Arcam CD 192 repairable?

[Fenton Beasley]

It looks like my Arcam CD192 is dying. It started out as a CD72 before I upgraded the DAC a couple of years ago.

From cold, I can play a CD for about half an hour then it starts making a crackling sound and then goes silent. It's not the amp. I turn the CD192 off and back on again and it plays some more until it goes again later. The transport is fine.

Is it worth getting fixed. I like the CD192 but would it be more efficient to just get a replacement, something like an Audiolab 8200CD? How would that compare?

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

The best people to ask first would be Arcam themselves - see how much the repair bill is then go from there. Used CD192 go for £275-£400 on ebay so if the repair bill is close to that figure then you know its not worth it...

 

[Anonymous]

Funny. I just took apart my CD192 yesterday because it failed to read some CDs and started skipping mid-song on others. Luckily, it only took a lens cleaning to get it working properly again. Your case sounds like it's more difficult to fix, maybe a heat-related issue. It might be as simple as a failing solder joint, or as complex as a failing power regulator.

In any case, I would not write it off, it's still an amazing player. At the very least, get a service quote/assessment from a dealer or from Arcam.

 

[Anonymous]

Funny. I just took apart my CD192 yesterday because it failed to read some CDs and started skipping mid-song on others. Luckily, it only took a lens cleaning to get it working properly again. Your case sounds like it's more difficult to fix, maybe a heat-related issue. It might be as simple as a failing solder joint, or as complex as a failing power regulator.

In any case, I would not write it off, it's still an amazing player. At the very least, get a service quote/assessment from a dealer or from Arcam.

That's what I was thinking too.

Sounds exactly like the problem that Musical Fidelity had with the Tri-Vista SACD Player, where one of the chips would overheat and start to fail more regularily.

 

[Fenton Beasley]

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. I'm quite attached to the the old thing and I'd like to get it repaired. The trouble is, I live in Perth, Australia. I have a feeling it will cost about £300 to get repaired at my local hi-fi dealer judging from the time they repaired my old Marantz amp. It might not be worth while - financially.

They are currently offering the Audiolab 8200CD for £700 which believe me, is dirt cheap for Australia. I'm going in next Saturday to 1. Pester them some more about how much it will cost to repair the CD192 and 2. Compare the CD192 against the 8200CD while it's still working

 

[zlazoo]

Well, the symptom sounds just like what I had on mine a couple of years ago. It plays a while and the sound disappears with some crackling noise. The cause was the relay for stand-by. I bypassed the relay permanently with two wires, and the problem never came back. Relay had developed a high contact resistance.