Technics SA-C600 Premium Class Network CD Receiver by Addicted To Audio
The Technics SA-C600 is a compact, stylish âjust-add speakersâ system, offering everything you need in a single unit. This all-in-one music system combines a powerful amplifier, CD player, DAB/FM tuner, Bluetooth, Chromecast, AirPlay 2 and a built-in MM phono stage. At the heart of the SA-C600 is Technicsâ JENO Engine (Jitter Elimination and Noise-shaping Optimization), this advanced technology optimises the incoming signal by removing harmful jitter and thereby reducing distortion. With built-in Chromecast, Apple AirPlay 2, and Bluetooth, the SA-C600 offers seamless wireless streaming from your smartphone or tablet. Chromecast works effortlessly with Android devices, while AirPlay 2 enables easy streaming from Apple products. Bluetooth provides a quick and convenient connection for sharing music with friends, even when Wi-Fi is unavailable.
The Technics SA-C600 is a compact, stylish âjust-add speakersâ system, offering everything you need in a single unit. This all-in-one music system combines a powerful amplifier, CD player, DAB/FM tuner, Bluetooth, Chromecast, AirPlay 2 and a built-in MM phono stage. At the heart of the SA-C600 is Technicsâ JENO Engine (Jitter Elimination and Noise-shaping Optimization), this advanced technology optimises the incoming signal by removing harmful jitter and thereby reducing distortion. With built-in Chromecast, Apple AirPlay 2, and Bluetooth, the SA-C600 offers seamless wireless streaming from your smartphone or tablet. Chromecast works effortlessly with Android devices, while AirPlay 2 enables easy streaming from Apple products. Bluetooth provides a quick and convenient connection for sharing music with friends, even when Wi-Fi is unavailable.
The Technics SA-C600 is a compact, stylish âjust-add speakersâ system, offering everything you need in a single unit. This all-in-one music system combines a powerful amplifier, CD player, DAB/FM tuner, Bluetooth, Chromecast, AirPlay 2 and a built-in MM phono stage. At the heart of the SA-C600 is Technicsâ JENO Engine (Jitter Elimination and Noise-shaping Optimization), this advanced technology optimises the incoming signal by removing harmful jitter and thereby reducing distortion. With built-in Chromecast, Apple AirPlay 2, and Bluetooth, the SA-C600 offers seamless wireless streaming from your smartphone or tablet. Chromecast works effortlessly with Android devices, while AirPlay 2 enables easy streaming from Apple products. Bluetooth provides a quick and convenient connection for sharing music with friends, even when Wi-Fi is unavailable.
The Technics SA-C600 is a compact, stylish âjust-add speakersâ system, offering everything you need in a single unit. This all-in-one music system combines a powerful amplifier, CD player, DAB/FM tuner, Bluetooth, Chromecast, AirPlay 2 and a built-in MM phono stage. At the heart of the SA-C600 is Technicsâ JENO Engine (Jitter Elimination and Noise-shaping Optimization), this advanced technology optimises the incoming signal by removing harmful jitter and thereby reducing distortion. With built-in Chromecast, Apple AirPlay 2, and Bluetooth, the SA-C600 offers seamless wireless streaming from your smartphone or tablet. Chromecast works effortlessly with Android devices, while AirPlay 2 enables easy streaming from Apple products. Bluetooth provides a quick and convenient connection for sharing music with friends, even when Wi-Fi is unavailable.
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The lowest price for Technics SA-C600 Premium Class Network CD Receiver by Addicted To Audio right now is $1,512.12 at HHV, compared across 3 retailers.
The all-time low was $1,512.12 on 8 June 2026. That's the lowest price we've ever tracked â a great time to buy.
Prices last updated 8 June 2026.
Last updated at 08/06/2026 17:47:45
Technics - SA-C600
Delivery $376.38
Technics SA-C600 - Integrated Amplifier Digital Streamer & CD player (Each)...
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Technics SA-C600 Premium Class CD Streaming Receiver and Amplifier, Silver
Free delivery between 15â22 June
originally posted on bestbuy.com
The Technics SA-C600 Network CD receiver has a ton of features, but it seems to be missing somethingâŠThe C600 is more than just an expensive CD player, itâs also a receiver that offers discrete power amplification, a network streaming player including built-in Chromecast as well as Airplay 2. I was a little shocked that this doesnât offer USB-C input, but it does take USB-B. The Build quality is decent, you can open the CD door by sliding it in a circle. This is nice because you donât have to worry about a motor breaking. There is also a phono input for connecting a turn table.The C600 connects to your network, but only by Airplay or Chromecast. The front of the player has a display with touch controls, but the included remote is way more convenient. I was a ... MoreThe Technics SA-C600 Network CD receiver has a ton of features, but it seems to be missing somethingâŠThe C600 is more than just an expensive CD player, itâs also a receiver that offers discrete power amplification, a network streaming player including built-in Chromecast as well as Airplay 2. I was a little shocked that this doesnât offer USB-C input, but it does take USB-B. The Build quality is decent, you can open the CD door by sliding it in a circle. This is nice because you donât have to worry about a motor breaking. There is also a phono input for connecting a turn table.The C600 connects to your network, but only by Airplay or Chromecast. The front of the player has a display with touch controls, but the included remote is way more convenient. I was a little disappointed to find out that the player doesnât allow you to connect Bluetooth headsets, although it does allow you to connect a Bluetooth music playerâŠAs far as the performance goes for the C600, I tried a few different sources to see how well it delivers. I tried out the CD player first, and needless to say, it sounded great especially after using Space Tune. This is feature thatâs activated through the Technics Audio Center app, where it uses your phoneâs speaker to measure your room and measure the correct sound waves. I used a pair of Martin Logan Motion 15 and a Dynamo sub as my speaker set up. The C600 provides 60w per channel, with a total of 2 channels. Iâm a little disappointed with the power output, as I think it should have been able to push out more, but it does sound good. Next, I connected my turntable to the phono input to see how well the built-in phone equalizer performs, I was really impressed with this. My vinyl sounded incredible. The C600 seemed to have amplified my listening experience with vinyl in a major way.Overall, there are many aspects of the C600 that I thoroughly enjoy. Such as, the build quality is great, the rotating CD tray makes it easy to fit snug in a shelf, the ability to stream with music apps via Airplay and Chromecast, not to mention the superb phono equalizer which makes my vinyl sound amazing. But I definitely think thereâs room for improvement, one of the biggest things would be increasing the wattage channel, it definitely feels lacking in that area. Another thing would be to add the ability to connect BT headphones to listen to music. I think if it had those features, then it would really set this unit apart from everything else.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
The Technics SA-C600 is really a game changer for my living room music setup. It sounds fantastic, works flawlessly, and has a very easy and problem-free setup. However, it has got some perplexing quirks that Iâm unsure make it the most user-friendly audio receiver is out there. Still, I wouldnât trade it for anything as itâs the best sounding and, once you know how to use it, simplest way to listen to music both wired and wirelessly.Opening the box, thereâs not much in the way of parts. Youâve got the receiver itself, with nothing to assemble, the power cable, FM radio antenna cable, the remote, batteries for it, and a basic ownerâs manual. The manual is very basic and is mostly there to guide you to the Google Home app, the Technics Audio Center phone app, and a ... MoreThe Technics SA-C600 is really a game changer for my living room music setup. It sounds fantastic, works flawlessly, and has a very easy and problem-free setup. However, it has got some perplexing quirks that Iâm unsure make it the most user-friendly audio receiver is out there. Still, I wouldnât trade it for anything as itâs the best sounding and, once you know how to use it, simplest way to listen to music both wired and wirelessly.Opening the box, thereâs not much in the way of parts. Youâve got the receiver itself, with nothing to assemble, the power cable, FM radio antenna cable, the remote, batteries for it, and a basic ownerâs manual. The manual is very basic and is mostly there to guide you to the Google Home app, the Technics Audio Center phone app, and a digital download of the full manual. Iâm not thrilled about basic manuals that direct you to download