CD player tray malfunction

[killdozzer]

INTRO (feel free to skip)
My lucky streak ended abruptly. After selling a mountain of old gear, a buyer finally asked for my CD player. It's Sony XA5ES. I've been selling it for a long time and was very happy to finally find someone. And he was a cert. He said if it looks like in the pics, he's making a reservation (and it does, it's very well kept).

After bringing it in from my family house, I noticed it fails to open the tray every now and then. (And do I hate these "every now and then" problems!! For crying out loud, is it broken or not...?) I had to call it off, I had no heart or peace of mind selling a unit in that state. I won't do it.

PROBLEM
The tray will sometime open and sometime not. There's no rule. What I did to check my first suspicion was to see if it has to do with loading the CD. When you put a CD in your player it spins and gets read for the info on the number of the songs and the overall length. I thought perhaps you can't interrupt this process and it doesn't want to eject the CD while it reads it. But it's not that.

The only thing I noticed that it will happen more often after playing a CD and less often if you just keep pressing the open/close button. But it's never 100%. Every now and then it doesn't open.

Do you know what could be the usual suspects? What to check first? Everything else works.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Not off my head but do you remember how quickly it opened after pressing the open button? Maybe you are repeating it too fast and thinks to close it?
My BD Oppo 103's BD reader was replaced earlier this year by me, worked great when I played it infrequently.
This last time it would not spit out a rental BD. Oh, no. I took it out of the cabin, plugged it in and it worked. Unplugging did the trick. Next time I will just reach behind it and unplug it. I guess something needed to be reset.

Also, I am wondering if that weighted top platter may be it now? try it without it for a while, but you want to sell it, may not have too much time.
Tell the buyer.

 

[lovinthehd]

Sounds like perhaps a connection that's starting to go bad, perhaps a switch. Haven't needed to diy something like that but seems there are lots of help in tearing down/servicing such units on youtube if you spend some time filtering them....

 

[Verdinut]

I've seen weights put on turntables but never on CD players. This must really be the exception and looks like another audiophool gadget to me.

Unless a CD is really warped, I don't see any need for such thing. Also, nobody needs such accessory when CDs are always kept in their case and not subjected to heat and/or humidity.

 

[killdozzer]

Thank you all for answers!

Not off my head but do you remember how quickly it opened after pressing the open button? Maybe you are repeating it too fast and thinks to close it?
My BD Oppo 103's BD reader was replaced earlier this year by me, worked great when I played it infrequently.
This last time it would not spit out a rental BD. Oh, no. I took it out of the cabin, plugged it in and it worked. Unplugging did the trick. Next time I will just reach behind it and unplug it. I guess something needed to be reset.

Also, I am wondering if that weighted top platter may be it now? try it without it for a while, but you want to sell it, may not have too much time.
Tell the buyer.

I would never sell without warning the buyer. I also give people a chance to return and get a full refund if they can return it the condition they got it.
Your suggestion is good, I'll check what happens if I press once and wait for a longer period. I'm not sure if it can play without the weight since the CD really wobbles without it. Of course, I have to fix it if I'm selling it. I'll invest and even lower the price since it had to go to the shop. I know I'm bound to lose some money on it, but... What can I do? I'm not trying to con anyone (if we leave out the fact I won't be selling it for the price I think it deserves, but for the middle price these units go at after being to the shop - it's still overpriced don't ask)

Used sony xa5es for Sale | HifiShark.com

Used Sony Xa5Es for sale on 400+ second hand hifi sites & shops. Use Hifi Shark to monitor pricing and global availability

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Sounds like perhaps a connection that's starting to go bad, perhaps a switch. Haven't needed to diy something like that but seems there are lots of help in tearing down/servicing such units on youtube if you spend some time filtering them....

I'll check the tutorials. I won't be doing it myself, but I'm trying to avoid being overcharged by the repair man. I'd also like to be able to give him something to start with. Funny thing is, the problem got worse after this unit spend sometime in an unheated room. When cold it responds even worse.

I've seen weights put on turntables but never on CD players. This must really be the exception and looks like another audiophool gadget to me.

