Is a Jag CD laser particularly sensitive / finicky for reading discs?

[Warmsignal]

Compared to other retro consoles, I should say. I have some PS1 games that are in terrible shape and the games still play. However, my copy of Blue Lightening has some very minor scratches and scuffs, so on one of the levels the audio track keeps stopping and repeating at the same point until eventually the game crashes.

 

Wondering if the laser is particularly crappy when compared to other consoles of the time. I wouldn't be surprised if Atari used the cheapest manufacturer they could find for these. I've never seen a disc reader of any sort where the spindle doesn't lock the CD in, so that already signals caution for the quality of the disc reader.

So what's the verdict on these? Are they crappier than standard, or is my copy of Blue Lightening just worse for the wear.

[+Stephen]

I don't think it's so much the laser being sub-standard, but the fact that Atari used raw audio data without the built in error correction of Mode 2 data discs like the PSX did.  Stupid choice, we even knew it back then.

[+madman]

IIRC the laser is from Philips and used in other devices, so there's nothing inherently wrong with it. 

[LynxJagLunatic]

I’ve had mine for over 20 years and never had an issue. Recently though I’ve started getting a buzzing sound from the cd unit. Hasn’t seemed to affect it yet.