Denon CD Player (DCM-280) skips like crazy!

timswim78
timswim78 Posts: 38
edited February 2008 in Electronics
I got a Denon DCM-280 as a freebie from a woman who was getting rid of stuff. She told me that the player skips, and I tried it out at my house. Sure enough, it skips on every CD, even brand new ones. She said that the player is about 2 years old, and that it has skipped since she brought it home from the store. She never got around to returning it before the warranty expired.

So, are there any basic ideas about what could be wrong or how I might be able to fix it? If I cannot get it to work, I'll post it as a freebie, and hopefully someone here can use it for parts or fix it.
Post edited by timswim78 on
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited February 2008
    What did you pay for it?
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited February 2008
    not sure if this will work. but you can get a compact disc cleaner and run that a couple times... see if it cleans the lens and it may help. if not.. chuck it.... or give it back to her.
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • timswim78
    timswim78 Posts: 38
    edited February 2008
    dorokusai wrote: »
    What did you pay for it?

    Nothing, it was a freebie. She also gave me a nice receiver that works great. She bought a Bose Wave Radio and was giving away her old stereo equipment.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited February 2008
    Recycle it in pieces.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • timswim78
    timswim78 Posts: 38
    edited February 2008
    danger boy wrote: »
    not sure if this will work. but you can get a compact disc cleaner and run that a couple times... see if it cleans the lens and it may help. if not.. chuck it.... or give it back to her.

    Something like this?
    http://www.wolfcamera.com/product/EP5489845.htm
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited February 2008
    timswim78 wrote: »
    Something like this?
    http://www.wolfcamera.com/product/EP5489845.htm

    yes just like that ...
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited February 2008
    send it to Vr3MxStyler2k3, he'll know how to take care of it. :p
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • Fongolio
    Fongolio Posts: 3,516
    edited February 2008
    I have a denon DVD-3800 that skipped like that after a while of owning it. I bought it used on ebay. After doing research I found out my particular run on the assembly line had a laser tracker that went out of alignment very easily and thus everything skipped after a while. I took the lid off and found where the track adjusts were and after fiddling around for a few weeks (yes weeks!) I finally got it back in proper full time alignment. The adjusts were two tiny hex key screws that needed to be set just so. I could not find anything on the net as to how to properly set them and when the unit was still under warranty Denon actually replaced the whole laser unit with a different one but since warranty was over the price was exorbitant. The unit still sounds awesome on cd and dvd-audio playback but the video playback just isn't as good as my Pioneer Elite DV-79AVi. Which does it all but divx. Anyway, maybe the problem is similar...poor laser tracking. Might be worth a try. Good luck.
    SDA-1C (full mods)
    Carver TFM-55
    NAD 1130 Pre-amp
    Rega Planar 3 TT/Shelter 501 MkII
    The Clamp
    Revox A77 Mk IV Dolby reel to reel
    Thorens TD160/Mission 774 arm/Stanton 881S Shibata
    Nakamichi CR7 Cassette Deck
    Rotel RCD-855 with modified tube output stage
    Cambridge Audio DACmagic Plus
    ADC Soundshaper 3 EQ
    Ben's IC's
    Nitty Gritty 1.5FI RCM
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  • timswim78
    timswim78 Posts: 38
    edited February 2008
    Fongolio wrote: »
    I have a denon DVD-3800 that skipped like that after a while of owning it. I bought it used on ebay. After doing research I found out my particular run on the assembly line had a laser tracker that went out of alignment very easily and thus everything skipped after a while. I took the lid off and found where the track adjusts were and after fiddling around for a few weeks (yes weeks!) I finally got it back in proper full time alignment. The adjusts were two tiny hex key screws that needed to be set just so. I could not find anything on the net as to how to properly set them and when the unit was still under warranty Denon actually replaced the whole laser unit with a different one but since warranty was over the price was exorbitant. The unit still sounds awesome on cd and dvd-audio playback but the video playback just isn't as good as my Pioneer Elite DV-79AVi. Which does it all but divx. Anyway, maybe the problem is similar...poor laser tracking. Might be worth a try. Good luck.

    Thanks for the informative post! Can you give some ideas or point me to a link that shows what I need to adjust?
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  • Fongolio
    Fongolio Posts: 3,516
    edited February 2008
    Each unit is a little different. I could find none that looked like mine online and being comfortable with taking electronics apart to see what's inside I more or less stumbled on to the adjusts. But in general the laser unit sits on two sliders which are sometimes plastic sometimes metal somewhere there are screws or something similar that will raise or lower each slider. Usually turning clockwise lowers the rail and counter clockwise raises it. The trick is to find the balance of raising and lowering until the laser is again tracking correctly. You may be able to google your model number with laser adjust and find specific instruction for your machine. On my denon after the lid is off another metal plate sits on top of the whole laser and motor assembly once that is removed there are two holes that allow access to the hex key screws that are located above either rail. Be careful though I unscrewed one too far and the screw fell into the machine. Luckily I found it and after even more disassembly/reassembly got it back on. Now it works great. Hope this has helped. Again, good luck.
    SDA-1C (full mods)
    Carver TFM-55
    NAD 1130 Pre-amp
    Rega Planar 3 TT/Shelter 501 MkII
    The Clamp
    Revox A77 Mk IV Dolby reel to reel
    Thorens TD160/Mission 774 arm/Stanton 881S Shibata
    Nakamichi CR7 Cassette Deck
    Rotel RCD-855 with modified tube output stage
    Cambridge Audio DACmagic Plus
    ADC Soundshaper 3 EQ
    Ben's IC's
    Nitty Gritty 1.5FI RCM
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  • disneyjoe7
    disneyjoe7 Posts: 11,435
    edited February 2008
    timswim78 wrote: »
    She bought a Bose Wave Radio and was giving away her old stereo equipment.

    I'm finding that statement funny, sad, and depressing all at the same time.

    Speakers
    Carver Amazing Fronts
    CS400i Center
    RT800i's Rears
    Sub Paradigm Servo 15

    Electronics
    Conrad Johnson PV-5 pre-amp
    Parasound Halo A23
    Pioneer 84TXSi AVR
    Pioneer 79Avi DVD
    Sony CX400 CD changer
    Panasonic 42-PX60U Plasma
    WMC Win7 32bit HD DVR


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