Did I make a mistake recommending the Audiolab 6000CDT ? Does it damage your cd's?
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- čas přidán 17. 05. 2022
- In this video I answer to some comments that I got on my audiolabd 6000 series review. Does the loading mechanism from the 6000CDT scratches cd's?
Small scratches are NOT damage. Great post and an awesome explanation. You went to the trouble to do this. Your opinion is worth it's weight thanks
I bought the CDT after reading/watching a number of reviews. The first two cds I put in did scratch slightly. However, I then studied how I had put them into the player and how I had taken them out. I noticed that when taking out I was tilting the disc downwards. This had the effect of slightly brushing the surface of the disc against the metal lip of the casing. I then took discs out by lifting slightly upwards when taking out and now, no scratches! So, I think it comes down to how you remove them. I did the same 50 in and 50 out and no scratches whatsoever! The player is superb by the way. The sound and build quality are both first-class. Hope this helps.
Hi, thanks for watching. In one of my other videos I addressed the part of putting the cd in the mechanism the correct way. I used that method (exactly what you described) for all 50 attempts. The damage is more or less negligible, but not zero.
It is a great player. I use it every day.
I always put them in at a slight upward bias.....but it's the pinchers/grabbers that are scratching the edge of the discs no matter how careful you are. This goes for when the cd is ejected then if it tries to pull it back in, there will be damage. I'm absolutely livid with these machines after just over a year.
For anyone interested I have discovered something about this unit with reference to the scratching of CDs. If you are concerned, try giving the CD a bit of a push when loading into the slot. The push will eliminate the "misgrab". I discovered as I discussed below that the scratching seems to occur only when the mechanism does not grab the CD immediately and there is some spinning before drawing it in. The Swans CD "The Seer" that it scratched was CD 2 and I inserted CD 1 by pushing it in and no scratches. I did it a few times this way and still no scratches. Doing it this way with a couple of other CDs gave the same results. I have yet to conclusively prove this by doing it with many more but I think this is a good start. I hope that giving the mechanism this little bit of assistance by pushing the CD does not put undue stress on it. FYI.
This was a valuable "experiment" for anyone (including myself) concerned about the 6000's ability to scratch your CDs beyond playability. Thank you for your time and effort here.
My pleasure. Luckily the 6000CDT will never damage your CD’s that bad.
- Thanks for watching 👍☕️🔊
This transport will play many cds that are unplayable in other players.Just play your discs and enjoy. Best wishes Terry uk 🇬🇧 ❤.
And this ‘problem’ is too small to worry about. Just connect to a good DAC and enjoy your cd collection.
I read that the scratch is caused by inserting the CD angled, not precisely horizontal. Note the tester puts them in carefully.. horizontally.
Owned my for 3 plus years. Never an issue.
The CDs I love just get ripped and stored safely
There aren’t that many that get such protection
In reality I doubt it really matters at all as is demonstrated and discussed in the video
I have had tray, top and slot loaders
I suppose I like top the best but I like the 6000 CDT a lot
This video just came into my feed and I subscribed as it was well made and rational
Way too many of the commentators get the vapors too easily
I had graduated from college when CDs were introduced and I am very well acquainted with CDs 💿 ❤
So far none of my cds have been scratched. That said, I have an old cd that is incredibly scratched and I almost threw it away because it was unplayable on other players. However it plays perfectly from start to finish on the AL 6000-CDT
Even though the damage is superficial, I'm rather shocked the answer is "yes." Nicely done and great background info.
I know, but this also can happen in ‘normal’ CD players. Or those cardboard sleeves that some CD’s come in (they are probably worse).
- Factually, after 50 times, the cd was not as clean as when I started at 1. But it was nothing compared to the damaged CD’s that I show in the video. Nothing to worry about.
I've owned the 6000CDT for almost 2 years. Plays everything I throw at it from my +1000 CD library. What's reveling is, this library has been accumulated over the past 30 years and played exclusively on tray loading carousel CD players, and alot of my CD's show scratches and wear from that time/usage. So, my take on this is, your gonna get some scratching/wear regardless of what ever loading mechanism you use. I have proof.
