Why Are Some CD's Very Noisy In The Player and Others Quiet?

My first component CD player was inexpensive and it could be noisy with certain discs. Same with a JVC boom box with CD player.

I've not noticed this problem at all on higher quality players I have had.

I would assume that some transports deal with ragged or unbalanced discs better than others.

 

CD replication is a commodity these days and the quality of new pressings has largely gone down the drain. I see more physical imperfections with newly made CDs than I ever did 15 or 20 years ago. The small problems aren't usually enough to prevent playback but they can be rough on cheaper transports.

About the only new CDs I come across avoiding this trend come from Japanese pressings.

 

Can you identify some of these sorts of imperfections? I'm curious what to look for.

 

Run your fingertip along the outer edge of a new CD compared to one manufactured in the 1990s. CDs are also made thinner than ever, which seems to have introduced balance problems in some portion of each production run. The manufacturers seemingly decided to start making CDs at the very edges of production tolerances, likely to cut costs.

 

I hate the quality of new CD's I have noticed the cheapness for a few years now. Not only the disc but the new cases and artwork paper seem cheaper as well. It has gotten to the point where I seek out older used pressings even if I have to pay more than for a brand new one!

 

I didn't notice that. I think there were always thicker and thinner ones. Ones with sharp edges and others with round edges. Maybe the quality is better here in Europe?

 

Every CD is completely absolutely silent in my Technics DVD-A10. Absolutely zero spinning, motor, etc. noise ever on any disc. My favorite aspect about the player honestly.