Denon DCM-555II Starts Skipping Partway through Discs

M

mikerm

AK Subscriber
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I have a Denon DCM-555II CD changer that I picked up from Goodwill. I'm not sure what sort of DAC it has, but I really like the sound.

Well for some reason it seems to start skipping when playing most CDs, once they get halfway or further through the CD. If I skip to the next song, it seems to usually clear up. The first few songs will always play fine, then suddenly it will skip. These are CDs that play fine in any other disc player. This is a CD changer and it SEEMS like discs loaded in some slots might skip more than others.

And ideas on what could be causing this? I'm going to try and find another CD magazine to rule that out. Looks like this unit is compatible with Pioneer magazines. Doesn't seem like it would be the laser, otherwise I'd expect it to skip all the time or at least not in such a seemingly consistent pattern.

Thanks!
 
Is there any physical rubbing or noise from the mech? Often the shock mounts can deteriorate and as the laser sled moves out, the mech shifts and causes the magnetic puck clamp to rub on the upper frame.

Clean and lubricate (with plastics grease only) the rack and gear assembly.

Clean and light oil the sled slide/s

Put a tiny drop of oil on the spindle motor upper bearing (under the disc puck).
 
First step would be to get a good lens cleaning disk kit. Dirty readers can account for all sorts of inconsistencies during playback.
 
I haven’t opened it up yet, but I can hear a light ticking noise when the disc is spinning.

What kind of grease & oil should I get to lube it up?
 
So interestingly I discovered there were wet marks on all the CDs in my CD magazine. I cleaned them off & they played fine, until they started skipping again. Popped out the magazine & the wet marks are back. The marks look like tiny footprints & are clear, but this must be what's causing the skipping. I tried a different magazine and they still appear. Popped the top of the player & I noticed there is a ton of goopy grease around the mechanisms, but I can't really tell where the footprints are coming from, I suppose I'll need to dismantle the changer mechanism.

Is there usually something that touches the CD during the loading processes? I assumed it just sat on the little magazine tray while playing, but is there something that physically contacts the playing surface? The CD sits upside down (playing side up) in this unit.
 
Grease the rails with a white lithium grease tube (Not spray).

Clean the lens with Q-Tips and glasses cleaning liquid.

Good luck.

PS: Some lens go up and down to focus when not finding what they search for on the disc.
 
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I greased the rails with while lithium grease & cleaned the lens without any luck. Here are some pictures of the marks it's leaving on the discs.

IMG_6433

IMG_6433

Stuff on CD from Denon DCM-555II
IMG_2098

IMG_2098

Stuff on CD from Denon DCM-555II
IMG_0564 2

IMG_0564 2

Stuff on CD from Denon DCM-555II
 
I had a similar problem with my new Onkyo changer. I found out that the skipping occurs mostly at higher volume and the fact that the speakers and subwoofer are close to the stereo rack. Similarly with my turntable, I made two mat strips from an old rubber treadmill mat and placed them under the changer's feet. This seemed to clear up the malady. I was at first cleaning all of my discs after they skipped in the player, and while this sometimes worked, the player would skip on songs at the next playing time and with clean discs. My player was very suseptable to the subwoofer's vibration which caused it to skip on discs. Now I enjoy skip free music without excessively cleaning all of my discs.
 
some players are more sensitive to vibrations . i still have a pile of those to look at . maybe its how they are . dont think so though . buffering should sort it out really
 
Well it looks like greasy felt pads was the correct answer. However the patient appears to have suffered serious injury during surgery. I cleaned the pads once & the problem persisted. Cleaned them a second time & it was a lot better -- took a lot longer for the spots to return, but they still came back. The third time the pads came off entirely. It now plays without skipping BUT I can hear a rubbing sound inside the player when the disc is spinning :(

At least it was a learning experience. I was able to successfully dismantle the mechanism & reassemble it without losing any pieces. Just not sure how I could have saved the felt pads.
 
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