It can be, yes. One of the reasons I hate looking behind my entertainment center. Hehe. That's true about the 32X and the CDX. However, they're totally compatible and you DO NOT have to remove the 32X in order to open the CD door. It opens and closes just fine with the 32X in position. That's my setup, so I speak from experience.
That is a really good price, actually. Go for it, dude.