full manuals, but itâs increasingly common so I donât consider it a negative so much as me being an old man yelling at clouds.Connecting it is very simple. Youâve got enough connections for two stereo speakers and a subwoofer out, should you have a separate subwoofer. The speaker connections are very easy to use and will accept a variety of sized audio wires from your speakers. In terms of input, thereâs several: The FM radio (which is just connecting the cable it comes with), phono in with ground earth connection if youâre not using a pre-amp, line in â either for another device or phono thatâs already been through a pre-amp, optical, coax, a front side USB-A and backside USB-B. Thereâs also a LAN port if you want to hard wire it to your internet instead of WiFi. The optical and coax in are especially nice if youâre going to use this as an audio receiver for your television watching. I wouldnât personally use this as a main home theater receiver, but I also have the space and a 5.1 surround system for those purposes already. If you donât have such things, then this is a definite bonus. Physical setup for me was just connecting my FM antenna, record player with ground cable, my two speakers, and the power cable.From there you power it on and, in my case, open the Google Home app. If youâre an Apple instead of Android user, I believe you use the Apple Home app for this part of the setup. I was skeptical of setup via Google Home, as itâs been hit or miss involving other products, but the SA-C600 was found right away and it was a very simple process to connect it to my WiFi network and start the process of updating it to the latest firmware, which took under 10 minutes.At this point everything was ready to go and youâre able to send audio to it via any android app that has google cast options. Additionally, Spotify saw it as a device on my network and all I had to do was to select the receiver as the playback device. While Spotify / the app casting is open you can hit the volume buttons on your phone to adjust the volume on the receiver. This can also be done on your phone by opening the device from the google home app. I canât stress how simple and quick it was from first power on to working. Frankly, thatâs something of a rarity I find with any internet connected device.Letâs talk about the physical properties of the receiver. On the top you have a power button, as well as a volume up and down button. The CD player lid is a clever slide mechanism rather than something that pops up. A magnet holds it in the closed position. When a CD is playing a little light illuminates it. Itâs nothing mind blowing, but itâs a nice touch to add a bit of visual to an otherwise plain process of CD listening.The front contains a headphone jack and the USB-A port for listening to files from a thumb drive. In the middle is a small screen. The screen, in addition to a red/blue power indicator light, shows your sources, song title information (if playing digital music), volume, and other info. There are touch sensitive buttons for source selection, backward, forward, stop and play/pause. These are all well and fine, but I find the whole screen incredibly small. Thereâs so much empty space on the front of the receiver that it feels Technics went for the minimum size possible under the guise of âminimalism.â All the textual information feels incredibly cramped and standing just a few feet away is small enough that itâs illegible. Frankly, unless youâre directly next to the receiver, the screen information is practically worthless.This brings us to my frustrations with the receiver. Using the app is practically a requirement as the remote control and touch interface on the front screen is just too much of a pain. Itâs fully functional and you CAN do everything you need via the remote, but with the display only being a single line of text and the remote not having enough helpful buttons, itâs a chore.Whereas I found the screen and touch controls on the unit itself to be small and unhelpful, the remote has the opposite problem: itâs overly large and unhelpful. In terms of source selection, thereâs a dedicated CD, radio, and Bluetooth paring button. From there you need to use the select button to scroll, one at a time, every input the machine is capable of. Remember all those input sources I mentioned earlier? Youâll be scrolling through each one of them one at a time as displayed on the unitâs screen â which again canât be read at a distance. The remote itself has so much wasted space that it could have been either way smaller or at the very least included dedicated source buttons. In my opinion, the remoteâs best use is simply to control volume, pausing and playing of music, and turning the device off. Itâs worth pointing out here that if youâre casting or selecting the unit on Spotify, the receiver will turn on from standby mode automatically.Because the remote is functional, but far from friendly to use, the Technics Audio Center app is your best bet. While I found the app to be far better at getting to every source and setting than doing anything with the remote or unit touch buttons, it wasnât exactly pleasurable either. The app â which I believe is version 2.0 at the time of this writing â gets the job done, but I found it to be unintuitive and feels like itâs still very much a work in progress. Youâve got full access to all your sources â both connection device and digital music sources - via a direct button instead of scrolling through them. However, the main screen of the app is slightly confusing. Youâve got rows for streaming, device, and home network. On these rows you can adjust the order the icons are in, but you canât hide any icons or even display them horizontally, so you have access to your favorites without needing to swipe left and right. Having Tidal and Deezer built-in is great, but I also donât use those apps, so I donât need to see them all the time. The same goes for my line in, PC, optical, and coax connections. Iâm glad theyâre there, but I donât have anything connected to them, so Iâd like an option to just hide them.It also wasnât very clear how it all works. Thereâs built in podcasts and internet radio, but it wasnât intuitive. Neither were accessing the device settings. Some, like balance, and sleep, were obvious, but some deeper settings like dimmer, auto dimmer, auto off, illumination, standby display and standby mode offer no clue as to what youâre really adjusting. This required using the app with a combination of the digital full manual AND there is a separate online only manual for the app itself. It certainly clarified things and, honestly, the most basic features youâre likely to use you could figure out on your own but that doesnât mean the app couldnât be far better designed for ease of use.If it feels like Iâm being overly negative, I want to clear that all my gripes are purely minor. Combined they do make me consider the value of this down a star from being perfect. They also donât stop me from recommending this receiver at all. Everything with the app can â and I hope one day will â be fixed in an update. Itâs just poor interface design but it does do everything you need it to. The remote and screen are big disappointments as there is so much room for improvement there. Itâs just highly cumbersome. For example, to play a record from my connected record player â a purely analog experience that has me standing next to my equipment â involves me scrolling through all the input sources or opening the app on my phone and selecting the phono input. Thereâs so much blank space on the face of the receiver thereâs really no reason why there couldnât have been some more source selection buttons.With the above taken with the grain of salt, the SA-C600 works â and sounds â amazing. This is a fully digital player, and it does an excellent job at making all my sources from digital origin to compact disc to vinyl record (from my Technics record player) sound just great. The ease of the record player being a Google cast device and Spotify Connect device is fantastic. From anywhere Iâm in my house, as long as Iâm connected to my WiFi, I can start playing music in seconds. Technics makes great mention of its JENO (Jitter Elimination and Noise-Shaping Optimization) Engine. Thereâs some buzzwords and technical jargon, but I can say from my lay-audio-personâs perspective it does sound amazing.I canât overstate the convenience of all the wireless network options. Iâm fully 50/50 on using this receiver as part of listening to my vinyl records and listening to streaming internet music from various sources (Iâve used mainly Spotify and the SiriusXM app). If youâre on the lookout for something to aid you in listening to digital music sources along with some external device sources, this is invaluable. And yes, while there is room to improve on the convenience and usability front, functionally it works exceptionally well and sounds just as great.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
