Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Bad Recordings, or bad CDs???

Belated thanks to Ken & Bren for answering my question! Mucho gracious.

Realized when I looked back on what I was being thanked for that I may have misspoken. There IS a thin PC (polycarbonate) layer above the aluminum data layer on a CD as well, but nothing like the 1mm thick layer underneath. It's tenths of a millimeter thick.

Bren R.

I'm wondering if anyone's come across this?

I pulled out one of my all time favourite discs (which I hadn't listened to in a few years since I have it on the PC) and it refused to play.

I thought maybe the playing surface was smudged so I gave a clean. Nothing. Oh, I thought, maybe there is a scratch. Nope.

I finally held it up to the light to look for flaws and then it dawned on me. I could read the label through the disc. Both the front and back poly surfaces were intact, but the ?aluminum? layer in the centre looks like it had crumbled.

It had the appearance of a dried mud puddle where the cracks spread throughout the surface.

I was shocked. I've never had to replace a CD before.

Of course, all the usual questions

- this a pressed or burned CD?
- left in heat (near radiator, heat vent in car in summer) or cold? (car in winter)
- left out in sunlight?

Bren R.

Pressed

It has spent time in the car in both summer and winter, although no more than any other disc I have and I haven't seen this anywhere else

In addition to the poly, is there a UV or other type of protective coating?

I don't believe they UV coat CDs themselves. Often the tray card/liner booklet (and a lot of other packages) are UV coated, that's normally to add to colour depth in 4 colour applications.

I could be wrong, but I've never had a CD dupe come back UV coated.

Bren R.

Go with SACD, DVDA or Vinyl, you'll be happy you did.