Technics SL-PD1010 CD-changer
The Technics SL-PD1010 is a five-disc carousel changer of fairly nondescript appearance (though I guess undistinguished styling beats bad styling). When the carousel drawer is opened, two disc wells are revealed. A disc-skip button rotates the platter counterclockwise two notches at a time to expose more wells; as the platter rotates, disc-access buttons light up amber to show which wells are being loaded. When a disc begins playback, its indicator light turns green - a nice touch. Playback of the current disc is not halted when the drawer is opened, and discs can be added to or removed from the other wells at will. When playback is stopped, the current disc stays in playing position, requiring a couple of presses of the disc-skip button to gain access to it.
Disc-change time was very fast thanks to the SL-PD1010's Memory Reserve feature. A 4-megabit buffer-memory chip holds about 3 seconds of music, so that when the laser reaches the end of a disc music continues to play from the buffer while the next disc is rotated into position. That reduces the perceived disc-change time to about 4 seconds. The Memory Reserve feature is active only for automatic end-of-disc changes, however, not for manually invoked changes between discs. Also, the changer's digital output cannot be used when Memory Reserve is activated, and for that reason there is a Memory Reserve on/off switch on the front panel.
A feature Technics calls ID Scan provides a unique way to preview selections on a disc: On the assumption that the loudest part of a track is likely to be the most memorable, the pickup automatically skips to the loudest portion of each track, playing a few seconds of it before going on to the next. In a particularly nice touch, ID Scan uses the Memory Reserve buffer to fade gently out of one track and into the next.
Other features include Delete Play, a programming option that enables you to specify tracks not to be played; Spiral Play, which automatically plays the first track from each disc, followed by the second track from each, and so on; and Auto Cue, which puts the pickup in standby at the beginning of a track for instant startup. And there are all the usuals, such as track and disc random playback, track and disc repeat playback, and programmed-sequence playback of as many as thirty-two tracks. A blue fluorescent display shows all pertinent information as well as a representation of the platter itself indicating which wells are currently occupied. There is no headphone jack.
Recording is expedited by Edit Guide, which automatically arranges tracks for optimal fit to a specified tape duration. You can select from a number of tape-length presets or enter a particular length directly. In the Edit mode, the changer automatically inserts a 4-second pause between tracks.
The rear of the chassis provides line-level analog outputs and an optical digital output. The remote control, which has a space-age appearance, duplicates the front-panel controls and adds several programming features such as Clear and Recall, as well as providing means for checking disc-timing information.
The SL-PD1010 cleared the test bench without a stumble. Its disc-tracking performance was especially impressive, with its laser pickup successfully negotiating a 4,000-micrometer defect. Shock isolation was particularly outstanding - only very severe blows could upset tracking. Disc-change time was very fast even without Memory Reserve and faster still with it. Critical listening again supported the measurements, revealing no problems with the SL-PD1010's sonic performance.
