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Only if I suspect someone has tinkered with it. Otherwise I leave it alone. If a system worked fine for 30 years OK with whatever power it had, it should be good for 30 years more. This is after I reduced power on some Sony BU-1 lasers and later having found out that they came out from some factories with 0.3mW. Some makers, like Arcam make their players work well with 0.025mW and I leave those alone too.

It's true that for instance power supply is not that elaborate in this as it is in CD-94, not not mention some others, but it's still OK. After 30+ years only minor work is required to get it going.

Spray into any switch opening while working the switch

@@hear-net-au with compresses air or isopropyl alkohol? what is electronic cleaning solvent in your video?

@@tomaszapan936 it is a spray I buy in a local electronics parts shop. It's important that there's no lubricant in it. Isopropyl under pressure should be OK

No, I haven't. I try to stay away from SACD players if I can and I recommend to my clients to do the same. I do get asked quite often, when both suppliers, agents and authorized workshops refuse to even look at them, stating they are now obsolete and superseded by newer models

@@hear-net-au Thank you, I'd probably follow suit, if it wasnt for Analogue Productions & Mobile Fidelity releases delivering pure bliss in spades. Had some peace n quiet to enjoy AP's issue of The Doors LA Woman yesterday evening and wow, just wow.

@@paulb4661 I have OPPO player for the occasional SACD. And in order other system a cheap Pioneer SACD player. Pioneer is not really high end company, but they were always leaders in optical reader technology. So they're cheap and reliable

@@hear-net-au What a coincidence, have a PD-D9mk2 myself! Well made with quality components, Kitamura trafos and WM8741s in direct DSD mode. I did swap 2134s for Muses01s and replaced carbon with precision thin metal films in the audio path though.

@@paulb4661 mine is PD-D6 :-D

It sure is! How much did you pay?

@@hear-net-au Paid about $20 with some discount. I actually went back and forth and in the end decided to get it.

Have you had it for a long time or just got it? If it's a new acquisition, then turn up it's pre-amp, for on power up the volume is set to zero. Which of course you know if you had it for some time. It does have a mute function, but that's reset on every power up (I think). Then, different input could be selected to the one you're trying to use. Finally, send it to me ;-)

No, I have not. I normally stay away from Yamaha players for they mostly do not have good mechanisms. Also design quality and construction only raises in top models. Having said that, maybe they simply don't fail that much.

@@hear-net-au I understand, I wanted to try an Yamaha used player CD-S300, I currently have a Denon 600NE, the cheapest one I could get and wanted to see if there is any audible difference vs the Yamaha players. Have you worked on other good players during your years of servicing, ie. from Denon or other brands, I am really curious to find out if there are any hidden gems or other companies that made or still made decent cd players.

Yes, most Esoteric / Teac / Tascam units are easy to do. Normally, there will be couple of links on the power board that need to be changed.

@@hear-net-au Do you happen to have any videos or pictures or instructions on how it can be done please? Gtateful.

@@victorchew818 No, I do not. Whereas it's normally pretty obvious how to do it in Teac/Esoteric gear, I looked at this video and what I've said at the time, was that new trafo was needed. This suggests that it was not an international model, but one for Japanese domestic market and hence, there's no board with links. If yours is like that, then you have to get a new transformer. Measure secondary voltages on your unit and buy a transformer locally that has the same secondaries, with primary voltages as required in your country.

@@hear-net-au Thank you. I am grateful for your guidance.

No, secondaries have to stay the same. It's primaries that are either in series or in parallel. That is if you do have two primaries.

@@hear-net-au Thanks 👍 it does two primaries.

That is exactly the meter I am using

I don't really remember for this was many years ago. But start with taking off the CD clamp by releasing one of the tabs on its pivot point. Then you should be able to work out how to remove the tray. Never force it out if it does not want to come out - find out why it doesn't. Once you remove it, make sure you see whet is position of the gears that drive it is, because in some players it is critical.

I'll have a look. That frequency is 4.32181MHz and the closer younger to it, the better. Normally, there's a pot to adjust it. Most of my diagrams come from either hifiengine.com or elektrotanya.com

@@hear-net-au Thank you very much. I will adjust the pot to achieve that frequency. I downloaded the Krell SM but it does not cover the 4B10018600 board. Even referencing the connectors, it merely says "5 wires to Parasound." I understand that the board (Sanyo, I think) is used in several machines, so I've been trying to find an SM for another machine with the schematic for that board. No luck so far. Love the CD videos.

