Nakamichi MB-2s CD-changer

The Nakamichi MB-2s uses neither a carousel nor a cartridge. Instead, it employs the company's proprietary Music Bank mechanism to swallow as many as seven discs. Inside, discs are loaded into a kind of elevator that raises and lowers them in relation to the disc transport. Each time you load a disc you press one of seven disc buttons to tell the player which slot to put it into. Those same buttons are used to select CD's for playback (the changer's front-panel display shows which elevator slots contain discs) and to unload discs. Although discs must be loaded individually, the mechanism is quite speedy, and any delay is mitigated by the charm of watching the changer do its thing. The Music Bank is a great system, combining many of the appealing characteristics of both changer and single-play designs.

The MB-2s provides all the standard transport controls, as well as track and disc repeat and track and disc random playback. Sequences of as many as fifty tracks can be programmed for playback. Conveniently, all of the tracks on a disc can be included in a programmed sequence with a singlebutton operation (and will then occupy only one space in the fifty-track memory). Programming and other specialized functions are available only through the supplied remote control; the changer's front panel contains only transport and disc-selection controls, along with a headphone jack and level control. A somewhat dim amber display provides alphanumeric information and status indicators.

Around back, the MB-2s provides line-level analog outputs and a coaxial digital output that can be switched on or off. There is also a socket for connecting the changer to other Nakamichi components for synchronized recording and other control functions.

The MB-2s was not as strong on the test bench. Its dynamic range ranked last by a small margin, and its total harmonic distortion plus noise (THD+N) measured 0.11 percent at full output - the high by CD standards generally, though still below what we would normally expect to be audible. The changer's 18-bit D/A converters also exhibited relatively high linearity error. Extensive critical listening left the audibility of these deviations in question, however. Prior to any measurements, in an informal blind listening session, one listener felt the Nakamichi lacked fidelity compared with another changer, while another heard no difference. Clearly any sonic problems were, at most, quite small, and as in all such cases their detection would be influenced by the quality of the rest of the playback system, recording selection, and listener acuity. The MB-2s provided excellent top-impact resistance and good side-impact resistance, suggesting that the Music Bank design does not detract from transport stability and isolation.

Nakamichi MB-2s CD-changer photo