Yamaha CD-S303 Single CD Player, Black

I recently got back into CDs, I was using a DVD player as a transport to my DAC but I wanted a dedicated CD player. After considering several other players, I chose the Yamaha CD-303 and I'm glad I did! So far, everything has worked flawlessly out of the box. Straightforward remote, simple to use. A huge plus is it's USB playback function, a lot of other players at this price point and higher don't have it. As noted in pervious reviews, there were firmware updates but mine came with the most recent update, VER 1.63. The built in DAC ( Burr-Brown) sounds nice, but I also have it going out via Coaxial and Toslink to my external DAC. Nice to be able to switch back and fourth for depending on what I'm playing. So far, I am very happy with it and would highly recommend it.

I got this CD player to replace a 6CD carousel player that started to have problems reading several discs. I am using the player connected to a Yamaha RX-A1060 receiver via digital optical connection and output through a pair of Klipsch RP-280 speakers. I am using the DAC of my receiver and can’t say how the sound would be using the player’s DAC and the analog connection, but the sound of the system is great running a digital signal from the CD player to my receiver. If you prefer to use the DAC in the CD player just use the analog connection to hook it up to your receiver. Really just depends on whether you prefer the sound of the DAC in your receiver or the one in the player. The CD player has a display that shows the track number and elapsed time, and if you push the display button it also cycles through the time remaining in the track, the time remaining on the disc, the name of the track, the name of the artist, and the name of the album if the CD includes that information. Only a few of the CD’s that I own have the title of the track, album, and artist, but I can verify that the player will display the information if it is present. The remote is fine, and the commonly used buttons are easy to locate.I’ve had this player for about three months at the time of this review, and it plays everything flawlessly. I have listened to a lot of different CDs on the player during that time, covering a wide range of music. When I first got it I tested the player using some discs that I knew previous CD players had difficulty reading, and initially, this player also had difficulty and would not play some of them. I checked the firmware (press and hold A/B on the remote and the display shows the current firmware version) and it was an older iteration. When I updated the firmware to the current version (1.53 at the time I got the player) it was able to play the same discs that had problems before the firmware update, and it has played everything flawlessly since, including commercially manufactured CDs, CDs that I burned on my laptop, and commercial manufactured on demand CDs, and the CDs that were unplayable on the previous 6CD player. When you do the update, switch the unit to USB mode, be sure that only the firmware update data file is on the USB drive that you are using, and that it is using the correct file format on the drive (fat 16 or fat 32) and no encryption. I used a 3.0 USB drive formatted on my laptop without issue once I only had the firmware update data file on the drive and nothing else. On my first attempt I extracted the update file to a folder on the USB drive and it would not work as the drive must contain only the update data file at the root directory of the drive. If there is anything else on the drive besides the update file it will not work. Note that when you connect the USB drive to the player the display reads UNSUPPORTED. This is not a problem, and once you push and hold the pause button on the remote for a few seconds it switches to UPGRADE (if I remember correctly) and after 20 seconds or so the machine reboots and when it restarts it says UNSUPPORTED on the display again. When you switch back to CD mode and check the firmware it should be updated. Turn off the player and remove the USB drive and it’s done. There is a guide on Yamaha’s website with instructions. If you are looking for a good quality, reliable CD player this is a good choice.

The availability of quality CD players is becoming a problem. The industry and the younger generation seem to want to get past CDs and into listening to their music via streaming to their smartphones and streaming devices or reverting back to vinyl, seemingly unaware of the importance of high-fidelity low-distortion - they haven't hurt their eardrums enough yet! OK, audiophile CD players: I prefer not to mention names, but all of the so-called audiophile CD players seem to be ridiculously over-priced. One flagship player (beginning with the letter "M") runs about $800. Check the reviews - lots of purchasers have problems with even $800 players - be it performance or customer service (one reviewer said it well - what good is a five-year warranty if you can't get help with a problem or replacement - it might as well be a 30-year warranty!). OK - this player. Many players insist on showing you an LED display when you don't want to know how many minutes have played or have left. This player doesn't do that with it's "Pure Direct" option, which also can be used to bypass the DAC chip (digital-to-analog). It sounds great with both settings, by the way, even compared to "high-end" players I have had attached to my 180-watt McIntosh amplifier and C38 pre-amp. Another feature on which some players are irritating to me - the often start playing 'track 1' when loaded, whether or not you requested it to do that. This player does not do that. It loads, displays the number of tracks and then waits until you select a track to play. You can monitor the length of track as long as you are not in "Pure Direct" mode, which you can switch in-and-out of on the remote with no ill effects. Another irritation - on a high-end CD player I purchased recently and returned for a refund, if you play a CD and stop playing at the end of a certain track, the player would "mark" that spot. If you a few days or weeks later decided to load that CD again, it would automatically go to the end of the last track you played and start from there. This player does not do that. OK - quality. I previously bought a Yahama CD player (697 model, I believe) 20 years ago. I snobbed out to "audiophile" Emotiva 2 and Emotiva 3 players - which were fine players but now unavailable after purchasing a $4500 McIntosh C152 amp. They died - the lasers eventually burn out with heavy use, and I'm a rock-and-roller. The Yamaha player was my backup player. It sounded better than OK, by the way although an irritating "carousel" 5-CD type which I loathed (the carousel, that is). Well, as I waited for this new Yamaha unit I plugged it in to carry the water. It still sounded good. If I didn't strategize buying a primary player I would have kept it - as I said before, CD player availability is now very low, and 20-year old "audiophile" players are costing a "pretty penny". This player is reasonably priced, has very good sound quality, is rock-solid. If you are looking, the NAD C 538 player was was alternate choice, so give that a look. Bottom line - hesitate to buy a used CD player as you never know how many hours the laser has on it, and they are usually sold by a "car salesman-type" seller, so don't get sharked. Devices do eventually burn out. Even the "audiophile" players have problems, so you need to get lucky buying used or new. But why keep looking - select this player and you won't be disappointed.