We really liked the feel of the CDC-697 when compared to other CD changers on the market. The transport deck, or carousel, feels solid as it ejects discs for exchange. In addition, you can switch four of the five discs while the fifth continues to play within the unit. Yamaha dubs this feature "PlayXchange" and it works very well to ensure that music can play continuously with no interruptions, even as you reload.

Sound quality on the analogue audio outputs of the Yamaha was undistinguishable to the digital audio outputs when fed into our reference A/V receiver. Highs were crystal clear and bass response was tight and free from any muddiness or distortion. That is a nice testimony to the quantity of digital to analogue converters, which take the encoded information on the disc and convert it into something your speakers can reproduce. The player also supports CD Text Display, which allows artist and album information to appear right in the LCD display window of the player. This helps to update a component dwindling in popularity update to the 21st century.
Speaking of outputs, the CDC-697 has both analogue stereo and TOSlink optical audio outputs. Yamaha also added serial RS-232C control, meaning that this player is one of the few which can be used in high-end control systems such as those featured in multi-thousand dollar (or much higher) home theater systems.

Using the player was easy and presented no difficulties or learning curves. The CDC-697 has two convenient modes called 1DISC and 5DISCS, which are nearly self-explanatory; they allow the user to remain on one disc or jump around the entire player for a smorgasbord of music. You can scan the loaded discs automatically (eight seconds per disc) using the Disc Scan function on the remote control. This is a great way to preview the discs in the player, especially if it's been a while since you loaded it up.

Yamaha's CDC-697 5-disc changer is a truly high-end unit that works well with both consumers who want a quality CD player and professionals who need something that can integrate well with an advanced control system. We really haven't seen much better than this unit in terms of the perfect bang for the buck, and can highly recommend it for those consumers looking for quality and features that count.

Pros: Solid build quality, RS-232C control, remote in/out, TOSlink output
Cons: Confusing remote, no discrete on/off

Warranty
1 year