Sony SCD-C 555ES

The final insult !! - i just did an a/b with my harman kardon RECORDER !! and the HK won by a mile. i am now certain that the 555 needs breaking in.
you know, one thing bothers me ........... we pay exorbitant amounts of money for that simple pleasure of approaching realism in recorded sound .......... but we are required to wait with saintly patience for the breaking in of new equipment. i can't speak for others, but the more i pay the quicker my patience wears thin. should the manufacturer or can the manufacturer shorten or eliminate this burn in period ??

Dan-Give it some time and let us know the outcome.

all is well. the main problem was something that happened once before, awhile ago. there's a little toggle on the back of my amp which, when in the up position, turns my amp mono. i quickly put it in the down position. still not quite there - the clincher was "rarl"'s advice regarding sacd multi/2ch choices on the ams knob.
track #4 on "new favorite" by allison krauss really did me in.
thanks to all and don't forget the little toggles. dan

Dan-So how does it sound???

Pinpoint accuracy, super-defined soundstage, of course, and details heard for the first time. most impressed with what it did with a track on allison krauss' "new favorite" - the whole band was blastin' and i could hear each and every instrument more "there" than ever before and a large, "visual" soundstage.
then i tested redbook on it with a joan baez track that, to me, blurrs the distinction between "live or memorex ?" ..... that being "diamonds and rust"- a crystal clear acoustic guitar and ms baez's incredibly powerful voice.
i think i must expand my horizons - but i'm really hooked on female voice. thanks - all you guys did it, made me think and look and remember what happened years ago, and advised me on how to operate this new changer.