Re: What actually controls the CD changer?

The documentation with Slink-e is admittedly a long way from perfect, but it does contain a pretty good description of how the thing works. Devices with S-link ports are controlled through a cable (or cables) between the Slink-e and the equipment. The IR output is for controlling devices such as non-Sony receivers that don't have S-link ports. How to set up the IR is one of the weakest parts of the existing documentation, but the issue is covered reasonably well in a set of user messages from some months ago. Search the archive.

Confused, erratic behavior could result from any number of causes. You can't have CD carousels trying to control one another, as some Sony carousels attempt to do; you wind up with the master player and CDJ sending conflicting commands to the slave player. It is best to have each carousel on a different Slink-e port. And you can't have multiple amplifiers or multiple instances of any single type of equipment (i.e., two MD players) plugged into one S-link bus. The erratic-behavior problem is likely a consequence of some error like this in your setup.