This handsome player defies the "jukebox" description of many changers, measuring as it does less than seven inches high (with a standard width). The entire front-panel lifts down manually to reveal all 61 slots, with slot 1 reserved for single-disc play only. We were impressed with the build quality of the door mechanism, which slides down gently but firmly and doesn't appear prone to breakage. This mega-changer includes an optical-digital output for connecting to an outboard digital-to-analog converter or an surround receiver or processor with digital inputs.

We connected the LS-MC4 to an outboard digital-to-analog converter with a Toslink optical cable, plugged it in, slipped a CD in the single-disc slot, hit play, and whistled the tune of simplicity.

Since programming features can be rather complicated with today's computer-reliant changers, operating instructions are a must-read. Technics deserves credit for providing well-written, concise instructions on the multitude of programming options, including how to categorize discs by music genre (choose from 14, from Ballads to Oldies) and how to input customized text to identify discs (though a growing number of discs offer CD Text, which displays track and artist information automatically).

It took approximately 90 minutes to read the instructions and become comfortable with inputting text using both the remote control and the front-panel numeric keypads, which include letters just like a phone. It took a few trial-runs to get the procedure down, which was encumbered by the computer's 7-second limit to perform text entries. Once we got the ha