Sound quality, versatility, features

Remote could have been backlit

What a fantastic CD player. You would never expect this kind of quality from such an inexpensive CD player. I have had it for about 4 years. It has played every kind of disc that I have thrown at it, even the ones that my expensive Arcam CD player ($800) refused to play. Sound quality (while not at par with my Arcam player) is still quite exceptional at this price range. At $200 it compares very favorably with $400-$500 NAD, Marantz and Denon CD players that I have tried. Features are awesome, exchange 4 discs while playing the fifth, CD text, list manager etc etc.. The list goes on. Recently added an AMC DAC to see if it cold provide some sonic improvement. Result: NO CHANGE. Could not believe my ears.

Similar Products Used:

Arcam, NAD, Marantz, Denon, Pioneer Elite

It looks good, and it sounds like it should cost another hundred dollars.

It doesn't play DVD's.

I was looking for the most expensive audio system I could find. And I have seen all the audiophile equipment from brands like RCA. This is the best CD player I found. It cost me $450! That's a boat load of money. I was loaded in with this stuff and it wrecks. I recommend it, especially if you find it under $800 like me at Radio Shack.

Similar Products Used:

RCA speakers.

optical output, variable analog output, disc naming, seems to have no problems with my cdr's

little pricey (paid $180 at local store),
wish you could turn power off from remote

A quality unit. Nice remote. I like the disc naming, and the fact that you can control a mega changer with it. THe variable analog outputs are nice if you have a touchy reciever like mine (but you don't need that if you use the digital output). Good sound overall.

Similar Products Used:

use with a marantz sr8000 and jbl studio series speakers

smooth, quiet operation; nice sound

backlit remote would be nice; headphone volume too loud

when i moved, my old sony 5-disc changer broke so i needed
a replacement. this fit the bill nicely and has a lot
of features for $150-$160. the sound is very nice
and the mechanism is quiet, a plus for listening
to music with quiet passages. i haven't used the CD
text feature yet but might get around to programming
my CDs.

the only weaknesses are in the remote; the buttons
are hard to distinguish by feel, and a backlight would
be nice. also including a track jog control on the remote,
like the one on the front panel, would be way cool.

overall an excellent value for $160 and i would recommend it.

Similar Products Used:

another sony 5-disc changer

optical, cd naming, track hiding

no power off feature on remote

I was planning on buying a 5 disc DVD changer that would function as a cd changer as well, but when I tried out the sony dvd models, I realized that the dvd that sony currently has on the market do not handle the cd-r technology very well. So, I opted for going with the single disc dvd (sony dvp360) and this baby. Man, this thing is cool...I mean all cd players are pretty much the same. But what sets this apart is the ability to name your cd's..I don't know how it does it, but once you put in a name, it is there forever, even if you take it out of the tray. You can also hide tracks that you don't want to play. I used the regular RCA cords that it came with to hook it up to my sony strdb940 and it sounded great. But then, I bought a optical cable from radio shack and hook that through the md/dat port and did some A/B testing. There is no comparison that the optical cord sounded som much better. More clarity than you can shake a stick at. I am sure there are others out there that do this as well, but for a $150...no problem. And the weakness is not a weakness because most recievers have AC ports in the back so you can turn off both the reciever and the cd player at the same time.

Similar Products Used:

older sony models

Great sound, Cd-text, and a lot more.

no power on with remote

I have a couple of cds, and needed a cd player. I don't have that many, so I didn't want a mega disc changer, so this is just perfect for me. It sounds great, has an output for optical digital, cd-text, and disc naming. All at 150 dollars. I think that is a good deal so I am giving the value rating a 5 and the overall rating a 5.