Skip free, good sound, quiet in play mode, CD-Text, very cheap, swap discs while in play. Dimmable display, sensibly sized remote unlike the 765.

Couple of minor gripes. The infamous back two CD slots are incredibly difficult to get to. It would be better if it rotated. When a CD finishes it wont stop until it hs tried all the other slots, theres 20 seconds I wont get back. No other real problems at its price level.

In the last 2 years I have bought and sold 7 different CD players at wildly varying price points. I bought this to replace a (thought to be broken) Marantz CC4300. It is my second favourite machine, the old Rotel RCD975 was better. The Yamaha is much better than you would expect at its modest price (between $160 and $200). Compared against the older but much more expensive Rotel RCC940 there is almost nothing in it, the Rotel has a wider soundstage but not by much. Also on a par with the slightly more expensive Marantz. The playing mechanism is silent once it has got up to speed and it has a very appealing sound. The higher end is especially crisp but not strident. Being critical the lower registers could be a bit less plummy but at its price you really cannot complain. In short you enjoy listening to music with it and forget how cheap it is. All the usual programming features and CD-text which is amusing for about 20 seconds. Ideal for a starter or 2nd system.

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Rotel RCC940AX Marantz CC4300

stable tracking, remote volume control, build quality, useful display window.

no digital coax output, difficult access to back 2 discs, power on/off - can't do from the remote.

i have had this player for 2 years and i am very pleased with it's performance. the remote controlled volume feature is a big plus for me because i run the yamaha thru a vintage marantz 2235b receiver that does NOT have a remote. conveniece problem solved! this volume control, unlike many other digital types, will remember it's last setting when powered off and won't reset to max volume when powered on again. this is nice if you value your hearing at all. this model reads thru minor scratches with ease and has a stable tracking lens. i have jumped up and down in front of my av rack and can't get this baby to skip. i have had no problems with scrathed discs. don't know about cdr/cdr-w but the manual states it will play these. this player has better than average build quality for the price. all the needed programming features are on board including peak search and shuffle play. you have the ability to change up to 4 cd's while 1 is playing. shuffle play can only be accessed from the remote, a minor inconvenience. the back two cd's can be hard to get to because the tray does not open far enough, concealing the back half of them. the display is large enough for me to see from my sitting position 12 feet away. the display is dimmable with the usual yamaha amber color. you have the option of displaying track or disc time, and whether remaining or elapsed. very flexible. faceplate has direct disc AND track access buttons which is nice. a headphone jack is also featured. only an optical digital out is provided, no coaxial. as far as sound quality goes, at this price point i feel there is little if any difference between competing models. all n all, much better than my old sony carousel. highly reccomended!

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sony cdp-445 carousel