Yamaha CD Player Pulls Double Duty with Web Access

Yamaha‘s new CD-N500 Network CD player is a solution that electronics professionals can use to bridge the evolution from physical media to downloadable and streaming media without sacrificing sound quality. This all-in-one component is engineered to allow music lovers the ability to play their existing CD collections, as well as music stored on their computers, NAS units, portable hard drives, tablets, smart phones and other devices. The player also includes the ability to stream Internet radio.

“While most consumers have moved to accessing music via iTunes, music streaming and Internet radio there are still many passionate digital music fans who also have large CD libraries that remain an important part of their entertainment experience,” explains Tom Sumner, senior vice president, Yamaha Corporation of America. “The CD-N500 is a perfect transition piece for this audience, since it enables them to better integrate all desired music sources. They can listen to what they want when they want as our network CD player eliminates the barriers to identifying and enjoying their favorite artists and songs.”

The CD and network music player features a front panel USB input that provides hard drive, computer, smart phone connectivity, and Yamaha says the unit also incorporates support for the vTuner radio station database. Yamaha adds the CD-N500 can playback a variety of digital files, including high-resolution 24-bit/192kHz FLAC files and files encoded in Apple’s popular Apple Lossless format.

Yamaha points out that it engineered the CD-N500 with its left-right symmetrical audio circuitry to utilize the shortest possible circuit path to maintain the best signal integrity, and the player also incorporates 32-bit/192kHz Burr-Brown digital-to-analog converters (DACs).

To further support its adoption by homeowners, Yamaha also offers Apple iOS, Android and Kindle control apps, and it says that audiophiles can operate the CD-N500’s Pure Direct mode to ensure the highest quality output signal.