Technics SL-PD827 CD Changer Review

The Technics SL-PD827 is a versatile five-disc carousel-type CD changer offering excellent performance and operating flexibility at a moderate price. Unlike top-loading carousel changers, the SL-PD827 has a carousel that emerges from (and retracts into) the front panel at the touch of a button, eliminating any need for clearance above the player to load or remove discs.

When open, the carousel extends only 6 inches from the panel, revealing two of its five loading trays (which accept either standard or 3-inch CD’s). Touching the disc skip button rotates the carousel for access to the next two trays.

For playback, the SL-PD827 transfers the selected disc from the loading carousel to an internal turntable, enabling the carousel to be extended and rotated while a disc is playing so that discs can be removed or added without interrupting the playing process. Uninterrupted programs of any length are thus possible.

The display shows the status of the player’s various programming modes and special features as well as the current disc, current track number, and elapsed time on the track. The number of the current disc flashes to identify it.

The SL-PD827 has two random-play modes: random selection of both disc and track each time a track is completed, and a random sequence of tracks from one disc at a time. There is also a “spiral” mode in which the first tracks of all the discs are played (in their loaded sequence), followed by their second tracks, third tracks, and so on.

A convenient CD Edit-Recording mode provides two methods for automatically selecting the tracks on a disc that can be dubbed to fit onto a cassette. When the SL-PD827 is used with a compatible Technics tape deck, this feature automatically switches the deck between recording and pause modes.

The SL-PD827 can be programmed to play up to thirty-two selections in any order from any combination of discs. Alternatively, it can be programmed to delete up to thirty-two selections from the playback sequence. A Direct Access mode allows play to be started with any track on any disc, continuing in the normal sequence from that point. Like most CD players, the SL-PD827 has fast-search and track-skipping modes in either direction.

All playback and programming operations can be performed either with front-panel pushbuttons or from the supplied remote control. In most cases, because of the grouping of its buttons, the remote control is more convenient to use.

The SL-PD827 uses the Technics MASH 1-bit digital-to-analog (D/A) converters, and its technical specifications are typical of CD players in its price range. On the test bench, its output, from a 0-dB test track, was 1.997 volts, almost exactly matching the CD standard of 2.000 volts. Its frequency response was almost perfectly flat from 20 to 6,000 Hz, rising to + 0.3 dB at 20,000 Hz. The low-level linearity of the D/A converters was very good (within about 0.4 dB) down to a -80-dB level, but at -90 dB the output was about 2.6 dB high. This is nothing serious (few multibit converters in equipment of this price class can do any better), but it was surprising in view of the frequently near-perfect linearity of today’s 1-bit converters.

Channel separation was excellent in the midrange, with 1,000-Hz readings of about 117 dB, falling to 95 dB at 100 Hz and 86 dB at 20,000 Hz. Power-line hum, at 60 Hz, was a very low -110 dB on one channel and completely undetectable (under -120 dB) on the other channel.

Total harmonic distortion (THD) plus noise at a 0-dB level was - 90 dB (0.003 percent) between 400 and 2,000 Hz, rising smoothly to -80 dB (0.01 percent) at 20 Hz. The distortion readings rose at higher frequencies, with a maximum of -70 dB (0.03 percent) at 10,000 Hz. At 1,000 Hz, the distortion was typically about -91 dB (0.0028 percent) at levels from 0 to —70 dB. We also measured the frequency accuracy of the player’s output at 20,000 Hz, which showed a surprisingly high error of +0.34 percent (most CD players measure well under 0.01 percent error in this test).

In our disc-handling tests, the SL-PD827 proved outstanding. It had one of the fastest slew times between tracks that we have yet measured, not more than 1 second (it was really too small to measure reliably with a stop watch). Even the time needed to change discs was not unduly long, about 9 seconds. Moreover, the changer appeared to be impervious to physical shock. To induce a momentary skip in its output required a blow with fist or palm that threatened to dent the top cover.

The SL-PD827’s bulletproof character was further demonstrated by an ability to play the 2,400-micrometer calibrated defects on the Pierre Verany #2 test disc without any audible dropouts. Even with two closely spaced defects, the player produced only an occasional faint click at the 2,400-micrometer level.

Like many of today’s complex consumer products, the Technics SL-PD827 may not be easy to master during a casual acquaintance. Fortunately, it does have a rather complete manual, though considerable study plus hands-on practice will be needed if you hope to use some of its special operating modes. On the other hand, simply loading and playing CD’s is not difficult, and the overall performance of the machine was exemplary.

Laboratory measurements of a CD player give surprisingly few clues to its performance when compared with measurements on other machines. They serve mostly to confirm the engineering excellence of a design, and sometimes to verify the manufacturer’s specifications. Such audible differences as may exist are usually so subtle that they cannot easily be quantified and therefore must be judged by subjective criteria.

Nevertheless, there are real, substantial differences between CD players in the way they respond to certain conditions, such as information-layer defects on a disc or physical shock applied to the player itself. In these respects, the Technics SL-PD827 proved to be extraordinary, although you might have to install it in a disco or at a rock concert to verify the extent of its isolation from the outside world. It’s an interesting and in many ways a unique product, and an excellent value at its price.

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