I also own a Sony 333ES, and from the day I brought it home in 2002 until now, I just cannot get over how great the sound is. I figured it would be a lightweight, thin sound, and that I'd most probably be using the 30 return option, but wanted to see what this SACD fuss was all about. Well, here I am today, with absolutely no intention of moving the Sony out of my system.
Had a friend demo'ing a piece of a equipment in my system a little over a year ago. He brought a much more expensive audiophile player, and just couldn't things right. After an hour of playing and becoming frustrated, I suggested I could probably fix it. The simple switch of the Sony back into the system (he initially looked at me as if I was crazy) fixed everything. And, I do mean everything. Though he still couldn't really believe it, it's hard to argue with that kind of success.
Like all components, the 333 is not perfect, it has its share of faults. It's not the last word in resolution, and in the right system, I can sometimes discern its timing and pacing can sound way off. But, obviously, I am a huge fan overall of this Sony.
That being said, I currently have several of the Consonance players - CD120 Linear, Reference 2.0 SACD, Reference 2.2, and Droplet. I'll get around to comparing them to the Sony in the near term...
Had a friend demo'ing a piece of a equipment in my system a little over a year ago. He brought a much more expensive audiophile player, and just couldn't things right. After an hour of playing and becoming frustrated, I suggested I could probably fix it. The simple switch of the Sony back into the system (he initially looked at me as if I was crazy) fixed everything. And, I do mean everything. Though he still couldn't really believe it, it's hard to argue with that kind of success.
Like all components, the 333 is not perfect, it has its share of faults. It's not the last word in resolution, and in the right system, I can sometimes discern its timing and pacing can sound way off. But, obviously, I am a huge fan overall of this Sony.
That being said, I currently have several of the Consonance players - CD120 Linear, Reference 2.0 SACD, Reference 2.2, and Droplet. I'll get around to comparing them to the Sony in the near term...