Wonderful clarity. Voice and instrument Separation, depth of stage and overall warmth of sound are just right. Wonderful actually. A shocking surprise how good this modest looking unit is. Solidly built and overall, beautifully designed.

Some worry about changing discs while one is playing. If you need that feature, it's a weakness. I don't so for me there aren't any. Connects with my venerable old Arcam Delta 290 and my B&W pre-Nautilus 602s. Will try it out with my Carver Lightstar 2.0 at some point, but haven't the patience for that just now.

I am a 70 year old "stereo" junky. I have built many "budget" systems over the years for cars, trucks, and homes. I have recently embarked on building an "old school" music/entertainment system for the guest house next door. Using Ebay, I have found some amazing components, but the biggest suprise was the Nakamichi MD-8, 5-disc CD changer. Wow! It was described as near mint and listed for $60 + $15 shipping or Best Offer. My offer of $55 was accepted and a week later it arrived in "like new" condition. Within minutes its was added to my Kenwood 8030 (1990 w/ Pro Logic) and a pair of Advent Legacy ll speakers and center channel. Did I say WOW already?

The Kenwood has a CD Direct button that claims to offer a "pure" CD connection. I don't know it it is the CD Direct, Advent speakers, or the MD-8, but the super clean sound across the spectrum, with very distict separation is most impressive. I suspect it is mostly the MD-8. When playing Tune-in on my Galaxy, over the air broadcast, or vinyl, the Advents truly produce an inspiring sound. But when I hit the CD Direct button, the music I have enjoyed for years takes on a COMPLETELY new life with this Nakamichi changer. If CD's are still part of your music life, find one of these and you'll know what I am tryinyg to describe.

If you're still reading, let me send a strong shout out for the Advent Legacy ll speakers. Advent was "IT" back in the 60's and 70's. The Legacy ll is the second generation. They are a two-way, with 8" long throw woofers. Each one weighs nearly 50 #'s. Being 40 years old, most have had the foam woofer surround rotted away. New foam is readily available on the internet as well as tweeters. Many listed on Ebay have had the foam replaced. If not, it's easy. I found two near mint units (with new foam) listed for $60 + $90 shipping (remember 100#'s total). I was the only bidder. THEY ARE FANTASTIC! Advent marketed the Legacy ll as an upgrade to the original. Digital Ready they said. I can't go back in time to relisten to my "originals" but after listening to the Legacy ll's, I'm POSITIVE they are superior to most anything reasonably priced today or even the "originals" in the 60's.

Sounds exceptional. Low profile. Looks beautiful. Built like a bomb shelter, with no plastic. Single loading slot that stacks CD vs. a rotating platter.

Hard to find.

Needed to replace a dead Denon changer and heard good things about this box. Fool that I am I bought a new Denon at BB and it was flimsier than the player I replaced, so I took it back. That's when I decided to look for an older, well-built machine. I was surprised I couldn't find a better deal on the MB-8, but it's hard to find and seems to have a cult following. After 7 months of use I now understand why. The thing just works, and sounds so much better than the junk I replaced. I'm hearing more of my music on a bigger soundstage. Price-wise, I don't think anything comes near it for the look and performance.

Similar Products Used:

Denon, Sony, Rotel, NAD

Elegant in it's simplicity, and very appealing to the eye (and ear). Even the display has a soothing quality.

Disc changing technology is loud, obnoxious, and slow (like my brother-in-law).

Scanning the used market for more than a year, I finally came across an MB-8 listed as "mint" in a recent eBay auction. Having watched these go for as much as $300 (WHOA! the MSRP was only $399!), I was surprised to get a late-night winning bid in at $182. The MB-8 is a work of engineering art. The first thing that struck me was the size. Smaller than many single-disc players, it is elegant in it's simplicity. The front panel controls are basic; the display provides an informative array of programming options. Operating the deck for the first time is intuitive--I didn't read the manual until I started programming tracks into the memory feature. Loading CD's is fast--once you get the hang of it, probably just as fast as many platter-style changers. The remote is well laid-out, transferring the "simplicity" format from the front panel. I first routed the MB-8 thru my DAC using the optical digital connection. I wasn't pleased with the result, even after the obligatory 100 hours of break-in of the toslink line. I switched over to some good interconnects thru the analog outs, and it made a world of difference. The sound was more nuetral, with a more natural, punchy bottom and cleaner high-end. I think the soundstage actually opened up a bit as well, but that could've been a psych-job. The sonic performance of the deck is on par with many comparably priced units--I think it came close to (but not equal to) my single-disc Rotel in many of the metrics used to measure sonic ability. Now, the rub. I was disappointed to find that the mechanical noise from the changing mechanism was so, well, loud. I guess I expected that after about 10 years of refining the music bank technology, Nak would've managed to dampen the sound of a disc transfer. And the speed is no faster than on my platter-style NAD 515. Don't get me wrong--this is still a fine-performing mid-fi cd player. I guess my expectations for the disc-changing process (as measure by speed and noise) were above what Nak could deliver back in 1998. Overall, this cd player gets a solid 4, based on it's unquestionable good looks, simplicity, and reasonable sonic performance. The on-board chip set is good enough to satisfy most audio enthusiasts (I'd recommend using the analog-outs).

