JVC KD-MX3000

Pros: Plays MD's and CD's, 40 Watts of Solid Dead On Power, Strong Bass, Audio Input in very back, Mix Tracks, Crisp and clear Listening, Already programmed remote, Most are posted on sale, Autoskip Prev, Packed in reg. DIW sized Head Unit.
Cons: Do you own it?

This Control Panel is anything but average. Below I will tell exactly why. It will revolutionize the way you listen to your music in an everyday sense. Clear your senses because you are about to experience something so hot.

When you...

Pros: Both CD and MD in your dashboard. Colorful display and stylish trim. Audio input in the back. 40 watts of power.
Cons: No subwoofer out.

I've been searching for a cheap way to play mini disks in my car and get great sound. I'll admit that all mini disk receivers cost more than their CD equivalent but a mini disk receiver still made more sense to me than buying a cheap CD head unit...

Pros: Good quality, plays CDs & MDs in single-DIN unit, good features, display not overly garish.
Cons: Out of production, hard to find. Worth the effort if you like MDs, though.

I found this deck online through an Internet search and bought it new ("refurbished" actually) through a Las Vegas electronics retailer for about $275, the price I'd have paid for a decent CD-only deck (still on their site at ...

Pros: Layout, MD player, CD player, CD changer controller, FM/AM will play CDR's.
Cons: CD text only works with changer, no sub controls, no mp3 discs

Great deck, I bought it in March of 1999.
Discontinued, hard to find, but if you can, it will be worth it. Try Yahoo, CNET, Ebay.
I use the deck with a cd changer in the trunk, a four channel amp, a two channel amp, an MTX crossover, two 10's,...

Pros: Stunning durability, usability and engineering
Cons: Out of production. A standard most units today intentionally do not meet.

I'm an inveterate gadget owner. Some people can live with just a few computers at home; I'm not happy unless I have at least half a dozen working. But that's not the point. The point is that I purchased this unit in 2000, and it's still working like a champ. The adage that anything that has moving parts will break is no doubt indisputable, but this unit has resisted entropy to date. I tip my hat to JVC engineers for building in excellent user interface, audio quality, features and compact design. It's a champ at MD format, which is my main playback media in the car. Doesn't skip, doesn't eject spuriously, always displays track time and title -- it puts most of my other gadgets to shame!

P.S. Kudos to Sony for the MD format and media; the media I recorded in 1996 is 10 years old now and sounds as good as new. Sure, MP3 et al. is the way to go now, but there's a lot to learn from what was done right in the KD-MX3000.