This is my review of the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver, a truly remarkable component for audiophiles.Recently after upgrading my turntable to a Technics SL-1500C, I decided to replace my carousel CD player with the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver. Technics is a company that reliably produces high-quality audio components, and my positive experience with their new network CD player reinforces my high opinion of this company. Technics purposely incorporated aspects of their turntable design into the design of this network receiver, creating a pleasing consistency in the aesthetic appearance of these two components (see photograph).Following the instructions in the manual, I connected the CD receiver to my speakers (including my subwoofer) and to the ... MoreThis is my review of the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver, a truly remarkable component for audiophiles.Recently after upgrading my turntable to a Technics SL-1500C, I decided to replace my carousel CD player with the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver. Technics is a company that reliably produces high-quality audio components, and my positive experience with their new network CD player reinforces my high opinion of this company. Technics purposely incorporated aspects of their turntable design into the design of this network receiver, creating a pleasing consistency in the aesthetic appearance of these two components (see photograph).Following the instructions in the manual, I connected the CD receiver to my speakers (including my subwoofer) and to the Internet with an Ethernet cable before powering on the unit. When I turned on the receiver it immediately notified me on the display that it was updating its firmware. I was concerned after a few minutes because I saw no indication of progress, just a message that the firmware was being updated. After about 5 or 7 minutes, the unit displayed messages about the percentage of progress, and the entire procedure took about 12 minutes.The display, by the way, although seemingly small at first, is completely adequate for providing visual information about the current state of the system. It is bright, clear, and easy to read. Aesthetically pleasing, too.After the firmware update, I played voice and instrumental musical numbers from my CDs that differed in terms of simplicity/complexity, number of instruments with different timbre, dynamic range, and so forth. Everything sounded beautiful. One thing that surprised me was that the receiver did not identify the name of the CD or track, instead simply indicating that a CD was inserted and referring to each track by number (see photo). With an Internet connection I would think that the receiver could identify the name of the CD, artist, and song titles.I then tried some of the network features of the CD receiver. The receiver has a wireless option, which I did not try out since I had already connected to my home network through an Ethernet cable. The manual recommended using the Google Home app, which I already had on my phone. Upon opening the app, it immediately found the SA-C600 and asked if I wanted to add it to my Google Home devices, so I did. The process was effortless. I opened Spotify on my phone and chose the CD receiver as my speaker, and again, effortlessly, I was able to connect and play songs from Spotify through the receiver. In this case, the display indicated my Spotify connection, the name of the song I was playing (Embryonic), but not the artist or album name (see photo).You can scroll through input options with the remote or on the receiver itself, and there are quite a few physical input and Internet options beyond CD: FM radio, Bluetooth, USB-A (where a thumb drive or other USB device can be plugged into the front of the receiver), COAX, OPTICAL (digital inputs in the back of the receiver), PC (a USB-B input in the back), LINE, PHONO (inputs in the back), DMP (which immediately located a network drive I had set up to house my digital music collection), Internet Radio, Podcasts, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, Amazon Music, and Chromecast. The options that require an app indicate this when they are chosen. Clearly, there are enough options here to make nearly every music lover happy.The only issue I had with the SA-C600 was how to best integrate it with the rest of my home theatre system, which runs through a standard A/V amp and outputs to a 5.1 speaker set. The SA-C600 cannot replace my current amp because it is strictly audio, with no HDMI connections. After some research, I decided upon a component by the company SPECIALTY-AV called the SP-71 2-way Amp Switch. With this switch I can choose whether the signal from my home theatre amp or the SA-C600 is directed to my two front speakers. The SP-71 does not have RCA jacks, so I needed a separate switch for choosing the source of the subwoofer signal. I found many RCA switch boxes capable of this task, with varying features such as toggles versus buttons and whether volume control and mute controls are included. I eventually settled on the simplest model I could find and am satisfied with the way my two amps take turns using my speakers.Whether you are adding the SA-C600 to an existing home theatre system or using it alone or in conjunction with a Technics turntable, I am sure that you will be delighted with this exquisite audio component for digital music.
| Output Power | 60 W + 60 W (1kHz, T.H.D. 1.0 %, 4Ω, 20kHz LPF) |
| MQA Decorder | Yes |
| Ethernet Interface | LAN (100 Base-TX/10 Base-T) |
| Load Impedance | 4Ω - 16Ω |
| Wi-Fi | IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
Technics - SA-C600
Delivery $376.38
Technics SA-C600 - Integrated Amplifier Digital Streamer & CD player (Each)...
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Technics SA-C600 Premium Class CD Streaming Receiver and Amplifier, Silver
Free delivery between 15â22 June
The Technics SA-C600 Network CD receiver has a ton of features, but it seems to be missing somethingâŠThe C600 is more than just an expensive CD player, itâs also a receiver that offers discrete power amplification, a network streaming player including built-in Chromecast as well as Airplay 2. I was a little shocked that this doesnât offer USB-C input, but it does take USB-B. The Build quality is decent, you can open the CD door by sliding it in a circle. This is nice because you donât have to worry about a motor breaking. There is also a phono input for connecting a turn table.The C600 connects to your network, but only by Airplay or Chromecast. The front of the player has a display with touch controls, but the included remote is way more convenient. I was a ... MoreThe Technics SA-C600 Network CD receiver has a ton of features, but it seems to be missing somethingâŠThe C600 is more than just an expensive CD player, itâs also a receiver that offers discrete power amplification, a network streaming player including built-in Chromecast as well as Airplay 2. I was a little shocked that this doesnât offer USB-C input, but it does take USB-B. The Build quality is decent, you can open the CD door by sliding it in a circle. This is nice because you donât have to worry about a motor breaking. There is also a phono input for connecting a turn table.The C600 connects to your network, but only by Airplay or Chromecast. The front of the player has a display with touch controls, but the included remote is way more convenient. I was a little disappointed to find out that the player doesnât allow you to connect Bluetooth headsets, although it does allow you to connect a Bluetooth music playerâŠAs far as the performance goes for the C600, I tried a few different sources to see how well it delivers. I tried out the CD player first, and needless to say, it sounded great especially after using Space Tune. This is feature thatâs activated through the Technics Audio Center app, where it uses your phoneâs speaker to measure your room and measure the correct sound waves. I used a pair of Martin Logan Motion 15 and a Dynamo sub as my speaker set up. The C600 provides 60w per channel, with a total of 2 channels. Iâm a little disappointed with the power output, as I think it should have been able to push out more, but it does sound good. Next, I connected my turntable to the phono input to see how well the built-in phone equalizer performs, I was really impressed with this. My vinyl sounded incredible. The C600 seemed to have amplified my listening experience with vinyl in a major way.Overall, there are many aspects of the C600 that I thoroughly enjoy. Such as, the build quality is great, the rotating CD tray makes it easy to fit snug in a shelf, the ability to stream with music apps via Airplay and Chromecast, not to mention the superb phono equalizer which makes my vinyl sound amazing. But I definitely think thereâs room for improvement, one of the biggest things would be increasing the wattage channel, it definitely feels lacking in that area. Another thing would be to add the ability to connect BT headphones to listen to music. I think if it had those features, then it would really set this unit apart from everything else.
