Back in the 1990s, the state of my audio art was the CD multi-changer. I had one in my car, and there was one in my hi-fi too: whether three discs (the hi-fi) or six (the car) it saved me from the tyranny of having to change discs every 70-odd minutes. And now the multichanger is back! Back! BACK!
On the face of it, it seems like Yamaha's CD-C603 carousel CD player is trying to party like it's 1999. But there are sound reasons to consider a CD player in 2024, even – or maybe especially – in a world where streaming is the way most people get their music. With CDs your music isn't compressed, it won't disappear if you stop paying ever-increasing subscription charges and you don't need to worry that the money you pay is contributing to the paycheck of repellent podcasters either. And CDs are astonishingly cheap to buy second-hand now that so many people have gone digital-only.
So what has Yamaha brought to the hi-fi party this time around?
Yamaha CD-C603: key features
The five-disc carousel looks just like the ones I used to have at home, but the unit it's in has some more modern tech inside including Yamaha's Pure Direct, which shuts off the display and unused audio output to reduce interference. Yamaha says the device also delivers "sound full of dynamics and clarity" thanks to audio upgrades including a floating laser pickup that's relatively immune to vibrations, an Intelligent Digital Servo to detect and deal with any signal or tracking issues, and support for data discs using formats including WAV and 24-bit/96kHz FLAC.
The big upside here is also the downside: carousels mean much more listening time – unless you're listening to Ramones or Napalm Death, five CDs of music mean five-plus hours of uninterrupted audio – but they are a little noisy during changes and potentially more prone to failure because of their increased complexity. That said, I've never had a carousel fail.
Although the CD-C603 is definitely coming to Europe (it's on Yamaha's website for the EU and UK) pricing hasn't been announced yet; only Australian pricing has been published so far, and that's AU$899 (about £470). You can have any colour you like provided it's black or silver.
Upgrade to smarter living
Get the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products straight to your inbox.
Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
-
Hands-on with the Richard Mille RM 65-01 Chronograph McLaren W1
We try out the new £340,000 watch from Richard Mille
By Alistair Charlton Published
-
This could be the Nokia flagship phone we've been waiting for – there's just one thing missing
Nokia under HMD's guidance didn't dally in flagship phones, but this could change things
By Chris Hall Published