Do CD-R's Damage my CD Player?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by VinylMan07, Jul 21, 2021.

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  1. VinylMan07

    VinylMan07 *Almost* but *not entirely* an Audiophile Thread Starter

    Location:
    Brazil
    I've always played Recorded CD's in my Player, and I never had any issues but, recently, i have heard some people saying CD-R's cause damage to the laser pickup. Is that true? Or can I just keep playing my CD-R's with no worries?
     
    Michael likes this.
  2. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    no worries...I've been playing CDRs on multiple players since the day they became available...where do these people come . NEVER had a problem in any player...
    who have you heard this from or did you read it somewhere?
     
    tin ears, Carlox, rodentdog and 3 others like this.
  3. VinylMan07

    VinylMan07 *Almost* but *not entirely* an Audiophile Thread Starter

    Location:
    Brazil
    I've heard it from a friend. I kinda knew he was wrong but I just wanted to check... Having read so much about CD players, I just couldn't find why CD-R's could be dangerous for CD players...
     
    Michael likes this.
  4. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    sometimes people say the strangest things! there is absolutely no merit to your friends ridiculous statement...enjoy the music in your CDRs! ; )
     
    Carlox, patient_ot and VinylMan07 like this.
  5. VinylMan07

    VinylMan07 *Almost* but *not entirely* an Audiophile Thread Starter

    Location:
    Brazil
    And... Analysing it now, this myth that CD-R's Damage your player was probably created by record companies in the early 2000's to make people start buying pre recorded CDs again... They were desperate...
     
    Michael and hi_watt like this.
  6. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    I wouldn't put it past them...
     
    nosticker and VinylMan07 like this.
  7. CDV

    CDV Forum Resident

    Sure, they can scratch the laser's ray.
     
  8. ShallowMemory

    ShallowMemory Classical Princess

    Location:
    GB
    But then THEY started selling you "on demand" cds that really were cd-r's with the artwork!
     
    DME1061, patient_ot, jay.dee and 2 others like this.
  9. Rad Dudeski

    Rad Dudeski Forum Resident

    Location:
    -
    Break out that green marker. :laugh:
     
    rockclassics, Shawn and clhboa like this.
  10. captouch

    captouch Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    I’ve actually wondered this myself, but based on the theory that CD-R’s were less reflective than pressed CDs and that the laser diode which emits the laser that’s reflected off the disc might have to be turned up higher leading to a shorter lifetime.

    CD-R’s use dyes whose reflective characteristics get modified during burning, while CD-RW’s use phase change materials that allow rewriting.

    CD-RW’s reflect at only 15-25%, while CD-R’s are 40-70% - unsure if the lower end of that range includes one time writable and top end of the range are pressed. But intuitively, I don’t think the reflective properties of the two are identical and it seems to me that dye would less reflective than aluminum.

    And intuitively, it also seems that IF you have to turn up the laser power to compensate for less reflective media, it might result in shorter lifespans.

    However, it may also be that the sensitivity of the receiver is turned up for less reflective media and there’s no difference in laser power as a function of media.
     
  11. holden4th

    holden4th Forum Resident

    I remember that and have to admit that I tried it - briefly. When I quickly worked out that it was BS I stopped.
     
  12. vinylontubes

    vinylontubes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Katy, TX
    You are overthinking this. And you're generating conspiracy theories, as well.
     
  13. BostonBob

    BostonBob Paperback Writer

    Location:
    Tennessee
    No, the intensity of the laser is constant, so there's really no way a CD-R could damage the player. If it were slightly off-center when burned it could cause the magnetic "tracking" mechanism to work a little harder, but it shouldn't cause damage.
     
    CDV and classicrocker like this.
  14. Swann36

    Swann36 A widower finding solace in music

    Location:
    Lincoln, UK
    Thats a relief then :winkgrin:
     
    BostonBob likes this.
  15. clhboa

    clhboa Forum Resident

    The only thing I ever heard was not to stick those adhesive labels on the cdr's. The label can start to peel and the disc could get stuck in slot loading players. Maybe that's what your friend was referring to.
     
    sharedon and John B Good like this.
  16. Anthrax

    Anthrax Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    But everybody knows the higher you turn up the laser's sensitivity, the more accurate the reading which results in increased fidelity, with deeper, darker, more 3-D soundstages, greater microdynamics, a creamier midrange and tighter, more defined bass.

