J Z06

Ok,

Current situation is : I had a mild system put in my car back in 1998. It's all Clarion..Speakers in back, in the doors, a small amp ARX7370 Head and a CD Changer(6Disc). Now, it seems to have developed a personality. It only plays certain CD's(Burned) it'll play a regular CD all day long. It used to play Burned CD's no problem..Sometimes it'd take a little while to read them, but it would play them. I donno if the burn technique isn't any good for it any more or what? I tried one of those CD Cleaners with the little brush at the end of the disc...helped a little.

I just called my local Audio Shop. I like Clarion..it's given me ZERO trouble but this...The updated Head and Changer to play Burned CD's is $500. Good ? Bad? too high? Mind you.. I know NOTHING about this stuff..nor do I install it. I can have it installed by a good friend.

Let's hear your thoughts.

Also: I burn them right off MP3 format. If I converted them to WAV, would that better assist me?
THANKS.............JD


[Modified by JD 90 383, 5:07 PM 9/7/2001]

J Z06

^^^

92TripleBlack

Sorry man I don't know. Clarion electronic stuff is made by one common maker that makes all the stuff for Kenwood, JVC, and a host of other midlevel makers. They basically put their logo on it and change the controls but the mechanisms, cd readers, circuit boards, etc are all pretty much the same. You can use any brand and mix and match anything you want. Your player might be dirty or the laser might need to be adjusted. Take it to the shop you got it from and have them check it. If you got it from a mass market place like Best buy good luck. Just get a good one from a shop and throw your old one at the BB store manager. It will be the same end result but more satisfying and faster than trying to get them to help. My buddy got a laptop from one in Texas. A year later he needed a battery. You know, the kind that pops in. They said they needed to send the entire unit out to have it serviced. So he was out the Computer for what was to be 4 weeks. After compaining for months they finally said it was done and he could get it 6 months later. During that time he moved to Florida and so he wanted it shipped there. Nothing doing. They would only deliver it for pickup at the Texas branch he dropped it off at. What a racket. He paid $300 for a service plan and they kept his pc for 6 months for a $200 battery he could have bought at comp usa and installed in 5 seconds. Its the same with sterios from these shops. Most good shops will cover the install for life and the equipment for 2 years or the length of the factory warranty, whichever is longer.
If you do replace the unit, go with an Alpine. You should notice a definite increase in performance. I have a Nakamichi. Its the best sounding there is but its not the best on bumps so it skips in a Vette driving over the potholes in the NYC area and that's why I don't recommend them. I am however a fanatic for sound quality so I put up with it.
92TripleBlack

Dave84/76

JD, Clarion is actually a very good product and is not made with the same parts as JVC and Kenwood. I have been in the car audio business for almost 10 years and would personnally prefer a Clarion over an Alpine. As far as your problem goes, the most economical solution would be to send your changer back to Clarion for repair. They have a flat rate for repairs, regardless of the problem, as long as the unit is repairable. The number for Clarion is 800-366-4567. You could also just replace the changer with a new one for about $200. Clarion still has a model that will work with the 7370.

92TripleBlack

The do use many of the same parts as they other makers. The most telling of these is the chassis for their 12 disk changers. Ever wonder why there aren't 15 or 20 disk? Or 10 anymore? The single cd changer chassis manufacturer that makes all the changer chasis components for all these companies. The reason is because it is to costly to develop a unique system and to keep costs down most of these makers buy components from each other and assemble their own units. Clarion is no exception. The only two notable exceptions to this are Nak and alpine in the really popular brands. I'm not saying they are clones but did you ever wonder why a cd changer from one brand works off a head unit of another? Do you really expect the general public to believe they really developed them seperately and they wired their connecting wires identically? Give me a break. The only unique parts for all makers are the faces and sometimes their internal circuit boards. The Denon for example used JVC stuff but had their own boards thinking that the better elecronics would make up for not having their own complete unit. They had so many problems with the units they stopped making them. Sony has made alot of their own stuff because the parent company is so huge they have the budget but their dynamic range sucks. Nak makes their own stuff but their transports have something to be desired and their FM is terrible. I worked at a top install shop for 4 years that had been in business for 30+ years by now. I still remain good friends with the original and only owner and have met with all the product reps from the various companies, heard their vans, etc. and yes they also confrim the same thing. Theirs nothing wrong with this but people should be aware that most broad market makers do this.
92TripleBlack

J Z06

Thanks.....

I wondered how it went from "OH you need a new radio/cd changer"...of course to get more $$$. This used to play Burned CD's quite well. I tested it again tonight,and it's cutting out on the left side..kinda staticy sound...this was a regular CD so I think the laser is messed up. Might just repair, or get a new changer. Again, the tape deck and radio are static free and work perfectly.

Thank you for your help. Boomer McCloud did the system three years ago.

JD