Unless a CD is really warped, I don't see any need for such thing. Also, nobody needs such accessory when CDs are always kept in their case and not subjected to heat and/or humidity.

It most definitely is audiophool! This wasn't my purchase choice, I got it. I'd say it's way overpriced and would never buy a CD player like this. I believe a new 300-400$ CD player does everything as good as this one. But the weight is not for the warped CDs since it doesn't press the CD against the flat surface of the bottom. The CD is in the air even after the weight is placed on top, so it's completely useless. But the CD is not fixed in any way without it so I don't think it'll work without the weight. And believe it or not, the audience this player was meant for want it precisely because of the weight! I know!! Silly!

 

[slipperybidness]

INTRO (feel free to skip)
My lucky streak ended abruptly. After selling a mountain of old gear, a buyer finally asked for my CD player. It's Sony XA5ES. I've been selling it for a long time and was very happy to finally find someone. And he was a cert. He said if it looks like in the pics, he's making a reservation (and it does, it's very well kept).

After bringing it in from my family house, I noticed it fails to open the tray every now and then. (And do I hate these "every now and then" problems!! For crying out loud, is it broken or not...?) I had to call it off, I had no heart or peace of mind selling a unit in that state. I won't do it.

PROBLEM
The tray will sometime open and sometime not. There's no rule. What I did to check my first suspicion was to see if it has to do with loading the CD. When you put a CD in your player it spins and gets read for the info on the number of the songs and the overall length. I thought perhaps you can't interrupt this process and it doesn't want to eject the CD while it reads it. But it's not that.

The only thing I noticed that it will happen more often after playing a CD and less often if you just keep pressing the open/close button. But it's never 100%. Every now and then it doesn't open.

Do you know what could be the usual suspects? What to check first? Everything else works.
View attachment 51858

It could be as simple as needing to clean the tray tracks with some rubbing alcohol and Q-tips. It could also be that the tray isn't aligned as well as it used to be, so it sticks sometimes. The drive belt could also be problematic, but my experience has typically been that belts just break, then it wouldn't move at all.

 

[highfigh]

CD/DVD/BD players are designed to open after the disc has stopped spinning and the player has a sensor to detect the presence or absence of a disc- I would consider removing the cover to see if the disc continues to spin.

When Sony's first CD players were released, they worked great, for awhile. Then, we saw disc detect sensors starting to go bad and people had to wait for their players to be repaired because the parts weren't available and the problem was new, which meant Sony didn't have much time to figure out what was wrong.

Ejecting while the player reads the Table Of Contents shouldn't hurt anything- it's similar to saying after stopping in the middle of a sentence and saying "Never mind".

 

[killdozzer]

It could be as simple as needing to clean the tray tracks with some rubbing alcohol and Q-tips. It could also be that the tray isn't aligned as well as it used to be, so it sticks sometimes. The drive belt could also be problematic, but my experience has typically been that belts just break, then it wouldn't move at all.

So, maybe this slides thru while it shouldn't is what you're saying?

 

[mtrycrafts]

Sounds like the weight may be acting like a clamp so the disc can be spun? Otherwise, it would not turn well and just slip. This is nothing like a vinyl player that sits on a platter that spins.

 

[j_garcia]

Looks like the same/similar mechanism as my old Sony ES DVD player. I used to have a Sony service center up the street, the parts were like $40 and were easy to replace. They recommended both the belt and the flex cable.

 

[highfigh]

Thank you all for answers!


I would never sell without warning the buyer. I also give people a chance to return and get a full refund if they can return it the condition they got it.
Your suggestion is good, I'll check what happens if I press once and wait for a longer period. I'm not sure if it can play without the weight since the CD really wobbles without it. Of course, I have to fix it if I'm selling it. I'll invest and even lower the price since it had to go to the shop. I know I'm bound to lose some money on it, but... What can I do? I'm not trying to con anyone (if we leave out the fact I won't be selling it for the price I think it deserves, but for the middle price these units go at after being to the shop - it's still overpriced don't ask)

Used sony xa5es for Sale | HifiShark.com

Used Sony Xa5Es for sale on 400+ second hand hifi sites & shops. Use Hifi Shark to monitor pricing and global availability

www.hifishark.com

I'll check the tutorials. I won't be doing it myself, but I'm trying to avoid being overcharged by the repair man. I'd also like to be able to give him something to start with. Funny thing is, the problem got worse after this unit spend sometime in an unheated room. When cold it responds even worse.




