It might finally be dead, folks.
In 1991 I purchased my first CD player. It was a Teac 6-disc magazine-style changer, bought refurbished from Damark for $150 (an extremely good price at the time). It’s outlasted all my other stereo equipment other than my speakers: I’m on my second receiver (the first one lost its display only a couple years after buying it), my third tape deck, and my second VCR. All of those items were bought new, incidentally.
My CD changer (which may be only outlived by the one bought in 1985 by my middle school computer teacher Mr. Henkel and Aaron Binns’ infamous Magnavox CDB-266) has only crapped out on me three times. The first time was about 1994 when one of the magazine trays got stuck. I got it out, but snapped off one of the six trays and scratched up my Geto Boys’ self-titled CD pretty good. The second time (with a newer magazine) was in 1999; again, a magazine tray got stuck. This time I opened up the machine (figuring any warranty was long done with already) and managed to get the CD and magazine out. Then, Thursday night, it got stuck again (this time using the original magazine) and it sounds to me that the motor may have burned out. I’m going to attempt to get the CDs out (there are three: one is Huyen’s, one I just burned, and the third is one of my all-time favorites) without too much damage, but I think it’s time to either trash the player or (more likely, if it’s still functional) relegate it to backup-status, using it only as an extra player with my old receiver (perhaps in the studio of my new house).
What I’m dreading is going out and buying a new CD player. Not because the shopping process sucks, but because I know I’ll go overboard and spend more than I have to. Sure, my CD recorder and DVD players both play regular CDs, but I’d rather try to use them only for their original function. And Huyen has her own CD changer. And I have a small stereo in my computer room with a 3-disc changer. And I can’t forget the CD-ROM on my PC. Oh yeah, I also have two portable CD players that could fit in a pinch (and probably will until I get a new stand-alone changer). But damn it, I know I’m going to buy a new one for my main stereo anyway.
Am I the only one like this or would you do the same thing? -ram
Posted in Technology