The Yamaha CD-C603 revives almost bygone times, because it is not only a CD player but a good old a CD changer too.
The one disadvantage of a CD is its relatively limited storage capacity; with about 74 minutes you’ve pretty much had it, regarding listening time. So if you want to hear music continuously in the background, the standard CD player is a somewhat impractical and burdensome device. For that reason, in the 1990s, the CD changer became popular at one point. You crammed the device full of CDs and hours of listening pleasure ensued. The new Yamaha CD-603 revives exactly that scenario. This player has a five-disc CD changer on board. With a nice modern extra: you can change CDs while the music from the CD being listened to continues to play.
USB input
Ease of use has also been considered with the Yamaha CD-603. For example, the cd tray opens fully and gives full access to all inserted CDs at once. Modern gadgets like a floating suspended laser pickup mean that mechanical and potentially disruptive vibrations do not penetrate this essential component. Or do so much more difficultly. Furthermore, there is something like an “Intelligent Digital Servo,” built in. This compensates for things like possible signal loss, but also takes care of tracking and motor speed measurement. And just in case you want to play some modern digital audio files? A front-panel USB port lets you quickly plug in a USB stick with music files. Supported are both WAV and FLAC, in resolutions up to 24 bit / 96 kHz.
At the time of writing, we saw the changer only on the manufacturer’s Australian website. The Yamaha CD-C603 costs $899 Australian dollars there, converting to about €548.