Detail, build quaility, natural, imaging

odd break in querks

Hands down the best deck in it's price range. I prefer jazz, blues and rock so this deck performs great by itself running Nakamichi C651 fronts and Kicker F6.5C rears. With that setup my music preferences are satisfied. It's not the audio heaven of my home system, but it's a livable comprimise. However if you do plan on using an external amp for all your speakers/subs and take your music seriously, I highly recommend stepping up to the MB-100. As for the CD-45Z it definately draws the line for others to reach if they want to compete on a diminishing returns front. Spending more will get you very little, spending less will cost you dearly.

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None

SQ,SQ,SQ,SQ,SQ(SOUND QUALITY)!!!!!!!VERY DETAILED,SMOOTH,PICK UPS EVERY LITTLE DETAIL IN CD'S,THAT IS USUALLY NOT HEARD IN MOST CD PLAYERS.VERY SPACIOUS SOUND STAGE.SWEET SOUNDING.4V OUTPUTS.AUX INPUTS.WHEN I FIRST HOOKED UP THIS UNIT.I WAS STUNNED BY HOW GOOD IT SOUNDED.

THE UNIT IS MADE IN MALAYSIA.THE OUTPUT WENT OUT AFTER A WEEK OF USE,I SENT IT BACK AND RECIEVED A NEW ONE IN LESS THAN 2 WKS.S/N GREATER THAN 95DB.NO SUB OUTPUT CONTROL.NO GOLD PLATED RCA CONNECTORS.

THIS UNIT HAS THE BEST SOUND QUALITY FOR THIS RANGE OF PRICE.GO DEMO ONE YOU WONT BE DISSAPOINTED.IF YOU ARE INTO PURE SQ THIS IS THE UNIT FOR YOU.IF YOU INTO BUILT IN SOUNDPROCESSOR,AND PRETTY SCREEN SAVERS.LOOK SOME WHERE ELSE.THIS DECK SOUNDS BEAUTIFUL WITHOUT A EQ.I HAVE MBQ COMPONENTS IN MY CAR,THEY OVERLY BRIGHT WITH THE TREBLE DOWN,AND CROSSOVERS SET -6DB,BUT THIS DECK TOOK CARE OF THAT PROBLEM.THIS IS THE BEST SOUNDING DECK,I USED

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ALPINE,JVC,PHILLIPS,CLARION,SONY

Sound quality, simplicity and instant access to insert CD's (no flipdown face). A big plus is the three band tone control (bass, mid treble). Remote included.

Hard to find the product available. Many shops have a waiting lists for this unit! As a result the price for the unit often hits the $600 range

Some of the CD-45z features/specs: 4 x 43W @4 ohms, high linearity 20 bit D/A converter with 8x oversampling digital filter, Frequency response 20Hz-20kHz, 4 channel 4 Volt pre-amp output with left and right subwoofer outputs, rotary volume control, wireless remote, plays standard and 3" single CD's, auzillary input, cd changer controls and a three band tone control (Bass 100Hz +/- 11dB Midrange 1kHz +/- 11dB Treble 10kHz +/- 11dB).
Installation depth 6-11/16"

Ok I don't have the unit installed in my car yet but I thought you might want to hear why I choose the Nakamichi CD-45z over all of the other units I looked at. First of all, I had no problems with the operation of my Kenwood 8003 in dash CD I am replacing the unit because I lost the detachable face somewhere. I felt I might as well upgrade instead of buying a replacement face.

First off I was looking for a CD Head unit that would provide equal or better sound quality than my Kenwood. Second, I wanted a unit with a rotary volume control while at the same time I wanted to avoid those flip down faces. I change CD's alot and knew I would hate having to pull the face down or worse yet wear out some electronic motor that operates a flip down face. Third, I liked the idea of the three band tone control (bass, mid treble) which means I won't need to purchase the little pre-amp unit I was considering for my system. My car is a Honda Del Sol and space is limited as it is. Finally, I wanted to focus on sound quality and stay away from what I call "feature overkill".

