Better than I thought

I swore I would never do 2 things: (a) buy a piece of audio hardware that did not have discrete codes; and (b) buy another Sony product.

Why? Well first, a good measure of whether a piece of equipment has been properly thought out can be shown in whether discrete codes have been included in the firmware. (BTW - discrete codes are infra red commands that give direct access to functions and power on/off that can be programmed into learning remote controls). If a piece of hardware can be sold to people on its merits, and it includes discrete codes, then clearly the manufacturer cares about its consumers and the usefulness of the equipment.

Second, I have in the past bought Sony products and not been happy. The quality was not up to standard and the products do not work correctly (the fault only becoming evident outside the warranty period). My brother has also not had good experiences with his Sony products. Two bad experiences in one family is too much of a coincidence for me.

So why did I buy the CX455 you ask. Well, mainly because I have very young children and a largish CD collection. My kids are forever getting into the CD storage unit and placing their sticky fingers over my CDs or in some cases just smashing them. After trying to change their behavior without success, I decided that the problem may be mine rather than theirs - why not just remove the source of the trouble? Also, this is the only megachanger available through a large retail chain in Australia. I've searched everywhere and been unable to find any alternative (Australia can be like that . . .)

The verdict - fantastic. The sound quality is far better than I thought it would be. Also, I have found out that Sony have upgraded the firmware, so it now has discrete codes.

But the biggest benefit is the wife approves! She was very skeptical about the changer (she thought it was gimmicky etc.). But now she can listen to all her CDs from the 80s (mixed up in a random order with our modern collection) and all I've heard is approval! Also, the kids can't get to the player and my CDs will remain safe forever.

Ok the down side - for those of us who are time poor this can be a big commitment. However, the effort in sorting through the discs pays off and if you stay organised while doing it, it can make access very easy. Also, I suggest discs be cleaned as you put them in - this can solve a alot of the skip problems and if you do it now, you won't have to do it again, ever (unless you remove the discs, of course).

Also - the system doesn't have screen output to a tv. But I knew that when I bought it, and if you take time to program the folders properly you should be able to at least have some idea of what the relevant disc is (and if you don't you can always just play it!) If you have a Pronto remote control you might also want to consider SNL (its a program for the pronto available at www.remotecentral.com) to assist in naming and accessing discs (but you probably already knew that if you own a pronto!).

Also the weird analog/digital output on MP3s could be an issue for some. But I don't have many MP3s - don't like to suffer the loss of quality. I might consider doing an MP3 mix for parties etc in which case I'll set my amp to analog. But otherwise, its not a problem for me - but could be for some.