Akai CD-A70 CD-player Review

Akai’s CD-A70 compact disc player features a three-beam laser pickup (one for signal pickup and two for accurate tracking of the spiral recorded track). It also offers an exceptional degree of programming versatility, and each of its soft-touch front-pan-el pushbutton controls is duplicated on the supplied RC-700 wireless remote control. The front panel also contains the disc drawer and a stereo headphone jack with separate slider volume control (the rear line output is at a fixed level). There is a subcode output terminal on the rear apron for use with future digital accessories.

The CD-A70’s display window has large, bright-yellow numerals to show the current track number and playing time (when the player is first turned on, the display shows the total number of tracks and playing time on the disc). The index number, if any, is also displayed. Other illuminated words and symbols identify such control operations as PROGRAM, REPEAT, PLAY, and PAUSE.

The performance specifications of the CD-A70, like those of other CD players, are determined primarily by the compact disc system rather than by the design of the player itself. Its rated frequency response is 5 to 20,000 Hz ±0.5 dB, with a 95-dB signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), a 90-dB channel separation, and 0.003 percent total harmonic distortion at 1,000 Hz. The nominal line-output level is 2 volts.

Like a number of other CD players, the Akai unit has random-access programming capability. A keypad on the front panel can be used for direct access to any track on the disc or to play any combination of tracks. The playing order is established by an unusually simple and logical system. After a track number has been entered (it appears on the display together with the word PROGRAM), you can choose among the logical commands and, to, and without before the next number is pressed. For example, you can program the machine to play Tracks 4 through 11, omitting

Track 6, by entering the sequence “4 TO 11 WITHOUT 6.” The programmed and nonprogrammed operating modes are controlled by separate play/pause buttons. The CD-A70 also provides both direct and programmed access to the indexed subsections of recordings.

The CD-A70, which is finished in black, measures 17-1/4 inches wide, 10-1/4 inches deep, and 3 inches high, and it weighs 8 pounds, 13 ounces. Price: $475.

Lab Tests

The frequency response of the Akai CD-A70 was very flat from 20 to 10,000 Hz (with a periodic ripple of ±0.1 dB above 1,000 Hz) and sloped off to —0.6 dB at 20,000 Hz. The two channels had identical output voltages of 1.9 volts from a maximum-level (0-dB) recorded test signal. The square-wave output of the player indicated that it uses digital filtering (its specifications refer to a combination of an eightieth-order digital filter and a seventh-order analog filter).

The total harmonic distortion (THD) was 0.0022 percent at 0 dB and was below the noise level at — 10 and —20 dB. The A-weighted noise was —100.5 dB referred to 0 dB. The channel separation was about 92 dB between 100 and 10.000 Hz, decreasing to 84 dB at 20.000 Hz. Interchannel phase shift increased from 5 degrees at 100 Hz to 125 degrees at 20,000 Hz. The cueing accuracy of the player was excellent, and its slew time in our standard test was 1.5 seconds, much faster than the average for CD players we have tested. The CD-A70 tracked flawlessly through all the calibrated defects on the Philips TS5A test disc. It also tracked quite well while being tapped vigorously on its top plate, and it withstood rather severe raps to its sides without audible effects on tracking.

Comments

The front-panel display of the CD-A70 was easily readable from a distance of 15 or 20 feet, and the remote control operated reliably at the same distances. The sound was as good as that of any CD player we know of, and the listening volume through medium-impedance (200-ohm) headphones was also good. Unlike most CD players, the OPEN/CLOSE button for the CD-A70’s disc drawer is not located near the drawer (it is grouped with the other control buttons at the other end of the panel), but one soon becomes accustomed to this small quirk. Access time is among the fastest we have seen in this price range.

In fact, our sole criticism of this player derives from its very versatility! The instruction manual (in six languages) appears to be comprehensive, but we still had considerable difficulty establishing just what could and could not be done with the machine’s programming system. Although the manual explains reasonably well how to use the programming features, it does not tell about their limitations. For example, attempting to use the repeat feature during programmed play will erase the program. We also could not find any reference in the manual to the PRGM SKIP and INDEX SKIP buttons and their functions. Quibbling aside, the Akai CD-A70 is a fine machine whose unique operating capabilities may make it a clear choice for many people.

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