Yamaha CDC-835 (1992)
A five-disc carousel changer that Yamaha built to beat single-disc players. On the bench, it very nearly did.
Overview
Yamaha launched the CDC-835 as the more expensive, more feature-packed half of a two-model five-disc changer pair, alongside the CDC-735. Yamaha's own advertising said most changer makers, in their rush to ship a carousel, had neglected to isolate the playing disc from the changer platform. That sends vibration straight to the laser. Yamaha's answer was PlayXchange, a carousel mechanism that decouples the playing disc from the loading tray. Owners can swap up to four of the five discs while the fifth keeps spinning. Whether that isolation matters in practice is a fair question. What is not in question is that Audio (December 1992, p.105) treated the CDC-835 as the serious machine of the pair and gave it a full equipment profile.
The conversion is Yamaha's S-Bit Plus, a single-bit system that uses Independent-Pulse Density Modulation to generate separate pulses for each channel. It feeds twin balanced D/A converters, and the analog stages run in Class A. Yamaha's marketing said the result outperformed most single-disc players on the market. That is advertising, not a verdict. The verdict came from the test bench, and it was unusually kind: Audio (December 1992, p.105) concluded that the CDC-835's measured performance ranked equal to the better single-play units selling for a comparable or even higher price. For a five-disc changer in 1992, that was not the usual outcome.
Here are the numbers behind that conclusion. Frequency response is specified at 2 Hz to 20 kHz, ±0.3 dB. The review found the published tolerance easily met, with roughly a 0.15 dB output-level difference between channels. THD + N is rated at 0.0018% at 1 kHz. The reviewer's left-channel reading of 0.002% fell a hair short of the claim, but distortion did not climb at high treble frequencies the way it does on plenty of players from the era. Signal-to-noise is specified at 115 dB. The measured A-weighted figure came in at 114.74 dB left and 114.85 dB right, with residual noise largely below −130 dB up to 2 kHz. Dynamic range is rated at 100 dB, and the EIA fade-to-noise test produced approximately 110 dB. Low-level linearity, the traditional weak spot of early one-bit conversion, held to within 0.64 dB at −90 dB for undithered signals. With dithering it was even tighter, down to −100 dB.
Two measured results stand out. Internal clock accuracy deviated a negligible 0.003% from perfect timing, as close to spot-on as the reviewer's equipment could resolve. The chassis also proved extremely resistant to external vibration. Pounding on the top and sides of the cabinet during playback produced no mistracking or muting whatsoever. That is PlayXchange's isolation doing what the brochure promised. The one soft spot was error correction. On a Pierre Verany defects disc, the changer corrected missing data up to 0.77 mm but mistracked at 1.0 mm. That is better than the CD standard's minimum, yet short of the best players the reviewer had tested.
The convenience package is where the CDC-835 earns its keep in daily use. TOC Memory stores the table of contents for all five discs at once rather than re-reading each disc on access, which speeds track selection noticeably during disc-to-disc random play. Program File memory holds selections and order for up to 100 discs, with up to 10 programmed tracks each. The same memory stores per-disc settings for the built-in five-mode digital equalizer - Rock, Vocal, Jazz, Classic, and Flat - which reactivates automatically whenever that disc is played. A 5-Disc Tape Edit function sequences chosen tracks to fit the two sides of a cassette. The rear panel has a coaxial digital output and Relay Play jacks for chaining two Yamaha players. The remote duplicates nearly every front-panel function, including direct index-point entry. The fluorescent display can be dimmed or set to shut off entirely during playback.
On sound, the reviewer's note is the one to keep. With the equalizer Flat, the presentation felt somewhat deficient in brightness and mid-bass. The Classic setting, with mild boosts in both areas, restored a more natural balance on orchestral material. Rock settings made pop more dynamic, and Vocal pushed the midrange forward. Physically, the deck measures 17⅛ inches wide, 4¼ high, and 15¼ deep (43.5 × 10.8 × 38.7 cm) at 14 lbs., 5 oz. (6.5 kg), draws 20 watts, and carried a list price of $549. That was real money in 1992, and the reason it competed against single-disc decks rather than other changers.
The CDC-835's reputation rests on a single thorough period review. The mechanism is the aging point on any carousel of this vintage. PlayXchange's isolation is clever, but it is also more to go wrong than a fixed single-disc transport. The measured performance is documented and strong. The long-term service story is not, so buy on condition and expect the usual carousel maintenance.
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