Before buying, I suggest you visit tweakaudio.com and read about his modifications and comments on the Sony's. Also, I don't know about the 777es, but the 222 and 555 are being sold new for $400 and $600, respectively, with rites of return. I have found that the 555 is a very good cd transport (for a changer) which may be a consideration if you don't like its redbook performance. |
Thanks for all the input. I think I am going to go with the Sony. |
I was not going to buy, convinced it was just another gimmick. Wrong! I bought a Sony SACD player today and WOW!, even on "redbook" CDs it sings. The SACD is just a side benefit, and those, well, they are are good, if not better, than the vinyl I play on my LP12. This is good stuff folks. One owes to oneself to give it a listen. I agree with the gentleman who said once your hear it, you will keep buying SACDs in the future. |
I recently bought a sony es777 used,and promptly shipped it to Richard Kern at Audiomod. He installed all new vishay resistors,super clock and superclock power supply with new blackgate caps on the audio board.I am pretty much an analog listener and only listened to digtal in an informal or a background type of setting,but after playing the Sony with the mods it floored me,after about 200 hrs of burn it got better still!The point Im trying to make is you can have sacd and state of the art cd playback right now.So I find myself listening to cd and sacd about as much as vinyl.Analog still has more air and richness but it is not night and day as it was before,and that goes for cd as well as sacd.Anyway that is another alternative to consider,Im into the Sony for 3500.00 and I couldnt be happier,just some food for thought Enjoy! |
Why does everyone suggest that SACD playback quality is gonna be the same from every other player. SACD playback quality is just as depend on the Machines as RedBook CD Players are. A high-end SACD player will sound much better on SACD and CD then one from your local Best Buys. |
Bob-bundus and Jeffcott bring up very good points. HDCD is slightly better than CD, but there are about 6000 HDCD titles (some have don't have the HDCD logo) and with Microsoft behind HDCD I think it's safe to say more will be comming. As for the SACD vs. DVDA a few new universal players might be on the market before years end. |
Natalie,
I had own SCD777ES and SCD1 and i heard them played very good on the Redbook. Please don't make him confused if you never own/HEARD the Sony in your system !!
I know many people are racist about new format/SACD. Peace. |
I agree with Natalie. I have yet to hear an unmodified Sony SACD player that has sounded any better than mediocre on redbook CD. There is something amiss with either Sony's DAC and/or output stage. This will draw jeers from all you Sony fans out there, but in my opinion, the $198 Apex DVD player sounds noticeably more musical on CD playback than the SCD 777es. Just my 2 cents. Unless you are bypassing a preamp and going direct from whatever digital source you have, don't worry about having one player. Get what makes your CDs sound the best to you right now and worry about SACD if and when you feel you must have it. |
Buy an inexpensive SACD player from Sony ($200-$300), and a good used DAC ($500 or so). You'll get the facility and quality from SACD, and excellent redbook from the DAC. |
From my position of limited perspective, I think Bob_bundus has hit one of the nails right on the head. I have not yet experienced SACD in my own system, but I have experienced HDCD. Some time ago I purchased a used DAC with HDCD and was amazed at the improvement over redbook CDs. The difference is a no brainer, and very apparent. You are right Bob, the library of HDCD is suprisingly large, and from my observation is growing as rapidly as either SACD or DVD-A.
It would seem that the press is treating HDCD as yesterdays news. Yes there is a "new" format war going on but let's not forget the "marketing track record" of the owner of HDCD technology. Are there any volunteers on this forum who want to actively bet against the record of Microsoft?
No, I am not trying to say that MS's product record is pristine (I do computer support, I know better). I am saying that their marketing batting average is pretty good. |
I recently purchased a Sony SCD-1 and it's about the best purchase I have ever made, I still ask myself why didn't I purchase this earlier. The redbook playback is way above decent and this is coming from a previous Audio Aero Capitole MK2 owner. The SACD feature is really icing on the cake, which brings it to another level no other redbook player can touch IMHO. And with built quality no other High-End manufacture can touch within it's price range. So yes you should settle for the Sony. |
Natalie
What are you talking about? The Sony ES line SACD players sound great.
Tim |
I have the SCD 777es which is the two channel version released earlier than the XA. The SCD was better than the CD players I had previously, but I must say from the outset I do not think CDs sound good. With that out in the open I do think SACD is a dramatic improvement over the older format. When you get to SACD you are hearing a totally different level of quality. In sound, they are much closer to the quality of vinyl. The only reason to hold back at this point is to wait out the format war with DVD-A, but I think that would be a waste of time. Go for the Sony, you'll be glad you did, it sounds like music not the AM radio sound you get from CD. |
Run Away from the Sony. Without spending another 1K to mod it its a sub standard redbook Player. The REGA will slay it.
Get over it people Sony is the most overhyped product in the market place.
They are putting awfull Analogue palyback in their SACD units to make SACD sound better than it is.
PERFECT sound forever. Once burned twice shy. Why would anyone belive what SONY has to say? |
Keep it simple. Buy the Sony. You won't regret it. |
Hi Tom: here's a "radical alternative" if I may suggest?
Would you (or anyone for that matter) be interested in a way to make ALL your current redbook CD's sound significantly better, & simultaneously be able to enjoy a higher-resolution format, with those high-res CD's available at the same prices as redbook?
You can do so with the Pacific Microsonics 20 bit HDCD backware-compatible format. And your HDCD's will still play on a standard non-HDCD machine with better fidelity than redbook.
If you haven't heard an HDCD player yet then definitely give it a try. Comparing the same release on an older 16 bit disc against a newer HDCD release is a true revelation. HDCD also offers better software availability than SACD. |
Give it SACD try !
I agree that the sony will outperform the rega on redbook and the SACD play back capabilities of the sony are a plus.
Buying used player means less loss $$ when you want to resale than buy the new one.
Ones you try to play on SACD,you'll just keep buying SACD in the future.
Good luck. |
For around 1600 dollars you could get a naim CD5 or a meridian 508.24 which would be better than the jupiter anyway. As for SACD, if you interested in the new format, SACD's will sound much better than redbook, but the sony is not quite as good as some CD players in this price range. In my opinion the Sony will better the Jupiter on plain CD playback, but try the merdian and naim, they are great players, even a musical fidelity player, just try it! |
As was prviously stated, there a few other discussions on this.
It is a tough call, obviously only you can make the right decision for you, that said, there is nothing wrong with getting a wide range of views from others.
There are pros and cons for each.
The combo player, obviously, allows you to play two formats quite well, not the best of each, but quite well.
A dedicated player is designed to do just the one task and *should* outperform the redbook performace of the combo player at the same price point.
CD clearly has the advantage when it comes to software, availability and price, plus you already have a large collection.
In the immediate, the CD player would probably give you the most gratification, but this is my opinion; based on your current collection and availability. |
There are several threads concerning this subject on this site; simply do a search. However, (IMO) the sony will outperform the rega on redbook and the SACD play back capabilities of the sony are a plus. You could then buy a couple of hybrid discs and do your own comparison on your system.
I have a scd-1 and since purchasing it I find myself only buying SACD or Hybrids (where possible). I listen primarily to classical and some jazz, and as others have noted, the selection of SACD / Hybrids is lacking. |