Luckily CD’s are not very fragile. You need to do some real damage before they start skipping.
Thnx for this review!!
I own and use this cd transport daily for two years now.
I have 400-500 cds from 1986-2000 period, and recently purchased 100-150 new ones. They All play fine, even some older ones with some real scratches on them.
There are many slot loading transports, including the Audiolab 8000…… not aware of “scoffing problem “ with them at all.
How you insert and remove a disk can cause some problems, just like with vinyl records.
I am sure there have been some faulty units, just like with any electro-mechanical device, at any price.
Hi, thank you for adding this information.
- As I said in the video. It does not do big scratches and if there are any scratches it is very, very minimal.
- I use it also every day, it is a great transport. What DAC Are you using?
I have a 6000CDT, I use every day. It my leave micro scratches on the CDs, I not sure, I have never seen any evidence that can be seen with the naked eye. I will say, it plays some really badly scratched CD's. I have read that the software and laser not only read the current pit on the CD, but reads ahead as well for comparison and error correction. I have played CDs that were stacked up on a tool box in my garage for 10 years. It played every single one except one. After some windex, and chapstick, and a bit of rubbing with a cotton cloth, the 6000CDT played this very badly damaged CD without a skip. The claim of this unit damaging your CD beyond playability, seem unbelievable.
As a side note, I have ripped CDs and burned them to a CDR, this unit played the CDR identically to the original. For the money, it is pretty damn good buy. The sound is very good for this price point. If you have CDs that are irreplaceable, rip them and play the copies.
I've had my 6000CDT for about a year and finally noticed the scratches the other day on a brand new disc. I did not believe it until I saw telltale "lines" of faint scratches every time I put the new disc in. It only seems to happen though if the mechanism does not grab the CD right away and it spins a few times before being drawn in. I love the unit and it pairs incredibly well with my Lavry DA11. I am now thoroughly satisfied with digital sound listening to this combo and until the 6000CDT I never was and regretted selling my JA Michell gyrodec and all my vinyl in the mid 90s. This combo though is a vinyl/analogue beater. These kinds of scratches do not affect the data layer, only deep scratches, smudges and dirt on the laser itself affect playback. However, I still do not have a good feeling about using a transport scratching CDs and am thinking of upgrading to the 7000CDT. Anyone have thoughts on the 7000CDT? It seems to have some issues too, such as vibration and incompatibility with some DACs like the Benchmark. The 7000 is on sale currently for $869 CAD.
Indeed those scratches are not a problem for playback.
I noticed that the cd's that have a misgrab sometimes seem to be a bit thicker than normal cd's 🤷♂️
Other than that I still love the 6000.
I have no experience with 7000 so I can't tell.
@@theaudiophilebarista2424 Hi and thanks. Yes, you're right some CDs are thicker. The one I used was a Swans release "The Seer". If possible, can you review/assess the 7000?
@@theaudiophilebarista2424 Hi again. I went and looked at a few CDs, ones that I have played several times and I remember that there was no issue drawing the CD in and there are absolutely no scratches on those CDs. This seems to be an intermittent glitch and not worth getting nervous over. I am very glad to have found your channel and I have also read some articles and have decided to hold off on the 7000. Maybe there is a 7000 or even a 9000 in the future for me but not for now. I am thoroughly pleased with the sound coming from the 6000. Cheers!
Reply
It's like anything that you handle like vinyl records or cd's. If you're careful in loading or putting a record on the platter it's unlikely you'll damage them. I have 6000cdt and the 7000cdt. The 7000cdt has a loading tray and both are excellent transports. And as an added bonus both were on sale when purchased them.
Thanks. This helps. I am thinking of upgrading to the 7000CDT as per above comment about the 6000.
I also have this transport and love it.
It will read and play cd's my last player would not touch.
