CD Player won't recognize recordable CD

99.171.130.84

Posted on May 20, 2021 at 08:11:14

Doktor Brahms
Audiophile

Posts: 611
Location: Southeast
Joined: November 25, 2004

Greetings. I've been on the Asylum for years, but this is my first posting on Digital Drive, so please be gentle.

I ordered some CDs from High Definition Tape Transfers (HDTT), an outfit that sells remastered recordings as either downloads or physical discs. One of the discs is a gold recordable CD of string quartets. When I tried to play this disc on my Esoteric K-05, I got an error message. I reported this to HDTT and they promptly sent a replacement, but the results are the same--the replacement disc wouldn't load in the K-05. The disc will play on my PC's disc drive and also on the Panasonic blu-ray player in my home theater set-up. The K-05 owner's manual states that recordable CDs will not play if they have not been finalized; this could be the issue. I would note that the other disc, which is a garden-variety CD rather than a gold disc, plays perfectly fine.

I'm stumped. Does anyone have a possible explanation, an educated guess, or a wild theory? All responses would be welcome.

Thanks!

Hide full thread outline!

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD

Akolegov88

07:57:47 05/31/21

Thanks to all for your responses

Doktor Brahms

07:22:54 05/29/21

2

RE: Thanks to all for your responses

Todd Krieger

12:06:04 06/03/21

...

Show full thread outline!

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD

Akolegov88

07:57:47 05/31/21

Thanks to all for your responses

Doktor Brahms

07:22:54 05/29/21

2

RE: Thanks to all for your responses

Todd Krieger

12:06:04 06/03/21

RE: Thanks to all for your responses

flood2

17:43:48 05/29/21

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD

Jonesy

04:41:58 05/23/21

CD reflectivity

mlsstl

17:32:20 05/21/21

3

Meanwhile........

Todd Krieger

22:50:13 05/21/21

RE: Meanwhile........

orejones

10:30:25 06/16/21

indeed

Des

18:07:47 05/21/21

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD

zacster

05:46:12 05/21/21

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD

Todd Krieger

17:15:17 05/21/21

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD

AbeCollins

20:45:27 05/20/21

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD

Todd Krieger

12:54:18 05/20/21

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD

Roseval

09:27:47 05/20/21

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD

cawson@onetel.com

03:16:03 05/21/21

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD, posted on May 31, 2021 at 07:57:47
Akolegov88 Audiophile Posts: 391 Joined: January 7, 2014	Why not ask the amnufacturer (Esoteric) about your situation?

Thanks to all for your responses, posted on May 29, 2021 at 07:22:54

Doktor Brahms
Audiophile

Posts: 611
Location: Southeast
Joined: November 25, 2004

My PC indicates that the gold CD has been finalized (available disc space: 0), leaving unanswered the question as to why the disc won't play in my machine.

As a certified living fossil, I have no streaming capability in my main system--it's physical media or nothing. HDTT is sending another replacement disc; perhaps it will get along better with the Esoteric.

Thanks again for your consideration of my issue.

RE: Thanks to all for your responses, posted on June 3, 2021 at 12:06:04
Todd Krieger Audiophile Posts: 37333 Location: SW United States Joined: November 2, 2000	You should try ripping the CD and then burning a CD-R copy..... And then check if the CD-R copy plays in your CD player.

RE: Thanks to all for your responses, posted on May 29, 2021 at 17:43:48

flood2
Audiophile

Posts: 2558
Joined: January 11, 2011

You are probably going to have the same problem in your Esoteric with the replacement disc as the previous disc - the issue is likely due to the reflectance since gold CD-Rs have a lower reflectance compared to the standard CD-R. Either the laser output on the Esoteric is getting weak or the optical alignment is off which means that the reduction in reflectance in the 700 to 800nm range is just enough for the Esoteric to not be able to read that particular disc, but it will still read fine in other optical drives.
What I would suggest is to rip the gold disc in your PC and burn a standard CD-R to enjoy the music in your Esoteric player.
Regards Anthony

"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD, posted on May 23, 2021 at 04:41:58

Jonesy
Audiophile

Posts: 3156
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Joined: September 1, 2005
Contributor
Since: March 1, 2018

Are the other cdrs that play ok compilations as well? Sometimes when compiling from different sources special attention needs to be paid to indexing and finalizing (as you say). You may have to figure out a way to re-rip a copy as others suggest. Though that can be a pain if you're not familiar with the process.

