Technics’ SA-C600 Network CD Receiver and SB-C600 Bookshelf Speakers are stylish and easy-to-use products for the modern-day audiophile who is looking for a visually subtle system that still sounds great.

Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver and SB-C600 Bookshelf Speakers

Technics’ SA-C600 Network CD Receiver and SB-C600 Bookshelf Speakers are compact yet deliver the goods, whether you listen to internet radio, spin CDs or simply want to stream tunes from your digital device. It also has an integrated phono preamplifier (MM) for those who want to spin vinyl. This system is part of the Technics Premium Class C600 Series, and a turntable was offered for me to complete the system for a more complete review, but alas, I gave all my LPs to my local library years ago. (I know, what was I thinking!)

Highlights

Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver and SB-C600 Bookshelf Speakers

  • Advanced noise reduction, flawless construction, and versatile connectivity
  • Twin power supply circuit system for optimal performance
  • Good sound image localization and transparent spatial expression
  • Space tune™ Auto optimally balances sound, adjusting the sound field for the best resolution
  • Streaming Services like Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, and Amazon, and Inputs including CD, radio, analog, optical digital, coaxial digital, USB and MQA
  • Ideal for those who spin CDs or LPs, too
Introduction

One of the first audio products I purchased out of college (circa 1981) was a Technics CD player, the SL-P2, which used MASH noise shaping through a 1-bit DAC. My favorite part was the prism above the slide tray that allowed you to watch the spinning disc while it played. By the time I saved enough cash for this machine, I was already the proud owner of 12 CDs. My anticipation level for the coming Digital Age was very high back then. But I digress…

The SA-C600 Network CD Receiver is a desktop item as it is not designed to be tucked away in an audio rack. It is compact, yet flexible and potent. It is geared to users that want to listen to high-quality sound from several different types of sources, and on this design goal, Technics has hit that sweet spot. The SA-C600 can deliver 60 watts per channel using a sophisticated and fully digital amplifier that employs proprietary technology developed entirely by Technics. This is not a Class D amplification method. The company utilizes a fully digital amplifier with the Technics JENO Engine, (which stands for Jitter Elimination and Noise Shaping Optimization), which is said to reduce noise and distortion in the music reproduction chain. All inputs are in a digital form with even analog signals being digitized to 24 bits at 192kHz. The SA-C600 is also designed with a particularly low-jitter clock generator and has an extremely clean voltage supply. I’ll delve more into how this sounds later in this review.

Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver Specifications
Output Power:

60W x 2

Load Impedance:

4 to 16 ohms

Phono Sensitivity/Impedance:

2.5mV/47kOhms

Analog Inputs:

1 Line In, 1 Phono (MM)

Digital Inputs:

1 Optical, 1 Coaxial, 1 USB-A, 1 USB-B (PC)

Analog Output:

1 Subwoofer

Headphone Output:

Stereo, 3.5mm

Disc Compatibility:

Audio CD, CD-R/CD-RW (CD-DA finalized by recording device)

USB-A:

WAV (up to 32 bit @ 384kHz), FLAC (up to 24 bit/384kHz), DSD up to 11.2MHz
AIFF (up to 32bit/384KHz), ALAC (up to 24bit/384KHz), AAC (up to 320kbps/96KHz)

USB-B:

(PC) 2.0 high speed with audio class 2.0 asynchronous mode

Support Codec:

LPCM (up to 24 bit/192KHz) and DSD (up to 5.6MHz)

MQA Decoder:

Yes

LAN (DMR):

Yes

Wi-Fi:

IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac -2.4 and 5GHz Band

Ethernet Interface:

Yes, LAN 100 Base-TX-10 Base T

Extras:

Chromecast, AirPlay2, Bluetooth (AAC, SBC) and FM Tuner

Dimensions:

13.9 inches X 3.7 inches X 13.43 inches

Weight:

10.6lbs

MSRP:

$999

SB-C600 Bookshelf Speaker Specifications
Woofer:

150mm cone X 1

Tweeter:

25mm dome X 1

Impedance:

4 Ohms

Input Power:

(IEC) 60W/120W max

Sensitivity:

83dB (1w/1m)

Frequency Range:

40hz-100kHz (-10dB)

Dimensions:

H 11.5 in., W 6.8 in., D 11.1 in.

Weight:

14lbs

MSRP:

$999

Company:

Technics

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technics, sa-c600, network cd receiver, sb-c600, bookshelf speaker, stereo, two channel, cd player, reviews 2022

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Design

Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver

The outside appearance is one of understated elegance and minimalist design. From the top of the SA-C600, you notice the CD player slide hatch which you manually move clockwise or counterclockwise to open. There is a power-on button near the front left corner and volume buttons on the front right corner. The back quarter has heat vent fins in a contrasting black finish. The front panel is clean with few distraction knobs or buttons.

Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver Disc Tray

Next to the display is a headphone jack and USB port for connecting a digital device. My unit had a black horizontally fluted aluminum front panel that looked nice and clean. All functions are controlled with the provided well-laid-out remote.

Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver Remote

The back panel sports analog phono RCA inputs and an analog Line In, one coaxial and optical input each, a PC USB input, and an Ethernet connection. You can also connect to your LAN via Wi-Fi if you prefer. Interestingly, a subwoofer output is also included should you want to augment the system with some more bass. This is a nice touch, in my opinion.

Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver Inputs

Technics uses a separate power supply for the amplifier section of the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver. It operates completely independently of all other circuit sections and supplies two transformers. The wire connections to these transformers are optimized for the lowest noise and distortion. I like this attention to detail. There are different power supplies for the CD drive, the analog, and digital input stages, and everything else to keep the signal as clean as possible. All of this is delivered with a 60-watt per channel amplifier that can drive speakers with 4-ohm capability. Speaker connectors in the back are of the high quality screw-on type and not just cheap clips. They accept spades, banana plugs, and bare wire connections. An FM tuner (and antenna) rounds out the roster of this all-in-one device.