Good for you for feeding that cd in and out 50 times !!
It must have taken a little while.
Cheers from Canada
It took about 50 times 😁 (actually I noticed afterwards that I missed one so it’s really 51)
- This is a great transport. There is no reason to not buy it because of this little ‘problem’.
Both the 8300CDQ and the 6000CDT does this.... pinch marks on two brand new Japanese CDs last night. Nearly threw the things out the window. Never am I using slot loaders for audio CDs again. Anyone said anything to Audiolab about this? Trading standards?
Yess of course, that is the reason the audiolab 7000 cdt is not the same mechanism. To many people returning the cd player...
Air and Zero 7... Great music!
I have a collection of about 1200 CDs. The Audiolab 6000CDT put large scratches on 3 of my CDs. And I loaded CDs into this transport no more than 10 times before I removed it from my stereo system. These scratches were easily visible without the help of any visual aids. I even took a photo of a scratched CD with my old cellphone and included it in my one-star review on Amazon. [EDIT: I tried to insert a link to my review so you can see the photo for yourself, but CZcams seems to be blocking it. Just look for the one-star review from "DJ".]
I have had many of my CDs for 30+ years and 95% of them are as pristine as the day I bought them. The only time I have gotten scratches on them was through mishandling on my part. I have never had a CD transport scratch my discs by simply inserting it into a drive to play it. I have also had two cars with slot-loading CD players that were used over and over and they never scratched my discs.
It is true that the scratches are on the surface of the disc, which is above the focus depth of the laser. Therefore, play isn't affected. But that is not the point!!! A CD transport mechanism that is worth darn should not damage the disc through normal use. I had 3 out of 10 disc insertions scratch my discs--big scratches. I didn't need to insert one disc 50 times to show damage. I think Audiolab bought a lot of transport mechanisms that were either poorly designed or had poor quality assurance in their manufacturing process. That would explain why some of the units are more troublesome than others. I returned my Audiolab and purchased another transport with an old drawer-style loader. I haven't scratched any discs since.
Thanks for sharing. I think people need to be aware of this. I never had any such big scratches as you describe. I keep using mine because it sounds better than my other players. It also reads some discs that my other players reject
@@theaudiophilebarista2424 I was really disappointed by this flaw in the loader. I'm glad you got a good one because the player really does put out a clean bit stream that sounds great.
Nice video!
I own the 6000cdt in Black. I'm sure my friends I lend my CDs to make more scratches on The CDs than The Audiolab.
If I've played a CD 50 times I'll probably be 12 years older... I'm afraid De Audiolab has already had its day at that time.. and so am I 😒
Enjoy your time and the music you share with it. ;)
2-1/2 yrs service and no discernable scratching. The act of cleaning & handling is more likely to cause problems than the load mechanism. Out of caution, I do think that every few years, that gently cleaning the internal rollers and slot would be advisable, esp in dustier environments, if only for peace of mind.
Good point. Thank you 👍☕️🔊
Not seeing any scratching of my CD's with this transport.
Hi, glad to hear that. I really had to use a magnifying glass to see them. If you are careful there is no cause for concern.
Thanks for sharing 👍
I’ve got a couple that look like somebody chunked em out of the car at 70mph. Play beautifully
👍 If the 6000 does not play it, no player will.
Never had a problem with mine
Good to hear. Thank you for sharing 👍☕️🔊
I've been playing CD's constantly for 10 hours a day on my Audiolab 6000 for the past 3 months and it has not scratched one CD.
That's what I thought too for a year until the other day I noticed them on a brand new CD. They happen only if the mechanism does not grab the CD right away and it spins a few times before being drawn in. I notice the scratches now when looking at other CDs I have played, but not all of them. However, as the reviewer states they are minimal and do not affect play.
But the REAL test is, when you compare the scratching of this Audiolab to another CD player. You mentioned you have Rega, can you please read a CD with the Rega 50 times and tell us the results?
