Mega Help with Mega Changer

Scott Hardie | May 31, 2002
I'm interested in buying a CD mega-changer (300+ discs), but I want one with a very specific set of features. The limited selection at my usual haunts, Amazon.com and Best Buy, is hopeless. Does anyone know a good place to buy electronics with a great selection so that I can find one with the features I want? I included a list of the features if that helps. (Erik Nelson, you might be able to answer this better than anyone.)

Features that I want:

- Capacity for at least 300 discs, but 400 or 500 is much better.

- Ability to record the artist and disc title. Individual track titles are nice but not necessary.

- PS/2 keyboard support so that I can enter all those disc titles easily.

- Non-volatile memory so that I won't lose all of that information if the power goes out.

- Ability to block out certain tracks and remember which ones they are, for those occasional skipping tracks.

- Careful holding of the discs so that they won't get damaged when I physically move the machine. (I've read about some changers that use only gravity to hold the discs in place, and picking up the machine causes the discs to all fall loose and you have to open the machine to fix it.)

- Unlimited number of groups of discs. (These groups will mainly be artist-based, but a few will be genre-based, and a few others will just be weird ones.)

- Ability to put each disc into multiple groups.

- Shuffle-play through the whole carousel, or shuffle-play just within a group.

- A built-in volume equalizer, since my stereo doesn't have one.

- A warranty. This isn't absolutely necessary, but I'd really like one.

I will gladly take the following features, but I don't really care about them like I do the above list:

- Remote control. (I plan to hit "play" and leave the machine alone for hours. I don't need a remote.)

- Memory per disc instead of per slot. (I don't plan to move the discs once they're in the machine.)

- On-screen display. (As long as the front of the machine isn't near-impossible to read, I'll take it.)

- Headphone jack. (Won't use it.)

- A low price. (I doubt I'm going to get one, being this picky about the features, so I will pay what is necessary.)

I've searched, but I can only find changers that have some of the features I want, instead of all of the features I want. Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.