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A Bluetooth module is inside, but it does not support aptX or aptX HD. It does support UPnP as well as Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast. The Technics SA-C600 also supports Spotify, including Spotify Connect, and can access Deezer, TIDAL, Amazon Music, and Internet Radio. I was also able to stream my subscription to Qobuz via Chromecast, as it is not directly accessible by button like the aforementioned streaming services. The main streaming tool is the Technics Audio Center App, which you can download on iOS and Android phones. It is capable of processing signals in LPCM with up to 32 bits and 384 kHz. And it can process signals in DSD, up to DSD256. MQA is also supported.

Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver Display

Lastly, I’ll mention “Space Tune”, which is a feature that you can use to compensate for where you place your speakers in each room. Freestanding, shelf, and corner placements can each have a different EQ curve to compensate for room boundary issues. Interestingly, you can apply a setting per speaker, should one speaker be out in the room and the other close to a wall, for example. I have never seen this kind of flexibility before, and it is a thoughtful design touch.

Technics SB-C600 Bookshelf Speakers

The SB-C600 speakers are small in size, but big in sound. They are a two-way design that looks ordinary with round magnetic grills and a bass reflex port in the front. The connectors in the back are solid and robustly built. The driver is a coaxial design with a one-inch aluminum dome tweeter centered in an almost six-inch mid-range/woofer. It is not affixed to the front panel, but on a partition parallel to it, which helps reduce resonance and vibrations from the cabinet. Technics calls this B.D.M.A. or Balanced Driver Mounting Architecture. The phase equalizer plug on the tweeter dome helps provide detailed sound in a more dispersed pattern throughout the listening area. I was immediately impressed with their detailed sound and weighty bass reproduction. They seemed to be a match to the SA-C600 that was Heaven-made. More on their sound reproduction later in this review.

Technics SB-C600 Bookshelf Speakers Tweeter

Setup & In Use

I placed the SA-C600 on top of the audio gear in my equipment rack and placed the SB-C600 speakers about seven feet apart on portable speaker stands with a slight toe-in toward my listening spot eight feet away. I experimented with the Space Tune feature and settled for off (out in the open). I liked the pinpoint sound staging that coaxial speakers provide and the resulting detailed top-end and lush mid-range sound. The bass was surprisingly solid and at no time did I feel the need to use a subwoofer, though a small one like my SVS Micro 3000 would have been an excellent choice to keep the overall system in a more compact state. A section of 14-gauge speaker wire was also provided, but you may certainly use any wire of your choice. The entire setup process did not take long at all. As a reminder of my old SP-L2 CD player with the disc prism, the SA-C600 player illuminated the spinning CD inside while playing. A full circle, my friends.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennitt “The Visit”

I listened to some Loreena McKennitt – The Visit, which contains female vocals and a plethora of exotic acoustic instruments and drums. The sound stage was broad and deep with some real weight to the sound. The speakers seemed well tuned for this kind of music and despite some significant bass output, the port never chuffed or burped even when played loudly. The silence in between songs was superb. I have listened to a lot of cheaper lifestyle audio products that give off an FM type of hiss during play, but that was not the case here. How much of this is directly related to the JENO circuitry, I do not know… but the secret sauce was working its magic here.

The Kings Singers

The Kings Singers “Good Vibrations”

More vocal listening came with The Kings Singers – Good Vibrations. This acapella group of men covers the range from bass to countertenor and their harmonies are spot on. Here, they sing Simon and Garfunkel, Billy Joel, and Phil Collin’s works and pull off the musicality with panache. Each voice had its place on the stage with air in between each singer. Voices were natural and, in some instances, you could hear the slight intake of breath during their phrasing. Again, I was impressed with the soft details. Lesser speakers would obscure these things.

Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra

Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra “Symphonic Star Trek”

For something with a bit more weight, I turned to Symphonic Star Trek with Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. These familiar movie soundtracks are fun to listen to and cause for a bit of nostalgia. True to the Telarc label’s heritage, explosive sound effects are included with various warp speed fly-bys and phaser blasts. Lenard Nimoy gives an opening monologue which has a nice resonance that these speakers reproduced well. This is where I became impressed at the largeness of the soundstage. Small speakers usually reveal their true nature when asked to produce large orchestras and huge digital sound effects. The SB-C600s performed better than anticipated and I like being surprised by the unexpected occasionally.

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I listened to a wide variety of classical and jazz music and didn’t find a weak link in the Technics armor. Playing music from my Qobuz account was easy and gratifying. I played some DSD256 off my Mac Mini. Would that the SA-C600 could play SACD, but in the end, that wasn’t a big deal as almost all my extensive SACD collection is multi-channel anyway.

Conclusions

Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver and SB-C600 Bookshelf Speakers at a glance

Technics SA-C600 NETWORK AND CD RECEIVER and SB-C600 BOOKSHELF SPEAKERS hit a sweet spot for music lovers wanting a compact flexible system that streams, spins CDs, and accepts a turntable. It combines convenience, great sound, and solid value.

Likes
  • Easy to use
  • Sounds very good
  • Plays music from any kind of source
Would Like To See
  • Nothing of note

The compact, but potent SA-C600 Network Receiver and SB-C600 Bookshelf Speakers from Technics is a well-designed system for the music lover that has a wide variety of music formats in his home, wants good sound, and doesn’t want the clutter of separates. A new audiophile could have this system up and running in a few minutes with musical enjoyment that would last a lifetime. Add a turntable (Technics, of course) and all your bases are covered. If only I’d had one of these in college.