How do you clean your CD player? By keeping your laser lens clean. How many of us take the time to clean our cd player lens? I know I don’t. At least not until today. If you own a cd player long enough, you will experience the dreaded “unsupported disc” or similar error message on your display telling you that your cd player can’t read a disc. According to the Endust CD/DVD Lens Cleaner, you should clean your laser every 10 hours of play. Wow! Okay. I wonder how many people have replaced their cd player, or gave up on cd players altogether simply because of a dirty lens.
After almost 4 years of never skipping a beat, my Marantz CD6006 started having issues. On a whim, I put the Endust cleaning disc in, but that couldn’t be read so I figured my deck was at the end. Or maybe my laser assembly needed to be replaced. I had to do this a few times with a NAD c521i model player that I enjoyed for many years. But I had to replace the laser assembly twice. That may seem like a hassle, but it’s a cheap fix that allowed me to enjoy a nice deck. The key is finding genuine assemblies. When I found a good supplier, I bought three. I still have one left, since I no longer have that deck.
So what happened with my Marantz?
Well, on the first go around, I removed the case and gently blew on the lens. I didn’t have a direct view of the lens since I didn’t eject the tray before powering off. You need to do this to have a clear view and access to the laser lens. I checked all ribbon connections, then put the case back on. Powered up and the cd player worked. For a day.
The next day when it seemed all was lost, I pulled the case off again. This time, I ejected the tray first, then disconnected the power plug before doing anything else. With a clean, dry Q-tip, I carefully (lightly) wiped the lens clean. After securing the case, it was safe to power up.
At this point, the lens was reading all discs and I went ahead and ran the cd lens cleaner with the idea of cleaning any dust I may have missed. It was at this point, where the lady on the audio instructions recommended this be done after every 10 hours of play. I would say I missed a few cleanings over the last 4 years … and allowed years of build-up on that lens. I don’t think I’ll make that mistake again.
It is ironic how some of us — and I’m talking about myself — can be so analytical with how we handle and care for other parts of our audio system, and neglect (forget) this simple, cheap method of getting the most out of our cd players.
Fortunately, cd lens cleaners are still easy to find and cheap. You don’t need a special lens cleaner for music cd players. All you need is a cleaner designed for CD/DVD/video game console players that use the same disc size.
I don’t shop on Amazon. I prefer to support businesses direct, especially if you can find what you need locally. Check out your local office supply like Office Depot or Office Max. They have what you need. Here are the two I use. I believe the reason the Endust costs more is there are TWO brushes, instead of one. These are not paid links, so I get nothing for sharing these links. I hope you continue enjoying your CD’s!