The Technics SA-C600 is really a game changer for my living room music setup. It sounds fantastic, works flawlessly, and has a very easy and problem-free setup. However, it has got some perplexing quirks that Iâm unsure make it the most user-friendly audio receiver is out there. Still, I wouldnât trade it for anything as itâs the best sounding and, once you know how to use it, simplest way to listen to music both wired and wirelessly.Opening the box, thereâs not much in the way of parts. Youâve got the receiver itself, with nothing to assemble, the power cable, FM radio antenna cable, the remote, batteries for it, and a basic ownerâs manual. The manual is very basic and is mostly there to guide you to the Google Home app, the Technics Audio Center phone app, and a ... MoreThe Technics SA-C600 is really a game changer for my living room music setup. It sounds fantastic, works flawlessly, and has a very easy and problem-free setup. However, it has got some perplexing quirks that Iâm unsure make it the most user-friendly audio receiver is out there. Still, I wouldnât trade it for anything as itâs the best sounding and, once you know how to use it, simplest way to listen to music both wired and wirelessly.Opening the box, thereâs not much in the way of parts. Youâve got the receiver itself, with nothing to assemble, the power cable, FM radio antenna cable, the remote, batteries for it, and a basic ownerâs manual. The manual is very basic and is mostly there to guide you to the Google Home app, the Technics Audio Center phone app, and a digital download of the full manual. Iâm not thrilled about basic manuals that direct you to download full manuals, but itâs increasingly common so I donât consider it a negative so much as me being an old man yelling at clouds.Connecting it is very simple. Youâve got enough connections for two stereo speakers and a subwoofer out, should you have a separate subwoofer. The speaker connections are very easy to use and will accept a variety of sized audio wires from your speakers. In terms of input, thereâs several: The FM radio (which is just connecting the cable it comes with), phono in with ground earth connection if youâre not using a pre-amp, line in â either for another device or phono thatâs already been through a pre-amp, optical, coax, a front side USB-A and backside USB-B. Thereâs also a LAN port if you want to hard wire it to your internet instead of WiFi. The optical and coax in are especially nice if youâre going to use this as an audio receiver for your television watching. I wouldnât personally use this as a main home theater receiver, but I also have the space and a 5.1 surround system for those purposes already. If you donât have such things, then this is a definite bonus. Physical setup for me was just connecting my FM antenna, record player with ground cable, my two speakers, and the power cable.From there you power it on and, in my case, open the Google Home app. If youâre an Apple instead of Android user, I believe you use the Apple Home app for this part of the setup. I was skeptical of setup via Google Home, as itâs been hit or miss involving other products, but the SA-C600 was found right away and it was a very simple process to connect it to my WiFi network and start the process of updating it to the latest firmware, which took under 10 minutes.At this point everything was ready to go and youâre able to send audio to it via any android app that has google cast options. Additionally, Spotify saw it as a device on my network and all I had to do was to select the receiver as the playback device. While Spotify / the app casting is open you can hit the volume buttons on your phone to adjust the volume on the receiver. This can also be done on your phone by opening the device from the google home app. I canât stress how simple and quick it was from first power on to working. Frankly, thatâs something of a rarity I find with any internet connected device.Letâs talk about the physical properties of the receiver. On the top you have a power button, as well as a volume up and down button. The CD player lid is a clever slide mechanism rather than something that pops up. A magnet holds it in the closed position. When a CD is playing a little light illuminates it. Itâs nothing mind blowing, but itâs a nice touch to add a bit of visual to an otherwise plain process of CD listening.The front contains a headphone jack and the USB-A port for listening to files from a thumb drive. In the middle is a small screen. The screen, in addition to a red/blue power indicator light, shows your sources, song title information (if playing digital music), volume, and other info. There are touch sensitive buttons for source selection, backward, forward, stop and play/pause. These are all well and fine, but I find the whole screen incredibly small. Thereâs so much empty space on the front of the receiver that it feels Technics went for the minimum size possible under the guise of âminimalism.â All the textual information feels incredibly cramped and standing just a few feet away is small enough that itâs illegible. Frankly, unless youâre directly next to the receiver, the screen information is practically worthless.This brings us to my frustrations with the receiver. Using the app is practically a requirement as the remote control and touch interface on the front screen is just too much of a pain. Itâs fully functional and you CAN do everything you need via the remote, but with the display only being a single line of text and the remote not having enough helpful buttons, itâs a chore.Whereas I found the screen and touch controls on the unit itself to be small and unhelpful, the remote has the opposite problem: itâs overly large and unhelpful. In terms of source selection, thereâs a dedicated CD, radio, and Bluetooth paring button. From there you need to use the select button to scroll, one at a time, every input the machine is capable of. Remember all those input sources I mentioned earlier? Youâll be scrolling through each one of them one at a time as displayed on the unitâs screen â which again canât be read at a distance. The remote itself has so much wasted space that it could have been either way smaller or at the very least included dedicated source buttons. In my opinion, the remoteâs best use is simply to control volume, pausing and playing of music, and turning the device off. Itâs worth pointing out here that if youâre casting or selecting the unit on Spotify, the receiver will turn on from standby mode automatically.Because the remote is functional, but far from friendly to use, the Technics Audio Center app is your best bet. While I found the app to be far better at getting to every source and setting than doing anything with the remote or unit touch buttons, it wasnât exactly pleasurable either. The app â which I believe is version 2.0 at the time of this writing â gets the job done, but I found it to be unintuitive and feels like itâs still very much a work in progress. Youâve got full access to all your sources â both connection device and digital music sources - via a direct button instead of scrolling through them. However, the main screen of the app is slightly confusing. Youâve got rows for streaming, device, and home network. On these rows you can adjust the order the icons are in, but you canât hide any icons or even display them horizontally, so you have access to your favorites without needing to swipe left and right. Having Tidal and Deezer built-in is great, but I also donât use those apps, so I donât need to see them all the time. The same goes for my line in, PC, optical, and coax connections. Iâm glad theyâre there, but I donât have anything connected to them, so Iâd like an option to just hide them.It also wasnât very clear how it all works. Thereâs built in podcasts and internet radio, but it wasnât intuitive. Neither were accessing the device settings. Some, like balance, and sleep, were obvious, but some deeper settings like dimmer, auto dimmer, auto off, illumination, standby display and standby mode offer no clue as to what youâre really adjusting. This required using the app with a combination of the digital full manual AND there is a separate online only manual for the app itself. It certainly clarified things and, honestly, the most basic features youâre likely to use you could figure out on your own but that doesnât mean the app couldnât be far better designed for ease of use.If it feels like Iâm being overly negative, I want to clear that all my gripes are purely minor. Combined they do make me consider the value of this down a star from being perfect. They also donât stop me from recommending this receiver at all. Everything with the app can â and I hope one day will â be fixed in an update. Itâs just poor interface design but it does do everything you need it to. The remote and screen are big disappointments as there is so much room for improvement there. Itâs just highly cumbersome. For example, to play a record from my connected record player â a purely analog experience that has me standing next to my equipment â involves me scrolling through all the input sources or opening the app on my phone and selecting the phono input. Thereâs so much blank space on the face of the receiver thereâs really no reason why there couldnât have been some more source selection buttons.With the above taken with the grain of salt, the SA-C600 works â and sounds â amazing. This is a fully digital player, and it does an excellent job at making all my sources from digital origin to compact disc to vinyl record (from my Technics record player) sound just great. The ease of the record player being a Google cast device and Spotify Connect device is fantastic. From anywhere Iâm in my house, as long as Iâm connected to my WiFi, I can start playing music in seconds. Technics makes great mention of its JENO (Jitter Elimination and Noise-Shaping Optimization) Engine. Thereâs some buzzwords and technical jargon, but I can say from my lay-audio-personâs perspective it does sound amazing.I canât overstate the convenience of all the wireless network options. Iâm fully 50/50 on using this receiver as part of listening to my vinyl records and listening to streaming internet music from various sources (Iâve used mainly Spotify and the SiriusXM app). If youâre on the lookout for something to aid you in listening to digital music sources along with some external device sources, this is invaluable. And yes, while there is room to improve on the convenience and usability front, functionally it works exceptionally well and sounds just as great.
