cd mega changers (1 Viewer)

[tony randall]

I don't want to invest in a high end SACD player right now. I was thinking of going with the sony SCDE775, start building a collection of SACDs, and then upgrading to a higher quality cd player in 2-3 years.

On the other side of the coin, I read some HTF threads on megachangers, and do like the shuffle features a mega changer provides over a 5 disc changer.

I DO RECOGNIZE no SACD capability on the megachangers.

Can someone save me from running a side-by-side comparison between the two sonys, SCDCE775 and CDMP333ES? Would there be much difference running a 2 channel out to a yamaha rxv3000 receiver, and out of the receiver in 5.1 mode?

Thanks,

Tony

 

[tony randall]

Thanks to all you 'experts' out there. I was told people on this forum have a lot of knowledge. I read so many posts on similar topics where all you 'smart people' only stated the obvious: for the same money, a single disc player will outperform a carousel, which will outperform a mega changer.

DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now when the question gets harder, like how about a carousel to a higher price point mega changer, no one has an opinion.

 

[KeithH]

Tony, you are obviously new here. Your attitude is not going to help your cause. Not on this site, anyway. The reason your question may have garnered no responses could be because no one was interested or no one who read it could help you. There are people on this site who own the players in question, but it could be that no one has compared them side-by-side.
I have listened to both players you are interested in, but not side-by-side. Based on my experience with mass-market Sony CD players and ES megachangers (I have two CDP-CX333ES 300-disc players, which preceded the 'M333ES), I would go with the 'M333ES. Although the 'M333ES is a megachanger, I would expect it to beat the 'CE775 with CDs if you were to compare them using the analog outputs. The 'CE775 is nothing special as a CD player. If SACD is not that important to you, go with the 'M333ES. If you have a Tweeter in your area, check them out there. A salesman there would likely be willing to set up the two players in one of their audio rooms.
As another option, take a look at the Sony SCD-C222ES multi-channel SACD carousel changer. It retails for $800, but Oade Bros. (1-229-228-0093 or 1-229-228-4480) sells it for $525. Oade Bros. is an authorized dealer. The 'C222ES is a better CD player than either the 'CE775 or 'M333ES and gives you SACD. Unless you have to have a megachanger, the 'C222ES is your best bet for the money, in my opinion.
By the way, I loved you in The Odd Couple.

 

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

I think you mean the SCD-C555ES. Is that a kind of vertical dyslexia?

 

[KeithH]

Jah-Wren, no, I meant the SCD-C222ES. The 'C222ES is a model below the 'C555ES. The 'C555ES offers better internal and external build quality and better sound quality, but the 'C222ES is a good player for the money. The 'C222ES retails for $800, and Oade Bros. sells it for $525 (shipping may be extra). The 'C555ES retails for $1200, and Oade Bros. sells it for $800 delivered. Www.crutchfield.com has good information on both models.

 

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

Ah, I missed that retails/street difference. I saw $800 and Oade and so I immediately thought C555ES. It was late.

 

[Craig Rosenthal]

I also own the 300 disc ES megachanger, and couldn't be happier. The shuffle feature is wonderful, especially if you have a decent size collection. I have about 275 discs loaded (it's essentially full, but I left some space for a few future additions). I think that the sound is fine, but I haven't auditioned very high-end CD players.

I have the music broken into 4 main categories (you can have up to 8, but each disc can only be assigned to 1 category). You can shuffle within any category or with all discs, regardless of category. I find myself listening to my CDs far more often than when the discs were stored in a cabinet (outta sight is outta mind). Now I just press play and shuffle...

I am confident that Sony will release an ES line SACD mega-changer in a couple of years (since I am confident that the format will last, especially if the disc prices come down a bit). Since the Sony changers can be chained together, you should ultimately be able to control the regular CD changer through a future SACD changer. As such, if you need the space, you'll ultimately get the best of both worlds. If you can wait for SACD, this would be a good solution. If not, I would recommend the 222ES or the 555ES, but they only do 5 discs.