Yamaha CD-S300 and CD-S700

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by George P, Feb 2, 2018.

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  1. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2018
  2. 926am

    926am Senior Member

    Location:
    rochester, ny
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  3. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
  4. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Reviews of the CD-S700 (both are 3/5 stars)

    Yamaha CD-S700 | TechRadar

    Yamaha CD-S700 review

    As for the CD-S300, I can't find any reviews, except by customers. But customers love the CD-S300, rating it 4.5+ stars/5 everywhere I have looked.
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2018
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  5. fogalu

    fogalu There is only one Beethoven

    Location:
    Killarney, Ireland
    I bought the S300 last year and I've found it excellent. It plays anything you throw at it and it's particularly good with scratched CDs. There is also a USB input for an iPod or memory stick.
     
  6. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Yeah, I have had/enjoyed mine for a few years now. Great unit. I am very surprised that the next level up (CD-S700) does not get better reviews.
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2018
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  7. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
  8. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    Interesting. Does it have variable output level from the remote ?
     
  9. fogalu

    fogalu There is only one Beethoven

    Location:
    Killarney, Ireland
    No. However, I use mine through a Yamaha amplifier and a lot of the CD player's functions can be accessed from this (including volume control). Of course, the player has its own remote but that doesn't include control of the volume output.
     
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  10. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    How about the Cambridge Audio Azur 851c? Anyone compare that to either of the aforementioned Yamaha players?

    I'm thinking that would be a bigger Step Up from the 300 Yamaha then the 700 Yamaha would be.
     
  11. 4xoddic

    4xoddic Forum Resident

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  12. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Here's another review of the CD-S700: 6moons audio reviews: Yamaha A-S700 & CD-S700

    I actually bought one of these last night. Right out the box, the sound is a clear step up from my old CD-S300. The main difference I noticed is in clarity and detail. With the CD-S700, things are much easier to hear on the soundstage and the realism is improved as well. Soundstage is bigger, wider, too. I plan to run it 24/7 over the next week and will post more impressions during that time.
     
  13. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
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  14. G B Kuipers

    G B Kuipers Forum Resident

    Location:
    Netherlands
    Please keep us updated about the CD-S700. Would you describe its sonic signature right out of the box as lean, or rather full/fat sounding?
     
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  15. Doug Walton

    Doug Walton Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    I've got a CD-S300, and I like it fine. But since I bypass its DAC and run digital out to my standalone DAC, it's just a transport to me. If I thought I'd get noticeably better sound from the CD-S700 in that configuration, I might consider it, but I doubt I would.
     
  16. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    I'm not sure. I would probably say neutral, but if I had to pick between slightly lean or slightly full, then I might say slightly lean.
     
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  17. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Well, my CD-S700 (just like the two Marantz SA8005 players I tried before it) turned out to be defective. It has trouble reading discs intermittently and when it has trouble and finally reads the disc, it makes a mechanical click noise, a louder noise than I have heard any CD player make. So it's going back and I am not going to bother trying another one. I am going to stick with my reliable CD-S300.

    As for the sound, both the CD-S300 and the CD-S700 use 24 bit Burr Brown converters and of course, both are Yamahas, so after 150 hours of burn in on the CD-S700, their sound is more alike than I expected. The CD-S700 is more refined, somewhat clearer than the CD-S300 with a bit better focus. This difference is readily apparent, but again, not huge. Also, the drawer on the 700 is very finicky, you have to place the CD just right to get the drawer to load and if you don't get it right, the drawer gets stuck partially in and just stops. In about three years of use, I have not had a single problem with my CD-S300 reading discs, nor have I had issues with the tray loading. So, I will be holding onto my CD-S300.
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2018
  18. G B Kuipers

    G B Kuipers Forum Resident

    Location:
    Netherlands
    Thanks. I get the feeling the S300 is a player with an amazing performance to price ratio.
     
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  19. fogalu

    fogalu There is only one Beethoven

    Location:
    Killarney, Ireland
    I also have had no trouble at all with the CD-S300. It must be incredibly frustrating when what is supposed to be an upgrade turns out to be faulty!
     
  20. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Absolutely!

    In a way, yes. But in another way, I now appreciate my CD-S300 a lot more than I did. And I will get what I paid for the CD-S700 back, enough money to buy almost three CD-S300s. Or a whole lotta CDs. :cool:
     
  21. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Thanks for the update George.
    I'm kinda in the boat- if it works, you enjoy the sound as is, it does what you want it to, keep it till she pukes!
    I've got a Onkyo Wolfson 7030/Oppo BDP-80 as a backup and a 00's Onkyo DV-SP 800 for DVD-A/SACD plus a 80's Magnavox CDB 500.
    Think i'm good :laugh:
     
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  22. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Yeah, I'm happily hopping back into that boat myself. With a heavier wallet. :cheers:
     
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  23. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    More cash for those hard to find good sounding discs :righton:
     
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  24. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    If it had variable output level I'd buy one of these in a heartbeat. Pity few players (usually the more expensive ones) seem to incorporate this feature nowadays vs. most brands in the 80s.
     
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  25. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL

    I read around and the consensus on this model is something like ¨sounds and performs nicely for about the time the warraty covers it (one year) and then it dies on you. My current CD player is slowly giving up the ghost and cannot decide on what to buy. The Yammie goes gor U$ 650 in Buenos Aires; so much for a ¨budget¨ CD player !(not that the other brands are any cheaper; nothing under 400 TEAC I'm afraid) Thing is my beloved Technics SL-PG440 lasted a good 28 years.

    Think I can replace for a brand new obsolete Pioneer DVD player (DV-2042K-U$250) that even has volume out, although unsure whether it has to be hooked upo a TV to visualize the volume level or if the front display provides that info. Oh well.
     
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