CD skips with no visible scratches

I just received a used CD that is from 1986. It's a French pressing of "When the Wind Blows" The 2nd track dropped out for a split-second. I continued playing and The Brazilian got all wacky at the end, skipped and made some buzzing noise. I took the disc out and it looked perfect. I blew off any dust and played it again. Same thing in the same places. Why is this?

I'll try it my other players, but I'm afraid it is the disc. It just bothers me. Maybe if I burn it to a new CD, it will be fine?

 

Sounds like some oxidation is occurring on the aluminum layer between the label and the plastic disc itself. Some of those old discs weren't sealed around the edges, or, the label side received a small nick or wear that exposed the aluminum media. It could happen at a near micro level and thus not be readily apparent. I think some folks call it CD 'rot.'

 

It could just be a pressing error. That happened every once in awhile in the early days. Back in the late '80s, I bought a couple discs brand new that were defective. Each disc skipped in the exact same place in the exact same way on numerous players.

 

Yes, I just tried to play it my Sony Walkman and it's even worse. Mistracking all the way through

Unfortunately, I gave the seller a positive before I even heard it, because it appeared mint.

Oh well, you live and you learn.

Thanks

 

I have an old disc that skips when I play it in a standard player, but I can extract it and copy it just fine. Give it a shot.

 

I've got a "no scratches" skipping CD, too. The worst part of it is that the disc is part of a boxed set, making me contemplate re-buying the whole damn thing. I also bought the "Who's Next" Deluxe Edition brand new a while back, and the last minute of the 2nd CD had a part that skipped on it. That really surprised me. The store that I bought it from was decent enough to replace it for me though, opened package & all.

 

Is it an "MPO" pressing?
If it is...well, you're not alone...

 

It may not be their fault - most sellers simply cannot listen to each and every CD or record all the way through to find out if there are any skips, defects, etc. You pretty much have to go by the appearance.

 

MPO? I'm not sure. The number on it says CDV 2406 on Virgin label.

 

I've got a Snapper label version of "The Original Fleetwood Mac" which has an invisible skip or mastering error. I e-mailed Snapper UK and they wrote back asking where the skip was, but after I told them I never heard anything. Never knew if it was my copy or all in that pressing.

 

...i'll bet it's a pressing error, years back I had a defective Standells CD on Big Beat...after trying it on other players...if it still has the problem try burning a copy...I'll bet it rectifies the situation.

 

...there were some problems with early PDO UK CD's...

 

Thanks, I tried that in hopes of fixing the problem. My CD burner wouldn't even read it. Guess I should order the current issue and not attempt to get another early pressing.

 

...looks like that's your best option...I'm surprised your burner wouldn't even read the disc!...I've never come across that.

 

Could it be that the CD has been buffed out too much to get rid of the scratches?

Pat

 

...that will do more harm than good.

 

The looking perfect part for a 1986 disc could possibly mean it was resurfaced (improperly). My understanding is it's possible for heat buildup during resurfacing to occur and warp certain areas of the polycarb if not done properly. Thus, the laser will hit the warped area and the beam won't read properly, causing tracking error.

Also, holding the disc up to a bright light, if you see pinholes of light through your disc, that might be causing the tracking problem.

And, as others have indicated, just a defective pressing... that won't play properly and thus isn't played much explaining the pristine condition.

If it's a valuable disc, it might be worth sending it to a repair service to take a look at.

 

...most likely not the problem..I have some early Polyram/Polydor CD's that have so many pinholes I was sure they would pose all sorts of problems...not one faulted.

 

I recently purchased a pristine orig. issue Genesis ABACAB disc that has a single noticable pinhole. The only one on the disc and it does skip there. Perhaps it depends on the size of the pinhole(?) Yes, like you I have some discs with pinholes and they pose absolutely no problems whatsoever.

 

Where was the CD pressed? What is the matrix #? Back then I had some Sanyo Japan discs that would play fine on my Technics and a friend's Sony, but would not play on cheaper players, including Sanyos! As said before, some of the early PDO UK discs had rot and/or skip problems. These have a goldish/bronze tint to them.

 

The disc in question skipped on my DV-563A. I then tried it on a Sony Walkman. It skipped liked crazy and wouldn't even play. I then put in my computer. That too skipped non-stop. I tried to burn it with RecordNow. That wouldn't work. I then put it in my Sony 5-disc DVD/CD player and it seems to play fine. I don't get it.

 

As far as trying to rip it on your computer, set your software to rip it at 1x speed. I've found that sometimes I'm able to rip a disc in bad condition at a very slow speed that won't even play properly.

 

Probably says something good about the tracking ability of your Sony 5-disc.
What model is it?

 

Model is DVPNC665P. Nothing special, but I can hear the disc.

 

Yes, I looked at the inner ring and it says MPO France.

The CD was pressed in France. Matrix # CDV 2406 MPO 04 @.

I do see a couple pinholes when I hold it to light.