These other guys must not have very good ears because this player is nowhere near as good as the newer players like cambridge 640c and other cheap players. I picked one up based on others recommendations here and have been disappointed to put it lightly. The sound of the unit has digital glare and can be harsh compared to other older players. The CDP-2A is much better as is the OMS-7a! Steer clear of this one!

Purchased an old 1988 Nak CDC-4A a few months ago used on eBay for $200 shipped and never looked back. Wow! Easily the best CD player I've ever heard in my life. Soundstage is a bit warmer than you'd expect from digital and it's very up close and personal, right in your face. Sounds like you can just reach out and touch the musicians onstage during a live performance, it's that good. Probably the best stock implementation of the venerable Philips TDA1541A S1 DAC you'll ever find. The Nak outperforms the more talked about Belgian made Magnavox CDB units of the same era using the TDA chip. I chalk the Nak's terrific performance up to a superior circuit design that compliments this TDA, (because it's not just the DAC, but how it's implemented) moreso than the questionable Japanese made TK electrolytic capacitors it uses. I imagine a full recap with audio-grade electrolytics could possibly improve the sound even a bit more, but I can't even imagine what that would sound like. It is already superb and in a class by itself with its unique, realistic sound signature.

I compared this to a stock $1,000 Denon DCD-3000 from 1994 with its Burr Brown PCM1702-J DAC and full compliment of (superior) Elna Silmic II electrolytics. The Nak easily blew the Denon out of the water with its transparency, clarity, detail, and intimate closeness of sound. Oh, and how I would I rate the Denon by itself? Excellent, it is no slouch and sounds very good without comparing it to anything. It's the difference between top, consumer-grade and audiophile, professional-grade in my opinion. Do yourself a favor and connect it to your amp of choice with some Analysis Plus Oval One interconnects. You will not be disappointed with the fine subtleties and clear, "live" sound.

If you are interested in the best sounding/most reliable home audio Nakamichi CD players ever made, look no further than the CDC-4A or CDP-2A. Don't even bother with any of its other siblings that can't quite match the reliability and sonic performance of these two heavyweight TDA champs.

over the years I have owned many dacs and cd players. Some people love woodworking, some love drugs and women. Me, I love music and the audio equipment that brings me closer to the musicians in my listening room. I am no old fart with clapped out hearing, I hear to 20kHz and am also a musician. Enough background. So I ran through a bunch of dacs, benchmark dac1, schiit bifrost uber, audio note dac zero, lampucera, audio note 2.1, audio research dac 1.20, and more....well after stopping by my local goodwill I found a nakamichi cdp-2a player that didn't look like much, a real light weight....well I discovered that it played very respectable sound, better than many of the new dacs under $300. I discovered that lampizator reviewed one and was very impressed as well, the dac chip used was a legend, tda1541a. Well fast forward to a few months back and I find a cdc 4a on Craigslist, hmm it's a 5 disc changer can it be any good? Well it's dac is one of the best in the world TDA1541A S1 CROWN. These chips alone go for a few hundred dollars today...well I have to say that this is one of the better sounding units I've listened to. It blows away most dacs and players under $1000 and has ZERO harshness or grain yet is extremely organic and detailed from top to bottom. The bass slam and depth is something to marvel as are the dynamics overall. Sound stage is very respectable. I cannot recommend this player enough! It flys under the radar which keeps the price down, a true audio gem. Blew away my denon 2560, 3520, Cambridge 640, schiit bifrost uber, nuforce udac, audioquest dragonfly v1.2, marantz cd 94mki, and the nakamichi oms-7. My audio note 2.1 beats it but the nakamichi delivers a similar analog and organic fleshed out sound. I may build a tube output stage soon and see what the tda1541a S1 can really do! A tip, snip the muting caps where the rcas connect to the board and be rewarded with better highs and leading edge of music. Also, if you buy online the laser lense can fall off due to poor glue used, an easy fix just carefully glue back in place...so if you feel something loose inside box then that's what it is, a lense flying around. This player uses a very reliable pioneer transport that is widely available so keep that in mind.

The life of an audiophile is a painful one looking and searching for the best sounding player was pure torture i decided to focus on the vintage Nakamichi players from the late eighties up to mid nineties...i have tried several of them ie player 2,MB 10,OMS 5,then i found the king of all CDC-4A.This player dispite the cartrige design as simply awesome with superb dynamics,strong vocals,midrange and warm musical bass....the clarity is astonishing especially older remastered cds....highly recommended at any cost.

Sound quality, mechanical & assembly quality, made in japan.

Cartridge changer, but the sound makes up for this weakness.

This is a nice "made in japan" Nakamichi CD player. It was manufactured during the time when Nakamichi mean't quality. It was available during the 1989/90 model year and has the same cosmetic look as the TA-4A Receiver, and CR-1A Tape Deck. It's a cartridge changer model, not the Music Bank system which was incorporated into Nak's later models. The sound is amazing! CLear, with clean treble, mid-range, and warm bass. It's open & airy, with nice depth. Not the transistor radio sound that so many of the players today have. It's a solid unit, and the service guy that sold it to me stated that he has only seen this model in for routine preventative maintenance, and that it's a super reliable unit. The inner workings are all metal, not cheap plastic that prematurely wears out in a few years. It even plays home recorded CDs! I am glad that I was able to get this CD player, because I'm not interested in SACD or DVD-A discs. If I want true analogue sounding music, I just play a record.

Similar Products Used:

Nakamichi MB-3s (1995-made in china model)