Is this a good deal?

[Xeys_00]

http://houston.craigslist.org/for/964508841.html

[bobt]

http://houston.craigslist.org/for/964508841.html

It's a very good deal for an entry system, you won't be abl to upload to your computer, but it will work for getting you in. The MD's are worth more than what he is asking, so in effect you are getting the units for free,

Have fun

Bob

[sfbp]

I think it's fair value.

However:

1. None of this equipment has LP modes. (Maybe this is fine for you since you don't have lots of LP stashed). However one of the things I have come to appreciate is one disk (whatever data rate) that holds 140+ minutes of music. The reason is simple - I can fit a whole opera, concert, or large scale work (I listen to classical) in a portable player and go off wherever without extra disks in pocket. Using HiMD I can put 8 hours at 256K on one disk.

2. The deck itself is not as flexible as the purpose built decks. They had to take a lot of functionality (in terms of knobs/buttons) in order to do the CD thing. So some is left to the remote (only) and some is just not there. I cannot give specifics as I don't own this deck, but I do have that line's last incarnation, the MDX-D400, and it is awkward to do editing compared to my JE630 (for example the latter has a PC keyboard connector, the combo decks do not). You might do just as well with a CD player/changer that has optical out. They won't do the x4 CD->MD thing, so that feature (included in the MDX-D3) is really valuable.

3. You will get lots of MD with many deals, and even brand new ones especially if you look around Ebay, are not too expensive. So the included MD's isn't that big of a deal (to me - I just read bobt's comment).

4. The deck doesn't have optical out. If you are serious about vinyl and cleaning up the sound, this won't get the data out to your PC for you - only via analog. The analog is probably fine but you then are relying on the analog side of your PC's sound card. PC's are built for cheapness, not audio quality.

The MZ-R37 has IIRC a good reputation as a durable unit. Owners might comment on this for you.

Hope this helps

Stephen

[Xeys_00]

I've asked him to show me the deck works. He said it's too much trouble and that he won't do it. That bothers me.

[sfbp]

Agree. There are THREE of these beasts on Ebay one closing in 2 hours, all under $50.

Just search ebay for "mxd-d3"

[bluecrab]

I've asked him to show me the deck works. He said it's too much trouble and that he won't do it. That bothers me.

Too much trouble? Then it should be too much trouble for you to buy it from him. The discs look like a good deal b/c they are included. The portable unit is OK - I have one - but it, like the deck, lacks LP mode, and its battery life is about 14 hours, far less than some newer ones.

If you're looking for a CD/MD combo, you can often find the MXD-D40 on ebay. No opt out, but at least it has LP mode (although only copies at 2x max in LP). The MXD-D400, as SFBP noted, does have opt. out, but is much harder to find and is usually pricier than the MXD-D3 or MXD-D40.

I can appreciate that you want to get a good deal, but the lowest price is not always the best deal.

[Xeys_00]

Too much trouble? Then it should be too much trouble for you to buy it from him. The discs look like a good deal b/c they are included. The portable unit is OK - I have one - but it, like the deck, lacks LP mode, and its battery life is about 14 hours, far less than some newer ones.

If you're looking for a CD/MD combo, you can often find the MXD-D40 on ebay. No opt out, but at least it has LP mode (although only copies at 2x max in LP). The MXD-D400, as SFBP noted, does have opt. out, but is much harder to find and is usually pricier than the MXD-D3 or MXD-D40.

I can appreciate that you want to get a good deal, but the lowest price is not always the best deal.

Agreed. I will be getting my dn430 hopefully today in the mail, and I already got my 20 minidiscs 80 min from amazon yesterday. I would like a unit that I can just leave hooked up to ac mainly for recording purposes, and only take the cheap dn430 outside. Maybe I'll bite the bullet and get a new unit for about a hundred bucks(net md with ac and line in optical in and mic in). The only reason I can think of that he doesn't want to show it working is that maybe it's had issues before and he's worried it won't perform. I never buy off craigslist unless I see the item working.