CDS Error Message

David,

I had a similar problem with my CD2. Despite having a new transport installed, the CD2 had difficulty reading discs. There was no audible disc slippage, the platter was kept spotlessly clean, and it didn't matter which discs I used.

However, the problem only occurred with low temperatures (below 10 degrees celsius) and only for the first disc of the session. I found switching the player off momentarily and on again fixes the ToC reading error problem, which is a lot cheaper than keeping my room heated continuously.

Perhaps Naim can comment why this happens, and whether this is symptomatic of other problems.

James

Periodically, my CDX/XPS sends me the message too for no reason I can determine. Eventually it backs down. I have found that Optrix makes virtually any disk readable, but in this case, something else seems to be going on. A wink from Julian? A snear from Ivor? I too would love to hear something from Naim Central.

Any one had problems accessing tracks directly. The transport makes a funny slop slop noise but there is no audio. The same tracks will play through from the preceeding ok track or even if you use fast reverse to get to the beginning. This is not on just the odd dirty disk either. Is this a sign of somthing about to go (or gone) wrong ?

I experience the same problem with my 1993 CDS. When I try to acces certain tracks directly the transport produces a cracking noise and stops, the error message appears on the display. I usually listen to whole CDs so I don't mind too much, but I am a bit concerned. A friend of mine has a similar problem with his 1993 CDI. He is planning to send his player for a service to Naim, but I'm not sure if this problem can be cured with a service. I remember TF mentioned having the same problem with his completely rebuild CDS. Maybe somebody from Naim could give an explanation.

Ciao!

Willem

Having read the Neal Stephenson essay I tried rebooting the box, which as any support engineer will tell you cures 90% of all ills.

This worked until the next evening when the same thing happened.

Doing a direct track access will also work…some of the time.

One other peculiar thing is that once it has read one disk it will, more than likely, read another.

I had posted some other of my attempts to cure the problem, but they mysteriously disappeared after only being on the forum for a few hours. Is this a feature ?

I am still struggling with the problem which is now becoming a real pain.

David,

did you leave a disc (& puck) in the machine when you went on holiday?

If so, the rubber loops on the puck will have collapsed/flattened and it will not grip the disc properly.

Solution one - get a new puck. These are cheap (around £10) for CD2/CDX/CDS-II. CDS-I hats are much more expensive, I think.

Solution two - on the new-style pucks the rubber loops can be rotated through 90 degrees. This should help you. You may be able to do the same on a CDS-I hat.

cheers, Martin

CD3/CD3.5/CD2/CDX/CDSII pucks left on the spindle without a CD in the transport are fine. In this condition, the rubber feet donot contact the disc.

I don't know re CDI, CDS1.

Rico - musichead

I got error messages and noises on my CD3 until I put a small circle of thick paper between the puck and the disk. Apparently you can also put some tape on the top of the disc to fatten it up slightly.

dozy.

The most likely causes of all or any of these reading problems are either;

Disc too thin (not manufactured to red book standard).

Disc/platter/clamp not clean enough - even tiny particles of debris can cause discs to slip. These things can never be too clean!

Clamp needs replacing.

After a period of non-use the transport may take a few tries to ease/warm up. It's a mechanical device after all and thus also affected by temperature.

Rico,

agreed it would be OK if no disc is loaded.

If a disc WAS left in the machine for two or three weeks it would cause deformaties of the rubber bits on the puck.

cheers, Martin

I always cycle (press play) three to four times before trying to load the first cd of the day. I think it has something to do with feeding lubrication to the fine tolerances in the mechanics. Success within the first three to five revolutions of the disk is about 90% or better. Every load thereafter is within three revolutions.

My unit is also a 93 model, but I had the transport replaced about a year or so ago.

OK Now I am really fed up.

I have cleaned the rotor as much as I can.

It gleams.

I have replaced the puck with a new one.

Sometimes it works, but rarely at the beginning of an evening.

I have been using AF Safeclene and a cotton bud which has always been fine for data tape drives.

Should I be using something else ?

Brasso / Steel wool /duraglit....any suggestions ?

U.K. products would be asier for me.

There are dire warnings in the CDX/CDS-II manual re not using any solvents, as they could destroy the plastic ring.

If this has been damaged a new transport would be required.

Sorry, Martin

I'm afraid Martin's right, the owners manual specifically recommends blu-tak and specifically recommends against fluids.

I would suggest that you send the machine to us for a service, it may have been damaged or developed a fault.

When you load a disk, do you hear an abnormal "whrrr" when the disk starts to spin, followed by the error message?

Or is the disk spinning nice and quietly and then generating the error message?

The first scenario (noisy spin) is fairly common (it pops up on the forum every few months) and can be solved by putting a paper ring between the CD and the puck. Or, when you find an offending CD, place a few pieces of scotch tape in the "ring" area to thicken it.

If this isn't the problem, then matters are likely worse.

- GregB
Freedom is not in finding the Holy Grail but in stopping the search for it

Greg

Yes it does make a peculiar noise before reading.

I will try a piece of paper.

It appears to happen on almost every disk.

Thanks

David

David,
I have had the same problem but cleaning with blu-tak per Naim instructions should help. What I do additionally to that is with difficult cd's I also blu-tak the mating surface of the disk (but only the part that goes against the spindle hub. This normally solve the problems.

Regards,

Per

Per

Thanks, I will try this as well.

For some reason it is not proving a problem tonight.

This is what I find most irritating. i.e. the fact that it is not always repeatable. Still at least the sound is still great, which is the main point !

David

Yup, used to get me really irritated too 'til I started using the paper.

The CDS most certainly has its days.
Some days it is no problem others it is very tricky to switch tracks.
I guess you could say the CDS has some character.
Except for this problem it is a FANTASTIC cd player!

Per