Price Paid:  $120.00 from Atl

Summary:
This is areally good 5 disc cd player which is simple to use and easy to setup.The remote is small light and easy to understand.It has good functions that are just a pleasure to operate..from random,edit,program,spiral and it's memory ability to hold the programs.

Strengths:
It's remote,easy to use functions,optical out,memory capability and it's 90db music output.

Weaknesses:
None so far.

Similar Products Used:
Sharp,sony,

Price Paid:  $160.00 from India

Summary:
I have been on the lookout for a nice CD changer for the past 3 months. I looked at the Yamaha series, Sony & the Harmon Kardon. All of them were okay, but I was still not satisfied. Then I came across the Technics PD8 (Basically a Panasonic company). I immediately read some reviews on the net and what caught my attention was that while most reviewers like it a lot, some had complained about lack of CD-R capability and the obtrusive lights. I got the machine home on trail for a day. The first CD I played was one I had burned (For the uninitiated, a CD-R). Played flawlessly and I immediately noticed a difference in the sound as compared to my sony. I realized that the people who companin about this feature probably do not "finish" their CD-R's when they burn them. (Most players only play finished CD-R's). Then I threw scratched CD's at it and it played them very well.(The Sony would not even touch these scratched CD's). I did NOT try CD-RW's, but then I do not use them. The lights were elegant, maybe a little bright, but no way did it get in my eyes. As for the people who compain it gets in their way on seeing videos, my question is "Why on god's earth would you keep the CD changer on when watching a movie in the dark ?". Anyways, its been great going. I really could not hear much of a difference between the Optical and Analog out, but the fact is that you have optical out in case you want to record digitally. In short, a good, clean sound that is not too bright or harsh. And its fast when it evaluates the empty slots and looks for CD's. If you ever used a Harmon Kardon, you would know what Im talking about ! And yes, one more fact that almost nobody has mentioned. This unit is capable of playing DTS encoded disks and passing them to the receiver via the optical output. I see a few DTS enabled CD's in the market and this player might just be future proof !

Strengths:
1. Clean sound; not too bright or harsh. 2. Optical out 3. Capable of playing DTS enabled disks. 4. CD-R capability.

Weaknesses:
1. Very light weight, maybe plasticky.

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha 575 & 675, Sony & Harmon Kardon.

Price Paid:  $99.00 from The Wiz

Summary:
When the time came to replace my ancient Technics SL-PJ11 single disc player, I did some serious research. The Sony's at first looked good, except for many reports of them "eating" discs. Then, I came close to buying a Yamaha CDC-506. It seemed to have superior specs, a better DAC, quieter mechanism, and overall better build quality than the Sony's. But the user interface left much to be desired. Too many functions could only be used with the remote. Even basic programming and mode selection required the remote! And what front panel controls there were, were not well laid out. Finally, I noticed the Technics SL-PD9. It was on sale at the The Wiz for $99. I had my doubts, but was impressed with the many good reviews on this unit. So I took the plunge. The sound quality of this player is excellent on my JBL L-112 speakers (probably due to the "MASH" 1-bit DAC). The PD9 was able to cleanly play some home-made CDR's that had terrible intermittent noise when played on my old player. The operation of this unit is intuitive. Placement of the controls is very well thought out. All controls are above the tray, so they can be seen and used when the tray is open. And Technics didn't skimp on front panel buttons (including direct access keys) like some of the Yamaha's. Tracks can be programmed for play OR for deletion. Deleting unwanted tracks often makes more sense. The "Spiral" mode in addition to the normal "Random" mode is an interesting feature. When first turned on, the PD9 looks like an arcade game! The green Disc Selection LEDs flash in a horizontal pattern. And the white Disc Indicator LEDs spin in a circle. Personally, I kind of like it. During normal operation, I don't find the display offensive. The unit will play with the drawer open, and you can rotate the carousel to change or add discs without interrupting play. No special "exchange" button is required; just the press the normal open/close control. The carousel makes a bit of noise when rotating, but otherwise the player is quiet. I've had absolutely no problems with skipping or "eating" discs. I just have a few nits to pick. The one thing I miss is the "calendar" display that most CD players provide. (The display does clearly show the disc and track number being played, and there are several "time" display modes.) While you can easily program the unit using the front panel contr

Strengths:
Sound quality, front panel layout, features, price.

Weaknesses:
No headphone jack, no "calendar", light weight.

Similar Products Used:
Technics SL-PJ11

Price Paid:  $90.00 from best buy

Summary:
This review is for the SL-PD9 This product is a surprisingly good deal. I am actually quite shocked. Sure, it''s no Jolida, Rega, or Krell, but it''s $100. It features an optical (toslink) out, and it will pass-thru DTS discs. Sound? I would say that it is pretty harsh in the high-end, a little loose in the low-end, and just right everywhere else. Hope this helps. If you aren''t an audiophile or if you are on a tight budget, I would strongly recommend this player. It''s a far better product than any player probably under $300. Loomis

Strengths:
DTS pass-thru, optical out, bargain price

Weaknesses:
lightweight, harsh in high frequencies

Similar Products Used:
Jolida, B&O, etc....

Price Paid:  $100.00 from Circuit City, Gaithersburg, MD

Summary:
I am writing about a SL-PD9. Hooked up the optical digital output to my Sony STR-DE845 receiver's DVD/LD Optical digital input. At the same time, for comparison's sake, hooked up the analog output to the receiver's CD (analog-only) input. First, put in a DTS encoded CD (a DTS sampler got from the Tower Records store in Rockville, MD) - the receiver straight-away detected a multi-channel DTS signal and the sound was everything I expect from DTS. Next, put in a 'normal' CD and played it over the optical input (so that the receiver did D/A conversion) ... no surprises, excellent quality clean sound living fully up to my expectations. After this, played the same CD over the
analog input (so that the SL-PD9 did D/A conversion putting its MASH logic into play). NOW I was a lot surprised! I did not expect the built-in D/A conversion to be so good - quite a shock to me! In fact, when I listen to CDs now, I usually use the analog output much more of the time than the digital one, because in my perception the STR-DE845 does a much too bright D/A conversion while the SL-PD9 seems to strike the balance just right, though the lower frequencies are slightly blurred as are the very high frequencies - but I am nitpicking. Bottomline is the SL-PD9 does an excellent job of what is supposed to do. The optical digital output and DTS pass-thru make it all the more attractive if you have a DTS decoder or compatible receiver. As a footnote, played over the digital output, the SL-PD9 sounds exactly the same a my Apex DVD Player connected over coaxial digital - but that is also exactly what is expected. GREAT CD PLAYER. Value rating of 5 stars, 4 stars overall due to the blinking display of brackets around currently playing disk number which like other reviewers here I found a bit repulsive.

Strengths:
Optical Digital output with DTS pass-through; Excellent A/D Convertor; Delete Programming; Ease of use;

Weaknesses:
None to speak of

Similar Products Used:
Sony 3-disc changer