Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

    
    Jim, how about the new ones with the new 16 bit DACs.  Mark said
    that they go for about 400 ish and should be out soon.  I don't
    know the model numbers yet...
                                                      
    I have the 1051 with the remote (the romote is slightly useful),
    the remote for the TV is infinitely more useful.  Now if this remote
    had volume control...                             
                                                      
    						.dave.

    Last time I talked to anyone at NAP, they were planning to sell
    add-on remote control units for ~$40, but not in stores.  There
    is a jack in the rear of the 1041 and 2041 machines for it.  I have
    not talked to them in a few months, so the plans might be off.
    
    The  Magnavox is the best sound/$, with great potential for
    modification, but reliability has been ... spotty.  Many players
    currently sound about as good and have better construction.  Buy
    other than the Magnavox for feel, features, and reliability, but
    you can't really beat the price or the sound.
    
    I think the new 16-bit 650 has remote, slightly better sound than
    the 1041/2041, better error correction, and remembers track selection
    for ~100 (?) disks.  They are just getting here.

I agree; I have a 1051 with remote (yes, volume control would be great!) and
the  remote  is only marginally useful, say to pause when the phone rings or
the kids are calling from another room. Sound is great, and I've never had a
tracking  failure  (I  assume  4  way oversampling helps that), but I had to
return  one  model  because  of  noise when playing, and previous notes have
pointed out that the on/off button seems prone to stick. 

If you're  willing to return a possibly defective one, and can live with the
plastic contstruction and possibly less than solid feel, you can't beat the
sound at the price.

When I  bought  the  1051  (Service  Merchandise)  it  was around $220 (with
remote); the 1041 (w/o remote) can be had for about $179.

        I just got my new Service Merchandise catalog in the mail. I
        immediatly opend up to CD players to see what new magnavox playres
        they would stock. Surprise! NOTHING at all from Magnavox. I guess
        they finally realized that they were selling a really good product
        amongst all the junk, and just couldn't allow it to continue. I
        haven't tried any of their retail stores yet, but they may not be
        a Magnavox source for long. 

    MAGNAVOX seems to translate to "JUNQUE".  I had 5 different 1051's
    home and none of them lasted for as long as a week.  They came from
    a variety of different stores CALDOR, Service Merchandise, etc.,
    so it seems unlikely that they were all from a single bad batch.
    
    They all had tracking problems and refused to accept 9 out of 10
    CD's fed into them.  After a month of trying and returning them,
    I gave up and bought the Technics SLP-91.  Haven't had a single
    problem since.
    
    I might add, that the overall quality of the player as regards looks,
    feel, etc, is vastly superior in the Technics.  The Magnavox looked
    and performed like junk.
    

    Re: .5    This seems to be a more and more common complaint with 
    the "Maggies".
    
    Could it be that this most recent generation is just too cheap?
    
    The Philips cum RRD50 products were pretty rugged. Maybe they have
    gone over the line between cheap-but-good and just-cheap.
    
    Walt