In my haste to replace a dying Yamaha CDC-605 CD changer that had served me faithfully for seven years, I decided upon the Kenwood CD-206.

The random feature and program mode on the old changer had stopped functioning. With the approach of parties and guests that would be coming to our home over the holidays, I decided to replace the malfunctioning changer for one that would be able to hold at least five CDs, that could be programmed, one that would pick songs at random from each of the CDs loaded in the changer, and finally, one that was affordable. Not only did I receive these features, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I had gained a couple of features as well.

In addition to the requirements the unit must possess, I soon learned that this CD changer would continue to play a CD while allowing me to change out CDs that were loaded in the carousel. Also, the carousel is designed in such a fashion so as to allow the user to load two CDs at a time before advancing the carousel. This is far superior to loading one CD at a time. Another of Kenwood's design features that makes this unit easy to use is the five individual press buttons that are located on the top right side of the unit. These buttons allow the user to pick a particular CD without having to scroll through the entire selection. Finally, Kenwood added the random play selection key to their remote control. In the past if I wanted to use my random feature I would have to select the feature at the unit itself. This seemingly small detail has added to the enjoyment of the overall experience of this unit. One last detail for those who are the technological junkies, this unit comes equipped with CD-TEXT support. When a CD is selected the display panel will scroll the name of the album, the title of the song, the artist, etc.(the CD must have this information on it for it to work), and will remain there until the next song or the CD changes.

The unit comes equipped with an optical connection as well as the standard RCA connections for the audio input and output. The sound quality of the device is good. It is equal to that of my dying unit. I really couldn't hear any significant change in clarity.

There are some down sides to this unit. Be sure that the area you plan to place the unit is wide enough and deep enough to accept this unit (W: 17-5/16", H: 4-15/16", D: 15-5/8"). I was almost unable to place this into my cabinet opening, and I had to modify the rear of my cabinet so as to allow my door to close properly. Also, for some unknown reason Kenwood decided to use a blue LED display panel. This panel puts out a lot of light in an darkened room. Finally,the unit also starts to play songs automatically when it is turned on. This is a nuisance that I could live without.

Overall, I believe that the Kenwood CD-206 is a good buy at about $150. I feel that this new CD-changer will provide me with lots of enjoyment and buy the time I need for prices to come down on that five disc DVD-changer I have got my eye on.



Recommended: Yes