Bought this cd player new used if for a few years then it developed high distortion in one channel. Replacement transistor corrected this but from new never sounded quite right. Bought a used Arcam alpha 5 plus that blew it away.
Looks nice sounds OKish.

low price, appearance, clean midrange

bass is not so sturdy, high not so airy

I have to continue the last review, because there is something to add. I had removed the cover of CDX-496 and came into following conclusion. This unit is so simple, that its sound for such a low price deserves 4 stars ( it is not Yamaha CDX-993 and must not be compared with my cd player Denon DCD-860). The quality of assembly is not bad for such a low price. The sound of CDX-496 is not bad to, but really far from best units. The midrange is good one, clean, detailed, soft. The bass is deep, a little softer, than should be, not so dynamic. Highs are not bad, but not so airy. In any case CDX-496 can be used for example as a cd player for second system.

Similar Products Used:

CDP-XE370

The solid look

The sound

I have used the CD player CDX-496 for 1 month and now can say some words about it. The transport of this cd player is a noisy one. The single thing i liked was the solid appearance of unit. The CDX-496 looks like a cd player for 400$, but sound of player costs not more than 100$. The midrange is clean one, but vocals sometimes may sound a little younger than sould be. The bass is deep but not dynamic at all, highs are not natural. The CDX-496 produces the music in a strange, not attractive way, it hides all emotions. Details are there, but the presentation of them is not impressive at all. The strangest thing is the writting on the front panel of CDX-496 Natural Sound. All companies are trying to reach it, but Yamaha has it already, sounds like a nonsense... I have compared this player with simple cd player Sony CDP-XE370, which costs about 150$ but sounds at least twice better than Yamaha. If somebody needs a cd player it's better to buy something from Marantz, Denon or Sony, but never from Yamaha.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz CD-67mk2, Denon DCD-860, Sony CDP-XE-370

For price - even/appealing/inoffensive sound, features, reliable.

non neutral sound characteristics, depending on how "hi-fi" you like things..

Seemed ordinary at first, though I found it benifitted from run in time. after a while it appeared to loose some of the hazyness/muddyness that seemed to mask the sound. It sounds pretty weighty and focused; quite a pleasing sound but not altogether neutral, though I wouldnt say thats really a weakness. Sound and detail opens up with the right interconnect. Probably damn cheap these days..

Similar Products Used:

nad, denon

For price - even/appealing/inoffensive sound, features, reliable.

non neutral sound characteristics, depending on how "hi-fi" you like things..

Seemed ordinary at first, though I found it benifitted from run in time. after a while it appeared to loose some of the hazyness/muddyness that seemed to mask the sound. It sounds pretty weighty and focused; quite a pleasing sound but not altogether neutral, though I wouldnt say thats really a weakness. Sound and detail opens up with the right interconnect. Probably damn cheap these days..

Similar Products Used:

nad, denon

Reliability

Sound quality

I bought the CDX-493 after What HiFi gave it a glowing review in their 1999 'products of the year' issue, at the same time as I acquired a Denon receiver and B&W601 speakers. The sound was disappointing: imagery, especially with orchestral or other complex works, was abysmal; bass was quite extended but still the sound lacked 'bounce' and rhythym; high treble was dull and lifeless. As imagery was bad when listening to radio I figured perhaps the receiver was the main culprit. Upgrading to a Cambridge Audio pre/power amp combination improved matters, but the sound was still not at all realistic or enjoyable. Then I came across a HiFi Choice review of the Yamaha that was mildly damning, saying that one reviewer thought it sounded more like FM radio than a CD player. Time for the Yamaha to go I thought. However, Richer Sounds were advertising the Cambridge Audio S700 Isimagic DAC, and after the positive experience of their amps I liked the idea of keeping the Yamaha as transport but shunning its electronics. The DAC cost me the equivalent of $100 (list price = $220), and wow was it worth it! Fantastic soundstage and atmosphere; very musical. So it was the Yamaha, specifically its DAC, that was the main problem. My advice: avoid Yamaha CD players, and treat What HiFi reviews with circumspection too!!

Reasonable build quality

Muddy sound; warmth conceals lack of detail.

This review is actually for the updated CDX496. I was looking for a relatively inexpensive CD player for a second headphones-only system. The intention was to use it with a pair of Sennheiser HD580 headphones, initially from its headphone jack, but subsequently with an external headphone amp such as the Musical Fidelity XCans. I auditioned this player under non-ideal conditions using a pair of Grado SR80s from its own headphone jack. With these phones it sounded slightly warm and generally inoffensive. I compared it with the (considerably more expensive) Marantz CD6000OSE, which sounded a little harsh through these phones. I was offered a very good price on the Yamaha, so I bought it.

But once I got it home and listened seriously with my Sennheiser HD580 and HD600 headphones the problems started. The music just didn't gel: lots of warm ambience, but little detail and no involvement. This was true both with early choral music, where multiple vocal lines intertwine, and with more recent rock (my musical tastes are eclectic!) It was simply not possible to focus on individual harmonic lines in the music. Initially, I wondered if some of this was due to a new (and not fully broken in) pair of HD580 phones, but the same problem was present with my much-loved HD600 too.

So then I connected it to my equally well-loved XCans tube headphone amplifier, and things went from bad to worse. The music seemed to be overlayed with a sort of warm haze, and the bass in rock tracks, although present, was a sort of monotone thud without tonal structure. It seems that the player's typically-modest built in headphone amplifier was concealing some of this player's faults. Maybe I was looking for trouble by pairing an admittedly warm-sounding CD player with a tube amp, but my experience of the XCans with other systems has suggested that it is pretty even handed and analytical and doesn't add significant extra warmth itself. Whatever the cause, this was not a partnership made in heaven.

Don't get me wrong, the CDX496 is a perfectly adequate and well built entry-mid range player. But it seems, at least to my ears, and with the relatively revealing amplifier and headphones which I used, to be no more than that. Fortunately, the dealer from whom I purchased it has a 14-day return/exchange policy, so I am going to return the Yamaha and listen again to the Marantz with the XCans/Sennheiser combination.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz CD52II

Cheap

Read On !!

Well what can I say. When I got this product many moons ago it was my first HI-Fi buy. I wasn't keen on the cheap light plastic remote. Or the overall build really. Then came the crunch, about a year after I got it (warranty expires !!) track one on nearly every CD started to behave erratically, skipping about and then messing up so bad it skipped to the next track, which it was fine on....I sold it two weeks later

Similar Products Used:

None

I have the one before this, the CDX-490. It is essentially the same except for a revised frontplate. Firstly the build quality, functionality and remote are excellent. Nice metal case, honeycombed base, front aluminium plate and solid feeling unit. Nice price too. Check the other manufacturers, plastic everywhere.
The transport is smooth, reliable and fast. I use it purely as a transport to an ac3/dts 20-bit 96kHz unit. The 490 has a Toslink fibre optical out.

I must admit that the inbuilt single-bit dac's are a bit lacking. The player has a very laidback almost 'background music' type personality. If you want it to run classical music while you have dinner, it's perfect. It's a little too lifeless for the music I like. It's never brash or annoying but it's never involving either but then it is a budget player and thank god it has an upgrade path.

Los Lectores de CD Yamaha CDX son los mejores en su categoria ,por precio ,robustez y excelente sonido.Yo soy poseedor de una Yamaha CDX-393 y el sonido es absolutamente increible y abarca todo el espectro sonoro.Amplicador JVC ,Speakers Infinity y EQ.JVC digital.