I was surprised in my search from local shops to big name electronic stores that the emphasis is on features and not sound quality. I think manufactures have been busy creating new ideas to set their product apart from the competition, yet sound quality seems to have taken a back seat. For example I looked at the Eclipse 55060, 55050 and 55430 models all which are nice looking units with features up the a## but the company is still using 1-bit d/a conversion. I do feel the Eclipse sounds great, but then again it seems as the high price is for all of the features. Most of which I wouldn't use. The same held for the Alpine line (1 bit d/a) with the exception of the super expensive CDA-7990 which offers a 24 bit d/a converter. I considered the Kenwood Excellon series, but they offered no units with rotary volume controls. I was very tempted with the Bluakpunkt line primarily due to good value and I loved their thumber steering wheel remote. I particularly liked their T-series CD player "Blaukpunkt Santa Monica" which offered minimal features but still provided 4 Volt four channel rca pre-amp output, immediate CD access and of course the optional thumber remote. The Sony ES line is nice, but again there is an emphasis on features plus I have had reliability problems with several head units made by them. Rockford Fosgate seemed to be close to the idea of focusing on sound quality and functionality, but all their models with the 4 Volt pre-amp output had the flip down face.

Conclusions: I think many people don't care about the flip down face issue, but I think it's more important to be able to easily change your CD and of course the less moving parts the better chance for continued reliability. Less features and a better emphasis on sound quality combined with a clean cut design are the strengths of the CD 45z. The Nakamichi isn't a widely distributed product which often brings the demand higher than the supply resulting in inflated product prices. I was glad to find the great price at atlasaudio.com which not only has a web site but has a store front too. They actually answer the phone there and all of their products are brand new. No "b" stock, no factory seconds, no open box or rejects. In the final anaylsis there was no other product on the market that I felt met my particular needs. Sound quality was my main concern and Nakamichi is still building its products on that basic principle.

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Kenwood 8003, really too outdated for a fair comparison to the Nakamichi

Sound Quality, Display, Simpicity, 4v output, 3 sets of outputs., 20bit

Skips the odd time (this unit was one of the first off the line which I was told had skipping problems and is only in my car for a month until a new one is received), No sub control

The ultimate experience. This is an extremely "Clear" sounding unit that sounds much better than the rest. Compared to the 35z ( I had this unit in there previously for a year), it is considerably smoother and clearer. If your looking for sound quality, this is the unit you want. It is very simple to use with no "bells and whistles" like the Pioneers, ALpines, etc. Having the 4v output is nice as well as it was much more compatible with my Rockford Fosgate amp. I hope my new unit doesnt skip like this one does.

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Nakamichi 35Z

Sound quality is awesome, and sleek look. Size of buttons, overall quality

none so far

I was attracted to the nakamichi because of it's looks, and sound quality. I was looking into the eclipse head units because of their sound and factory backing. I decided on the nakamichi because of it's great name in home stereo. I wasn't interested in all the gimmicks from pioneer, kenwood and sony. I just wanted great sound, and a no frills look, this deck handles everything with ease.

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2 sony headunits, both crap

Looks like an OEM unit

Gets very hot but still no problems.
Pretty steep price at NZ$1200 to only get the sound quality and not many more features. Still, that's why I got it anyway.

*** This is a cross post from my notes in the TD-45z review ***

Great! Simple layout, very easy to use,
***Awesome sound quality.***

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Sony and lotsa others now as I work part time in a car audio shop.

cd sound quality, stock looks(thieves will think its a stock head unit)

radio tuner is total crap
the damn thing broke !!!

Great sq for the money. Too bad it stopped working after about 6 months of use.

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none

SQ!!!!
Features - 20 bit DAC, 3 band adjustments (Treb, Mid, Bass)
Subtle looks.

I agree with Ji (see review below) on one thing - it is a little annoying to have to hit the button to go all the way back to the first track if you're at the end of the CD.)

