Yamaha CDC-506 5-Disc CD Changer
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- Device Type: Changer
- Number of Discs: 5
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Yamaha CDC-506 carousel
Pros
Sonic accuracy, elegance of design
Cons
Remote has no on/off function
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
This value is hard to beat. I paid $151.54 (tax included). You can find it priced lower, too.
My chief criteria in surveying CD carousels were:
1. high signal-to-noise ratio;
2. low distortion;
3. solid construction;
4. capability to swap discs on the fly.
At 106dB, this unit clears hurdle #1 just fine. It's possible to find CD players with higher S/N ratios, but you're liable to pay real money for those. At .003%, THD is inaudible. Except for the control buttons, display & the carousel tray (which are plastic), the front of the 506 is metal--unusual in this price range.
Yamaha calls its disk-swapping arrangement "PlayXchange"; all I ask is that it works (and it does). You can swap four discs while the fifth one keeps playing. The "silent mechanism" in the tray isn't absolutely silent--but it makes much less racket than several other CD carousels which I've examined; the operating sound is at least unobtrusive, compared to some Kenwood & Sony models I've looked at.
You can set the amber display to any of three brightness levels, if that's important to you.
But all stats & so on aside--does this player sound good?
Yes, it sounds fine; in fact, it's a remarkable improvement over my circa-1989 Onkyo single-drawer model (S/N rated at 92dB). This is a decent basic carousel, which is exactly what I wanted.
In addition to the RCA L/R output jacks, it has a TOSlink optical digital output. The unit will play homemade CDs, if you're into that. However, it lacks the special circuitry to take advantage of SACDs.
My lone quibble: The remote won't turn the 506 on & off. But this is essentially a non-issue for me, because I've got its AC lead plugged into a master switch (on my amplifier); I listen to CDs more often than any other source.
Hard-core audiophiles may fault this player, but it will serve anyone except real purists admirably. I enjoy it.
1. high signal-to-noise ratio;
2. low distortion;
3. solid construction;
4. capability to swap discs on the fly.
At 106dB, this unit clears hurdle #1 just fine. It's possible to find CD players with higher S/N ratios, but you're liable to pay real money for those. At .003%, THD is inaudible. Except for the control buttons, display & the carousel tray (which are plastic), the front of the 506 is metal--unusual in this price range.
Yamaha calls its disk-swapping arrangement "PlayXchange"; all I ask is that it works (and it does). You can swap four discs while the fifth one keeps playing. The "silent mechanism" in the tray isn't absolutely silent--but it makes much less racket than several other CD carousels which I've examined; the operating sound is at least unobtrusive, compared to some Kenwood & Sony models I've looked at.
You can set the amber display to any of three brightness levels, if that's important to you.
But all stats & so on aside--does this player sound good?
Yes, it sounds fine; in fact, it's a remarkable improvement over my circa-1989 Onkyo single-drawer model (S/N rated at 92dB). This is a decent basic carousel, which is exactly what I wanted.
In addition to the RCA L/R output jacks, it has a TOSlink optical digital output. The unit will play homemade CDs, if you're into that. However, it lacks the special circuitry to take advantage of SACDs.
My lone quibble: The remote won't turn the 506 on & off. But this is essentially a non-issue for me, because I've got its AC lead plugged into a master switch (on my amplifier); I listen to CDs more often than any other source.
Hard-core audiophiles may fault this player, but it will serve anyone except real purists admirably. I enjoy it.
