New member Username: ColonioPost Number: 1 Registered: Oct-05 | Hello, Please, sorry for my English (I'm from Spain). I have a C542 cd player since 1 week. It sounds really great!! But one time (only one time until now) it did something strange: I have left a CD inside when I turned it off (completely off, not in stand-by). Then when I powered it up, it started to read the CD which was inside, but it didn't seem to be able to do it. After a while, it still didn't show the track list. So I pressed the Open button, and the tray opened, but the CD was still spinning on the tray!! I put in another CD and closed the tray, but the player was already unable to read it. After 2 o 3 attempts with different CD's, I turned off the CD player, turned it on, and then all seemed to work correctly!! It was able to read all the CD's that it wasn't before! I don't detected any other problems, except that maybe it takes a little long to read the track list of a CD, at normal operation. But there aren't sound problems once it reads a CD correctly. That could be a problem of my CD player unit? I've heard that some Nad cd players were very sensible to even slightly scratched CD's. Maybe as it wasn't able to read the CD it had inside when I powered it up, it "hung-up" so it wasn't able to read the other ones until I turned it off and on?? I don't really want to have to manage with the dealer if isn't really necesary (it's not really easy sometimes, here in Spain, maybe I will have to wait for weeks to have another unit!)... But I neither want to wait if there could become a serious problem... Could someone help me?? |
Peca Unregistered guest | Hi, I am from Serbia,and i think your english is not so bad. I have also cd542 ,and from my point of view i have similar problems only with burned cd-s on computer i mean. If cd-s are originals i dont have any problems at all. Also cd player some discs read faster than other. |
Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 2304 Registered: Feb-05 | e.g., Don't leave discs in the tray when you turn it off. I learned that long ago. There is probably nothing wrong with the player that operating it properly wouldn't fix. |
Unregistered guest | Hi, I'm from the Philippines and had read this thread 5 months ago after I encountered the same problem of this cd player. It was only a month since I bought this cd player when it started to show these irregularities. I thought then that it must be the players sensitive lens. Last night, I had the chance to play CDR from a friend and I enjoyed listening for 3 hours, until I finally settle down. Just this morning, when I opened the player to start with my album, it didn't read any CDs after so my attempts. So I decided to leave it on and came back after after an hour. First tried with the CDR and the same it didn't. I put on my original CD and it went normal. I figured this is a defect with the player. At the time I was looking for a CD player, I was warned by a dealer not to get on nad c542 because of the defective lens. Today, the problem is already agravated and I'm going to contact my store. Regards to everyone. Ronel Salve |
Silver Member Username: Ca_convertCardiffUK Post Number: 177 Registered: Jan-05 | I have never encountered this problem, and regularly leave CD's in the unit powered down into standby mode - I never ever switch the unit off completely i.e. use the power on/off button on the front facia. Same goes for my amp; I use the on/off on the remote handset. |
Silver Member Username: Sun_kingLeeds, West Yorkshire UK Post Number: 317 Registered: Mar-04 | I've had my C542 for over a year now and experienced no such problems. I listen to some cdr discs on a regular basis but mostly original recordings. I rarely leave a disc in the tray when switching off. Possible causes: your cdp is faulty you are using scratched discs the disc is worn out or not finalised properly. |
DavidT Unregistered guest | I bought my NAD C542 about 3 months ago. I regularly get the problem "no disc" in the display. The disc may be old or new commercial recordings which I have played before. This is most aggravating as when it works the player produces a beautiful sound matched with my C352. I presume that I need to return the player but i'm loth to do this as it means that I will be without a player for weeks if not months. |
tugs Unregistered guest | I've had a NAD C-542 for a about 2 years. Since it was new I had the "NO DISK" message. At first it was only sometimes and with cd-r/w disks. After about 6 months it was occuring with all my disks and then stopped reading disks altogether. It was under warranty so I bought it to the local NAD service center. They replaced the laser and its worked perfectly ever since. It took 8 weeks to get the laser from NAD, but that may have been the local repair centers fault. The player sounds great though and I really like it. MY advice is if you are having these symptons you should get it looked at BEFORE your warranty expires! Like you folks I thought it was a problem of cd-r/w disks, or would get better. I was wrong.It got worse. |
