I personally like having a changer. Or, I do in theory.
To me, in a digital disc player, the performance is a secondary concern behind function and usability. Many changers fall pitifully short in that category, and for that reason I reject out-of-hand cartridge-based players and all “mega changer” carousels.
That leaves me with 5-disc carousels.
You’d think the manufacturers wouldn’t have a problem churning out reliably decent ones. You’d be wrong. Like your more frustrating single-disc CD and DVD player experiences, changers are plagued with the same spotty reliability and sluggishness in loading and response. Add in the increased challenges of engineering and ergonomics associated with changers, and the self-fulfilling prophecy that they aren’t audiophile devices, and it’s easy to see why there’s a lot of losers out there.
I blundered into my current favorite changer, the Marantz CC3000, for $7 at Goodwill - the only piece of my main rig that I “scored”. It was rolled out by Philips in ‘99 at the bottom of a line of three Chinese-made Marantz changers that also included the CC4000, which had a different power supply and a headphone output, and the CC4000OSE, which put Black Gates in the analog section and a weight.
The CC3000, which I use exclusively as a transport, has seen off a number of challengers on the basis that it simply works. The controls are logically laid out, and the player is quick to respond. The display is readable. The tray and carousel are fast and quiet. The Philips CDM12.1 transport is regarded as near the top of the consumer-grade heap and it’s used in a number of more-respectable single-disc players. I’m told the transport will eventually fail and need replaced with the readily-available and inexpensive VAM1202, but I’ve had it for several years, and it still plays every CD-R I throw at it.
This should not be a hard bar to clear, and yet...
To me, in a digital disc player, the performance is a secondary concern behind function and usability. Many changers fall pitifully short in that category, and for that reason I reject out-of-hand cartridge-based players and all “mega changer” carousels.
That leaves me with 5-disc carousels.
You’d think the manufacturers wouldn’t have a problem churning out reliably decent ones. You’d be wrong. Like your more frustrating single-disc CD and DVD player experiences, changers are plagued with the same spotty reliability and sluggishness in loading and response. Add in the increased challenges of engineering and ergonomics associated with changers, and the self-fulfilling prophecy that they aren’t audiophile devices, and it’s easy to see why there’s a lot of losers out there.
I blundered into my current favorite changer, the Marantz CC3000, for $7 at Goodwill - the only piece of my main rig that I “scored”. It was rolled out by Philips in ‘99 at the bottom of a line of three Chinese-made Marantz changers that also included the CC4000, which had a different power supply and a headphone output, and the CC4000OSE, which put Black Gates in the analog section and a weight.
The CC3000, which I use exclusively as a transport, has seen off a number of challengers on the basis that it simply works. The controls are logically laid out, and the player is quick to respond. The display is readable. The tray and carousel are fast and quiet. The Philips CDM12.1 transport is regarded as near the top of the consumer-grade heap and it’s used in a number of more-respectable single-disc players. I’m told the transport will eventually fail and need replaced with the readily-available and inexpensive VAM1202, but I’ve had it for several years, and it still plays every CD-R I throw at it.
This should not be a hard bar to clear, and yet...
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I don't think it'll even crack double digits.