I have this transport. I guess the give and take of this is. It will play unplayable CDs I have. Keep CDs in their cases and have a nice day.
It is a great transport. It will never create scratches like on the scratched CD’s that I demonstrated. So just play your CD’s and have a nice day 👍
The only thing I've found with my 6000CDT is that it ejects pre-recorded CD's a lot better than made-up CD's for whatever the reason. I haven't had a scratch issue at all.
In fact it'll play CD's that were unplayable on my old player.
Good morning Ivar.
I bought a Audiolab 6000A. It was a demoex with 3 years warrenty. I can see that you have the other gears over it. Is it not sensetiv for to much heat ?
Have a nice day Claes
Hi, the 6000A is a great amp. I never had any heat problems with this setup.
- Normally I do not stack equipment on top of each other at all (in my own system) but the 6000 series is probably used like this in most cases.
- My girlfriend (she is going to use this set) never plays loud so heat will not be a problem in her case.
- Also, I don’t prefer equipment with a lot of ventilation holes on top because it gathers dust more easily and in case of any ‘accident’ nothing can fall into the amplifier.
Sometimes a CD doesn't eject all the way out .need to pull it out manually..I reckon it gets scratched when I do this occasionally..
Please read my comment above about "misgrab". I have mostly proven what causes these minor scratches.
thanks, I pass!!! on buy that thing! I HATE scratches on my MINT CDs. Just please stop to say that scratches are not important, I mean yes I know a couple of scratches cannot affect the play! but cosmetically yes! and that affect the value of a CD too.
I did not say scratches are not important (why do you think I made this video?).
- I did say the scratches are so small you don't need to worry. Not for optics and not for sound.
- But there are more than enough options out there so the choice is up to you
@@theaudiophilebarista2424 I worry for any scratch, even smallest. Let me ask you: "what's the point to pay more for Mint CD without any scratch is when arrive to my me, my player will leave small scratches" ? But yes thank you for the video, I pass on buy the audiolab, this video confirms what many people says. People that says don't scratch is because they don't care about scratches.
You might get different results if you had had the unit in use for a few years with it collecting dust/grit and whatever from the environment on the thin fabric 'covers' in the slot. That would be my concern.
I wouldn't rule this out based on it having a slot loading mechanism as it's meant to be very very good , it just makes me concerned (for the reason I say above)
Maybe I will redo the test in a few years. It does have my concern. That is why I did this in the first place. Thanks for your comment 👍
Not pulling the cd out straight is probably the issue. Like if you pull out and slightly down it may scratch the cd.
I am aware of that of course so I was very careful.
I do think it is a design flaw when you have to be so cautious.
Anyways, the scratches were extremely small.
@@theaudiophilebarista2424 agreed , it’s a design flaw.
@@dougg1075 Indeed, but given the price (especially secondhand) and the quality. I'll take it.
Thanks for that. That's why I would never buy a slot-loading CD player. Even if the scratches it produces are light, it could affect the amount of money you get if you trade in CDs at your local record store, or sell them, as I do sometimes. And many of my CDs have been played more than 50 times over the years, so would end up scratched.
Your cd's are not really any safer in a normal cd player and you will be missing out on some great cd play.
@@theaudiophilebarista2424 Tray loading CD players don't scratch CDs.
@@mikrophonie5633 Well, I guess you have been lucky
@@mikrophonie5633 every tray loading cd player i’ve had scratches disks.
@@boostedoctane8041 That's nonsense. You must be scratching them some other way.
With what?!?
Neadle?!?🤔
Where can I buy the weight on the cd player?
Some turntables stores. Its a clamp for vinyl disc.
Thanks.
As far as I know, it's a doorstop
It’s a doorstop.
Ordered one yesterday...wish I had seen this video :(
I understand. Just be aware when putting in a cd. It is a great machine. I am still using it everyday in my main system.
Have you noticed any scratches? Ive just ordered one. Its on its way tomorrow. Bit concerned.