I love this head unit. When I got my '98 Accord, the first thing I wanted to do was remove the stock OEM cassette unit. My previous '93 Accord had an Eclipse head unit and Eclipse was definitely on my short list (their sound quality and warranty is truly class-leading). However, my Eclipse did seem to skip more often than I liked and the tuner was not as good as I was led to believe. I thought about getting a high end Pioneer Premier unit because of their Super-tuner III receivers and they are a little less tacky looking than some of the other manufacturers. The Alpine units have liquid dampeners that make them almost completely skip-proof.
I had originally thought that I would end up with a 7800-series Alpine (the 7900 are way too pricey for me) because they are the OEM providers for Honda and the bullet-proof CD capabilities. But, in my opinion, the new Alpines are one of the tackiest looking head units produced. I don't want a lot of flashing lights or tacky buttons. The volume dial felt a little flimsy. I was also wary of any unit that had a motorized face to insert a CD. Besides being distracting, it would be just another part that might go wrong with the receiver.
Then I remembered the Nakamichi units. I read the reviews submitted about it on this site and decided to investigate. The local dealer would sell it for $400 installed, so it was right in my price range.
I like the Nakamichi because of all the subtle feature that you get with it - 20-bit DAC (most are just 1-bit), 3-band adjustments (treble, MID, and bass - most just give you treble and bass), 4V preouts, and a sub preout. I also liked the subtle looks of the Nak. It is definitely low-key. This really is a security feature (it looks like an OEM unit not worth breaking into my car for) as well as matches the rest of my car.
The sound quality is really phenominal, and unlike some of the other reviewers, I haven't experienced any problems with it. It seems to read all my CD-Rs and it has rarely skipped. The tuner is a little weak, but that is probably because of my antenna more than the receiver.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the Nak is probably best for someone more interested in sound quality than 'OH WOW!' features.

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Alpine 7800 series, Eclipse, Pioneer Premier

Very detailed and warm sounding.
Not that expensive for the sound quality.
volume knob control.

Made in Malaysia. too many defects.
I can't believe they put "pass" sticker on my defect headunit and sold.
Skips too much. (maybe just mine)
no direct access.(u have to press "previous track" button 20 times if you want to go back to track #1 if you're listeing track #20.
instead of pressing "next" button once.
Sony is like this too.

Very good sound quality.
Not many feature but very good sound quality and 3 pair of 4v preouts.
However, I hate this Head Unit.
1. When I got mine, it was a defect. It won't let me insert the CD.
CD won't go in, so I returned it.(spent $25 on shipping, to send and receive new one).
2. When I got my 2nd one, I think this one is a defect too. It skips on every single bumps on the road. sometimes when i'm parked. =(
You have to use expensive blank CDs like sony and maxwell. otherwise, this Headunit can't read.(another $25)
Wasted $50 total.

I'm gonna return this headunit tomorrow and get kenwood or something else.
I'm not trying any more nakamichi stuff.

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Alpine(entry model), Kenwood KDC-516s. Nakamichi sound better but at least they didn't skip.

-looks stock
-bass, mid, and treble controls are easy to use and effective

-won't play CDRs
-cheaply built face panel (made in Malaysia no less)
-remote hard to learn (buttons in wierd spots)
-has absolutely no wow effect, not that i'm into that kind of thing :)
-cha-ching! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Very disappointed. The headunit looks and feels cheap (buttons, notchy knob, plasticy). I bought the unit for SQ, no frills approach to design, and quality. I must make it clear that my biggest dissapointment was that it refused to play any CDR of any make except a few cheap ones I burned on my computer - but even then, it was only a select few of those (ie 2 of the same brand disc recorded on the same computer would not neccesarily play even if one did). The unit also skipped a lot on normal CDs.

I returned it and am waiting for a new Eclipse 5441.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood eXcellon KDC-915 (my last headunit) - Kind of hard to compair as the Kenwood played CDRs and had good SQ but looked like a cheap Las Vegas billboard.