Another C555ES Owner (1 Viewer)

[Chris Benson]

Let me start off by saying I mostly listen to music as background music. I've never been that critical about music. Until now
Purchasing: Got the player from Oade Bros. and was very please with them. I got the player without any problems and the packaging was good.
Quality: Seems very well built. A little noise when turning on and changing CDs but this does not both me at all.
Music: I compared a couple CDs that I had to the new SACD cds. On the first couple I was saying to myself WOW. The next ones I tried I found little difference so I got a little disappointed. Partially because I got over hyped from the Wow ones and was expecting the same with all. I've read here that there were some that had little difference but forgot that when listening to the Wow.
Here is what I compared. This was using Marantz SR18ex, Snells KII speakers, Playstation 2 for CD Player and the 555.
Bangles Greatest Hits - Big Difference to me
Loggins Greatest Hits SACD vs Footloose CD - Big Difference
SRV Both SACDS to CDS - Little difference
Cyndi Lauper - Little difference.
Comparing CDS to CDS. I compared both my Playstation 2 and the 555 with same CDS. The 555ES made a difference but was not a huge difference.
Overall: I got what I wanted. A good CD / SACD Player backed by a good warranty and it didn't bust the bank. Does the SACD sound better? To me it does, some make a little some make a lot but in the end it does sound better.
So Thank You to KeithH and all the others that helped me decide on this player.
Next step is replacing my cables thinking about the Audioquest Diamondbacks. Anyone have any suggestions please let me know. Also where to get them online.
Thanks
-Chris

 

[DougO]

Comparing CDS to CDS. I compared both my Playstation 2 and the 555 with same CDS. The 555ES made a difference but was not a huge difference.

What connection type did you use in this comparison? Optical or coax? RCA-type interconnects? If RCA-type, were you listening through the C555es' separate 2-channel analog outputs, or using two of the multichannel outputs?

 

[Chris Benson]

Doug,

I was using the Optical on the Playstation 2 and using the Stereo Analog on the 555ES. I do not have the 5.1 hooked up yet because I need to buy cables.

-Chris

 

[Joe Casey]

Funny you should mention the SRV discs. I found them better than a 'little' better. Much more nuanced and realistic than their CD counterparts.

 

[Jeff PB]

I thought the SRV disks were a vast improvement over the regular CD - as a matter of fact I found the CD versions of SRVs first three albums - Texas Flood, Couldn't Stand the Weather, and Soul to Soul, all unlistenable due to the poor quality. However, the SACDs available so far are excellent.

 

[Chris Benson]

Joe & Jeff,

The Cds that I was comparing were the remastered versions (I believe 1999 or 2000). I do not know if that makes a difference. Don't get me wrong the SACDs do sound better to me, just not that much of difference compared to the others that I tested. Never really listened to music closely, just as background music. So I differently do not have the audiophile ear.

Another note is that I never listened to SRV before. I told a friend that they had them on SACD and he said to go and get them because there was some really good guitar work.

-Chris

 

[Howard_S]

The unit is known for long break-in times you might want to play it for a bit first before doing another comparison.