Physical media is suseptible to damage. I would be more concerned about the life span of the laser and the reliability of the drawer/ grab mechanism, which seem to be the first casualities of playback.
I agree. But that is not the subject of this video.
I recently bought a Denafrips CD transport. It has no grab mechanism and no drawer.
Not because I don’t trust the Audiolab but because I wanted a top loading CD player
Yes. Sorry. Off topic.
whats this? Never had any scratchings....
Glad to hear.
They were very, very small. But I did have some.
Thanks for watching 👍
What is on top of the cd player?
It's a door stop! A weight, nothing more......
Its a clamp for turntable, in did.
It's a doorstop. We’ve got one behind our door!
Will this play PS3 discs?
Hi, I have no experience with PS3 discs, but this transport only reads the digital data from a cd.
The manual makes no mention of PS3 discs.
I just found out about this and checked my CD’s that I listen more often...indeed slot mechanism is scratching them across whole length of the surface aprox. 2 mm in width...what now dammit...im so mad...you can say whatever you want but this sucks big time
That sucks indeed. Sorry to hear.
- The scratches I noticed are nowhere near as big as you describe, but it is worth knowing this.
- Maybe some dirt in there? Try cleaning it maybe?
I just tested it with the CD i dont use for listening...tried putting it in and out several times, contrary to the experience that someone wrote down, scratches show up when inserting CD , when CD is “hanging” a bit downwards while going in, then the slot mechanism makes scratches, it doesnt have to do anything with how you take the CD’s out (I tried to tilt it down alot when taking it out but no scratches). You have to insert it perfectly leveled with the door or even slightly tilted up...hope I helped someone...smh 😔
Thanks 👍 I did describe this in another video, but is worth repeating. Thanks for sharing
@@theaudiophilebarista2424 now when i look at it more, its not that slot mechanism is making scratches...door is very narrow, so if CD is tilted a bit down when going in, the entrance of the door scratches it...im thinking to add some thin tape on lower part of the entrance or I'll just have to be more careful
@@sfxjura8834 I am very careful, but something to protect from the underside of the slot might actually be a good idea 👍
SFxJura , good reply/help. Thanks
You can get fine felt or velour at a fabric shop that might be perfect to apply to the top side of the slot. Good luck
idk it's kinda common sense that CDs only go into CD player and case. Not bare on a desk, floor, pocket
It should be.
Hoi ivar.
Precies wat jij uitlegt die hele fijne kleine krasjes zijn geen probleem.
Het zijn de grote diepe krassen die vaak een probleem opleveren.
En de cdt is gewoon een hele goede transport.
Gr André de vries.
Dag André, inderdaad. Dit is echt geen reden om dit transport niet aan te schaffen.
I had two of these from different retailers and they both scrached discs significantly. Worse than any other slot loader I have used over the years. The problem with your test is that it doesn't account for variabilty with dimentions and materials used on CD's, position/leveling of the player. Manufacturing variances and calibration variances from the factory, etc. Ultimately I don't think a CD player that can scratch your CD's is acceptable but to each their own.
FYI .... give the CD a small push when inserting to the mechanism to prevent "misgrabbing". It is the misgrabbing that scratches CDs. When it does not grab right away and you hear spinning that is when the scratches can occur, though not always. I have proven this. When I give the CD a tiny push it moves into the slot and is grabbed right away without the extra spinning. No scratches. Ultimately though, unless a scratch affects the data layer there is no affect to the sound. Only the looks and worth of the CD are affected. Error correction handles almost all scratches unless they are significantly deep or long resulting in drops, skips or unreadability. There a many audiophiles that read audiophile psychobabble into this thinking that it mysteriously affects the sound. A laser reads 0s or 1s. That's all. Nothing in between and so there is no "interpretation of the music going on" as do many audiophiles claim. It does not read half a 1 or half a 0. It is all or nothing. If it doesn't read it, it's an error and as I said, error correction software will step in and enter the missing bit. If it is a long string of bits then you will get a drop, or skip or it won't read at all. The 6000 adds minor scratches on the opposite side, not on the data layer. There is nothing to worry about.
slot-loading transport is the problem...
