Bryston BCD-1 - skipping problem

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Old Grouch

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Bryston BCD-1 - skipping problem
« on: 6 Mar 2024, 05:14 am »
SINCE POSTING THE MESSAGE BELOW I BOUGHT ANOTHER BCD-1 AND HOPEFULLY THAT ONE WILL WORK WELL FOR A WHILE.  LAST ONE I BUY THOUGH SINCE THEY CAN NO LONGER BE SERVICED BY BRYSTON AUDIO.  THANK YOU TO THE MEMBERS WHO REPLIED WITH THEIR ADVICE.  MUCH APPRECIATED. 👍

Hi, I own a Bryston BCD-1 which I really like.  Yes, I listen to CDs.  Lately, my CDs will skip, occasionally playing on the Bryston.  Even new ones.  I make sure the CDs are clean and even clean them with a special cloth.  To no avail.  They still skip periodically.  I switched back to my old TEAC PD-H600 CD player and the same CDs play without fault.  So it must be either dirt on the lens of the BCD-1 or something else.  I hope it’s just the lens needing a good cleaning.

Problem is, I don’t know how to do that.  I searched online and discovered that they sell discs which act as lens cleaners.  The problem there is that the reviews are mixed, from “works great” to “don’t waste your money”.  Pretty much for the same for expensive and cheaper ones.  Any recommendations ?

Thank you.
« Last Edit: 6 Mar 2024, 05:57 pm by Old Grouch »

rguising

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Re: Bryston BCD-1 - skipping problem
« Reply #1 on: 6 Mar 2024, 02:42 pm »
I have personally not had good experiences cleaning CD optical lens - Sony, Apple etc, they all have failed over time.  Maybe Bryston can service this?

mav52

Re: Bryston BCD-1 - skipping problem
« Reply #2 on: 6 Mar 2024, 04:04 pm »
Just contact Bryston and ask them

gene9p

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Re: Bryston BCD-1 - skipping problem
« Reply #3 on: 6 Mar 2024, 04:11 pm »
I believe James said at one time they no longer have drives for the BCD-1 if it needs repair or replacement.

thorman

Re: Bryston BCD-1 - skipping problem
« Reply #4 on: 7 Mar 2024, 01:15 am »
 A couple years ago I was given a vintage Panasonic CD  Player that the owner no longer wanted because of constantly skipping. I took it home and took a cotton swap dipped in Rubbing Alcohol and 5 minutes after cleaning the Lens with it it has not skipped in two years.
Nothing to lose if you try.......

Jozsef

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Re: Bryston BCD-1 - skipping problem
« Reply #5 on: 7 Mar 2024, 08:26 am »
The transports are not available any more. I do not know if that means the laser can't be replaced but they wear out and I believe the symptom is skipping on ever more discs and with ever increasing frequency.

Cleaning the lens very carefully is a good idea. Rubbing alcohol will likely leave a cloudy residue behind, which you can check by putting some on a clean mirror. I would use 99% isopropyl mixed with distilled water in a ratio of 3/4 alcohol and 1/4 water. A cotton swab can be used, as I said, carefully.

A good alternative is a BDP and a BDA of any vintage and you can rip CDs with any computer drive to lossless files. It's one nuisance per disc against future convenience. If you have a working player now, there's time to plan your next move. Enjoy.  :D

R. Daneel

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Re: Bryston BCD-1 - skipping problem
« Reply #6 on: 9 Mar 2024, 08:12 am »
The transports are not available any more. I do not know if that means the laser can't be replaced but they wear out and I believe the symptom is skipping on ever more discs and with ever increasing frequency.

Cleaning the lens very carefully is a good idea. Rubbing alcohol will likely leave a cloudy residue behind, which you can check by putting some on a clean mirror. I would use 99% isopropyl mixed with distilled water in a ratio of 3/4 alcohol and 1/4 water. A cotton swab can be used, as I said, carefully.

A good alternative is a BDP and a BDA of any vintage and you can rip CDs with any computer drive to lossless files. It's one nuisance per disc against future convenience. If you have a working player now, there's time to plan your next move. Enjoy.  :D

Cleaning the lens won’t help. It will need an overhaul and possibly a new pickup assy. Like so many boutique manufacturers, Bryston used a pretty unremarkable transport in its pricey machine. As a result, very few specialists bother working on them and when they do, it usually costs the customer dearly.

Like Krell, Densen and all the other boutique makes, Bryston will blame the manufacturer of the drive – Philips no longer makes it so we don’t take responsibility for it. But It’s as lame of an excuse as anything because Philips wasn’t the one who took your money.

I am sorry to tell you this but you won’t find what you are looking for on this forum. Bryston didn’t make the mech nor do they know how to fix it – they would need to understand how it works first.

The good news is, this mech was used in hundreds of CD players and a working one could be sources from one of those players so you might want to look into that.