    Personally, I always play my CDs at maximum laser power.

    :D
     
  17. BostonBob

    BostonBob Paperback Writer

    Location:
    Tennessee
    You're going to get this (retired) DSP engineer in trouble because no one argues that a 1975 Sylvania TV is better than a 2021 OLED, yet..... :confused:
     
  18. SteveFord

    SteveFord Forum Resident

    Location:
    Shnecksville PA
    I think your friend got it garbled.
    Trying to play cassette tapes in a CD player is what can cause damage.
    CD-Rs are fine.
     
    Coypu and John B Good like this.
  19. ILovethebassclarinet

    ILovethebassclarinet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Great Lakes region
    One of the few things I don't like about the local shop where I've done most of my buying for decades is that they attach small adhesive labels to discs that don't have the name of the artist/album clearly printed (CD cases are on the floor; the actual discs are at the desk where the customer checks out). Take it off and risk damaging the disc, or leave it on and risk damaging the player? To date, neither have happened, luckily for me.
     
    clhboa likes this.
  20. ILovethebassclarinet

    ILovethebassclarinet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Great Lakes region
    Well, would screen images get permanently burned into the 1975 Sylvania like the CNN logo is burned into our 2018 LG OLED?
     
  21. BostonBob

    BostonBob Paperback Writer

    Location:
    Tennessee
    Actually yes, I've seen that happen on CRT tubes but leaving a static image on the screen wasn't as commonplace back in those days. I also have a 2018 LG OLED (OLED65C8PUA) and haven't experienced any screen burn issues although I also have a habit of leaving the TV on CNN for too long. I'm very sensitive to light though (which is why I spent the extra dough on an OLED) and I keep the brightness extremely low. There's also an option in the menu that detects static images and dims them if you haven't seen that.
     
    jbmcb and ILovethebassclarinet like this.
  22. ILovethebassclarinet

    ILovethebassclarinet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Great Lakes region
    I had no idea that the CNN logo (or any other image) would burn itself in; I wasn't the one who purchased it, and didn't even consider that possibility until it was a reality, and once I found out that it was a reality, it was obviously too late to do anything about. It took about a year; I am the CNN watcher, but I now do it on a different, cheaper TV which doesn't have that problem.

    "There's also an option in the menu that detects static images and dims them if you haven't seen that."
    Now that I'll have to look for as I didn't know that it existed; thanks.
    I do run the 'pixel refresher' a couple of times/day, or anytime that I won't be having it on for a few hours, but the CNN logo is permanent at this point, though only visible when certain colors (light red is one) are in the background.
     
  23. BostonBob

    BostonBob Paperback Writer

    Location:
    Tennessee
    It's under "Picture">"OLED Panel Settings">"Logo Luminance Adjustment". I have it set to "High", meaning it will dim them the most. The CNN logo is so badly burned into my 2008 Samsung plasma that you can see it even when the TV is off.

    That setting doesn't dim the logo immediately though. There's a certain period of time after which it will detect that a portion of the screen isn't changing, and it will dim that area. It happens in a subtle way that you might not even notice, but take a picture with your phone right after tuning to the channel, and then take one five minutes later and you will see it.
     
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2021
    ILovethebassclarinet likes this.
  24. MikeMusic

    MikeMusic Forum Resident

    Location:
    Surrey, England
    Home taping is killing music !

    someone once said

    Definitely not huge corporations
    who may have a vested interest in saying CDRs will kill your CD player, you and all your family
    :)
     
  25. ILovethebassclarinet

    ILovethebassclarinet Forum Resident

    Location:
    Great Lakes region
    Of course, were they willing to sell what you/we wanted to begin with, there would be a substantially reduced market for the 'illicit' products of others...
     
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