This video was shot 7 years ago, so I do not really remember. But from what I can see the belt is easily accessible from the top. The motor just unclips. There should be a way o f separating the cogs so that you can insert a new belt. I can't tell you exactly, because I don't have one of these on hand. If there isn't, then mechanism removal is just 3 screws, but admittedly, there can be an issue with the laser ribbon cable unplugging.

Do you know which one?

You can buy a special meter. For about $25 it will tell you the capacitance and ESR (Equivalent Series Resistance). They come with a table specifying acceptable leakage depending on capacitance and voltage and you just compare the reading with the table - if they differ significantly, then the cap is leaky (behaves too much like a resistor instead of capacitor). Sadly, these meters are only good once you remove the components from the circuit, so you need to remove a few of different capacity to form a view. Starting with ones closest to sources of heat, like voltage regulators. If you want to measure capacitors in circuit, that is without removing them, then you need one costing $120+

Which Sony ES is this and what is wrong with it?

I simply don't know. Once I go back to it (one day), I'll make sure to tell you. With SACD players, it's hard - even for me - to know which pot does what, even though I have a laser meter. This is because it is an old meter which does not differentiate between the two wavelengths.

Adjusting the RF level on the optical block is not the answer. Yes it might start playing, but if you have to do this then the laser diode is weak to start with and all you are doing is hastening its demise and you will soon be back to this point. The only solution is to replace the optical block.

Most of the ES Series were good as transports. I used to use 338ESD ad transport for 3 or maybe 4 years and I have 30 CD players to choose from. It was relieved of its duties only when I got X7ESD (and now Wadia 16, which I also use as DAC)

The same meaning square rubber belts ;-) I don't normally measure belts but simply fit them from the stock I have. Sorry that I can't be more helpful

​@@hear-net-auOk thanks I get it now there are square belts on eBay that fit there previous models azur

What parts are you talking about?

Indeed

So true

There are couple of potentiometers underneath laser head. They are visible at the start of the video. I have a laser meter of course, so I don't go too far

Ahh ok, yes there’s 2 under the ribbon connector. Left or right pot? Clockwise for more power ?

It probably needs a recap of all the small value ones underneath the mech. Get someone good at SMD work to do it

Thank you

Nippon Chemi-con are very good. If you need to replace any capacitors, this is always a good choice.

Normally small ones do have higher values of ESR. Faulty ones have values which are markedly higher than the ones which are published as within specifications

@@hear-net-au True, it's just that when I compare most of these smaller values in tiny package from 2 decades ago or so, they are at least twice the esr or more, than that of replacements. Small value caps from quality gear twice the age, mostly give better results, but are physically much larger at a given capacity/voltage rating. Perhaps there is a pattern there?

@@paulb4661 yes, you could be on to something here

Yes, if you have the appropriate meter. This is in fact what I'm doing in the video. Sadly, these meters are more expensive than the ones that are accurate only out if the circuit, and you have to spend around $100 on one of these.

You would think so, wouldn't you? But at 1.5MHz it does not look that square. Philips players have triangular output which looks like Sydney opera House sails. C.E.C. ones - depending on model look like waves or signatures of a drunken doctor. Really square ones are a rarity.

I2S is the same as spdif but split into parts. I don't like modern units, because of their poor loaders and mechanisms

@@hear-net-au absolutelly I don't like them either... I like i2s though and I think It would be an interesting comparison. Wadia 16 spdif vs modern i2s transport. 😱

Better design. C. E. C. appear to mangle their SPIDIF output on purpose. You can see some of C. E. C. traces by searching CEC on my channel

@@hear-net-au Thanks for the information. Yes, I’ve seen the CEC “waves” in your and Lampizator’s sites. One of these days, I’ll compare the sound from AES vs SPDIF to see if I hear the difference. I’ll admit that I bought the CEC because I like CD loading mechanisms that are out of the ordinary like my Naim CD5si and Rega Apollo. I don’t have “golden ears.”

I love green. It is my favourite colour. But it just looks unprofessional. I managed to remove it with the solvent. But I left it around laser mech.