It most definitely is audiophool! This wasn't my purchase choice, I got it. I'd say it's way overpriced and would never buy a CD player like this. I believe a new 300-400$ CD player does everything as good as this one. But the weight is not for the warped CDs since it doesn't press the CD against the flat surface of the bottom. The CD is in the air even after the weight is placed on top, so it's completely useless. But the CD is not fixed in any way without it so I don't think it'll work without the weight. And believe it or not, the audience this player was meant for want it precisely because of the weight! I know!! Silly!

Was the weight an accessory, or did it come as an original item?

If you look inside of most disc players, you'll see that the upper arm clamps the disc in place on the spindle and the disc spins free from the rest of the transport. This player obviously has room for this, but as I was going to write in my original post, the weight will cause the disc to spin long after it should have stopped and the spindle motor/belt may not allow the main control to recognize that it should open the drawer, which is supposed to remain closed until the disc stops spinning.

If you can remove the weight, try it that way. Look at the belt with a bright light and check for lubricant- if it has any on the belt, clean it with something that's safe for rubber. Technically, alcohol isn't good for rubber, but it's a commonly used cleaner. Also, look at the belt for the spindle, if possible- if you see ANY sagging between the motor pulley and spindle, it needs to be replaced because the tension isn't adequate.

When I was in school, we were taught the concept of 'SIB-KISS'- this means 'See It Big- Keep It Simple, Stupid' and referred to people who design, well, anything.

 

[killdozzer]

Was the weight an accessory, or did it come as an original item?

Original. CD comes out still spinning. I'll try to check the belt, but it's a lot of digging.

 

[TLS Guy]

Original. CD comes out still spinning. I'll try to check the belt, but it's a lot of digging.

I had a similar issue on my Revox CD player before I sold it. It turned out to be the drawer motor. Finding one was not easy. I mention this, as both players had the same designer, Roger Lagadec.

 

[John Parks]

INTRO (feel free to skip)
My lucky streak ended abruptly. After selling a mountain of old gear, a buyer finally asked for my CD player. It's Sony XA5ES. I've been selling it for a long time and was very happy to finally find someone. And he was a cert. He said if it looks like in the pics, he's making a reservation (and it does, it's very well kept).

After bringing it in from my family house, I noticed it fails to open the tray every now and then. (And do I hate these "every now and then" problems!! For crying out loud, is it broken or not...?) I had to call it off, I had no heart or peace of mind selling a unit in that state. I won't do it.

PROBLEM
The tray will sometime open and sometime not. There's no rule. What I did to check my first suspicion was to see if it has to do with loading the CD. When you put a CD in your player it spins and gets read for the info on the number of the songs and the overall length. I thought perhaps you can't interrupt this process and it doesn't want to eject the CD while it reads it. But it's not that.

The only thing I noticed that it will happen more often after playing a CD and less often if you just keep pressing the open/close button. But it's never 100%. Every now and then it doesn't open.

Do you know what could be the usual suspects? What to check first? Everything else works.
View attachment 51858

Are you sure you want to sell it? I had one, loved it but had to sell because of the market crash in '08 (was unemployed for far too long and had to liquidate). I loved that player and one would be hard pressed to find anything new that is built so well without paying heck of a lot of money. The "puck" certainly gave it an "analog" feel...

 

[killdozzer]

Are you sure you want to sell it? I had one, loved it but had to sell because of the market crash in '08 (was unemployed for far too long and had to liquidate). I loved that player and one would be hard pressed to find anything new that is built so well without paying heck of a lot of money. The "puck" certainly gave it an "analog" feel...

Wanna buy it? I'm just teasing.

Sure I want to sell it. My substantial CD collection was left in my family house when I moved. In the meantime, all sorts of lossless files became available. I ripped what was worth anything to my NAS and went on to buy digital.

