Found out today through my local Nak. dealer, that Nak. will take back (authorized return) old MB`s that have or could have defective drive mech. problems, for $275.00CDN they will replace it with a new MB8.

I don't see why people complaint about this machine. I think I like the music bank system much more than carousel or whatever. The sound quality is above most mass-produced machines and it looks and feels fantastic. The only thing this unit lacks is digital output. For $500 retail, I give it 3.5 stars. For less than $200 from online, I give it solid 4.5 stars.

I have owned the MB3 for two years. It was a replacement for a useless Sony CD player that skipped on too many CDs.
The MB3 was available at 20% off list. The sound is great.
There really is a difference between this somewhat high end player
and the Sony. Also, none of my CDs skips on this player.
Overall, I am very pleased with the MB3.
If you like to fiddle with your CD player while it plays then this one
is not for you. The functions and displays available on the MB3
are very simple compared to even low-priced players. You get great sound
and simple controls.

I recently purchased the 3S used from a local Nakamichi dealer and i must say that this unit performs way beyond myexpectations. I orginally had a low-end sony carosel unit which went berserk on me and i wanted to upgrade to a better unit. I
had been opposed to buying a high-end CD player because I thought that CD's, being digital, probably sounded just as good
on any player, and that my sony was just fine.
Boy was I wrong. firstly, this unit opened my system up and i was able to sense a depth in it that was DEFINATELY not there
before. I could hear more music, stuff that i had not heard before on my CDs. At the store, the player sounded good, and i
was also considering the Marantz, but i liked the idea of having a changer, and the fact that you can't change the discs in this
unit when one is playing really hasn't bothered me. The big difference was when i got it home and i was able to listen to my
discs on a system that i was very familiar with.

I bought this unit about two years ago because others in my household wanted more than a single-play unit. The store had all 4 Nak units; and this one sounded better than the MB4s (which was cheaper) and I couldn't hear the difference between it and the 2s or 1s, which were more expensive. Admittedly, the store was using mid-fi equipment to do the demon; but I'm using "upper mid-fi" equipment at home: a collection of B&W speakers of various ages (DM7s, DM3000), Snell K-II's with an 18-year old Luxman 1120 receiver. The interesting thing about this unit is that it's specs are inferior to the single-play unit it replaces, but it has much better definition in the top end. The old unit was a top-line first generation Pioneer, which was well-reviewed at the time(1986) and met all of its advertised specs. I was not prepared for the Nak to sound better. Once I had both units at home, I could do a very precise A/B, using the same music, amp and speakers. The difference was consistent, regardless of the speaker and was not the result of a rising top end in the Nak. (Turning up the treble control on the receiver did not make the Pioneer sound like the Nak.) For people who are not into $1,000 CD players, this is a good choice. Sonically, it sounded better than price-comparable Denons and Sonys; and nothing more expensive sounded better. It also points up the importance of auditioning and not relying on specs. I always bring my own CD's that I've listened to over and over before: a Solti/Chicago recording of Beethoven's 9th; Keith Jarrent Trio "Standards Live"; Miles Davis "Kind of Blue"; Wynton Marsalis "Resolution of Romance" When I start hearing good things I haven't heard before, I know I'm on to something. The 9th is a particularly good test. The second movement is very percussive. The last movement features orchestra, chorus, soloists, some nice bass drum whacks which will challenge any system. A good system places the soloists in front of the orchestra and chorus. Happy listening!

Totally unreliable

My experience has been exactly the same as the review from Ken... Bought the unit from a local vendor, and within a year it died with the "err" message. It took almost 6 months to get it back from Nak in LA (the local vendor, Listen Up, was great. The owner let me borrow a CD player, even though his store had stopped carrying Nak!). Today, almost 2 years to the date after getting it back, it has died again - - no display, no reponse! Maybe there is variance between the quality of the individual units, but mine is a real lemon!! I've sent email to Nak, stating my problem, and will wait for their reply (which I will be surprised if I get one at all!).
Summary: Don't buy it, stay away from Nak products. They were state of the art once, but have given way to living on their old reputation and making inferior products!

Best sound quality for the money.

UNRELIABLE!!!!

I've owned the deck for about 3.5 years. I bought it because it sounded better than anything else in that price range, and because of the Nakamichi name. Just before the warranty ran out the system died. Powwer it up and it flickered and clunked, then displayed "Er". Got it fixed under warranty. Was told there was a firmware problem they fixed with an upgrade. About a year later the same thing happened. This time it cost over $100 to fix. Now, about 1.5 years later, it's dead again. I've since heard, but can't confirm, that this deck has drive mechanism problems and is unreliable. I would NOT buy another Nakamichi CD deck.

Similar Products Used:

None. This is my 1st CD changer.