This is my review of the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver, a truly remarkable component for audiophiles.Recently after upgrading my turntable to a Technics SL-1500C, I decided to replace my carousel CD player with the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver. Technics is a company that reliably produces high-quality audio components, and my positive experience with their new network CD player reinforces my high opinion of this company. Technics purposely incorporated aspects of their turntable design into the design of this network receiver, creating a pleasing consistency in the aesthetic appearance of these two components (see photograph).Following the instructions in the manual, I connected the CD receiver to my speakers (including my subwoofer) and to the ... MoreThis is my review of the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver, a truly remarkable component for audiophiles.Recently after upgrading my turntable to a Technics SL-1500C, I decided to replace my carousel CD player with the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver. Technics is a company that reliably produces high-quality audio components, and my positive experience with their new network CD player reinforces my high opinion of this company. Technics purposely incorporated aspects of their turntable design into the design of this network receiver, creating a pleasing consistency in the aesthetic appearance of these two components (see photograph).Following the instructions in the manual, I connected the CD receiver to my speakers (including my subwoofer) and to the Internet with an Ethernet cable before powering on the unit. When I turned on the receiver it immediately notified me on the display that it was updating its firmware. I was concerned after a few minutes because I saw no indication of progress, just a message that the firmware was being updated. After about 5 or 7 minutes, the unit displayed messages about the percentage of progress, and the entire procedure took about 12 minutes.The display, by the way, although seemingly small at first, is completely adequate for providing visual information about the current state of the system. It is bright, clear, and easy to read. Aesthetically pleasing, too.After the firmware update, I played voice and instrumental musical numbers from my CDs that differed in terms of simplicity/complexity, number of instruments with different timbre, dynamic range, and so forth. Everything sounded beautiful. One thing that surprised me was that the receiver did not identify the name of the CD or track, instead simply indicating that a CD was inserted and referring to each track by number (see photo). With an Internet connection I would think that the receiver could identify the name of the CD, artist, and song titles.I then tried some of the network features of the CD receiver. The receiver has a wireless option, which I did not try out since I had already connected to my home network through an Ethernet cable. The manual recommended using the Google Home app, which I already had on my phone. Upon opening the app, it immediately found the SA-C600 and asked if I wanted to add it to my Google Home devices, so I did. The process was effortless. I opened Spotify on my phone and chose the CD receiver as my speaker, and again, effortlessly, I was able to connect and play songs from Spotify through the receiver. In this case, the display indicated my Spotify connection, the name of the song I was playing (Embryonic), but not the artist or album name (see photo).You can scroll through input options with the remote or on the receiver itself, and there are quite a few physical input and Internet options beyond CD: FM radio, Bluetooth, USB-A (where a thumb drive or other USB device can be plugged into the front of the receiver), COAX, OPTICAL (digital inputs in the back of the receiver), PC (a USB-B input in the back), LINE, PHONO (inputs in the back), DMP (which immediately located a network drive I had set up to house my digital music collection), Internet Radio, Podcasts, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, Amazon Music, and Chromecast. The options that require an app indicate this when they are chosen. Clearly, there are enough options here to make nearly every music lover happy.The only issue I had with the SA-C600 was how to best integrate it with the rest of my home theatre system, which runs through a standard A/V amp and outputs to a 5.1 speaker set. The SA-C600 cannot replace my current amp because it is strictly audio, with no HDMI connections. After some research, I decided upon a component by the company SPECIALTY-AV called the SP-71 2-way Amp Switch. With this switch I can choose whether the signal from my home theatre amp or the SA-C600 is directed to my two front speakers. The SP-71 does not have RCA jacks, so I needed a separate switch for choosing the source of the subwoofer signal. I found many RCA switch boxes capable of this task, with varying features such as toggles versus buttons and whether volume control and mute controls are included. I eventually settled on the simplest model I could find and am satisfied with the way my two amps take turns using my speakers.Whether you are adding the SA-C600 to an existing home theatre system or using it alone or in conjunction with a Technics turntable, I am sure that you will be delighted with this exquisite audio component for digital music.
The Technics SA-C600 is a beautiful and well engineered network amplifier and receiver with a built-in CD player. The box came with the compact player itself, a remote and batteries, an AC power supply cord, an FM indoor antenna and a user manual.This really is a nifty and versatile piece of audio equipment with a ton of support for different audio sources. It supports streaming music services (such as Internet Radio, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Spotify etc.) FM radio, Bluetooth, personal home music servers, CD playback, playback from a USB flash drive, playback from a PC USB connection, and has line in, phono in, digital optical and digital coax connections.Output connections include support for stereo speakers and a subwoofer.Setup was fairly easy but a little ... MoreThe Technics SA-C600 is a beautiful and well engineered network amplifier and receiver with a built-in CD player. The box came with the compact player itself, a remote and batteries, an AC power supply cord, an FM indoor antenna and a user manual.This really is a nifty and versatile piece of audio equipment with a ton of support for different audio sources. It supports streaming music services (such as Internet Radio, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Spotify etc.) FM radio, Bluetooth, personal home music servers, CD playback, playback from a USB flash drive, playback from a PC USB connection, and has line in, phono in, digital optical and digital coax connections.Output connections include support for stereo speakers and a subwoofer.Setup was fairly easy but a little confusing for me. When I first turned it on, I tried navigating to the wireless networking setup using the remote. I found navigating the menus using the remote to be slightly confusing and couldnât figure out how to set up wireless networking.I then went over the manual and discovered that you can use the Google Home app to set up wireless networking. Once you start up the Google Home app, you can set up a new device and after searching for nearby devices, it should discover and list the Technics SA-C600.You can then use Google Home to configure the Technics SA-C600 to use your wireless home network. After connecting to the internet, it notified me that there was a newer firmware for it and proceeded to upgrade itself.After setting things up with Google Home, you can use any Google smart speaker to stream audio to the Technics SA-C600. For example, you can say, âHey Google, play Marshall Crenshaw on Technicsâ and it will start streaming your music to the Technics.It also has Chromecast built-in so you can use your phone or tablet to stream from any app that supports Chromecast casting.I wasnât able to use Google Home to control the Technics SA-C600 to play a CD or to switch to another audio source. For that you can use the included remote or use another app called the âTechnics Audio Centerâ.With the âTechnics Audio Centerâ, you have full control over the receiver. This app is probably my preferred user interface to the Technics SA-C600. The physical remote is good for quick things like turning the unit on/off, adjusting sound volume and for accessing often used sources such as the CD player or Internet Radio but if you want to access something like the optical in, then the app is quicker.There is a setting called Space Tune that allows you to calibrate the sound according to your speakerâs placement. There are presets for Free, Wall, Corner or âIn a Shelfâ placement of your speakers. There is also an option to use an iOS device to calibrate the device according to your roomâs acoustics.And of course, you also have the standard options to adjust the tonal balance (bass and treble) as well as a host of other settings.I currently have it paired with a Technics SL-1500C turntable and my vintage JBL 2600 bookshelf speakers. This combination makes for a beautiful compact high end audio system. So, after all is said and done, what is the sound like?In a word, fantastic. I found the sound to be very pristine, well balanced, and neutral sounding. This is subjective, but I think this is my favorite receiver in terms of sound quality. Listening to my music collection from this system has been extremely pleasurable. I also really like the compact size, looks and aesthetics of this network receiver.The built-in CD player is also very nice and I like the design of it as it makes playing a CD similar to playing a record. Instead of a tray that pops out, you load the CD from the top after swiveling the upper lid. All my CDs played without problems and sounded great.While this system is mainly aimed at stereo audio listening, I wondered how good it would be for a mini home theater setup so I used the optical digital connector to hook up my Insignia TV to it. After setting the TVâs output format to use PCM, I found the sound to be very crisp and clear with very good dialog clarity.Watching âThe Tickâ from Amazon produced a home theater like experience despite only being in stereo. Overall, I think the Technics SA-C600 would make a decent component in a mini home theater system where the space is too small for a true surround sound setup.I think this would be a perfect component for someone who wants to put together a high end audio system but doesn't have a lot of space. It produces beautiful sound and is very versatile in the audio inputs and formats it supports. I absolutely love this receiver and I can highly recommend it.
I had used a Technics receiver, DAC, and CD player for years growing up and into adulthood, always producing good, clean sound and I was able to get them at a decent price used. This received brings back all of the good memories of that old system but in a compact, modern design and with a massive heatsink on the back end! The setup was easy and quick, there's not a ton of options for what to connect and where as this unit has only two speaker terminals and most of the rest is either built-in like the CD player (excellent!!!) and the internet & streaming players, or will utilize the phono, optical, digital coax, line-in, or USB. Just enough to connect to everything you want it a compact system to connect to. The only real negatives are that it does only have two ... MoreI had used a Technics receiver, DAC, and CD player for years growing up and into adulthood, always producing good, clean sound and I was able to get them at a decent price used. This received brings back all of the good memories of that old system but in a compact, modern design and with a massive heatsink on the back end! The setup was easy and quick, there's not a ton of options for what to connect and where as this unit has only two speaker terminals and most of the rest is either built-in like the CD player (excellent!!!) and the internet & streaming players, or will utilize the phono, optical, digital coax, line-in, or USB. Just enough to connect to everything you want it a compact system to connect to. The only real negatives are that it does only have two speaker terminals, not even and A/B option or for bi-amplifying towers. The power output is very nice, pushing plenty of clean sound throughout the room. I have my Martin Logan Motion towers connected and they are fed more than enough power to crank the music loud enough to head all through the house and outside! The CD tray is very cool, harkening back to some of the odd '90s designs used on shelf component systems but with a little more of a modern look, LEDs have also gotten substantially better!The only really negatives about this fantastic receiver, is that the app is finicky on Android and the optical in only accepts up to 96kHz. That's okay and sounds great, double the bitrate of what a CD will do, but still exceptional sound for a tidy little unit. I'd recommend it for someone in a home office or study, could be a nice showpiece in a modern living room, too. This is a very sharp looking and clean sounding unit, where all you need is to connect your speakers, follow the setup instructions and enjoy! The only reason I took a star off is for the previously mentioned limitations I came across. iOS may fare better with the app, but hopefully it gets better and more stable with time.
