Has anyone found a way to reduce the noise coming from the CD suspension? When the disc spins it makes a little tac tac tac sound that you can hear at low volume. You can also hear it if you move the radio. Maybe adding small adhesive felt pads around the edges of the CD mechanism could help.
I guess I never paid that close of attention but I don’t think mine has any noise in the CD suspension. Will listen next time and post.
Since this post, I have listened to mine. Here's what I have noticed.
1: I am deaf which is probably why I never heard it before
2: As a result of number 1, I always have my volume way up and it drowned CD noises out
3: Mine only makes a slight ticking when certain discs are played
I have come to the conclusion that some CDs are not balanced well. Even the information can be less than centered for the pickup which is why if you have ever cleaned the pickup lens on a CD player, you will notice it moves around (back and forth / up and down). This is for tracking and focus as not all recordings are imprinted on the disc in perfect alignment nor are discs manufactured to a very high standard (thickness / balance). I have observed some discs being so far out of alignment, that the electronic eye violently vibrates back and forth and up and down simultaneously to keep a lock on the track. It's actually quite impressive to watch. I doubt the electronic eye would generate enough inertia to create a vibration strong enough to cause suspension noise but it can make a soft tick noise while reading. If it is the suspension, I suspect most of this would be a CD balance issue while spinning. The center hub could have minor imperfections preventing it from locking on the motor hub evenly and securely. If all discs do this, then I suppose its possible there could be a defect in the motor spindle hub (raised spot in plastic, etc..). Even the tiniest of wobble here would amount to a huge vibration when spinning the disc. Especially as you get towards the outter circumference of the disc. All of these situations can cause an imbalance and lead to noise. CD balance issues and track alignment noises are directly proportional to one another. They both would be more rapid while reading the beginning tracks versus becoming slower toward the ending tracks. This of course being because the data volume increases with the circumference of the disc so it slows the speed to compensate. This can make it difficult sometimes to determine where the noise is actually coming from. I will say that physical and mechanical contact is much louder than the soft tick of a laser lens bouncing around inside its housing.
The only thought I can come up with would be to see if all discs do this. If all discs do this, open the door when it spins up the disc to see if the CD is wobbling at all as it spins down. If so, you could have a bent or warped motor shaft hub. If only certain discs, they could be out of balance. If they do not wobble, it's possible you could be hearing the laser ticking due to tracking issues with the disc. If it is the laser making the noise, adding felt would obvioulsy not help with playback...but it would help with the clatter heard while being carried. If it is playing and the only thing that is bothering you is the noise and you can confirm or know it is the suspension, then what you suggested seems logical to me. You might be able to apply some felt padding to the tops of the posts inside the spring housing which would act like a soft bump stop. Kind of like what a car would have on the frame when the suspension bottoms out. This should get rid of the clatter when being carried.
I can say that mine only makes noise if I physically push on the play mechanism and release it quickly. Mine does not bang when being carried normally. I suppose if I set it down firmly or bump it against my leg while walking it might do this. The soft ticking noise from my CD player is coming from my laser reading a out of whack track alignment on certain discs. I can tell just by the sound and bypassing the door safety switch to actually watch the mechanism. You may also want to make sure that all of your springs are in place and that none of them have come out of their seated spots.
