Pros: Inexpensive yet top quality, excellent features including optical audio out connection to amplifier/receiver.
Cons: It is possible that it is now discontinued, might be hard to find.
The Bottom Line: The Yamaha CDC-575 CD Player is a terrific value for the money. Excellent sound quality, fully-featured and reliable, it is hard to beat in its price range.
PeterLRuden's Full Review: Yamaha CDC-575 5-Disc CD Changer
The Yamaha CDC-575 CD Player is a 5 disc carousel CD changer which is a terrific value for the money. This unit offers terrific sound quality (due to an optical link to your amp/receiver), a handsome design, Play/Exchange (which allows changing up to four CD's while one continues to play) a full-featured remote control and is fully programmable. Getting all of this, plus Yamaha's laudable quality for $115 (it was heavily discounted off its list price) is a steal.
This model is being discounted
Not too long ago, this model went for over $200. However, because of its age in the product cycle and the likelihood that it is being discontinued, I found it for less than $115 five months ago at a P.C. Richards and Sons electronic chain store on Long Island, New York. The salesperson originally stated that the unit was $150, but that price vanished quickly when I picked up a few other items and I ended up paying only $115. It is quite possible that you can find it for even less than I did.
What do you get for your money?
Well, a great deal actually. My wife and I have an entertainment center that is over 14 feet wide and has massive CD storage capabilities, so we did not need one of those players which stores a few hundred CD's. At least not yet! So, I opted for a 5 CD carousel model, a type of player that is highly affordable yet can play a few hours of music.
An excellent feature is Yamaha's Play/Exchange, which allows you to change up to four CD's while another CD continues to play in the unit. The carousel just opens partially and Stevie Ray Vaughn or whomever continues to blaze away whilst you refresh the musical selections. Its a nice thing to have.
In addition, a great boon to the sound quality is that the unit comes with an optical link to your receiver/amplifier, which can be utilized to send the CD signal via laser light to your receiver if your receiver has such a connection. The resulting boost in sound clarity and depth is quite noticeable because light carries the digital signal without much resistance. It sounds terrific compared to my former unit that could only utilize wires to connect to my receiver/amplifier.
The remote control is layed out quite well and allows you to engage any of the units functions, including programming the play order of the various CD's and the tracks within them. I find this quite easy to do with the remote.
The unit is a handsome basic black with chrome feet, and the display is large and easy to read. Its simple lines will go with the looks of many other brands of electronics equipment.
What About Quality and Reliability?
My experience with Yamaha's products has always been quite positive. I own another Yamaha CD player, a Yamaha amplifier and also a Yamaha amplifier/receiver, and I have not had any problems whatsoever with this CD player or any of the other units. This CD player feels solidly constructed as well as looking to be well made. I have confidence that it will last for quite some time and perform well.
Recommendation
If you are looking for a 5 CD player unit, you cannot go wrong picking up the Yamaha CDC-575. Because of its features, reliability, quality and low price it is hard to beat this unit. The only drawback is that it is possible that stores might be running out of it due to it possibly being discontinued. On the bright side that will mean that if you find it, you will most likely pay very little for a feature-packed CD player. I rate this one at FIVE STARS because of its combination of quality and price.
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