Price/Performance. Digital Output. Plays DTS CDs. Change 4 CDs while 5th is playing.

Too many freakin lights on the front.
Display keeps flashing the disc being played.

For the record, my system consists of:
RT35i for front and rears
CS400i for center
PSW650 for subwoofer

Denon AVR3300 Receiver
Panasonic A320 DVD Player
Technics SL-PD8 CD Changer

The price and performance is great. Got it dirt cheap.
Sound output is great. No distortion produced because of player. Changes disc quietly and pretty quickly. Remote kinda small but is very usable and functional.

Lots of play features like random, spiral, repeat, etc. Greatest value for price and performance. Love playing my DTS CDs on it.

I have placed my reviews for the other products on their respective web pages.

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Yamaha

Great price, lots of features!

Found none thus far

Good sound, no breakdowns so far, great price! Never heard it skip, and it sits right between to floor standing bose 601III's and a yamaha YST-SW 150(that's six 8" woofers for those who don't know!)And they're always cranked hard!!and yes the yamaha and whatever other high dollar brand probably is a little better, but check the price tag! Follow your wallet, and then your ears!

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Pioneer, Sony, JVC.

Sound is so liquid and high level for the $; great air, soundstage between instruments; timbre very accurate

None! Stop complaining about the 'blinking lights' and green LED's. They're gorgeous, and don't negatively phase most people. Besides, do you look at the front when you listen? Geez!

This player is amazing, sonically. To me, with quality electronics, it compares to supposed better players like the Marantz CD-67SE, which is touted as a fairly affordable higher end unit. I find that the sound from the SL-PD8 is MORE fluid and airy than the Marantz, with depth and tonality that is very real and accurate. This player sounds so good, it is a steal!

Equipment:

Magnepan MG12/QR
Velodyne CT-100 powered sub
Onkyo Grand Integra M-508 dual mono amp
Musical Fidelity A3CR preamp
Technics SL-PD8
Straightwire Sonatas all around

Similar Products Used:

Sony ES, Marantz CD-67SE

Good sound, flexible features, good remote, plays CD-R, 2 year warranty.

Display

It's been over a decade since my last audio purchase. My NAD 2200 CD player finally died and I was looking at a costly repair bill to keep it going. For a few dollars more, I decided to purchase the Technics. I based my decision on a comparison of other similarly priced players, availability, and consumer reviews on this website (and others).

My main objective was reliability. I purchased it a week ago and so far so good. Plays all CDs I've tried so far, including some CD-R's that other players are having trouble with. I will update this review if the unit dies prematurely. It has a good, 2 year warranty in case I do run into trouble with it.

My second objective was sound quality. I was expecting the Technics to be decent, but not as good as the NAD. I was pleasantly surprised. Sound is clear and tight, good bass, and not overly bright.

The keypad and remote has a very comprehensive set of convenient features. All options can be selected from either the remote or the keypad. The random feature scans all tracks first so that they are not randomly repeated. The spiral feature also works fine. I guess the only advantage for selecting this over the random feature is that spiral plays the different CDs in order.

The unit has plenty of repeat options, although it lacks a repeat track option. This can be done by programming a single track and then repeating it.

Transferring to cassette is very convenient. Select the length of tape up front, select the tracks to record, and the player automatically plays the tracks and pauses play to allow changing sides on the cassette.

The one downside is the "loud" display. Flashing lights don't impress me and they are too bright. A dimmer feature would be nice. This isn't serious enough to make me take it back. My 5 and 7 year old certainly like it.

I haven't checked out the optical output; the rest of my system is pre-digital.

My other components are:
NAD 1155 preamp
NAD 2200 amp
NAD 4155 tuner
NAD 6155 cassette deck
Denon DP-45F turntable
Shure V-15 Type IV cartridge
PSB Passif II loudspeakers

Overall I like the player. I give it a 5 for value and a 4 for the overall rating (it would be a 5 if I liked the display).

If you are going to buy a Technics receiver, save a few dollars and buy the PD6 player. The only difference is that it is not supplied with the remote.

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NAD 2200

SOUND,PRICE,OPTICAL

GREEN LIGHTS

VERY CLEAN SOUND BUT THOSE LIGHTS GOT TO GO BUT EVEN WITH THAT FLAW STILL GREAT SOUND AND THE PRICE U CAN'T BEAT IT

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SONY,HK,

SOUND QUALITY,CHANGE 4 CD'S WHILE LISTENNING 1

DISPLAY TOO BRIGHT

THIS IS A VERY GOOD CHANGER FOR THE PRICE
AT FIRST I WAS A LITTLE DISAPOINTED WITH THE SOUND IT
WAS A BIT DULL BUT AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS THE SOUND
IMPROVED AND IT'S GOING ON.

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TEAC,SONY

Low price, digital output,overall performance

small buttons on remote

Cost 123$ at Best Buy and has a digital output!
A very good overall trade-off with nothing
exceptional, but everything competent. Persons
who claim noticible audible differences in CD
players never compare them at matched levels
and double-blind. A faulty DA converter or other
part could causes probelms, but the majority
of them " have been taken for a ride with wallets
wide open and minds wide shut".

Tray is under all the buttons.

Loud output volume

This is a very nice changer. It is nice that all the conrtol buttons are above the tray. It seems all the other companies seem to place the tray in the middle of the machine, splitting the controls. The features are nice, but I really do not use most. The only thing that I can find fault with is that the unit puts out a very loud signal. I am not sure if that is the standard. Anyway, the player puts out very good sound, even on my old MCS 3233 reciever and KLH Model 32 speakers. This is a very good product for the price (I bought it for U$129 at Best Buy).

Quick disc changing (the other guy musta have a Lemon) good price... BEST BUY ! :)

Produces lotsa noize "hissing" , the cd player itself that is

Cool sound, but astonishing if you plug it with a DTS/Toslink cable (on a digital amp, such as the Technics SA-DX940). No distorsion, no hissing , no wow or fluctuation in the sound. The only hissing comes from the device itself.

Good buy, 1 year using it EXTENSIVELY.. (partys, like about 12 hours in a row)... and since 1 year. Hope its gonna last another year . LoTSa Partees in here :)

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California LABS . (yeah , tried both , a whole night)

LOVE THE FLASHING LIGHTS,VERY LIGHT TO LIFT,EASY TO SET UP,SPIRAL AND DELETE PROGRAM FEATURES ALONG WITH RANDOM FEATURE,EASY TO PROGRAM,OPTICAL OUT JACK .

NONE SO FAR.

VERY EASY TO USE CD-PLAYER WITH GREAT SOUND CLARITY AND LOOKS,PROGRAM YOUR CDS AND THE INFO WILL STAY UP TO A MONTH IN THAT ORDER.FLSHING LIGHTS MAKES THE PANEL COME ALIVE.THIS IS A VERY GOOD PLAYER WITH NO HARDSHIPS ABOUT IT.

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SONY,SHARP.