Yes and it is too small a problem to worry about it.
@@theaudiophilebarista2424 yeap not a big deal really
Yes, avoid to buy it.
@@theaudiophilebarista2424 To me is a big problem.
@@JohnSmith-zl8rz Why?
Not very cool! I've just checked the last 13 CD's I've brought, 9 of them have grab scuffs, most of them are very light and run the length of the side it grabbed, and about .75mm thick. I thought they were fine on first inspection, but under a phone light they aren't hard to spot once you know what to look for, the album I've played 4 times has 4 marks.
This does indeed suck a bit of dick, as this player is fucking rad (other than unresponsive buttons) but the marks are extremely light, the sort that buff-out in about 10 seconds, I know they devalue albums, and I have many high value discs but honestly I'll only be parting ways with them when I'm lowered into a grave 😆
I owned a 6000 CDT. After inserting and ejecting a new CD, I noticed a very small scratch upon the CD. However, despite the micro-scratches, the CD played without any issues. Anyways, I decided to purchase a new CD player with a tray type (not a sliding type).
I hope it was a 7000CDT or 9000CDT because nothing else will come close in this price range. All have jitter and mediocre sound inducing digital fatigue.
I always believed these slot loading systems did slight damage to your discs. Guess I was right.
They do. Just remember that I also said that the damage is extremely minimal. No reason not to choose one.
Cds can scratch and they still
Play and sound the same. Who cares, this is just audiophile adhd
I guess you missed the whole point of the video Mr. Obvious.
@@theaudiophilebarista2424 the fact you took The time to reply to me is hilarious. You
Must fall into the audiophile adhd category and spend your life savings on snake oil gear. I didn’t miss the point of the video, it’s simply about cds losing their value which are only 8 to 10$ these days anyway. Stay at Starbucks, cus this ain’t working for you
@@werefed8613 So yes. You missed the point of the video.
Thank you for demonstrating 👍
@@theaudiophilebarista2424 LOL
@@werefed8613 No the fact that you bothered with the video and to reply like you did is the hilarious thing given your obvious indifferent attitude to the topic....
I will never ever buy any cd player with such a loading mechanism like we found in the '90s in our car radio / CD player. This is not some hi-fi stuff to me. I prefer a classic loading mechanism in metal like in my Linn Ikemi and Karik 3. Also had a Naim Audio CD5XS with a totally manual tray loading, it's not modern, but you can't damage your CDs with this kind of mechanism.
I understand where you are coming from.
I still have some old Linn, Arcam, Quad, Rega CD players.
But as I said in the video, the damage is so mimimal, I don’t care using this transport.
And the audiolab, denafrips combo sounds better than any of my integrated players.
As long as people keep playing their cd's I am okay with it 😉👍🔊☕️
I’d never accept a cd player that scratched cd's.
It’s a free world.
I am still using mine because the scratches are too small to bother me (as I said in the video) and this transport has an amazing price / performance ratio
Then get the 7000 cdt.
@@petervdveenmuisThe reliability isn't good on the 7000.
@@martinclift3843 Didn’t know that; thnx👍
@@martinclift3843 yes, that seems like an issue. Vibration problems on some CDs and incompatibility issues with certain DACs. Hopefully the problems will be addressed.
a CD transport that scratches CD's, that's just ridiculous ! very bad design ! get a top loading CD transport.
Which toploading transport would you recommend?
@@theaudiophilebarista2424 Denafrips Avatar
@@dingskydongsky That is a very nice looking machine. Do you use it?
- It is also 3 times as expensive as the Audiolab (6 times if you consider what I paid for mine).
- I may put it on my short list 😉
Virtually all slot loading CD players scratch cds. I e had a sony,emotiva,audio lab. All did it to some extent. Sony was the worst.