seem to upgrade to expensive players when many such players seem to enjoy a very short lifespan relative to other components and have such poor warrentys. I am not being critical, but rather I am curious. I would love to own some of the cd players I have seen and read about, and I am more than willing to save for such a purchase because I do believe the source is very important to a system. But then practical considerations raise up like a red flag and I am discouraged. I guess what I am asking for is a deeper understanding, perhaps some debate that might provide some overview. any coments on this subject would be helpful
timf
sean
6,229 posts
 
"Good" CD players last a LONG time. 7 years to 15 years would be the norm in my guess. From my experience, stock Philips players don't last as long as many other brands. Sony's seem to last a long, long time.

Other than that, digital technology is changing more than any other form of audio reproduction. As such, buying a machine and hoping it lasts forever may be good for the "thrifty" side of you, but thinking that an "antique" player is going to sound as good as a current player built to the same standards today is another story. THAT is why you see people rolling yesterday's darlings out the door today. Sean
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kurt_tank
1,188 posts
 
Speaking of Sony CD players, I have a old Sony 707ES CD player that is still working perfectly, after about 15 years. And yes, it does indeed sound a bit long in the tooth compared to more modern players, (such as my Sony 9000ES DVD/CD/SACD Player, which is probably only a decent sounding CD player). The old 707ES sounds a bit dark compared to the 9000ES, ,but still, has a good balance of sound, but the HF seems a bit rolled off in comparison.

Neither CD player holds a candle to my analog source however. Long live Vinyl!
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
The mechanical aspects of playing a CD, including dynamic adjustment of LED focus are quite remarkable, and I find it hard to understand how they can make it work so well when brand new. It is a characteristic of mechanical devices that they wear out. The electronic part probably won't wear out, but becomes obsolete.

My first player was a Mission, and the disc player mechanism was stock Phillips. It "only" lasted 15 years. I have not had any other player fail.

When I had occasion to repair an auto radio cassette player I discovered that the entire mechanical tape transport mechanism was an easy plug-in job, and that in spite of there being hundreds of brands of car radios, there were only two types of tape transports used. I think it cost $19. I wonder how many different disc spinners exist. I don't know for sure, but replacement of the mechanical part of a CD player might be simple and inexpensive.
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