Nakamichi CD-500

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

My bad, I meant CES, but you guys got the idea- that's when they are showing the new gear.

 

[rbenz27 10+ year member]

OK, screw features for one. Ask anyone and you dont need any of these cheap add on features in the deck, If you are that anal about SQ then you want all outbound time alignment and active crossover setups. Personnaly I find they don't need tacky features to get people to buy the units since anyone that does buy it,buys it for the SQ reason.Look at the McIntosh head unit also,barely no features and fetches a huge price tag for the SQ of the unit.
As for the unreliable thing,yeah some units for some reason just don't work right. Then again a cd-500 using mp3s is an insult to the SQ of a nakamichi unit. There probably won't be any new nakamichi stuff released for a while if ever, There was talks of ceasing production before the cd-300 and cd-500 even came out.

Denon is pretty much mainly japan unless you count the denonford decks.

Overall I love my cd-400,never had a problem with it,read all discs (cept for nasty scratched ones) takes ALOT for it to skip, Had it in the car now for almost a year and wouldn't trade it for to much (CD-700II). The new lines (300 and 500) are a disgrace and were released to try to get more of the market.

I agree with you to some extent. I just want a simple HU that puts out clean SQ sound without breaking the bank. Hence my interest in the Nak 500.

Does the CD-400 read cd-r or cd-rw discs? Have you auditioned the CD-500? From what I was told, the only difference they made between the 400 and 500 is the mp3 capability. Yes, mp3 is not SQ but its good to have on those long trips and listening to crap music.. like my wife's songs //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif

 

[3.5Max6spd 10+ year member]

OK, screw features for one. Ask anyone and you dont need any of these cheap add on features in the deck, If you are that anal about SQ then you want all outbound time alignment and active crossover setups.

The only option to add external T/A to ANY available HU at the moment that doesn't have a corresponding processor...is using an Alpine H701

Can you honestly tell me this is better than it being done within the digital domain within the unit itself? The moment you use a digital unit like that you throw the SQ of those high price DAC's out the window...as the DAC's at the end of the chain are what you'll be listening to

Personnaly I find they don't need tacky features to get people to buy the units since anyone that does buy it,buys it for the SQ reason.Look at the McIntosh head unit also,barely no features and fetches a huge price tag for the SQ of the unit.

The Mc is expensive because of the build quality, componentry and mcintosh design reputation. Just because its a great transport doesnt mean a car with it would not require or need tuning. Its an audiophile deck, for old school type of system design of which best way to utilize its SQ is through the use of ANALOG processors...

Today a unit like that, as nice piece it is...has no place in SQ competition....as people with inferior units but with the help of T/A can center a stage like no ones momma and beat you, even with noise created by those digi units....its a single seat world in SQ competition

Me, I would love to build an all out high quality analog system with a mc as a center piece

If i had the money my dream system would consist of ..

Mc 406-> PPI phase shifter->dual 31 band EQ's-> Arc Audio DXE....and FOcK T/A..., all analog...for a purist style system...mybe some day

 

[MrSector9 10+ year member]

You do make very valid points on the outboard DAC's

Just personnaly any deck I have used with all the "settings" just screw up the sound of a system where you coudl easily set the crossovers on the amp itself OR using an active system.

Rbenz27, Never tried a cdrw (whats the point //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif ) but cdrs work perfectly fine in it.The 500 that I had the chance of touching (might have been an early early model) but the buttons/volume control didn't feel as nice, and they rounded the face more then the 400. The display for mp3 tracks wasn't all that hot compared to some of the eclipse decks I have seen. It is your money however //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif Have fun