CD Player Maintenance

Options
With all that said, there is a world of additional options to choose from. Single-disc players versus multi-disc changers. In-dash players or in-trunk players. Then come some newer types of consideration, such as units that are satellite radio-ready, units with auxiliary input jacks for connected external audio sources like iPods or MP3players, units that can read MP3 files from CDs. All of these options can become overwhelming and can further complicate the decision-making process, make sure you know what you want when you go shopping for your new stereo and then take your time with making your decision. Once everything has been selected and purchased, you will need to get it all into your car. Unless you're an electronics wizard, go for the professional install. With some manufacturers in fact, this is a condition of the warranty.


Care for your new CD player begins with first caring for the CDs themselves, and that all really just boils down to using common sense. Handle the discs by their edges so fingerprints won't end up all over the music and lyrics, and, of course, don't write on the discs, not even on the labels. Keep your discs dry, a water droplet can affect the laser beam's focus. And finally, don't leave them under direct sunlight or locked up in hot cars as heat can cause severe damage. Disc cleaning and scratch-removing kits are available at all electronics stores. Regular cleaning after 15 plays is the general recommendation.

Disc Care
By keeping your discs clean and scratch-free, you are prolonging the life of your music and your CD player. For additional care of your CD player, various lens-cleaning formats are available on the market. Some are intended to simply remove dust from the player's lens, while more sophisticated devices go even further and help free the machine of the static that attracted dust in the first place. In some extreme cases, a CD player might be so dirty and dusty that it will require a more costly professional cleaning. If you really treasure your music, try to maintain the most contaminant-free atmosphere you can in your vehicle. Even in sterile environments, dust happens, so do your part to not exaggerate that point.


There are many different types of CD player cleaners available for purchase. The pluses and minuses from system to system have long been an issue of great debate for many audiophiles. The single-strip format incorporates a brush (similar to an eyelash) that sweeps past the lens, knocking the dust off of it, and sometimes whacking the lens out of alignment. Double strip formats operate exactly as that sounds—two brushes with twice the dust clearing capacity and twice the chance to whack the lens out of alignment. The wet/dry strip method works like a windshield washer and wiper, it wets the lens with a cleaning solution, then wipes it dry. This method is grand, unless there's an inordinate amount of dust on the lens in which case it can backfire. Think of a really dirty windshield after one squirt of washer fluid and one swipe of the wiper blade. Smudge. Then there are other, more expensive lens cleaners available that use clusters of micro-fine filament brushes for cleaning with. These tiny brushes can get into the lens compartment and remove contaminants, typically without disturbing the lens alignment.


Whichever approach you choose, regular maintenance of both the player and discs is worth the effort. Once you get used to them, you'll miss the subtle nuances of Willie's "On the Road Again," if you let them get mired in road dust.