Yamaha - CD-C603 5-Disc CD Changer

A five-disc CD changer with PlayXchange — swap four discs while the fifth keeps playing — plus a front USB port, Pure Direct, and the same 0.003% distortion and 105 dB signal-to-noise figures as Yamaha’s single-disc player.

Multi-disc changers have largely vanished, which is a shame if you actually like the format. The CD-C603 holds five discs and its PlayXchange function lets you change four of them without interrupting the fifth — useful for a long listening session or a shop floor. Yamaha’s owner’s manual calls the mechanism a five-disc carousel auto-changer while the marketing page describes a fully-opening tray that changes five discs at a time; both are Yamaha’s own wording and we report them as written rather than reconciling them.

The audio specification matches Yamaha’s single-disc CD-S303 exactly: 0.003% distortion or lower, 105 dB signal-to-noise or better, 96 dB dynamic range or better. It reads CD, CD-R and CD-RW including CD-TEXT, plays MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV and FLAC data discs, and has a front USB port handling the same formats with WAV and FLAC supported to 96 kHz / 24-bit. Pure Direct shuts down the digital output and display.

Two differences from the CD-S303 matter. The changer has an optical digital output only — no coaxial — so if your DAC or amplifier needs coaxial in, this is not the player for it. And like the CD-S303 it does not play SACD, which appears nowhere in Yamaha’s documentation for the model.

Features

• Five-disc changer with PlayXchange — change four discs while the fifth plays
• Plays CD, CD-R, CD-RW and CD-TEXT, plus MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV and FLAC data discs
• Front-panel USB port; WAV and FLAC supported to 96 kHz / 24-bit
• Pure Direct mode shuts down the digital output and display
• Total harmonic distortion 0.003% or lower
• Signal-to-noise ratio 105 dB or higher; dynamic range 96 dB or higher
• Optical digital output plus unbalanced RCA analogue output
• Remote control included

Specifications

• Type: Five-disc compact disc changer
• Changer mechanism: Yamaha’s owner’s manual describes a five-disc carousel auto-changer; the product page describes a fully-opening tray for changing five discs at a time. Both are Yamaha’s own descriptions and we quote both as published
• Disc swap while playing: Yes. PlayXchange allows four discs to be changed while the fifth continues
• Disc formats: CD, CD-R, CD-RW (finalised), CD-TEXT. Data discs carrying MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV and FLAC
• SACD: Not supported. SACD is not mentioned in Yamaha’s specification table, product page or owner’s manual
• DAC: Yamaha names no converter chip for this player
• USB: Front panel. MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, FLAC; WAV and FLAC to 96 kHz / 24-bit
• Digital output: Optical ×1. There is no coaxial digital output on this model, unlike the CD-S303
• Analogue output: Unbalanced RCA
• Pure Direct: Yes. Shuts down the digital audio output and turns off the display
• Frequency response: 2 Hz – 20 kHz (CD). 2 Hz – 22 kHz at 48 kHz sampling; 2 Hz – 44 kHz at 96 kHz sampling, −3 dB
• Total harmonic distortion: 0.003% or lower
• Signal-to-noise ratio: 105 dB or higher
• Dynamic range: 96 dB or higher
• Loading time: Not published
• Remote control: Included, with 3.5 mm remote in and remote out jacks. Yamaha does not publish the remote’s model number
• Dimensions (W×H×D): 17-1/8″ × 4-5/8″ × 16″ (435 × 116 × 405 mm)
• Weight: 12.3 lb (5.6 kg)
• Power consumption: 11 W operating; 0.2 W standby
• Finishes: Not itemised by Yamaha in the sources available
• Country of manufacture: Not published. Yamaha prints no country-of-manufacture statement on this model’s US product pages, specification tables or owner’s manual. The only geographic reference in Yamaha’s own documentation is the corporate head-office address in Hamamatsu, Japan, which is a company address and not a manufacturing statement. Third-party retailers and reviewers often assert “made in Japan” for this model — Yamaha does not.
• Warranty: Two years, parts and labour, under Yamaha Corporation of America’s general A/V Products limited warranty, which covers CD players and changers for two years. This model is not named in the five-year Premium Hi-Fi Products warranty. Registration is not required for coverage. The warranty is enforceable only by the original purchaser and is not transferable.