Coll

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I always thought that it was not necessary to clean CDs or CD players but I have recently seen adverts for lens cleaners, what are they and is it worth having one?
 

MajorFubar

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CDs need to be kept clean so the CDP laser can read the data effectively without mistracking and having to overly use digital correction (=guesswork) to fill the gaps it couldn't read.

Likewise, laser cleaners remove the build-up of airborne dust and other contaminents (like ***-smoke) which unavoidably accumulates on the lens.
 

bretty

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Lens cleaners are useful things to have, as a dirty, well dusty more than dirty, lens can cause the machine to skip. They typically are a cd with a small row of soft bristles on the underside of the disc. The disc is played like a normal cd and the bristles brush dust off of the laser lens. When I was using my CDP every day, i'd use my lens cleaner every few months.

Don't pay silly money for one made by a big brand, though, because you're just paying extra for the brand. Have a search about and get one for around a fiver.
 

MajorFubar

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Probably because they'd prefer you sent your player to them for a clean and service costing £££, or is that too cynical
smiley-embarassed.gif
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To be honest I don't use laser cleaners either; I'm not convinced they're the best method, no more than I think getting someone to spin round several dozen times and whack you in the mush with a sponge once every revolution is the best way to clean your face. I'd rather pop the lid off and clean the laser myself with a quality Q-tip very very lightly moistened with stylus cleaner. But then again I've not had a CDP with a warranty for over 20 years, so I don't have to worry about invalidating it.
 

Sizzers

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They make no suggestion to have the lens cleaned by themselves - or anyone else for that matter - just that they don't recommend the use of lens cleaners.

Not that I was ever going to use one myself; the logical suggestion being that there is a possibility that they could scratch the lens which seems perfectly reasonable to me. As soon as the warranty runs out it has always been my intention to do as you suggest and pop the lid for a gentle "wet" clean.
 

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