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Pioneer's PD-F1009 301-CD jukebox takes advantage of its megastorage capacity with fun, easy-to-use features. Be aware, however, that its tremendous conveniences comes at a small price: the PD-F1009's sound quality, while satisfactory, does not equal that of most comparably priced single-disc or five-disc players. The PD-F1009 excels in other areas, however. In addition to its standard features (play, repeat, program, etc.), the PD-F1009 has a few that are more unusual and, it turns out, perfect for a CD jukebox. The Best Play feature lets you commit any 20 tracks to the PD-F1009's memory. Just hit the Best button (on the remote only) while a track is playing, and the player will automatically store that track in memory. Later, when you hit Best Play, the unit plays back up to 20 tracks in sequence. (Curiously, Best Play plays tracks back in reverse order.) Another cool feature is Previous Scan, which simply plays (likewise in reverse order) the opening 10 seconds of the last 20 discs played. The PD-F1009 also lets you create up to five custom files, or groups, with no limit to the number of CDs in each file. This is a terrific way to file discs by genre or artist. In addition, the PD-F1009 is one of the few players we know of (megachanger or otherwise) that is compatible with both CD-Rs and CD-RWs--most only play CD-Rs. The PD-F1009's CD Text feature scans and displays disc and song titles, but only if a CD is encoded with this information (most new ones are). Finally, the PD-F1009 has an optical digital output for use with outboard digital processors, minidisc, and CD recorders, as well as the capability for CD-recorder synchronization with other Pioneer equipment. Where the PD-F1009 falls short is in its musical presentation. Through the analog outputs, everything sounds a little dull. From an audiophile standpoint, the midrange lacks openness, the top end lacks extension and sparkle, and the bass is sluggish and overly soft. If you have a surround receiver with an optical digital input, we highly recommend listening through the PD-F1009's digital output, which sounds just fine. We like the PD-F1009's features, which Pioneer has executed nicely and at an attractive price. We strongly recommend the PD-F1009 for background music; serious listeners will want to reach for an optical cable to take advantage of the changer's digital output. --Wayne Garcia Pros:
- Huge disc-storage capacity
- CD-R and CD-RW compatible
- Excellent array of features
- Digital output
Cons:
- Sound from analog outputs is dull
- No headphone jack
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