Technics is a name that is known in the HiFi community with a long history of great looking and sounding products and the Technics SA C600 helps build on its reputation as being one of the best.Before I even start talking about the sound quality and the ease of use I have to mention how beautiful the Technics looks, the look is minimalist with a retro feel that will go great anywhere you place it.Now besides the looks of the Technics SA C600 the sound is guaranteed to blow you away, I was awed by how great the music sounded coming from my speakers. Everything from the mids, lows and highs sounded amazing with little to no distortion. While listening to my favorite music (everything from classic, hip hop, instrumentals, country, rock) it felt like I was hearing ... MoreTechnics is a name that is known in the HiFi community with a long history of great looking and sounding products and the Technics SA C600 helps build on its reputation as being one of the best.Before I even start talking about the sound quality and the ease of use I have to mention how beautiful the Technics looks, the look is minimalist with a retro feel that will go great anywhere you place it.Now besides the looks of the Technics SA C600 the sound is guaranteed to blow you away, I was awed by how great the music sounded coming from my speakers. Everything from the mids, lows and highs sounded amazing with little to no distortion. While listening to my favorite music (everything from classic, hip hop, instrumentals, country, rock) it felt like I was hearing everything for the first time. Now when this happened I wasnât sure if what I was hearing was because of the Technics SA C600 or the new speakers I had purchased so I plugged the speakers into a newer amp I had purchased a few months ago and it verified that it wasnât the speakers.Besides the music sounds amazing Technics has done a great job making sure the SA C600 works with everything, it has preouts for optical/ PC/COAX/FM antenna/ Bluetooth and it works a majority of music streaming services. Technics has made sure that you can enjoy your music regardless of how you choose to play it (streaming/disk/record player, USB). The app setup was smooth and Technics has used a good wifi chip so over the air updates can be fast and reliable. The output power is 40W provides plenty of continuous power which should be enough for most of the best speakers on the market.I set up SA C600 with google and apple and everything went smooth, my only complaint was that the Space tune feature only works with Apple. Besides using the smart phone/tablets the Technics works without any smart connections and you can use the included remote/screen touch control if you choose. The controls are easily laid out so anyone can use them.I feel this is a must for anyone that wants the best audio experience, even connecting this to my TV made everything sound amazing because of the processing of Technics. The SA C600 a powerhouse product that is compatible with just about everything and is able to play any type of music format and when you use services that offer you high res audio the experience become music to your ears.
WowâŠwhere to begin? I guess I should lead off w/the bottom line before going in-depth; is the Technics SA-C600 really worth the asking price? Honestly, I would say yes whether you have champagne tastes & a bit of a beer budget or already consider yourself a bit of an audio snob w/the ear & gear to back it up.DESIGN & FEATURESThe SA-C600 has a modern industrial look w/minimal readouts & onboard controls for a sleek & uncluttered appearance. There are separate power & volume buttons inlaid into the brushed aluminum top while the front panel features a dense LCD display w/touch-sensitive playback controls for play/pause, stop, skip +/-, & input select. In the middle of the receiver is a swing-out circular cover for the CD tray that slides open (manually) to either ... MoreWowâŠwhere to begin? I guess I should lead off w/the bottom line before going in-depth; is the Technics SA-C600 really worth the asking price? Honestly, I would say yes whether you have champagne tastes & a bit of a beer budget or already consider yourself a bit of an audio snob w/the ear & gear to back it up.DESIGN & FEATURESThe SA-C600 has a modern industrial look w/minimal readouts & onboard controls for a sleek & uncluttered appearance. There are separate power & volume buttons inlaid into the brushed aluminum top while the front panel features a dense LCD display w/touch-sensitive playback controls for play/pause, stop, skip +/-, & input select. In the middle of the receiver is a swing-out circular cover for the CD tray that slides open (manually) to either side. The drive immediately stops spinning when the cover is opened so you donât risk any damage to the transport when someone gets hypnotized by the swirling CD label & decides to check it out for themselves.The unit feels reassuringly solid though not unwieldy at ~10 lbs. Dimensions are ~13â square & 4â high; the SA-C600 looks compact, but once you start hooking cables up at the rear, it does extend back quite a bit further than it is wide so keep that in mind for placement. The top rear is adorned w/what looks like a heavy duty heat sink, but the construction there is plastic (rather than aluminum), though it doesnât feel cheaply so.Part of the SA-600âs flexibility is that In addition to the CD player, other inputs/functions are plentiful, surprisingly so in fact, w/a 75Ω FM antenna port, USB type B for PC connection, phono stage (MM) w/ground, 10/100 Ethernet jack, line in, COAX & optical inputs, and a subwoofer output. On the front panel is a USB-A 2.0 port as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack. The SA-C600 also supports BT 4.2 & 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi.The amplifier stage offers 60 W/channel at 4Ω for stereo speakers ranging from 4-16Ω. The architecture is all-digital so there is no DAC; music stays in the digital realm almost straight through to the amplification stage, improving efficiency & eliminating noise & fine detail loss that often accompanies conversion of digital to analog signals. Improving the design further, Technics dedicates a separate power supply to the amplifier & another for control, phono input power, & all the digital processing.As a network streamer, the SA-C600 supports Apple AirPlay, Chromecast, native support for Amazon Music, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, Podcasts, & integration via Google Home & Apple Home apps. File support is extensive w/MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, DSD, & LPCM, at 16 or 24 bits (32 bits for WAV & AIFF), w/sampling freq ranging from 32 to 384 kHz (2.8 to 11.2 MHz for DSD), as well as MQA. The USB reader supports FAT16, FAT32, & NTFS file systems.The wand-style remote covers most features you need w/direct access to CD, Radio, & BT inputs as well as a scroll toggle to move through the other inputs. The unit can function on its own as a basic stereo CD receiver without network connectivity though the greatest flexibility & functionality is available if you set up the receiver for network integration (I used Google Home), as well as the Technics Audio Center app which provides a complete set of controls & direct access to source selection inputs.SETUP & USEOut of the box, the startup screen read âPlease waitâ so long I thought maybe it couldnât be set up on my work network (thereâs a login & captcha requirement) so I brought it home instead. After a bit more waiting on another power-up, I finally got to a setup screen. BT pairing w/my iPhone was effortless, but network setup via Google Home has always been hit or miss for me. The first time I tried network setup, Google Home couldnât find it. On the second try, I got a message that said the receiver was made for another country & WiFi might not work properly (???). Eventually I got online & ran a network firmware update which took ~30 minutes to complete.The setup menu has a good 24 options & settings to run through, most of which are self-evident, though a few required a little research as they were not covered well in the manual. One was âRE-MASTERâ which supposedly up-samples lower-res files/streams, though honestly I never heard a difference on or off when listening to CDs or SD-quality audio streams (maybe it requires very low bit-rate MP3s or something?). The other was "Space Tune." This setting adjusts the receiverâs frequency response to match the nature of the listening environment & speaker placement w/settings for free-standing, wall, corner-loading, & âin a shelf.