Similar Products Used:

NAD, Rotel, Denon, Sony

Compact design, nice ergonomics, quick disc exchanges, phenomenal sound

Can't switch discs while one is playing.

I purchased this component because of its very compact casing, great sound, and also because it matched my Nak AV-7 cosmetically. I have always been a Nak fan, and this component has not altered that one bit. The only drawback to this piece is the inability to change discs while one is playing, but this is the trade-off for its compact size.

Similar Products Used:

Typical 5 disc carousels from HK, Yamaha

*Wonderful construction. Stunning.
*3 dimensional sound.
*Phasing is perfect. Clarity is above average
*Unit transforms an ADD Cd into a rich, texturous, musical experiece
* I keep wanting to turn it up..

no volume control or headphones jack
remote is cheap
it is made in Malysia!!!!-

See above comments.
I have auditioned numerous cd players including audiophile units (Calif audio labs, and Mcintosh). Nothing comes close to this unit. Sound reproduction is dynamic, textured and relistic. The listener does not experience 'artificial' 3d sound found in many other cd players that are 10x more expensive. I find that many other cd players try too hard. This unit is a worthwhile underdog..

Too bad Nakamichi had to slander its name by trying to enter massmarket by releasing cheapo receivers and cd changers to Best Buy stores a couple of years ago. I guess the learned their lesson. I forgive you Nak.

Similar Products Used:

Nakamichi MB-4s

Fit and finish, ease of use, flexible playback options

None so far

I recently "stole" this unit from Ubid for a paltry $114. Luckily for me it must have been a slow day. This slim bodied beauty slipped in my rack atop my Nak AV-8 like a hand in a glove. Hooked up the optical output and was blown away by some ear crunching guitar courtesy of one Eddie Van Halen. Ah yes, a cranked Marshall amp captured on a digital format never sounded this good to these ears.
I think this unit is discontinued, but if you can find one, I highly recommend it. Easy on the eyes and the ears.

Similar Products Used:

sony cdp 750

compact, sleek unit. easy to read, great display.

can't switch discs while one plays. no power on/off on remote.

got it on sale for 249.00. it soon went back to 400.00. a great compact cd changer. what a difference it makes to my system. delivers a great sound. aesthetically pleasing, as most nak products are. aside from a few weaknesses, this is a great piece of equipment. a much better value for the money than nak's mb-10.

Similar Products Used:

nak's mb-10

wide soundstage,excellent bass,mids,highs, above average detail

Inability to switch cd while another is playing.

Just picked up this baby and let me tell you it makes a huge difference in my system. What used to sound flat and dull now sounds alive and detailed.I Cant believe the quality of this player and it's great looks. Was not really looking for a 5 discs, but when a 5 discs sound this good why do without. I'm now relistening to my cd collection and totally enjoying it. By the way this player also plays cd'rs .

Sound Quality, Aesthetics

fixed power cord

I am very happy with the sound quality of this unit, espescially for the price i paid. However, my particular unit has had problems recognizing discs, 'fast-forwarding' without losing tracking, and it may or may not play a track when you skip to it.

The sound quality is excellent for this price. The quirks are very annoying though. The store where I bought it is being excellent about getting it back to me in 100% tip-top condition. They have loaned me a rotel rcd-961 whilst i wait. I expected the rotel to sound better than the nakamichi, and I was wrong! Which makes me pretty damn happy. I will not be trading for the rotel.

My system is a pair of B&W DM-303's connected via Monster Cable 12gauge xphp spkr wire to a harman/kardon amp with a 'no more than .03% t.h.d 20Hz-20Khz' I use a Magnat Alpha25 sub connected via the amps' L/R line outs for a sub. I am using some acoustic research interconnects between the amp and the sub...they arent the most expensive etc...but seem to do just fine. My nakamichi mb-8 was connected to the amp via a pair of Monster Cable M550-i interconnects.

My description of the system is for the purpose of saying what the Nakamichi does well: It plays the music honestly. My system has the potential to be too bright. The Nak. relays everything on the cd in a uniformed fashion. You can tell the difference between well recorded cd's and crap cd's. the channel seperation is excellent. the music comes across bold and spacious. You dont have to strain to listen for delicate nuances in music as they come across exactly how they were recorded. I have every confidence in the nakamichi.

The rotel, which I expected more from, didnt fit into my system as well...it tends to make the highs a bit splashy on SOME recordings, which sounded legible and proper on the nakamichi. I only wish the nakamichi had been constructed as well as the rotel: the nakamichi has a fixed power cord and its a typical flimsy one at that. The analog outputs could have been spaced further apart so it at least gave the illusion of being concious of keeping things isolated. And, just little touches like gold plated analog outs at least...etc etc...

The nakamichi sounds great for its price and the only reason i mention about a more concious build quality is because it makes me wonder how much more it could have been improved upon, given how impressive it is already, just the way it is.

Similar Products Used:

nakamichi MB-3, Rotel rcd-961