Home > Consumer Reviews > Yamaha CDC-697BL 5-Disc CD Player (Black)

As an owner of some Hi-End/Mid-Fi CD players with rave reviews among the Audio community (DENON Universal Deck DVD-2910, ROTEL Reference RCD-1072) I can say that this Yammy doesn't come too shabby. I looked into other 5-disc decks (DENON & Marantz), but in the end this one made the grade.

I was looking for a simple and inexpensive 5-Disc deck for the moments I just load up a bunch of discs and listen casually while doing other things (attending guests at home, parties, reading, etc). Anything but critical listening. I was dumbstruck by the audio performance and sheer quality that this "cheap" deck pulls out of my CDs. The built-in D/A converters are pretty darn good if I had to rely on them, but it gets better if you use it's optical digital output to feed an outboard D/A converter (like the one in my flagship receiver), and makes this deck a helluva transport. And speaking of transport mechanisms, this is where it shines the most, it's silent, fast and solid. Lists for 300$ on Yamaha's site, but for the steal-deal special price of 195$ with free shipping from 6th AVE NY, I have to say I feel guilty of theft... but happy.

Want a great CD player for the price of a run-of-the-mill DVD player? Get this deck. Forget about lame-O MP3/WMA discs, it only plays CDs but it does it RIGHT!

I ordered the Yamaha CDC 697 on a Saturday and received it by Thursday. Super fast delivery, the item was packaged perfectly and it looks just like the picture. Thanks Amazon & Crutchfield. Anyway, if you've read my reviews, you'll know I enjoy music. I purchased this cd changer to replace a 110 cd disc changer I purchased back in 1998. I was trying to find a cd changer that fit my style that was affordable but that also made my music selection sound good in the crib. Well, after reading several of the reviews, I decided upon the Yamaha CDC 697. I have a Yamaha receiver with Cerwin Vega floor speakers so it made sense to go along with the Yamaha cd changer. I was anxious to receive the cd player and when I got this changer...oh man what a difference it made from my previous cd changer. The set-up was very easy, the sound is crystal clear and it really sounds great in the house. If you're looking for a great cd changer with easy set-up and terrific sound, this is it. I hope this helps. As always, YMMV...... NEOSOUL

This unit's a bargain and works beautifully. There are some in-depth reviews here already, so I won't add one myself. But I will say, in response to comments about the disc changer, that removing or inserting a fifth disc is absolutely no problem. Yes, the door doesn't come out fully (by design), so there's some overhang on one of the disc wells. But it doesn't matter, because changing a CD is still safe and easy. By way of comparison, I think a laptop PC's disc drive is awkward, and probably everyone reading this has worked on a laptop. If switching out a CD on a laptop is a 3, doing that on this unit merits an 8.

This unit is almost perfect. Great sound with digital optical cable. (a must if you want great sound) Changer is very quiet and stable. The Disc Exchange is a must have feature. It allows you to remove and insert CD's without interupting the current playing disc. (a very nice feature)
Cons:
1. Display is very small and hard to read from a distance. (also led is amber does not match most current electronics which are blue)
2. If you take the time to program tracks to play it does a nice job, but if you turn off the power or it goes into standby, you loose your program. (a real bummer if you have several favorite discs you want to set up a play list and leave them in the changer. It takes awhile to program and the is no real memory)
Resist the temptation to go to Best Buy and by a Sony unit. This is worth the wait.

I purchased this hoping it does not have any of the same issues I have had with a Sony 300 disc changer. After one day I have come to the conclusion through trial and error that the Yamaha will play every cd which the Sony refuses to play, some the Sony will not even load. It has been years since I have purchased a Yamaha componenet but I am happy so far. The sound quality also is outstanding through either the analog or toslink connections.