If HDTT can't help any further with the cdr and you still want to keep and try re-ripping, see if they can give you the download version too. Might work better.

Cheers!

Jinesy

"I know just enough to get into trouble. But not enough to get out of it."

CD reflectivity, posted on May 21, 2021 at 17:32:20
mlsstl Audiophile Posts: 1079 Location: Midwest Joined: September 1, 2015	Starting with commercially pressed CDs at 100% reflectivity, a CDR is only about 70% of that. And re-recordable CDRWs are down to about 40%. That is why some players, particularly older models, may have trouble with CDs that were created using CDR or CDRW discs.

Meanwhile........, posted on May 21, 2021 at 22:50:13
Todd Krieger Audiophile Posts: 37333 Location: SW United States Joined: November 2, 2000	Some of the best CD-Rs I've come across are the black ones...... Supposedly with "low reflectivity"..... Just an observation.....

RE: Meanwhile........, posted on June 16, 2021 at 10:30:25
orejones Distributor or Rep Posts: 6659 Location: Valencia Joined: August 21, 2007	Have measured its reflectivity in the Infrared zone of the spectrum? That�s where the laser in the CD works.

indeed, posted on May 21, 2021 at 18:07:47
Des Audiophile Posts: 2110 Location: Great Barrier Reef Joined: August 3, 2000 Contributor Since: August 2, 2000	That is a factor plus I've read that Cd-Rs require an increased energy output from the laser to read those disks and will cause it to fail well within its rated life span. If you have one of the now numerous unobtainium laser models you may need to rethink usage of any CD-R/RW's /etc. Des

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD, posted on May 21, 2021 at 05:46:12
zacster Audiophile Posts: 2179 Location: NYC Joined: November 22, 2003	It is probably what you say it is, but with all the different formats of CD-R, CD/RW, DVD, BR etc... it doesn't surprise me at all that you've hit a format that won't play on a particular machine. When there were 7 different standards for CD, someone came up with the idea to create a new standard to incorporate them all. Now there are 8 different standards!

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD, posted on May 21, 2021 at 17:15:17
Todd Krieger Audiophile Posts: 37333 Location: SW United States Joined: November 2, 2000	I've never been able to play "re writable" CD-RWs in a CD player..... CD-Rs that can be written to once play perfectly... But CD-RWs, no dice........

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD, posted on May 20, 2021 at 20:45:27
AbeCollins Audiophile Posts: 46280 Location: USA Joined: June 22, 2001 Contributor Since: February 2, 2002	Aside from checking if the Disc is finalized, I have found that some old school CD players will only play commercial audio CD's and cannot handle CD-R media. And as you've discovered most modern players can handle CD-R.

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD, posted on May 20, 2021 at 12:54:18
Todd Krieger Audiophile Posts: 37333 Location: SW United States Joined: November 2, 2000	If you have computer facilities, see if the files rip and play..... If they do rip and play, then burn a CD-R copy..... (Presuming that your CD player can play CD-R copies.)

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD, posted on May 20, 2021 at 09:27:47

Roseval
Audiophile

Posts: 1845
Joined: March 31, 2008

You might check if the disk is finalized or not.
"
Check the drive properties in File Explorer. If the Free Space shows as 0, then the disc is finalized. If the Free Space > 0, then the disc is not finalized.
"

The Well Tempered Computer

https://superuser.com/questions/827693/check-if-cd-dvd-is-fi

RE: CD Player won't recognize recordable CD, posted on May 21, 2021 at 03:16:03

cawson@onetel.com
Audiophile

Posts: 2378
Joined: September 27, 2004

I think the OP will want to know if it's possible for him to finalise his CD-R disc himself - and how to do it using a standard PC.

If not then he's back to ripping it using his PC and adding it to his library of hard drive stored music (surely he has one) and playing from there, I believe my Mark Levinson CDP didn't like some CD-Rs that I tried playing on it.