Pioneer PD-F1009 301-Disc CD-File Changer

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 23 x 27 x 15 inches ; 23 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 20 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
• ASIN: B00004RDL5
• Item model number: PD-F1009
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,689 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

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  Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > CD Players & Recorders > CD Players

• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 14, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Pioneer's PD-F1009 301-CD jukebox takes advantage of its megastorage capacity with fun, easy-to-use features. Be aware, however, that its tremendous conveniences comes at a small price: the PD-F1009's sound quality, while satisfactory, does not equal that of most comparably priced single-disc or five-disc players.

The PD-F1009 excels in other areas, however. In addition to its standard features (play, repeat, program, etc.), the PD-F1009 has a few that are more unusual and, it turns out, perfect for a CD jukebox. The Best Play feature lets you commit any 20 tracks to the PD-F1009's memory. Just hit the Best button (on the remote only) while a track is playing, and the player will automatically store that track in memory. Later, when you hit Best Play, the unit plays back up to 20 tracks in sequence. (Curiously, Best Play plays tracks back in reverse order.)

Another cool feature is Previous Scan, which simply plays (likewise in reverse order) the opening 10 seconds of the last 20 discs played. The PD-F1009 also lets you create up to five custom files, or groups, with no limit to the number of CDs in each file. This is a terrific way to file discs by genre or artist.

In addition, the PD-F1009 is one of the few players we know of (megachanger or otherwise) that is compatible with both CD-Rs and CD-RWs--most only play CD-Rs. The PD-F1009's CD Text feature scans and displays disc and song titles, but only if a CD is encoded with this information (most new ones are).

Finally, the PD-F1009 has an optical digital output for use with outboard digital processors, minidisc, and CD recorders, as well as the capability for CD-recorder synchronization with other Pioneer equipment.

Where the PD-F1009 falls short is in its musical presentation. Through the analog outputs, everything sounds a little dull. From an audiophile standpoint, the midrange lacks openness, the top end lacks extension and sparkle, and the bass is sluggish and overly soft. If you have a surround receiver with an optical digital input, we highly recommend listening through the PD-F1009's digital output, which sounds just fine.

We like the PD-F1009's features, which Pioneer has executed nicely and at an attractive price. We strongly recommend the PD-F1009 for background music; serious listeners will want to reach for an optical cable to take advantage of the changer's digital output. --Wayne Garcia

Pros:

• Huge disc-storage capacity
• CD-R and CD-RW compatible
• Excellent array of features
• Digital output

Cons:

• Sound from analog outputs is dull
• No headphone jack

Product Description

If you've assembled a big CD collection over the years, load your favorites- let's say, 301 of them- into the PD-F1009. It displays disc titles from text-encoded discs and has an optical digital output for connection to a CD recorder. This machine offers random play and Best Selection Memory functions, and also plays your CD-R's and CD-RW's as well.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just perfect...., August 8, 2000

By	Jim Heale (Kirkland, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've looked at a lot of changers and none of them have as many well-implemented features for such a great price.

The main feature I like which puts this above Sony is the ability to search and store data on CDs not only by Title, but also by Artist. Although it is a huge pain to go through and create all the artist/title information - it's easier to find the CD you want in the end. I create CD Text duplicates of all my CDs and load them into this changer (the originals stay in their cases so they can be taken on trips, etc.). I then have the ability to see every song, artist, and album title. CDText is a Godsend!

The only thing bad about this product is the un-ergonomic and un-usable completely black remote control brick. You can solve this problem by using a Universal Remote which I assume most serious audiophiles will want to use anyway. I still give the changer 5 stars because I don't believe the bad remote is that big of a deal for most people.

I use the optical digital output and I'm impressed with the sound. The Changer itself is quiet and quick. I purchased a 5 year warranty because I don't trust mechanical devices, but after 18 months I've had not one problem.

75 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great device for the price, February 25, 2001

By	Allan Rousselle (Somewhere along I-90, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Let me start by saying that I am using the PD-F1007, which has the headphone jack that the Amazon review notes as missing from the 1009. I don't know why Amazon carries the 1009 and not the 1007, given that this appears to be the only difference, but all else seems to be in order.

As an audiophile who used to work in radio, I've amassed quite a collection of CDs, so being able to have a few hundred of them in the player at a time is great. You can also specify groups of CDs by categories; I found this handy this past Christmas when we loaded up our collection of holiday CDs and grouped them. Then, if we felt like listening to holiday music, we'd play that group on "random"; and if we were tired of the holiday cheer, we'd choose another group from which to play songs at random.

The machine is easy enough to learn how to use, and the sound quality is fine. The mechanism itself is quieter than the typical 6-CD cartridge-based changes that Pioneer and JVC make (I've never used the Sony 300 disc player), and I've found it quite suitable for playing soft background music at parties we've hosted, even with the constant CD shuffling that random play requires.

I've always been happy with the quality of Pioneer's CD-players, my previous one (a 6-changer) offering 8 years of excellent service. For the price, I don't see how you can go wrong with this player. Highly recommended.

107 of 112 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A real workhorse. (Review updated), April 29, 2000

By	D. Pfeiffer "jf_sebastian" (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

... ... It'll take you one full evening to get 301 CD's into it. But this isthe machine for me as I have close to 800 CD's now. The 6 discchangers just weren't cutting it. I did notice a diference in thesound quality but I think you can overcome that with digital optical cable or using a good monster cable. The big advantage with the player is the Random feature. Hey man, with 300 CD's this is DAYS worth music. We're talking not hearing the same tune twice in a week or weekend. The hell with commercial radio! I've got my own station with this player. It also has some good programming functions and I like the CD Text. My only concer is that the unit can stand up to consistent use. The last CD jukebox I bought was Sony 25CD which was in 1991. It never worked out of the box and I've been with 6Cd Onkyo since then. But alas, my collection has grown far beyond the capabilities of 6 gun changer. If you're looking for something that can handle a chunk of your large collection then this is the PD-f1009 is for you.

10/06/04:
I was going over some of my old reviews and found this one. I mentioned in the original review above I was concerned about this player's consistent usage. Well I am happy to report I have had absolutely no problems with this CD player! I would in fact buy another and daisy chain it with this one were I not using Windows XP's media features to "rip" my CD collection to a hard drive. Still I'm extremely happy with this product and commend Pioneer for its price and durability.