[dubkarma]

Can't find anything definitive in this in other threads. I'm wondering if my BCD-1 needs service.

It's been in light use for perhaps 18 months. From the beginning, it would skip on the last or second-last track of Lucinda Williams' "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" CD. Now I notice it won't play Linton Kwesi Johnson's "LKJ in Dub" at all: just produces an error message. (FWIW, this is a CD version of the original 1980 LP).

The puzzling thing is that I have a number of other CD players/transports and none of them have any problem with either of these discs: most of them are older than the BCD-1 (Teac VRDS-25 from 1995, Teac VRDS-25X from 1998, Teac P-70 from 2002; also Tascam CD-01U Pro from 2009).

So does my BCD-1 require service or a software update or. . .?

[Mag]

IMO the BCD-1 has superior circutry than other brands. Therefore it is picking up copy protection glitches. It is quite common for cds I copy to skip on either the last two tracks usually the last track.

Thursday my BCD-1 was acting strange. The remote wouldn't work. The front panel buttons wouldn't work. And I noticed on one track the time counting down then back up. Never seen that before. Yesterday it worked fine without any problems.

Also I notice that when copying cds on my standalone burner. The copy usually sounds better played on the BCD-1. This is only a marginal improvement. I use only the best cd-r either FujiFilm or Verbatim.

[mkaiser]

Iam surprised at the number of people with malfunctioning Bryston cd players and/or remotes. Ive been a proud owner of my BCD1 for almost 3 years and have had zero issues and this is without any of the firmware updates. Strange indeed 

If superior quality circuitry is picking up copyright glitches then, maybe inferior circuitry is the way to goooo.......

[Mag]

You remember the Sony cds that were imbedded with software to mess with your computer? I came across two and you can't copy them with a standalone burner nor PC. Who knows what happens when it hits the DAC.

The weird stuff that happens on my BCD-1. I believe is from poltergeist activity in my home. I'm sure if I sent it in for repair it would come back A-okay with a question ?.

[Stu Pitt]

There were some Sony CDs with copy protection a while back that had a very simple way around it - trace the outside edges of the disc with a black marker.  Sony spent millions on the technology, and a $0.50 marker negates it.

I don't know if it'll work for you guys or not.  Only way to find out is to try.

[dubkarma]

Back to my original question: has anybody sought service from Bryston for a BCD-1 skipping or refusing-to-play problem? If so what did the good folks in Peterborough (or at your country's service centre) say?

Was it just, "Sorry, the BCD-1 won't play some discs or won't play them properly"?

Or was it, "No problem; send it in and we'll take care of it"?

Or was it, "Download and install software fix XYZ and you should have no more issues"?

Or. . .

To be honest, I've owned a dozen or so CD players since 1988 and none of them, except the BCD-1, has ever had a problem playing any CD I've tried.

True, the Teac VRDS-25X did develop a skipping problem, but that was with many discs and a local tech soon verified that the 12-year-old optical pick-up needed replacing. Nary a problem since.

And it seems unlikely that a BCD-1 should have a dodgy optical pick-up right from new. That would be totally un-Bryston-like.

[James Tanner]

Hi,

Because the Bryston CD Player is a 'Redbook' only CD player there are some disc's that will not play due to 'copy code' issues or 'Data files (pictures etc.)' on the disc but usually once it plays it should not have a problem unless the disc has more than 38 cuts.

It sounds to me like a drive issue in this case.

james

[dubkarma]

Hi,

Because the Bryston CD Player is a 'Redbook' only CD player there are some disc's that will not play due to 'copy code' issues or 'Data files (pictures etc.)' on the disc but usually once it plays it should not have a problem unless the disc has more than 38 cuts.

It sounds to me like a drive issue in this case.

james

James,

Thanks for the response. 'Tis as I feared. At least Peterborough's not far from Toronto.

Interestingly, although I've sent a number of components back to Bryston for work such as face-plate changes, increased phono stage gain, and fitting of IEC AC inlets, this will be the first time it'll be to address a malfunction.

I guess once every fifteen years isn't bad. . .

Thanks again,

Joel.