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In the time domain, the Gem's impulse response (fig.12) is typical of a design using a high-order crossover, but some reflections can be seen just over half a millisecond after the initial pulse, presumably from the side cheeks. The step response (fig.13) shows that the tweeter and the woofers are connected with the same positive polarity, but that the design is not time-coherent. Finally, the Gem's cumulative spectral-decay or waterfall plot (fig.14) looks clean enough, but whether or not residual resonant modes are present is obscured by the early reflections.—John Atkinson
"You are not going to believe this."
It was Lars. Again.
"Here's the latest hot thing in audio," he continued. "It's a portable CD player from RadioShack that's on sale until Saturday for $129.95. It's regularly $179.99."
"What's the model number?
"The Optimus CD-3400. Catalog number 42-5035. You want this particular player."
"Why is it so special?"
"You be the yudge. Keep your receipt—if you're not happy, you can always get your money back."
I ran down to the nearest Shack and picked one up.
"Enjoy superb digital stereo on the go…
But I still didn't hear the bus on Brodsky Street. This indicated to me that there are limits to this player's resolution. So those of you who paid 180 times the price of a CD-3400 for a Mark Levinson No.30/31 combination did get something more for your money. (I'll take the RadioShack and use the money for concert and opera tickets and traveling.) Though the CD-3400 had limitations in terms of resolution, bass extension, and dynamics, it produced a sense of air that I have not heard from any other digital playback system.
"Then again, you haven't heard the Levinson gear," says JA. (I…
Well, maybe one reason is that this player departs from flat—warming things up in the bass, toning them down in the upper midrange and treble. And most manufacturers don't dare depart from flat. On a portable, who cares? Besides, with most headphones, especially cheap ones, a little added warmth and a subdued top end would be a blessing. Maybe it's only on a portable that a designer can get away with producing a CD player that sounds like a good moving-coil cartridge!
"This may be an accident," said one of my friends—a high-end manufacturer. "Does RadioShack design for sound quality?"…
Corey Greenberg reviewed the CD-3400 in July 1994 (Vol.17 No.7):
Forget ham radio, forget Paul Revere, forget the Information Hershey Highway—when it comes to spreadin' the news, there's no faster service than the Audiophile Grapevine. You want next-day delivery? Call FedEx. You want to get it there positively absolutely in a matter of minutes? Call an audiophile and pant about the latest breakthrough o' the week. It helps if you drop a name or two, but you don't even have to go that far—by the time the news travels across the country (a matter of minutes), every reviewer/dealer/pimp in…
Used as a digital transport, the CD-3400 drove either a Theta Gen.III or an Audio Alchemy DAC-in-the-Box with a HAVE/Canare digital cable, plugged into the CD-3400's digital output with RadioShack's #274-378 RCA-to-miniplug adapter.
Sound: Good but not great—that about sums up my feelings about the CD-3400's sound. It's really good for a portable CD player you plug a pair of Grado SR60s into for music on the go-go, but a giant-killer that compares favorably to high-end separates? No way in hell, daddy-o. I don't know what kind of mushrooms these audionuts are putting in their salads, but…
Jack English also wrote about the CD-3400 in July 1994 (Vol.17 No.7):
Every workday morning of the past five years, I've loaded my shoulder bag with a bunch of CDs, a portable CD player, some spare batteries, and headed off on my inordinately long commute. When I'm selecting a portable player, sound quality is, of course, an important consideration; but since I lug so much around with me every day, so are size and weight. And, because I have no option for AC power, battery life in the player is important, as is the number of batteries the player needs (I always carry at least one set of…
JA added some thoughts in July 1994 (Vol.17 No.7):
Like Jack, I managed to buy a CD-3400 at the sale price of $130, even though the RadioShack sale had been over for two weeks at the time. I use a portable both when I walk to work and as a source for my in-car system. Over the years I have used a Sony D-7S (fatiguing sound, frequent breakdowns, its lead-acid batteries died if left uncharged for even a couple of weeks); a Philips D6800 (recommended in the UK press, bulky, sounds grainy and veiled, ridiculously short battery life); a Panasonic SL-NP1A (sounds smooth and unfatiguing, but…
Sam Tellig returned to the 'Shack in July 1994 (Vol.17 No.7):
"So tell me, Sam—do you think the Optimus CD-3400 portable CD player from RadioShack is that good?"
It was a high-end manufacturer friend.
"Yeah, it's great. Bought yours yet?"
[long pause] "Yes, as a matter of fact." He paused again, as if for emphasis. Or maybe he was searching for something to say. "It's not very detailed."
"I never said it was. But how does it sound for $179.95?"
"Bought mine for $129.95," he corrected. "Pretty good, actually."
"You haven't heard it at its…
Barry Willis supplied a Follow-up in September 1994 (Vol.17 No.9):
My interest in the RadioShack Optimus CD-3400 was stirred by hearing Sam Tellig praise it at the Stereophile High-End Hi-Fi Show in Miami last May. Then a friend and veteran hi-fi enthusiast told me that every self-respecting audiophile had to have one. I bought one the next day, on sale for $129.95. At that price, I figured that even if it wasn't everything it was cracked up to be, it would still fill a niche for me; I've never had a portable player before. At the very least, it would be a source of music at my workbench…