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How does Sony DVP-S9000ES compare to other Sony's?

How does the DVP-S9000ES compare to Sony's high end players such as CDP-C555ES, CDP-X7ES, and their SACD players, CD-1, and xa777es? Just curious if it would keep me happy if I bought.
i'm using a Audible Illusions Modulus 3A pre-amp, Bel Canto EVO2 amp, Celestion 11 (will be replacing with?) speakers, and NAD 5000 CD player (needs to be replaced, is having tracking and skipping problems)

Thanks
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Showing 2 responses by ed_sawyer

ed_sawyer
588 posts
 
I have an SCD-1, an (1996?) Xa7ES, a S9000Es and also an SACD-1000. (crazy, I know! I just sold the Phillips). The 9000 is a very nice piece, esp. for the money and formats that it does. The one down side was mentioned - it doesn't read CD-Rs. It's as good on Redbook as my XA7ES, which is saying a lot since that was the top of the line CD player at the time (actually best 1-box CD-only player made by Sony). Transport and build quality are not at SCD-1/XA7ES levels, but the aesthetic is there in spades - very nice looking/feeling piece. The SCD-1 is a bit better on SACD. the 9000 also does DVD's, I've yet to use it for that but will try soon. (not DVD-A, but just regular DVD-V). I had been trying to decide to part with the Phillips or the 9000.... despite being older, not playing CD-Rs or multichannel SACDs, I still kept the 9000. The Phillips is a great player, I liked it a lot but didnt' need 4 players.... and didn't have a lot of multichannel SACD needs. The other thing the 9000 won't do is onboard decoding of Dolby Digital/DTS.... need an outboard decoder or pre/pro for that. Not an issue if using just for music however - only with watching DVDs. The 9000 also is well regarded by the 'modding' crowd - quite a few options available including tubed output stages.

Enjoy (sorry for the rambling.)
-Ed
ed_sawyer
588 posts
 
hi Albert -

Thanks - glad you think so.

Agreed the 9000 is a good player - too bad they stopped making them. I think it betters the 999ES, at least as far as build quality and aesthetics. If they just added multichannel SACD and maybe a 2nd laser for CD/CDR, it would be the ideal player in many ways (esp. for the price).

Interesting about the CD-R that plays in yours! I have heard that report from others, but could never find the 'magic combo' of disc blanks and/or recording technique that worked in mine - all efforts proved fruitless. I use a Mac, and Toast, tried burning the various disc types; black, blue, silver, Sony brand, etc. - no luck. This @ 4x burn rate... maybe @ 1x or something it might work. These were all Data CDRs not the 'audio'-specific ones. That perhaps plays a role as well?

Anyway, a good player in pretty much all regards.

-Ed
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