Nakamichi H/U tuner's strength?

Hi,

I'm looking at the newer Nakamichi head units and have heard negative comments about the strength of their older models' tuners.  Does anybody know if the newer models (i.e. CD 400, MB 75, CD 45Z, etc.) have improved tuners?

I like the simple looks and quality of the Nakamichi head units.  Can anyone recommend other units with similar qualities?

Thanks!

Nakamichi makes excellent head units and they are defiantly not underpowered. I would also suggest that you look into Eclipse http://www.eclipse-web.com they have excellent sound quality and a very basic look to them. But I would say Nakamichi, Eclipse and Alpine are defiantly some of the best units out their

I use a CD 45Z in my personal car and can say it is one of the best sounding mid-priced HUs I have ever had the pleasure to own.  I assume by "tuner strength" you are talking about radio reception?  Most aftermarket heads have somewhat "weaker" radio reception than most factory OEM units, but in general I am pleased with the AM and the FM reception on my Nak using the OEM car antenna.

Cheers.

DYohn,

Yes, I was referring to radio reception.  I heard the older Naks had weak reception, but the SQ more than made up for it.  My car (1986) has the radio antenna embedded in the windshield, so the radio reception might not be that strong to begin with.

What about reliability?  There's also been concern about them breaking too soon and poor service from the factory.

BTW, the CD 45z is one of the best looking HUs I've seen.  Maybe I'll get one if more people have had favorable experiences similar to yours...

I've never had a problem with Nakamichi products, neither auto nor home electronics.  Their SQ is top five as is construction quality, and their amp ratings are "real world" ratings that are often very conservative indeed.  Nakamichi, Eclipse (Fujitsu Ten) and McIntosh are comparible in many ways.  FM reception with an imbedded windshield antenna will probably be acceptable, but if you need more signal strength you could add an antenna amplifier.

I highly recomend the 45Z over the lower-end 40Z that can still be found on eBay, by the way.  The 45Z uses a 20bit DAC with 8X oversampling and includes three sets of 4V pre-outs along with a true 45x4 wpc internal amplifier.  The 40Z does not have the 20 bit DAC system and has fewer pre-outs and less power.

Where's the most inexpensive place to buy the 45z?

Does the 45z have selectable colors for the display?

Is the CD-400 newer than the 45z?

Thanks again!

- probably eBay

- No.  It comes in green or amber from the factory.

-Yes, it is the replacement.  I haven't had a chance to hear one yet.

A lot of the 45z's had problems playing burned cd's. Pure Car Audio has some good prices on Nak headunits http://www.purecaraudio.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=239