[KR...]

Check it out :

The famous RadioShack Optimus CD-3400 portable CD player Review

 

[Russ Arcuri]

I had read several of the reviews linked there previously -- though I missed Corey Greenberg's take. Ironic that his review is the one I agree(d) most with. In case you missed it, at the bottom of each page is a link to the next page, or another Stereophile reviewer's opinion on the 3400. There are about 7 or 8 different articles about the 3400, and Greenberg's is the 3rd or 4th.

 

[tracylynn]

do RadioShack Optimus makes any cd mp3 player?

 

[stuartr]

Tracy -- I don't think that in general Optimus puts out the best stuff. I think that the 3400 was somewhat of an enigma. Search mp3 players in portable audio though, and you will probably find a good one.
Stu

 

[Yang]

Hi,

I am looking for a portable CDP, new or used/old. I went over the reviews above and it seems this CD player had very good sound quality, which is what I concern the most about. If I understand correctly, the model is quite old and may not be in sale anymore, right? Do you know if other old similar models or newer modles from Optimus that I can find from Ebay, RadioShack, etc. will deliver the same sound quality? If not, can anyone suggest an alternative, prefered with optical out. Thanks.

 

[Toe]

The most interesting bit of info I gleaned from that article was that the player was that the player was actually (supposedly) built on a particular Mitsumi CD-ROM drive which used some sort of soft plastic center hub to hold the disc.

This thing is based on an old (~1994) CD-ROM drive? As in something one of us might have sitting in an old 486 computer? (or at least something simmilar?) I've seen an article online on using a computer CD-ROM drive as a car CD player, so I know it's possible to use them outside computers. Perhaps our DIY community should start digging around computer shops that sell old parts? Might prove interesting!

... ... ...

The other interesting thing I found in the article: "Information Hershey Highway"

 

[Audio Redneck]

Toe,

I've tried a ton of these through the years and most CD-ROMs SUCK - at least through the headphone jack (NECs from the early '90s were the exception, but the phones used weren't the greatest either). Most wouldn't hold up in a car after a time because the plastic parts aren't intended for the environment of a car (120F+ in the summer in the south and below 0F in the winter in the north)(I am sure there are exceptions, but I am refering to the typical $30 pc unit). I would also be curious about skip the quality of any skip protection.

What I haven't tried and would like to is using the line outs into a pocket-size amp built into a 3.5" or 5.25" bay slot. That might be a worth-while project.

Another thought is plugging the digital outs into an outboard DAC.

 

[matjen]

I actually had two of these Radio Shack babies. The hot set up was not as your CD source but as the transport to a decent D/A converter. Me and a few friends set these up with big rechargeable gel batteries and they were great. By running from battery power rather than a wall wart we were able to avoid a bunch of noise/hash.

The one problem is that they did break easily. They just weren't robust enough for everyday use.

 

[tvhead]

I own of these things too, and it still works. Well, it makes this faint clicking sound in the background now.

Oh well, I don't use it anymore..

 

[Penarin]

LOL.  I remember this whole Radio Shack / Stereophile thing.  Nice to see it again.
 
I also seem to remember a high end company building a fancy power supply for the portable Optimus player.