A question about stereos.

Hi,

my father has a panasonic rx-ds101 stereo cd system that is working fairly okay. Well actually it is a bit broken, or there is this specific part that is broken and it is the part that reads the CDs known as the Disc Clamper, and I've tried to find like if I were to be able to change it for a new one or maybe it could be cleaned somehow.

Does anyone here know how to do a thing like this? And would it just be smarter to buy a new CD stereo system, on the other hand I've started to think more and more about the whole discussion on leaving the "negative ecological footprint" for the future generations.

Cheers from Finland.

Yours sincerely Boris :)

Is this what it looks like?

Most likely---even if you can get it repaired, the cost of that repair may well exceed the cost of simply replacing the whole thing. I'd imagine a similar unit can be found for $20 or less at the likes of Ebay or Goodwill.

Even if you personally could fix the old unit, you might not be able to find the replacement part.

You might be able to find and download the service manual online, but I don't know that would do you any good.

Unfortunately----much lower priced electronic gear can't be repaired at any sane price. I've heard that certain brands of recent flat panel TVs can't be repaired at all because the manufacturer doesn't offer replacement parts. You do without or send it to a landfill. This is by design and part of the "throwaway" society into which we have devolved. I wouldn't know where to get an inexpensive electrical device repaired nowadays--such as an electric shaver. Most of those shops have disappeared. Thirty or forty years ago, nearly any small town had a shop that could do that.

Replace it. Even IF you could find someone to work on it, as mentioned, it would exceed the cost of a new unit. A Guy

ignatzatsonic Yup that is the one, though I'm surprised that a part so small could be the price of a whole new thing.

A Guy Mmhmng, I don't think my father is gonna like the idea, because obviously we would have changed it already if he/we wanted to.

BorisTheAnimal said:

ignatzatsonic Yup that is the one, though I'm surprised that a part so small could be the price of a whole new thing.

It's not the price of the part--assuming it's available at any price.

It's the labor and overhead required to do the repair.

A part that cost 47 cents to make would probably cost you 5 or 10 bucks if you can buy it at all and then the repairman is probably going to want 40 bucks on up to get off his couch.

Virtually anything is repairable to the extent money is no object.

Maybe you are halfway handy yourself and can find a beat up identical unit online for 5 bucks and then rob the part from it?

But a formal so-called "professional" repair is probably not feasible----unless money is no object.

Have you thouh about using the optical drive in a computer to play your CDs? That's essentially what I do (except I ripped mine and play the saved files rather than the CDs themselves). I use Media Monkey to corral and play my files and feed the music from the sound card (Asus Xonar Essence STX) in my computer to a nice set of computer speakers (Corsair SP2500) although one could also use a DAC or soundcard to feed a conventional amp and regular speakers.

I also play music from my notebooks when on the road. I have a set of USB powered speakers I plug into the notebook. Not Hi-Fi but far better than the tinny speakers in the notebook. I could use ear buds or headphones but I don't like being tethered.

chefduane said:

Portable stereo units such as yours have become appliances, sorta' like commodities. They are consumed and when they run out (or in your case, break) they are not repaired. Economies have evolved such that there is no repair/support apparatus (like shops/technicians/craftsmen/parts availability) that do that kind of thing anymore. When is the last time you saw a "TV Repair" store? Unless you really want to dig into it yourself (good luck finding parts), the best (and easiest) thing to do is simply replace it.

Lol, I am a TV tech. We used to fix nothing but TVs. We have some techs who do appliances now, but we all still fix TVs.

A Guy

Lady Fitzgerald said:

Have you thouh about using the optical drive in a computer to play your CDs? That's essentially what I do (except I ripped mine and play the saved files rather than the CDs themselves). I use Media Monkey to corral and play my files and feed the music from the sound card (Asus Xonar Essence STX) in my computer to a nice set of computer speakers (Corsair SP2500) although one could also use a DAC or soundcard to feed a conventional amp and regular speakers.

I also play music from my notebooks when on the road. I have a set of USB powered speakers I plug into the notebook. Not Hi-Fi but far better than the tinny speakers in the notebook. I could use ear buds or headphones but I don't like being tethered.

Won't work for him, my whole family enjoys some of the good old stuff e.g. books, c-cassettes, LPs etcetera so no I don't think he will ever let go of the past.