Nakamichi CDPlayer3
The Nakamichi CDPlayer3 - sometimes written CD Player 3 - was Nakamichi's early effort to bring the build quality and sonic standards of their cassette decks to the then-new compact disc format. It was part of a coordinated "standard" series, meant to sit alongside the Nakamichi C-3 cassette deck and P-3 amplifier, both in looks and in performance philosophy. The research materials describe it as a point of engineering pride for the company, developed to match the standard line of their 3-head tape decks.
The CDPlayer3 was meant to be used as a complete system component. It had an "electrical" connection to the optional outboard Nakamichi DAC-3 converter, running to it coaxially. The unit itself had a Search and Play system for picking music, plus a REPEAT mode for individual tracks. One reviewer praised the controls - "The slides and switches of the CD-3 to operate are a delight" - and noted the importance of the electronic volume control, particularly for direct A/B comparisons. HiFI-Stereo (December 1990, p.61) ran a Nakamichi advertisement positioning the CDPlayer2 as setting "a new standard for musical accuracy,"
Documented specifications are limited, sourced from the TVK reference:
- Frequency response: 3–20,000 Hz ± 1 dB
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 95 dB
- Dynamic range: 95 dB
- Total harmonic distortion: 0.004% (1 kHz)
- Channel separation: 95 dB (1 kHz)
- Output voltage: 2V (1 kHz)
- Analog outputs: Line out (RCA)
- Digital output: Coaxial
No production years, original retail price, physical dimensions or weight have surfaced in the available documentation. The specific DAC chip and transport mechanism are likewise unrecorded. The record does make clear that Nakamichi treated the CDPlayer3 as a serious component, built to the same standard as the tape decks that made the company's name.
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