I admit, I changed a little bit. (This was hard for me to admit so go easy on me like you would on Adele )
When I brought it in for a spin, I saw that changing CDs and skipping songs and punching in the order of reproduction... It's not for me any more. I access my NAS with a laptop and just click like crazy enjoying from my listening position with out moving.

I, personally, have hard time justifying a CD player. Also, there's still money in this and I would like to extract that money. I had a serious customer for 750$ for this. I can get a second hand, basic Denon and still have 500$ from this.

 

[killdozzer]

I had a similar issue on my Revox CD player before I sold it. It turned out to be the drawer motor. Finding one was not easy. I mention this, as both players had the same designer, Roger Lagadec.

What US friends say "clean as a whistle" here in my parts we say "clean like the inside of a church" (čisto kao u crkvi) That first image sure gives the impression of easily accessible, neatly organized design. My Sony is a lot messier.
Important question; did you experience tray working on and off like I did? Sometimes opens, sometimes not? I thought if it's the motor, it should be either or. That's what's confusing about malfunctions like this. That's why I'm willing to check the belt. It could be that it sometimes slips and sometimes catches.

SIDENOTE: that song you once helped me with, the first one, got my brother a contract with a publishing house here in my country called Dallas Records. So, things took from there and he is working towards releasing an album.

 

[TLS Guy]

What US friends say "clean as a whistle" here in my parts we say "clean like the inside of a church" (čisto kao u crkvi) That first image sure gives the impression of easily accessible, neatly organized design. My Sony is a lot messier.
Important question; did you experience tray working on and off like I did? Sometimes opens, sometimes not? I thought if it's the motor, it should be either or. That's what's confusing about malfunctions like this. That's why I'm willing to check the belt. It could be that it sometimes slips and sometimes catches.

SIDENOTE: that song you once helped me with, the first one, got my brother a contract with a publishing house here in my country called Dallas Records. So, things took from there and he is working towards releasing an album.

Yes, it was intermittent. It started off doing it occasionally and then got more frequent. So I put it out of use, and then a member here wanted one, so I repaired it and sold it.

I bought the player in 1984 for $1200.00. That was the first really decent player.

 

[John Parks]

SIDENOTE: that song you once helped me with, the first one, got my brother a contract with a publishing house here in my country called Dallas Records. So, things took from there and he is working towards releasing an album.

This is kind of funny: I live in the Dallas area - that's like having a recording studio here named Zagreb Records or some such...

 

[killdozzer]

Here's the belt:

Eye inspection finds no rot or rigid parts. It stretches just fine. It's a three ridge belt;

If you can find one, it's not expensive, so I'll buy it and replace it just to be sure.

Update - Player doesn't work without the weight. 'Closing' function never ever fails, only 'open' function fails.

I'll get back with more after I replace the belt. But I'm leaning towards the switch now. It's just a feeling, though.

This is kind of funny: I live in the Dallas area - that's like having a recording studio here named Zagreb Records or some such...

Yes. It might be kind of funny to you in the US. Elsewhere it's quite common and typical for certain business. Expensive pastry shops might have French names even in Croatia and music production is often American or English names. Movie rental places were almost always US names. Pizzerias Italian even if owners and employees don't have anything to do with Italy (like Roma, Napoli etc.)

So, you're in Texas? You steer clear of every stereotype known to me. Funny fact, just the other day, out of boredom, me and my friends were trying to name all 50 US states and I did it. Ha!!! Don't mind me bragging.
I just didn't know what are formally the Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands and Guam or even Puerto Rico. But I deduced from the overall number of 50. Mainland plus Hawaii and Alaska makes 50.

 

[killdozzer]

Yes, it was intermittent. It started off doing it occasionally and then got more frequent. So I put it out of use, and then a member here wanted one, so I repaired it and sold it.

I bought the player in 1984 for $1200.00. That was the first really decent player.

In that case I can still give the motor a check. This Sony was much more expensive when it was new. Not that I make much of it, I think it's unjustified. It did have some cool options for his time. A lot of ways of programing the playback. It had variable output so you could have only the CD player and the power amp if you so wished. A rather decent headphones out with the volume for headphones, completely separated power supplies for the analogue and digital circuits (I don't think you couldn't make a superb CD player without this, but...)