Silver Member Username: Sun_kingLeeds, West Yorkshire UK Post Number: 326 Registered: Mar-04 | I've just bought a secondhand S500 cdp. Occasionally if the disc isn't placed in the tray 100% centrally I will get the "no disc" message. The sonics are improved on the C542 but not by a lot. The C542 remains a cracking budget player. |
Unregistered guest | Hi, This a continuation to my previous post (read it above) regarding my 5 months old NAD c 542. I sent it back to the dealer in Manila, Philippines and they told me that they replaced the lens. That was sometime in the 4th week of January, 2006. Last February 8, I have my cd player back, but seems the problems still persist. I asked the dealer if repair had been done and they confirmed they did. If asked what would I do now with my unit still defective, they told me to contact my store. When I contacted the store, again they said it should be the dealer's responsibility. What happen to NAD nowadays? This is my first unit and seems to be the last. I was also adviced (store) to post my complain in the nad website, but when I did, seems that the website is already abandoned. Seems like nobody's there to attend your complaints. I was prompted to register but when I was done there was no password sent to my email. I did it twice, thrice but to no avail. |
Unregistered guest | Hi, This a continuation to my previous post (read it above) regarding my 5 months old NAD c 542. I sent it back to the dealer in Manila, Philippines and they told me that they replaced the lens. That was sometime in the 4th week of January, 2006. Last February 8, I have my cd player back, but seems the problems still persist. I asked the dealer if repair had been done and they confirmed they did. If asked what would I do now with my unit still defective, they told me to contact my store. When I contacted the store, again they said it should be the dealer's responsibility. What happen to NAD nowadays? This is my first unit and seems to be the last. I was also adviced (store) to post my complain in the nad website, but when I did, seems that the website is already abandoned. Seems like nobody's there to attend your complaints. I was prompted to register but when I was done there was no password sent to my email. I did it twice, thrice but to no avail. |
Ronel Salve Unregistered guest | Hi, This a continuation to my previous post (read it above) regarding my 5 months old NAD c 542. I sent it back to the dealer in Manila, Philippines and they told me that they replaced the lens. That was sometime in the 4th week of January, 2006. Last February 8, I have my cd player back, but seems the problems still persist. I asked the dealer if repair had been done and they confirmed they did. If asked what would I do now with my unit still defective, they told me to contact my store. When I contacted the store, again they said it should be the dealer's responsibility. What happen to NAD nowadays? This is my first unit and seems to be the last. I was also adviced (store) to post my complain in the nad website, but when I did, seems that the website is already abandoned. Seems like nobody's there to attend your complaints. I was prompted to register but when I was done there was no password sent to my email. I did it twice, thrice but to no avail. |
Ronel Salve Unregistered guest | Moderator, pls delete my duplicate post. I'm sorry. Thanks. |
Silver Member Username: Sun_kingLeeds, West Yorkshire UK Post Number: 333 Registered: Mar-04 | I've managed to send emails to Nad, only last week as it happens. Try again! Sorry to hear about your problems though. I used to own a C542 and had no bother with it whatsoever and I now have an S500 with no trouble. This is on the back of a string of Nad amps. There will always be consumers who have problems with mass produced kit, it's a numbers thing and it applies to every manufacturer. I don't think your trouble is in any way indicative of poor Nad build quality. |
Silver Member Username: Unbridled_idChicagoUsa Post Number: 136 Registered: Mar-04 | hey king, whats up ! So you purchased the s500, is it the i version? The 500i has a newer transport which seems to have addressed the cdr issues of the 500. I was/ am interested in getting a new cdp in the somewhat near future to upgrade/update my 541i. I am not in a particular rush and want to make a solid finacially wise decision as I am not the type to swap out gear, I purchase and sit for awhile. I assume nad will update the 542 and am hoping this will be done in the fall of this year as that would make the 542 three years old. I don't really want to expand my budget much above the 500-600 range and understand there are compromises at that range but want the best I can get. |
