Nakamichi CD-45Z Car CD Player

Pros: The best sound quality at or near this price, period.
Cons: Hard to use removable face plate.

This is the first time I have been driven to replace my speakers by installing a new head unit. I have of course replaced the cheap factory speakers in a car when I replace the factory radio, and I have replaced speakers because a new amp or head unit...

Pros: In a word: elegant. Has the sound quality of units twice as expensive.
Cons: Not many features, perhaps annoying to access what is there.

If you don't know much about the Nakamichi CD-45z yet, you should at least know that it has a 20 bit DAC with 8x oversampling, has input/output options beyond what I can figure out what to do with, yet maintains a simple look. The most amazing thing...

Pros: Understated class, sonic excellence over gee-whiz gimmickry
Cons: Took two to get it right in one of our cars; source selector location

Pros: Sound (biggest plus), Simple Design, Value
Cons: Has trouble playing some CD-Rs

When I started putting together my car stereo system, my goal was simple: reproduce music as well as my home system (Adcom/NAD/KEF). I thought this would be simply a matter of parting ways with lots of cash. I started out with a Pioneer cassette head...

Pros: Perfect sound and unmatched quality, simple looks. The best CD player ever!
Cons: non cd-rw compatable.

I bought this cd player in mid 1999 for 350 dollars because my girlfriend(now my wife) was visiting me and i wanted to get a cd player for my car. After i had bought the player i look at it's specs and was really impressed. From the outside it...

Pros: Sound Quality and ease of use.
Cons: No subwoofer control & and selecting CD tracks

I originally had a Kenwood Excellon KDC-x711 and it was a really nice radio, I switched to a Clarion and was impressed with the improvement in the quality of sound but didn't like the display or the way the piece just looked in the car. After realizing...

Pros: excellent sound
Cons: skippiness with cheap/scratched cds

I've bought a pioneer cd receiver and a clarion, and in terms of mucical accuracy, it surpasses both of these brands by leaps and bounds. When I first got the Nak unit, I was surprised to find that it was manufactured in Malayasia. I had expected...

Pros: simple accurate
Cons: skips, gets hot

i bought my nak two years ago secondhand in a package with an audiocontrol three.1 preamp. the seller had them in his sound competition car. he warned me about the skippiness with scratched cds and the fact that upon ejection cds don't eject all the ...

Pros: Subtle looks, functional, impressive sound
Cons: none

I've had my CD-45z for about 2 years now. I bought my first Nak deck about 3 years ago--a CD-35z. I ...

Pros: sound, quality
Cons: looks

The Nakamichi stereos are great. I work for a large stereo store in La and have a lot of experience with car audio equipment. Although the Nakamichi series of stereos are not really great looking, like Clarion or Pioneer, but the quality is great. The...

Pros: Simplicity of use and elegant design, sound quality, and a midrange adjustment.
Cons: Would play selected CD-Rs only

If your reading this, either your a purist and or an audiophile, or your thinking of buying a used Nakamichi CD45z.
Quit thinking and buy it now, you'll never get a quality In-dash CD player with a price like this. This is my first Nakamichi player, and because I'm satisfied I bought another one, but this time its a Nakamichi CD400. I got it for my new SUV. Both are easy to use, simple buttons and knobs.
And the sound quality is excellent!!!
here's some specs to help you
CD45z - 20 bit D/A converter 8X oversampling, 4V pre-amp output.
CD400 - 24 bit D/A converter 4V output, CIRC error correction.
At this price this is a good additional equipment to your vehicle. C'mon get a Nak!