Price Paid:  $150.00 from BestBuy

Summary:
Receiver - Pinoeer Elite VSX-35Tx Front speakers - Pinoeer Elite FZ700 DVD palyer Toshiba 5700, Panasonic DVD-A7 This is my 2nd review for this CD changer. This player does work well for me as a CD chnager or CD transport for MD recording. However, I finally give up using it as CD listening. It lacks of sound stage, sounds so foreward, and the sound stage is as thin as a paper. I guess that's the problem of 1 bit decoding. I use my Panasonice DVD-A7 and Toshiba 5700 to compare the sound quality. I found I like my DVD players more then it. As my point of view, my DVD players' sound is warmer and more inviting. I just can't stand the sound of this CD changer.

Strengths:
fair price for 111 CD changer. A lot of function. Read CD Text.

Weaknesses:
Terrible Sound~~~~~~

Similar Products Used:
Non

Price Paid:  $250.00 from FuturShop

Summary:
This Cd Charger is quite a good deal!

Strengths:
110+1 cd, sound quality (optical output) fast cd changing, great look, cd text,Technics quality.

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
None

Price Paid:  $380.00

Summary:
very well made, nice looking, and compact dimensions. compared to my 'Cambridge Audio'DAC, the sound was OK, but nowhere near as refined as the DAC.

Therefore, I use it with the cambridge DAC, which is the best dac Ive heard period.

Never played with the features, as I only need the 101 disc capacity, and to use it as I would a normal player.

the technics seems A LOT cheaper in the US than over here in UK. the UK retail price is £ 300, about $480 US !

highly recommended if youre looking for the most compact design, with Technics build quality.

Strengths:
Excellent mechanism, build quality, reads cdrs, superb value, the most compact for its size

Weaknesses:
good sound quality, though worth upgrading with external DAC.

Similar Products Used:
various

Summary:
People seem to complain an awful lot about the noise this makes when it changes a CD. It does make a noise. But I am sure these people made a lot more noise when they had to get there butts off the couch to change a CD when they had a single CD player. This player is solid and it sounds good. What else could one ask for out of a CD player?... and yes, you don't have to get up off the comfy couch to change a CD. Stop being so picky.

Price Paid:  $160.00 from Future Shop

Summary:
I bought the changer as a toy for the computer. It's literally used for when I'm in game so I don't have to listen to the same CD all day :) However the setup is still very nice. I had the Technics going to the optical in on the Live! 5.1 Platinum, then all signal leave coax digital out to an Adcom GDA-700, then balanced from there on to an Adcom GFP-750, Adcom GFA-5802 and finally PSB Stratus Gold speakers. Not bad for the computer :)

With the application out of the way, back to the review. Since it was to be a toy I didn't want to spend more than I had to. The Technics was an obvious choice given the reviews here. 110+1 CD playback, access to all of them, quick disc changes all promises that look good on paper. The problem was the execution, 110 turned out to be a comprimise of mega changer and single since you'd still be without some CD, strike one. Though you can see all of them right up front removal is much harder using that stick up front, the Sony by comparison can be simply grabbed by even the biggest of fingers, strike two. The biggest problem is the quick access, yes it is quicker than the others, not noticably but quicker none the less. The problem lies in how it's achieved, the actual player is suspended on a track pulled back and forth much like blinds. Like blinds the player sways for a while which may be the cause of the greatest drawback of this player, it has problems tracking some original CDs! I don't mind when a player can't play CDR/CDRW but originals? During my week with the original boxed model and it's exchange boxed model both exhibited the same problem. I never got the all my CDs but these ones had problems, Holly Cole:Temptations, Dave Matthews:Before These Crowded Streets, Suicidal Tendencies:Still Cyco After All These Years. The Sony by comparison hasn't had a single tracking error with it's fixed drive. The tracking problem isn't easily overlooked since hands free operation is what a mega changer is all about, play and forget, not play and return every so often to reload a CD or skip a track... Survey says 4 for value since the price is right, but 3 for overall since basic features like playback are lacking.

Regis Poirier

Strengths:
price, easy cd access

Weaknesses:
tracking, design

Similar Products Used:
Sony CDP-CX335