Silver Member Username: Sun_kingLeeds, West Yorkshire UK Post Number: 334 Registered: Mar-04 | Hey bridle! How hangs it? Yes mate, I bought the S100, S200 & S500 very cheaply only a couple of weeks ago. They are my new main system! I'm not sure if my S500 is the "i" model, I suspect that's a US market only player as I've never seen them differentiated here between 'i' and 'standard'. As far as I can gather from the web, the 'i' addresses certain cdr problems etc but I've never had them with the C542 and I haven't got them with the S500 either. It's a different sound to the C160/C270/C542, much less of a colored atmosphere - just clean three dimensional sound. I can't say that I dislike my old kit though, I can't bear to part with it....so I might not. It's boxed-up ready to be used in a second system. I sold the C542 though so I only have the pre & power amps from my old kit. |
Silver Member Username: Unbridled_idChicagoUsa Post Number: 137 Registered: Mar-04 | wow you picked up the silver series pre and power amps, very nice indeed. I had my eye on the s100 for awhile but later went with a passive pre, that s200 is a beast. What did you pay for them, did you get them from a dealer or ??? |
Silver Member Username: Sun_kingLeeds, West Yorkshire UK Post Number: 337 Registered: Mar-04 | I bought them secondhand out of the classifieds. They are 2 years old (I saw the receipts of purchase) and in absolutely mint condition. I paid £750 (approx $1290 US) for the lot (all three units) - which was a bit of a steal! You're right, the S200 is a stonker. It doesn't get hot either, unlike the S300 integrated which you could cook your breakfast on. The S300 sounds brighter and totally unlike Nad kit but the S100 & S200 sound like Nad - which is what I wanted. |
Silver Member Username: Unbridled_idChicagoUsa Post Number: 138 Registered: Mar-04 | $1290 for all three, good grief that is a fantastic deal. On audiogon the cheapest I have seen the 200 go for is 850... Excellent pickup king, I am slightly envious though my rack couldn't carry the s200 it's over the 50 lb limit isn' it ? So it has the typical nad sound just cleaner overall is that how it goes ? |
Silver Member Username: Sun_kingLeeds, West Yorkshire UK Post Number: 340 Registered: Mar-04 | Yes mate, Nad sound but a bit cleaner. You could argue less atmosphere but it's the lack of color thing. The S300 integrated doesn't have the Nad house sound but in its favour it does have cracking bass slam. People who don't like Nad amps tend to love the S300. Having had Nad kit for a few years, I've grown to like the certain sound I've been getting so this for me is just a continuation. The S200 weighs something like 27kg so you need a pretty sturdy rack for it! That's something on the shopping list actually, it's about time I got a new rack for all this silver gear and mine isn't really up to the weight of the S200 - although I have obviously got it right at the bottom. |
New member Username: FatelvisPost Number: 6 Registered: Feb-06 | I've not owned a c542 -- but my old c540 had similar issues. Also skipped a lot. A 521i's display crapped out... My 521BEE has been OK so far... |
New member Username: Ronel_salveCebu CityPhilippines Post Number: 1 Registered: Mar-06 | Hello guys, How's your c542 going? I brought mine to the service center twice but they were not able to solve the problem. Seems that it's getting worse. My unit is only five months old and I don't know what to do. I'm tired to sending this to my dealer when I got this kind of service. What shall I do now? Can I just keep it and be silent forever? Or do I deserve to have my money back? Your opinions is highly appreciated. TIA. Ronel Salve |
Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 402 Registered: Nov-05 | Ronelo. If it is under warranty and the NAD authorized service people can't fix it then NAD should replace it. See your dealer and demand he contact the NAD distributor to get satisfaction. That is what I would do. Good luck. |
New member Username: Ronel_salvePost Number: 2 Registered: Mar-06 | Thanks My Rantz, The player broke down after 5 months since I bought it so its definitely under warranty. The sad part is that, this will be the 3rd time to send my player to NAD service center and I have the feeling that they won't be able to fix it. I demanded for a replacement, but they strongly gave their stand to repair it because of their reason that based on their evaluation my unit falls under "for repair". They will be sending a service unit today for my temporary use but this is a DVD player. At first I strongly refuse, because I want a CDp but there is no available unit. Well, I just take whatever they want, no choice. It jsut is very unfortunate having this kind of service we have here in the Philippines. |
Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 410 Registered: Nov-05 | Ronel Click on Sun King's name and send him a private email to ask for NAD's email address. Then tactfully explain to them that the service people can't seem to fix your player and that you are getting no backup from your dealer. Tell them how disappointed you are in the service and that you participate in audio forums and you will have no choice other than letting everyone know how you have had no satisfaction after purchasing your player. That is what I would do and you now have nothing to lose, it seems, by doing this. BTW - so far my C542 (and amps) has been flawless and I'm very satisfied. I don't believe NAD products are unreliable - every manufacturer has products with the odd problem - but their customers deserve to have working components. Usually, the service from NAD - from posts in this forum - has been quite good. Good luck with whatever you do. |
New member Username: Ronel_salvePost Number: 3 Registered: Mar-06 | My Rantz, thanks again for your support. I will go to sun king after this. You know when my unit begin to show irregularities after about 3 months when I got it, I immediately scan discussions in www.pinoydvd.com, a local audio/video forums looking for a thread about this kind of player and I found that there are a number of people who have problems with this kind of cdp. There was this certain guy who, after 6 months, his player got a busted audio circuit (according to the service center). HIs unit was bought at Premier Sights and Sound the same store where I got mine after 6 months. I understand it is a numbers game in manufacturing, but I just can't believe PSS having 2 defects in their inventory at a time. There was even a statement regarding the guy's defective player was sold to me. Well, that's hard to prove, but it could be possible. |
New member Username: RuvePost Number: 6 Registered: Mar-06 | Hi, All I have my NAD 542 for a week and it has got exactly the same problem as the first gentleman described since day two! I googled into this posting and learned not to leave CD in the tray while it is switched off (with power completely out). Now everything seems OK. BTW, my collection is mostly on CD-R because I left my originals at my parents' home. So CD-R/W could be a difficult issue for NAD! I am not sure if this definitely is a techinical fault. According to Ronel (the person above me), this problem could exist even after the optics has been changed. So I guess it has more to do with the design of the memory on the board. If the player fails to pick up the right data (burned CDs in particular) in the first place, there are some bad bits left in the memory which are not properly released/killed. As a consequence, any following good CDs may suffer from this unreadability. This is just my tentative hypothesis. Hey, how has everybody here got the problem solved? ![]() |
Silver Member Username: Unbridled_idChicagoUsa Post Number: 156 Registered: Mar-04 | Has anyone who has emailed NAD concerning this issue received any feedback yet ? The c542 has been out for 2 1/2 years now and I have just recently seen these issues posted. I have the c541i, and there is a disc in the tray at all times, though I always leave the unit on standby. |
New member Username: RuvePost Number: 9 Registered: Mar-06 | Unbridled ID: What kind of CD did you leave in? An original or a burned CD-R? This makes a difference. |
New member Username: Ronel_salvePost Number: 4 Registered: Mar-06 | I've been in contact with NAD through their website in the person of Ms. Karen Pritchard. The latest, I was informed of the replacement that will come from one of their distributors based in Singapore. But its already 2 weeks since then, and no unit arrived. When the problem started to cropped up, I was not using any kind of CDRs and my CDs are all original. Only just recently I'm using CDRs becuase my friend loaned his few discs to me. So, the use of CDRs is not the cause of this problem. Aside from what I had with this player, this time, it started to skip in the middle of the tracks. This happened for 2 times (only yesterday) for 2 discs already and when I examined the discs was all fine, no scratches whatsoever. |
Silver Member Username: Sun_kingLeeds, West Yorkshire UK Post Number: 358 Registered: Mar-04 | Maybe Nad are using a different supplier for parts inside the newer C542s? Or perhaps there is a quality control problem. The C542 I had, one of the very first when launched, gave me over 12 months' faultless service before I sold it. Like Unbridled, I too am only recently seeing these problems. There must be a reason for it, the C542 was and still should be a great player. |
Silver Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 494 Registered: Nov-05 | My C542 has had a minimum of 2 hrs use per day on average since Dec '05 and so far it has worked faultlessly. I certainly hope it continues to do so. |
Bronze Member Username: RuvePost Number: 13 Registered: Mar-06 | It is said that NAD uses SONY optics for its higher- end CDP. SANYO is used on the lower-end. I know Cambridge Audio also comes with SONY laser. So it could be a SONY issue (or its OEM, who knows, thanks to globalization). |
Silver Member Username: Unbridled_idChicagoUsa Post Number: 157 Registered: Mar-04 | Ruve, I always leave in original cds but I have left in cdr's I just have not had any of the issues you have had. |
Bronze Member Username: RuvePost Number: 15 Registered: Mar-06 | unbridled id: I am not sure. Since I engaged in the "good" practice of not leaving CD in powered-off NAD541, the problem has never occurred again. Who knows? |
New member Username: Ronel_salvePost Number: 5 Registered: Mar-06 | Hellow guys, NAD informed me the they are going to replace my unit provided I will shoulder the cost of shipping from Singapore to Philippines. Is this fair considering that I bought the unit here in the Philippines? Also, my unit is only 5 months when I first submitted the unit for repair. Thanks in advance. Ronel Salve |
Bronze Member Username: RuvePost Number: 17 Registered: Mar-06 | Ronel, do not accept it. The replacement could be as bad or a serviced return. Show them this thread if possible. They should probably recall the entire batch! |
New member Username: TcbiPost Number: 1 Registered: Apr-06 | Hi guys I am a new member to the forum. I have found your discussions very helpful. Thanks! I'm also sorry to hear of the problems that some of you are having with the C542. I had heard it at a dealer and liked the sound. As I was deciding between the C542 and the Cambridge 640c V2(unheard but has fantastic reviews), all these unresolved problems just convinced me to go with the 640c. Ronel, if the NAD's service dept took the time to research their products' reputation in forums such as this, they will see that they have lost at least one customer due to poor service. One lost customer obviously will not be noticed by NAD, so I encouraged other readers to post if this thread helped them make their decision against buying NAD. BTW I was also considering their integrated amp and turntable. With the decision to go the Cambridge route, I will also go with the Cambridge amp. And the Rega P2 instead of 533. |
Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1160 Registered: May-05 | The NAD 533 and Rega P2 are the same table for all intents and purposes. Rega makes the table for NAD. I don't know what the differences are, but I'm 99% sure they are minor and/or cosmetic. The table is also sold as a Goldring. Not sure which model number it is though. They may all come with different cartridges. Maybe that's the difference? |
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 2185 Registered: Dec-04 | Good post, Ruve!! |
New member Username: The_fruPost Number: 1 Registered: Oct-06 | hi, i have just the same problem with my 2 weeks old unit! I returned it where i got it but they said that there wasn't any problem... So i thake it to NAD costumer service and they told me that there is a c542 series with problems reading CDs not perfectly philips standard; NAD knows that and will change me entire mechanics with the lens too (it may takes 3-4 days). I hope it's true... I will take my unit on monday for repair. The good working units have S/N that sould begin with g51 (mine is in fact g49...) Bye |
Bronze Member Username: Jingka99Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Post Number: 16 Registered: Aug-06 | Hi, Also had the same problem with my NAD C542 several weeks ago, the 'no disk' problem is intermittent, sometimes it reads, sometimes doesn't...so after 2 days, decided to return it to the dealer and immediately got the replacement...never experience the problem since...I have not checked the S/N though, I'll look into it when i get home...when i drop by the dealer again and asked if they really found the unit i returned to be defective, they said it's working fine and they're using it for demo...this is unbelieveable....anyway, thankfully they replaced mine wihtout any hassle of waiting... |
Silver Member Username: Daniel_canadaCanada Post Number: 184 Registered: May-06 | My C521bee will do this now and then. It's never been a real issue for me. I'll turn the power off and that clears the issue. I play 95% store bought CDs and the problem will happen with originals and the few burned CDs I own. |
New member Username: Thomas_lPost Number: 1 Registered: Jan-07 | Hi, I bought my Nad C542 for 1 year ago. I have now my third (3)player they all have the same problem, not able to read all CD's. It is no problems with the CD's because they work perfectly in my other 4 CD players. My dream from the youth to be a Nad owner is fading. The dealer says there is never any problem with the players. This site gives my energy to return the player and go for another brand. Keep on rockin'in a free world! |
New member Username: The_fruPost Number: 2 Registered: Oct-06 | Hi Thomas, I solved my problem in 24 hours! I brought my unit for repair and now it's working good. Bye |
New member Username: Thomas_lPost Number: 2 Registered: Jan-07 | Thanks for your feedback E. I have now put my C542 for repairs, not changing to a new one. Maybe my problems will be solved as well. Cheers, T |
Bronze Member Username: Jingka99Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Post Number: 57 Registered: Aug-06 | Hi Emiliano, did you happen to asked what was the cause of the problem? Thanks |
New member Username: The_fruPost Number: 3 Registered: Oct-06 | Hi, they told me that some unit (it depends on S/N) needs a patch to read CDs not poperly standard philips, so they changed the entire mechanics. Bye |
Bronze Member Username: RuvePost Number: 39 Registered: Mar-06 | What about S/N that begins with G61XXX? Are they affected as well? |
New member Username: The_fruPost Number: 4 Registered: Oct-06 | Hi, They told me that good units have S/N that begins with g51XXX (mine is g49XXX); so, your unit should be a good one. |
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1061 Registered: Nov-05 | Page 1 of 1 Technical Bulletin C542 Product: CD Player Hardware Technical Bulletin: C542-H2005-04R Date: Oct.31/05 Subject: Improved Playability Note: Implemented in production starting from serial #: G56C54224800 Previous T.B.'s required: i± YES i± NO DESCRIPTION: You may have the complaint that some discs are difficult to play. REASON: The rf eye pattern level can be slightly lower than expected when reading some cd's. SOLUTION: Increase rf level from laser pick up. Change the following parts to increase the rf level. 1. Change resistor R227 from 100R to a jumper wire. 2. Change resistor R103 and R104 from 20K to 15K. 3. Change resistor R218 from 15K to 47K. 4. Change capacitor C221 from 0.1uF to 3900 pF. Contact: NAD Electronics International 633 Granite Court Pickering, ON Canada L1K 3K1 Voice: 905-831-0799 FAX 905-837-6357 www.nadelectronics.com |
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 5360 Registered: Dec-04 | Geez, MR, I hope you didn't type that. Good post, mate! |
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 5361 Registered: Dec-04 | Pickering, Ontario. Crikey, I get beer there! Lenbrook... We have issue, but they did come through 2 out of 4 times. Not so bad. If you Aussies need a part or two, let me know. I can post them without travails to you, as opposed to the corporate blokes. Stuffed-up lot, they are. |
Gold Member Username: My_rantzAustralia Post Number: 1062 Registered: Nov-05 | If they weren't assembled in China, I'd say the beer might be the problem. No I didn't type it. Go to NAD service on their website logon: NADITA password: SERVICE Shhhhhhhh! Don't tell anyone. |
Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 5363 Registered: Dec-04 | SPEAK UP, MAN! |
Bronze Member Username: Jingka99Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Post Number: 65 Registered: Aug-06 | Now I'm confused ![]() The first C542 i got have this problem and I returned it and the audio shop actually gave me a new unit but I checked on the serial number and it's G48xx...but with this new unit I don't experience any problem with reading CDs. I have been using this player for about 5 months and not a single time it showed problem reading CDs..I have no idea if the dealer here already implemented the corrections or not.... |
New member Username: Nad542sucksPost Number: 1 Registered: Oct-06 | Mine worked sporadically for a while, and now doesn't work at all. I'm out $500--the corporation denied any compensation, despite the obvious defect. Keep this in mind when considering your C542. |
Silver Member Username: Sun_kingLeeds, West Yorkshire UK Post Number: 373 Registered: Mar-04 | Sorry to hear that Jerry. I know it doesn't help you at all but I ran a C542 for 12 months with absolutely no bother. I'm now on the S500. I trust you've been put-off NAD products for life now huh? |