Customer Reviews

Technics SL-MC4 60+1 CD Changer

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

(I write this review and refer to both the SL-MC4 and it's 110+1 disc counterpart the SL-MC7)

I originally bought a Technics mega changer for two reasons:

1. Cool features such as direct disc and track acces from remote AND from the unit itself as well as .

2. The reputation of Panasonic and their Technics line.

Well, their reputation is a bit mis-leading. These units did last past their warranties, but not too long after. The problems I have had with these include: playing the wrong disc from the wrong slot (example: I select disc 43, and it plays the disc in slot 42.), and when I would select a track towards the end of a disc, and it would skip at the beginning of that track. Now, it will barely play to the end of the disc. At 5 minutes into the last track on a disc, it suddenly skipped back to 4:21.

I thought this was maybe just a problem localized in one changer or perhaps one model, but then, the EXACT same thing occured with the SL-MC7.

As for sound quality, it is pretty much standard. Don't expect any "super sound quality". Also, I have noticed a significant incompatibility with many CDR's.

Like I said before, there are some nice features on these changers, but they're not worth the trouble I've had with these units. It is best to buy either of these changers only if:

A. You don't use it all that often. (I listen to music at least 3-4 hours out of a day.)

B. You're using it as maybe a back-up changer or some other temporary use.

I give this two stars mainly because I do give Panasonic credit for the features incorporated into these changers. I wish other companies had direct disc and track access from the unit as well as the remote.

I bought my first Technics 60+1 CD changer about 5 years ago in the States and then moved overseas. It worked well for over 4 years, until I moved BACK to the States (the process of moving overseas involves all of your possessions being shipped over the ocean on a week-long barge trip). When I hooked up my system back in the States, it would not read any of my CD's. I chalked this up to the rough trips it had been through over the ocean, even though I packed it in its original packing and box. Wanting to stay with Technics (all of my stereo components are Technics), I tried it again. THIS time, I had the SL-MC4 60+1 CD player for about 13 months.... and it was never shipped overseas. It was working one day, and then suddenly it wouldn't read any CD's.

I will not buy another Technics 60+1 changer. I'm not sure now if I should even stick with a Technics CD player of any kind...or at least not worry about being able to store a multitude of CD's in the player and just get one that plays 5 CD's....

I bought one of these: it failed after about one week. Wouldn't play in "random", and I couldn't get the unit turned off or extract my CDs. I rated it one star only because there is not a lower rating.

If you want to play cd-r's, this unit and all Technics units can not play them. Technics support says that none of their players are programmed to play cd-r's. I've tried, and they skip like crazy. For regular cd's, however, this unit really shines. That's why I didnt give it a one star.

We rated the Technics SL-MC4 four stars, after we started burning cd's at a much slower speed -- about 8x (on Apple Itunes.) Before that, we would have only given it two stars or less. Like some of the other reviews, it, too, would hang up toward the end of cd-r's.

I hope this will help others whom are thinking about replacing their MC4 with another player (and after researching cd changers, I feel your pain.) We decided to keep ours, at least, for now.

We have a SL-MC7 (110 disk big brother of SL-MC4). It's worked fine for several years, long enough I can't remember exactly how many - more than 4, though. It skips on a dirty or scratched disk like any other player; cleaning or polishing the offending disk usually fixes the problem. It also plays cdr's burnt on a Liteon 52246S with Nero, although it isn't guaranteed to do so. It plays the wrong disk on occasion, that occasion being when the disk is in the wrong slot. That is easy to do unless you've really good eyes and good light, but there isn't anything to be done for it: you want the disks crammed all together, right?

It has played the tracks of a disk in a funny way, and I can't really say why, but it was purely temporary and only happened a few times, maybe 3 or 4. My Sony 5 CD changer that cost twice as much fouled up much more regularly. But because we had to shuffle disks in and out it seemed more like something expected, simply because of all the handling. We just pulled the disk and reseated it, a procedure with which almost everybody is familiar. The same thing fixed the SL-MC7, but it might seem like a bigger deal to do.

There is a way to reset the internal micro (along with several warnings about various things not to do) documented on a separate sheet tucked in the owners manual. I had to do it once, when it was new; the thing didn't respond at all. I'm reasonably certain (I design micro based embedded systems) that I was the source of it's confusion, playing around trying to get familiar with it. And NO, it shouldn't have any such Achilles heel, but lots of stuff does, anyway. (Can you say Microsoft?) Once we had the thing stuffed and a stable pattern of use, it faded right into the background, an ideal state for any piece of equipment. The music is what matters.

As far as we are concerned, recommended.

Do not buy this cd player whatever you do. I can't emphasize this enough. I bought this cd player a few days ago, came home and hooked it up, all is well, listened to a few cds that night. This morning turned it on and it played for about 15 minutes then stopped. Now its not reading any of the cds it was reading last night, or any other cds I put in there. This amounts to a lifespan of one day inside my house. I am extremely displeased with this unit and would tell anyone and everyone to avoid this unit like the plague, influenza, the repo man from your bank, etc etc. Save your money!!

the only problem i have had with the unit is it has trouble with burned cds. usually if it won't play just burn another copy and usually it will do fine. i have had it for five years. it needs more features but for the price it is great.

I owned this player for almost two years before it had an irreperable failure. The same goes for the 110 CD version which I also owned for two years before its mechanism jammed and failed. This twice-shy buyer will never again buy a Technics or Panasonic product.

this is a great cd player i got it mid summer 2001 and has been great since even better with the optical out put and great price