Audio CD Distortion

[mikes0765]

Hello,

I recently attempted to play a CD that I haven't played in about 3 years. The last time I played it, it was fine. As far as I know, the jewel case hasn't been open in 3 years. When I played this CD recently, the first 6 tracks out of 9 has a huge amount of distortion and the sound is faint and barely audible. I tried different players and the CD played the same (my car CD player was able to play it a little better but nothing even close to what it is supposed to be.)

I bought this cheap Memorex CD Repair and Cleaner, and just as I suspected, it didn't make one iota of a difference.

Any suggestions as to how to fix this? It's an out of print CD and I can't even find it on eBay.

Thanks,

Mike

[02audionoob]

If you look at it in bright light, does the CD look normal?

[eisforelectronic]

hmm, laser rot? Hardly hear about it happening to CD's though. I had Mini Disc's that would seem to slowly lose parts of the music over time.

[mlsstl]

There is a condition called "CD Rot" that will occasionally affect CDs. Basically, this is a manufacturing defect where the reflective layer slowly oxidizes over time and eventually ruins the CDs. It will become very noisy and you'll hear lots of static as it plays. Often the CD has no unusual visual appearance.

Over the years, out of several thousand CDs, I've had this issue with a handful. I still have many CDs from the 1980s that play perfectly so it is relatively rare.

Unfortunately, if this is the cause of your problem, there is no way to fix it. The CD will simply need to be replaced.

[mikes0765]

Thanks for all the replies.

mlsstl, I think that's what happened to my CD. I was able to save the last 2 tracks. So I guess I'll have to search online for a replacement.

Thank you.