Not published in BE RADIO An Update by William Fawcett Back in January of 1995 I wrote an aticle for BE RADIO about BUYING NEW TECHNOLOGY(http://www.jmu.edu/wmra/archive/berpage.html). In that article I made the point that sometimes it is better economy to buy cheaper equipment and throw it away when it breaks. The case in point was CD players, at the time a $140 technics SLPG-100,200,300, or 440 was an excellent value. The Technics units, in recent years, became problematic. I was experiencing failures after 3 months (platter motor), instead of the expected year of service. I understand Technics has discontinued this line of CD players. Most of the other Consumer models have gone to multiple-disc versions. The few remaining appear to be real Junk. Typical problems include slow start time after hitting play, inability to read times on high numbered tracks, and general awkwardness. I tested some $159 JVC's, in order to get the countdown timer to work, you had to push a button on the remote control unit EACH TIME. You also had to make a cardboard template to cover the PLAY, STOP, EJECT buttons; if you hit one (and had two units in the studio) you would probably either start or stop two decks at once. Not Good. So, I determined to look at two MODERATELY priced Semi-pro units to see if I could still make do with disposable technology. Wray Reed, at Crouse-Kimsey Co. (1-800-433-2105) was kind enough to lend me two units for this evaluation. MARANTZ PMD321 Single Play CD Player, Street Price appx. $412 TASCAM CD-201 Single Play CD Player, Street Price appx. $425 Here is a tabulation of these two units: MARANTZ PMD321 TASCAM CD-201 Play from STOP From Pause Only Slow from PLAY or PAUSE PLAY resets to on just inserted CD beginning of cut Fine from PAUSE Cue to audio Defeatable Defeatable -42 dB -54 dB or -66 dB See TEST RESULTS BELOW See TEST RESULTS BELOW MARANTZ uses toggle TASCAM is easier mode momemtary switch to understand when PLAY display indicator it is in this mode. blinks- very small 3 position switch. Multiple Cuts Plays through Plays through Time Display Selectable Does not show cut length count up/down without optional Remote Shows cut length Control. Stays in selected mode. High Cuts Able to register Able to register and backtime no backtime w/o RC FWD/REV works fine requires optional Search Remote Control Remote Start 1/4" TS jack, close 1/4" TS jack, requires starts on open sustained closure Output XLR +4 RCA -9 has level trim pots XLR +4 optional CD-301 Size 2 Rack Units 3 Rack Units is rack mount is rack mount Mechanical Disk drawer has solid Average cheezy disk feel / sound drawer Other programmable cuts single play lockout Features pitch control button more complicated simple uncluttered panel better prod. machine error free on-air use AutoCue Test Using Frederick Deluis, North Country Sketches - Autumn, Ulster Orchestra on Chandos, CHAN8413, CUT 5 The Marantz, which cues to -42dB, clipped the first 2 seconds. The Tascam, when in the -54dB Mode, clipped the first 1 second. The Tascam, when in the -66dB Mode, did not clip the piece. Comments: Because the prices are similar, the comparison was made between the Marantz PMD321 and the TASCAM CD-201, not the CD-301 MKII (XLR $600) or the 201 with the RC-31 ($75) remote control. Based on that comparison, the Marantz seems like a much better value: XLR's, Balanced +4 outputs, Output level trims, Cut Length and Coundown, and FWD search. The remote start feture will work with a momentary switch found on many simple broadcast consoles. In it's defense, the TASCAM presents an uncluttered panel that is simple, and with the very effective cue to audio, would work great for most contemporary formats. The FWD feature shouldn't be needed with the cue to audio (-66dB) setting, even in Classical music, but many announcers are more comfortable being to cue up through the into to see where the cut might start. Not having a coundown timer is too much of a sacrifice for boomers who weren't raised on vinyl. The TASCAM will not work with a momentary switch, however, it would be adaptable to a console that had a sustained contact while the channel was on, even one of the older consoles with a level switch. With the Remote Control, the TASCAM is a very nice unit, but will run almost $100 (20%) more than the Marantz, so it should. Conclusions: I think the Marantz will work best for our situation, but I wouldn't be unhappy with the TASCAM. I'm ordering two PMD321's for our air-studio. Although the numbers have changed (see article), I still believe that not being locked in to technology for 6 years has its advantages. It is possible that I may get more than one year out of these semi-pro models. If so, I'm still ahead of the game (concerning annual cost). I'll post an update in a year or two and let the list know what sort of life I get out of these units. Disclaimer: This review contains opinions of the author alone, and does not consitute an endorsement of any product by WMRA, James Madison University, or the Commonwealth of Virginia. Use of this material in a promotional manner is prohibited by law. Copyright 1997 William D. Fawcett.