Nakamichi CD-400
08-17-2003, 08:46 PM
#1
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Nakamichi CD-400
I finally got around taking a picture of my Nakamichi CD-400. I especially like the clean, compared to some other units almost minimalistic design. Geat sound, easy to use and good screen visiblilty. The display color can be switched between amber and green.
08-17-2003, 09:27 PM
#3
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It may be stupid question...but why Nakamichi is prefered choice for many people for whom sound quality DOES matter. There are so many rumors about the difficulties with these units...side noises...hard installations...defective units....jammed CDs and etc....And still people are willing to pay for them and pay a lot! What is that something about them?
08-17-2003, 10:51 PM
#4
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Dieter,
Nice looking installation!
Sputnik,
The CD-400 is a single CD player, so it's not prone to the problems seen with the MB-75 6-disc in-dash CD player. According to Rod Birch, even the newer multi-CD player, the MB-100, has been more reliable. This may be due to the fact that the MB100's offboard 24 bit D/A converter allows more room for the complex handling mechanism inside the head unit.
The MB-75 has 2 pairs of 2 volt preamp outs, while the CD-400 has 3 pairs of 4 volt preamp outputs. Overall, the new CD-400 represents a step forward on what was already a strong line of head units in terms of SQ.
Having said this, I'm putting in an old-fashioned McIntosh MX-406 next month!
Nice looking installation!
Sputnik,
The CD-400 is a single CD player, so it's not prone to the problems seen with the MB-75 6-disc in-dash CD player. According to Rod Birch, even the newer multi-CD player, the MB-100, has been more reliable. This may be due to the fact that the MB100's offboard 24 bit D/A converter allows more room for the complex handling mechanism inside the head unit.
The MB-75 has 2 pairs of 2 volt preamp outs, while the CD-400 has 3 pairs of 4 volt preamp outputs. Overall, the new CD-400 represents a step forward on what was already a strong line of head units in terms of SQ.
Having said this, I'm putting in an old-fashioned McIntosh MX-406 next month!
08-18-2003, 05:49 AM
#6
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Besides being the source for SQ, a nice HU serves as the visual and tactile centerpiece of the sound system. After a lot of research(trust me on this), I believe that the new Denons, Nak CD-700 and Mac MX406 integrate beautifully in the 993 dash particularly if you have aluminum accents. I went with the Nak since I essentially got it for nothing. The transport is the weak link and customer support is nearly non-existent. Service and parts are and likely will be a problem in the future. I have the legendary and reliable Alpine 7909 as a back up just in case. For mid-fi systems the HU will not likely add/subtract from SQ so my advice would be to select a model that is reliable which looks and feels good. I still maintain that the stock Becker CDR-210 meets these criteria for most.
For those still interested in hearing about how my system is progressing, I had a Dynaudio 360 installed with the woofers in the doors and the mid and tweeters placed on axis in the kick panels. Power is supplied by a trunk mounted Brax x2000 with a Brax 1uF IPC connected to the power rail of the amp. Zapco EQSL 30s 1/3 octave dual chanel equalizers are mounted under the trunk carpet behind the headlight next to the crossovers. The installed system was then tuned by an RTA with the microphone set on the drivers seat at head level. A "pink "noise signal source was used. Frequency response is now pretty much flat with the exception of a minor "suck out" at 640Hz. Because the bass is dropping off at 50Hz,(a full octave of lost low end) the doors will be given either another layer of Cascade dampening mat or at Peter Lufrano's suggestion, Brax ExVibration sound dampening compound. Acoustic lenses surrounding the drivers will also be fitted. The guys at SpeakerWorks are confident that the remaining resonating frequencies emanating from the door panels will be eliminated and that the RTA will show a desirable roll off at 25-30Hz. The customer service and support from Brax and Dynaudio has been stellar. The process has been long and expensive but the resulting sound even with the "missing" octave has far exceeded my expectations as to what level an audiophile car system can be taken to. An unfortunate consequence of this project, is that my home system now appears lacking and an upgrade is in the works. With all due respect to Office Manager, I do not believe it is possible to create a realistic sound stage and imaging with an off axis door mounted driver array particularly with a 3-way, quality of components and electronics non-withstanding. My thinking now is that a 2-way is a far easier and less expensive way to go especially if you are using the stock door enclosures. A 3-way absolutely requires on axis positioning of the tweets and mids, while the non or less directional low frequency driver(s) can go wherever it is easiest to install. Expert tuning is still necessary to then get it right. Bottom line is that a Rod Birch System is the sweet spot in terms of sound/value quotient. To go beyond will require alot of money and expertise that should be first thoroughly considered before going that route.
For those still interested in hearing about how my system is progressing, I had a Dynaudio 360 installed with the woofers in the doors and the mid and tweeters placed on axis in the kick panels. Power is supplied by a trunk mounted Brax x2000 with a Brax 1uF IPC connected to the power rail of the amp. Zapco EQSL 30s 1/3 octave dual chanel equalizers are mounted under the trunk carpet behind the headlight next to the crossovers. The installed system was then tuned by an RTA with the microphone set on the drivers seat at head level. A "pink "noise signal source was used. Frequency response is now pretty much flat with the exception of a minor "suck out" at 640Hz. Because the bass is dropping off at 50Hz,(a full octave of lost low end) the doors will be given either another layer of Cascade dampening mat or at Peter Lufrano's suggestion, Brax ExVibration sound dampening compound. Acoustic lenses surrounding the drivers will also be fitted. The guys at SpeakerWorks are confident that the remaining resonating frequencies emanating from the door panels will be eliminated and that the RTA will show a desirable roll off at 25-30Hz. The customer service and support from Brax and Dynaudio has been stellar. The process has been long and expensive but the resulting sound even with the "missing" octave has far exceeded my expectations as to what level an audiophile car system can be taken to. An unfortunate consequence of this project, is that my home system now appears lacking and an upgrade is in the works. With all due respect to Office Manager, I do not believe it is possible to create a realistic sound stage and imaging with an off axis door mounted driver array particularly with a 3-way, quality of components and electronics non-withstanding. My thinking now is that a 2-way is a far easier and less expensive way to go especially if you are using the stock door enclosures. A 3-way absolutely requires on axis positioning of the tweets and mids, while the non or less directional low frequency driver(s) can go wherever it is easiest to install. Expert tuning is still necessary to then get it right. Bottom line is that a Rod Birch System is the sweet spot in terms of sound/value quotient. To go beyond will require alot of money and expertise that should be first thoroughly considered before going that route.
Last edited by DrZ; 08-18-2003 at 04:05 PM.
