I got this off ebay for very little money in 2014. In fact, I got two of them. The first of the two had a laser lens problem and I bought a replacement lens from a Sony KSS-231C and used its lens to replace the fallen one on the Nak. It still didn't work and it developed a problem in the changer mechanism. But it had a remote control coming with it tho'.

The second one was claimed to be working, and when it arrived, it too had a fallen lense. Luckily, the lens was still inside the player when I opened it so I glued it back to place, cleaned the tracking rails and lubed everything. Voila! It played flawlessly since.

I am trying to get the first one back to life.

Sound wise, the CDC-3A has a Philips TDA-1541 DAC chip in it, and the capacitors around the sounding building block attached to the DAC are worth upgrading to MKP caps of at least 0.1uF. But as is, the Nak already has decent ones there. So I think, in my system, with Nak CA-7 preamp, Marantz 8b tube amp, and Tannoy Arden II speakers, the CDC-3A sounds very much like a Marantz CD-94 which I have too. Despite its humble 6-disc changer mechanism, it tracks very well. I think the laser and the changer set-up are all from Pioneer, namely PYW-1009, which are prone to fallen lenses coz the laser pick-up is placed upside down, and the user has to place the CD with the label side facing downwards. Over time, the glue around the lens will become frail and brittle, and the lens can fall out. Do not be frightened by this. One can use the lens from other laser pick-ups to repair this. It is worth the hassle coz it is the only Nak CD changer with the TDA-1541 DAC, and therefore is worth preserving.

Dual glich-free D/A converters; solid construction; dual mono design; multi-programming of CD''s in any order, Nakamichi build quality.

None!

I was lucky to pick this CD player up on the cheap at a local store here in town that was blowing the older Nakamichi pieces out the door (lucky for me). This CD player is well-built, with glitch-free dual D/A converters and dual mono construction - each channel is fed an independent signal, as opposed to a shared signal, so you the sound it reproduces is more accurate and 3-dimensional (sounds like you''re running dual mono amps). You insert a CD upside down, because Nak locates their laser on the top, shooting down on the CD, instead of up. This way, dust can''t collect on the lens over time. (ingenious!). The player is heavy, not like the cheaper units. You can also program this bad boy with up to 200 selections in any order, effectively freeing you up to enjoy the party while it does all the work! The original retail on this CD player was $795.00. If you can find one on eBay, buy it. You will not be dissapointed!

Similar Products Used:

Denon

Sound Quality, Durability, Construction, Weighs more than a sack o' potatos

None really other than it had to be serviced a couple years back but that was after at least 5 years of heavy use.I guess the changer is not the ewasiest to use. It is sett up like a car CD changer with a Six disc Cassette

I suppose there is not much point in recommending this product considering it is no longer in production, however one might consider a pre-owned unit. The longevity and durability of Nkamichi's products makes buying a used unit less scary. I would not bother spending the money on a high end CD player unless you are goin the same route with the rest of your equipment, otherwise the full potential of the player will never be realized and that is a shame.