â The speakers can be adjusted together or separately to better match the room response curve. Using the Technics app, you can even run a few test tone sweeps using the phoneâs mic to optimize frequency response even further for your unique environment. And yes, that setting does make an appreciable difference in the sound.Playback for external sources or the CD & radio is pretty straightforward just by selecting the appropriate input, but playback of network streams offers a lot of options & flexibility. For example, if you want to listen to Amazon Music, you can stream it to the receiver from the Amazon Music app via BT or Chromecast & use your phone, the remote, or even Google Home for playback or volume control, or you can use the SA-C600âs internal Amazon Music client to stream directly to the receiver using the Technics app for library navigation, search, selection, etc., though only using the remote for this can be challenging w/only a single line on the LCD display for info/navigation/browsing. The Technics app is a bit less responsive & has a more primitive interface than the native Amazon Music app, but it does the trick & skips using your phone as an intermediary for the audio stream itself.OVERALL IMPRESSIONSI was pleasantly surprised to find that the SA-C600âs headphone jack wasnât totally anemic; it drove my Oppo PM-1 & Focal Utopias w/aplomb; the Utopia especially, despite being more difficult to drive, offered an exceedingly detailed & potent listening experience that started to approach what I would expect from a high quality DAC & dedicated headphone amplifier. Granted, I would expect as much from a set of cans that lists north of $3K, but the point is that I didnât feel like I was being short-changed by the receiverâs single-ended output.I set the SA-C600 up in my office w/two Klipsch KSB 3.1s. The result was an engaging, detailed, lively, spacious, & âfunâ sound signature w/enough punch down low that I honestly didnât think a sub would even be necessary. I can only imagine what upping the ante on high-quality monitors from NHT, B&W, Paradigm, KEF, etc. would produce for REALLY critical listening. I pushed the system as far as I could go (once everyone left for the night) before the sound became uncomfortably loud & didnât notice any clipping or unpleasant harshness. I donât know if the SA-C600 has the grunt necessary to drive some ultra-resolving, high-impedance, power-hungry speakers that will fill a giant listening area the way a serious set of dedicated separates & stereo floorstanders might, but if you are looking for a dynamic, powerful, & sophisticated upscale audio system for a guest room, office, or any small to mid-sized listening area, you are going to be HARD-pressed to find anything in this price range that outperforms the SA-C600 at this time.CRITIQUESAs much as I can gush about the SA-C600, there are some minor items that rubbed me the wrong way. Despite its audiophile pedigree, there is no support for HD Bluetooth codecs like aptX or LDAC, nor does it offer higher-res optical disc features like SACD or HDCD decoding. Similarly, the network capabilities are extensive, but there is no Alexa integration as of this writing.The USB input supports up to a 2TB drive, but the read limit is only 800 folders/8000 tracks. That sounds like a lot, but probably wonât be adequate if your music collection really needs 2TB of space. The receiver also does not support VBR playback so youâre out of luck if you have a lot of VBR files in your digital library.The CD motor, spindle & laser pickup seem to be integrated into a floating assembly similar to a laptopâs optical drive. When you load or remove a CD at the center spindle, you can see the entire assembly droop & flex. As someone w/a CD collection north of 3500 discs, I am concerned about the longevity of the drive after being forcibly moved about w/every disc change.The inclusion of a subwoofer output is great, but there are no other analog outputs so you canât set up another listening area or add an external amp. There was easily enough room on the remote for more direct input buttons, but anything beyond the CD, radio or BT requires tedious scrolling of inputs via remote & as Iâve indicated elsewhere, there are a LOT of them! It would be nice to turn off/hide unused inputs so the selection process wasnât quite so onerous.If you listen to music in a darkened room, you can dim or turn off the display, but the touch-panel controls stay illuminated which may be intrusive. Conversely, the remote is not illuminated which makes usability in the dark challenging. It would also be nice if the receiver remembered the volume the last time an input was used as variations in line levels can produce jarringly loud transitions between devices/inputs.Finally, I would have loved a proper balanced headphone jack like XLR or 4.4mm, or at least a more robust ÂŒâ jack. As a receiver, I imagine most people will set this up across the room from their listening position, but most high-quality headphones typically include a longer ÂŒâ cable while 3.5mm cables are usually reserved for shorter, more âportable-orientedâ situations.
The last receiver I ever bought was way back in 1976 when I was a college student and it lasted me a good thirty years until I reluctantly sold it in a garage sale. Fast forward to the present day and receivers have certainly come a long way. With the Technics Compact Network CD Receiver SA-C600 by Panasonic, the most notable change is the compact size and gone are all the knobs and dials, replaced by a simple remote control. Built into a very compact unit are the ability to stream music from your smartphone, as well as built-in streaming services like Amazon Music, CD player, and FM radio. The small footprint makes it easy to set up anywhere, such as on a desk, TV stand, or bookshelf. I added a pair of affordable bookshelf speakers from Best Buy and 10â subwoofer ... MoreThe last receiver I ever bought was way back in 1976 when I was a college student and it lasted me a good thirty years until I reluctantly sold it in a garage sale. Fast forward to the present day and receivers have certainly come a long way. With the Technics Compact Network CD Receiver SA-C600 by Panasonic, the most notable change is the compact size and gone are all the knobs and dials, replaced by a simple remote control. Built into a very compact unit are the ability to stream music from your smartphone, as well as built-in streaming services like Amazon Music, CD player, and FM radio. The small footprint makes it easy to set up anywhere, such as on a desk, TV stand, or bookshelf. I added a pair of affordable bookshelf speakers from Best Buy and 10â subwoofer and the sound is just incredible. Technics does match a pair of optional speakers to complement the SA-C600. The sound comes across very clean and detailed when streaming over Airplay with my Apple iPhone. Not being familiar with Appleâs Airplay at first, it did take me several attempts and some troubleshooting to get Airplay to work without disconnectingâŠnot a fault of the receiver. It was definitely worth the effort to get the best lossless high-bit streaming quality from Apple Music, which is how I intend to use the receiver most of the time. I may explore some of the other streaming services like Deezer, Tidal, and Amazon Music in the future.It has become customary for technology like smartphones, televisions, and audio equipment to require using other applications to experience some of their features and the SA-600 is no different. Much of the initial setup of the SA-C600 can be done through menus using the remote, but I found it necessary to install Google Home to set up Apple Airplay to work. Of course, WiFi and Bluetooth and an internet connection are required to use streaming services. There are the standard inputs for additional audio components, such adding a turntable or external multi-disk CD player, along with a USB port for playing music from a memory stick. It even has an input for sound from your PC or laptop. The SA-C600 can even replace a soundbar for your television using its optical input.As mentioned earlier, all configuration and sound settings are done with the remote or via the Technics Audio Center app that you install on your smartphone. One cool feature that can improve the overall sound quality is Space Tune, which defines the listening environment based on speaker placement, etc. I found it really did make a difference as I have my bookshelf speakers on a desktop along a wall. If you really want to dial in the sound shape, you can use an Apple IOS device to completely tailor the sound using its microphone to determine the best setting for your room.Last but not least, the Technics SA-C600 receivers design is so simple and elegant, in a non-traditional sort of way. It doesnât look like most audio receivers. The smoked glass CD player cover looks rich and you can adjust some of the lighting settings to make it look even better. Of course, itâs the sound that matters most and if I can make affordable bookshelf speakers sound good, think how much better it will sound with some high end speakers. After many years, I find myself excited all over again to listen to music come alive with the Technics SA-C600 receiver.
The Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver is an amazing device that may be the last CD player you ever own. But its a lot more than just a CD player, its more like a Digital JukeBox because it handles all of your songs in nearly every digital format imaginable from almost any source.It's not quite perfect for 2 reasons, which I struggled with and ultimately decided not to take a star off for, but you should be aware of the limitations.1. There are a TON of ***Inputs*** that allow you to connect various digital and analog sources of music to your CD Receiver, phono, line in, PC, coax, sp-dif Optical and radio antenna. However, there are NO ***Outputs*** that allow you to send all that source music to an AV Receiver or Integrated Amp. There is also no HDMI ... MoreThe Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver is an amazing device that may be the last CD player you ever own. But its a lot more than just a CD player, its more like a Digital JukeBox because it handles all of your songs in nearly every digital format imaginable from almost any source.It's not quite perfect for 2 reasons, which I struggled with and ultimately decided not to take a star off for, but you should be aware of the limitations.1. There are a TON of ***Inputs*** that allow you to connect various digital and analog sources of music to your CD Receiver, phono, line in, PC, coax, sp-dif Optical and radio antenna. However, there are NO ***Outputs*** that allow you to send all that source music to an AV Receiver or Integrated Amp. There is also no HDMI passthrough or input for eARC so there is really just the Opt-In if you want to try and use this Network Receiver with a TV set, which isn't ideal since there's no eARC. Thankfully, there is an OPT-IN Auto Play toggle option in the Technics Audio Center under the Gear Icon > Other Settings > OPT-IN Auto Play.2. There are a ton of connectivity options, but they are somewhat limited. What I mean by that is the source inputs can be connected to a variety of Streaming services, like Tidal, Spotify, Amazon Music, but the output and streaming is still governed by Apple Home/Air Play or Google Home/Chromecast integration. What this means is, I can't go into the apps for those services themselves and then choose the Technics as the output, I have to start streaming to Airplay and then choose the Technics as the output. Similarly, I can't play from Amazon Music, or use Alexa voice commands to start playing on the Technics like a smart speaker. It might seem like no biggy and it is a subtle difference but it is worth noting.The build quality and aesthetics are everything you would expect from a high-end piece of audio equipment with a nice metal look and Mid Century Modern Retro look that would fit right in with a Herman Miller Line media console in a Frank LLoyd Wright designed home. Instant classic in your den, office, or dining room with a pair of high quality, minimalist bookshelf speakers. The SA-C600 also has outputs for a subwoofer, but I'm undecided if I want to connect a sub as I'll mostly be playing music and don't want or need the bass to overpower the high and midrange of classical and pop I tend to listen to around the house.As for the sound quality. Its well worth it! Better than most AV Receivers in the same price range and just a step down from my Arcam SA20 integrated amp. Again, bitrate and source matters and you'll appreciate the quality from CD, but also the premium streaming services that offer higher bitrates. The app tells you the bitrate and file type for each song.Setup was a bit clunky if I'm being honest. As I alluded to previously, you have to go through Apple Home or Google Home to connect to WiFi. I used Apple Home and when I went to add device, there's no QR code and there's no automatic nearby detect on the first screen, you have to hit the text that says "Not one of these methods" or something like that and the SA-C600 pops right up. Then Apple Home transfers over your home WiFi info and you're off to the races. I also have a router in the same media cabinet so I could've easily hooked that up but I may end up moving the SA-C600 to the Dining Room so I didn't want to hard wire it. Also, the App seems limited to certain types of membership, for example, Amazon Music it seems like is limited to Amazon Music Unlimited, I have just Prime Amazon Music and when I went to play a song or sometimes searched for one, I'd get an error. I'll keep playing around with that and see if it improves.Overall the App is pretty neat, at first it seems very barren and antiquated looking but I think they actually went for a retro minimalist style to keep the UI clean and to focus on the music and the SA-C600 options. Its kind of cool when its loading or searching the network for songs, it kind of throttles the needle like an oldschool Analog volume or gain gauge. Cool stuff.Really enjoying the SA-C600 and if you're an audiophile that has some CDs or just someone who loves music and wants a super fancy Streaming JukeBox, then the SA-C600 is an option you should give a close look at!
This is a handsome, compact and versatile amplifier. It offers a digital amp with a very good CD player and FM tuner, which can play back all your local audio files, stored on your network, local disk, USB drive, smartphone or PC. It also offers internet access to streaming services, podcasts, and internet radio stations. It also offers a phono preamp, allowing a direct connection to your turntable. Simply add speakers and you are good to go!The main idea behind this package, I think, is to offer a no-compromise compact audio system that could compliment not only your living room, but also a smaller listening space such as an office or bedroom. The amplifier is modestly speced at 60 watts per channel at 4 ohms, and only 40 watts into a more typical 8-ohm load. But ... MoreThis is a handsome, compact and versatile amplifier. It offers a digital amp with a very good CD player and FM tuner, which can play back all your local audio files, stored on your network, local disk, USB drive, smartphone or PC. It also offers internet access to streaming services, podcasts, and internet radio stations. It also offers a phono preamp, allowing a direct connection to your turntable. Simply add speakers and you are good to go!The main idea behind this package, I think, is to offer a no-compromise compact audio system that could compliment not only your living room, but also a smaller listening space such as an office or bedroom. The amplifier is modestly speced at 60 watts per channel at 4 ohms, and only 40 watts into a more typical 8-ohm load. But the message from Technics is quality of sound reproduction. The digital amp has a dedicated twin power supply circuit, and what is called a JENO Engine (Jitter Elimination and Noise-Shaping optimization). There is a space tune function that allows for specific kinds of room placement, Free, Wall, Corner and Shelf, and which allows separate settings of each speaker, adjusting for installation under different conditions and brings out the best sound quality.When unit was out of the box, I completed the initial set up in just a few minutes. The final set up should be performed with the Technics Audio Center app which is available for your Apple or Android smartphone, and which will offer the complete range of customizations to compliment your situation.For initial evaluation, I connected a pair of NHT Superzero speakers which sport a decades old tried and true compact design, and which I have listened to off and on for many years. They gave me both instant gratification and a reference baseline to evaluate the sound qualities of the amp. I enjoyed listening to both CDs and the FM tuner. I used the auto scan function to map out my local stations for quick reference. Both DAB and DAB+ are offered on this unit. A simple several foot run of wire is offered to serve as your âDAB Indoor Antennaâ. This arrangement picked up most of the local stations I listen to regularly, but I will update it with a better indoor or outdoor antenna to get the full range of stations which are available.I found the sound produced by this receiver to be spacious and open, and the Superzeros could be driven to loud, room-filling volume. I also moved the amp into another room to attach a pair of B&W 600 Series Anniversary Edition bookshelf speakers. I have been listening to these speakers for more than a year and have found them to be neutral and revealing. Great recordings are presented in all their splendor, and lousy masters or poor pressings are also revealed for all their respective shortcomings. This move also made my recently reviewed Technics SL-1500C turntable and Ortofon cartridge available for testing with the receiverâs phono pre-amp. The move was quite productive, and I must say that the receiverâs amplifier and phono front end handled my music with aplomb. Imaging and presence was satisfying in all types of music, and the SA-C600 drove the larger speakers with headroom to spare. The sound quality of this receiver is excellent. If you want to connect a sub-woofer as well to better enjoy the lower frequencies, an analog output is also available for that arrangement.The volume of different types of music and programming available through this receiver is amazing. To fully utilize it, you should use the Technics Audio Center app on your smartphone. Until I used that program with my iPhone, access to podcasts and internet radio stations was simply not available. Once I connected to the app, it was quite easy to access internet radio stations and podcasts. I was also able to connect to my Synology NAS where a plethora of digital music files are stored. The app offers a graphical and useful way to scan through the file structure and find any song I want to listen to in minutes. USB connections are offered to attach external drives and flash drives which hold your music files. A USB-B connection is offered to attach a computer. I did not try that connection, but it supports USB 2.0 high speed connections, and both LPCM and DSD codecs. Both optical digital and coaxial digital inputs are available. I was able to listen to the audio from my Samsung TV with the optical input.The receiver handles all the popular digital codecs: WAV, FLAC, DSD, ALAC, AAC, MP3. Connection to the network can be done via LAN or Wi-Fi. The Google Home app is used to set up Wi-Fi. Chromecast and AirPlay 2 are also available for streaming from your devices. Bluetooth is supported, and I was able to connect my iPhone in seconds, and when I was in range of the receiver, I was always immediately reconnected. Spotify ConnectÂź, TIDAL, and Amazon Music services, and they can accessed directly through the Technics Audio Center App after installation of the native apps on your smartphone.The supplied remote gets the job done, but I found myself using the Technics Audio Center app to best control the universe of functions available on this fine receiver. I am still learning what it can do, and I am not aware of any device that can touch its remarkable versatility. It has unmasked a world of audio that I knew existed but has never been so convenient to access. Highly recommended.
| Output Power | 60 W + 60 W (1kHz, T.H.D. 1.0 %, 4Ω, 20kHz LPF) |
| MQA Decorder | Yes |
| Ethernet Interface | LAN (100 Base-TX/10 Base-T) |
| Load Impedance | 4Ω - 16Ω |
| Wi-Fi | IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |