So, I just aquired a d6c, and I am very pleased. The sound quality is really amazing, I can't complain. however I have an issue with it, there is a slight popping out of the right headphone that's present when a casette is playing, even with the volume down, the popping is the same volume no matter. The popping sounds exactly like the type of popping you hear with a dirty LP. It is not rythimc and goes from not happening at all to very present at seeminly random. It seems like this only happens with the headphone out, the line out is fine, and no settings (tape or noise reduction) alters it. It also only occurs when it's playing with a casette in it, if I play when there is no casette in it, or the tape is on the beginning non-tape part it's fine, and does not happen when paused or spooling. I've tried cleaning the head with a q-tip several times, but it appears clean, and due to the inconsistent nature of the popping I have no idea if that helps or not. So far I've only used old, pre-used tapes, I am however getting some new stock tomorrow to see if dusty tapes might be the problem? The apparatus was refurbished 5 years ago while with the previous owner. I just want to know if this is a problem I should be concerned about (leaking capacitors etc.), and if it can be fixed by a relative amateur. The popping doesn't bother me too much, I'm just concerned about the health of my apparatus. Thanks in advance Edit: Here is a recording of the player playing a blank casette. the first couple of seconds is from the headphone jack, then after the silence is the audio from the line out https://voca.ro/15gEDywOr9e6
Welcome to Stereo2Go. It sounds as if the problem could be a failing electrolytic capacitor. If it is on the headphone output only and not the line output, I would try replacing C238. If your D6C is one of the later ones, with mostly surface mount components (after 1994) then these are more prone to electrolytic capacitor failure than the older models.
Thank you for the reply. Is there any way I can identify the age of the device without stripping it down? I opened the back and it appears rather old, it also has that distinct "old circuitry" smell, which I've heard is leaking capacitors? I tried removing the circuit board but quickly chikened out as I don't want to destroy it further, so I'm not sure what the components look like. Should I be worried is my main concern? I do not have the skillset to replace capacitors or for that matter solder at all. Is the device going to fail on me or be made unrepairable any time soon?
The WM-D6C page on the Walkmancentral website show the difference between the earlier D6C and the SMD version. https://walkmancentral.com/products/wm-d6c I think the "old circuitry" smell could be due to a number of factors, such as the PCB material, solder flux etc. and not necessarily leaking capacitors. Assuming the problem is a capacitor, it may continue to crackle, get worse or stop passing a signal altogether. If it becomes a problem then there are a few of us on this forum who repair these units. You can contact any one of us using the "Start a Conversation" function on the forum.
Thanks you very much for all the info! I no doubt have the older model based on those comparion pictures. I will quell my concerns for now and hope for the best.
As a rule the Serial Number will give a clue as to the age of your WM-D6C. If it's a 5 digit SN you have an early D6C with the desirable "pointy" amorphous head. The earlier 6 digit SN units with the brown PCB and mainly through the hole components are also less likely to have capacitors fail compared to the later, after 1994, SMD units which @Deb64 referred to.
