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Crutchfield no longer has the Sony SCD-C555ES on its web site. Is this the end? (1 Viewer)

KeithH

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I noticed this evening that Crutchfield no longer has the Sony SCD-C555ES SACD changer on its web site. Does anyone know for sure whether it has been discontinued? Crutchfield has been known to remove an item from its web site and bring it back upon restocking it at a later date. We'll see what happens. If this is the end of the line for the 'C555ES and you haven't gotten one yet, hunt one down!
 

Doug_B

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Hmmm, used units may be worth something if it is truly discontinued and no replacement of similar value (and cost)shows up soon.
 

KeithH

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Doug, could be. Perhaps my 'C555ES changers will turn out to be a good investment. :)
 

KeithH

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Doug, this is off-topic, but I was just looking at your home-theater pictures and noticed that your Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000 has the Ah! faceplate. That's pretty cool. I have noticed the Ah! faceplate in Upscale Audio ads in Stereophile. My Ah! has the Marantz faceplate, so it looks indistinguishable from the Marantz CD4000. I bought my Ah! in April 2001, shortly after it came out, and they hadn't changed the faceplate yet. Oh well.
 

Emil Stoica

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Keith,

I was one who bought one of the last ones from Crutchfield. Everyone else I tries (Oade, J&R, OneCall) was sold out and no comit to re-stock. If someone is looking for one, their best bet is probably Ebay.
 

Doug_B

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Keith,
My Ah! has the Marantz faceplate, so it looks indistinguishable from the Marantz CD4000.
I wasn't even aware that the unit began life with the Marantz faceplate. I would have figured a Marantz faceplate only with the first Ah!

I now return this thread to its original programming.

Doug
 

KeithH

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Emil,
Thanks for the info. I will have to stop telling people to go through the usual mail-order dealers to get the 'C555ES. :)
I really wonder what Sony is thinking. The 'CE775 was discontinued awhile back and nothing has replaced it. It looks as though the same thing will happen with the 'C555ES, and probably the 'C222ES as well. This is sad.
Doug,
I always thought it was odd that my Ah! had nothing on the front panel to denote that it was more than a stock Marantz CD4000. The older Ah Tjoeb '98 and '99 had no identifying marks on the front panel, though.
 

Lin Park

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Keith,
If what you have said actually happens, will Sony have any "music-only" SACD players on the market? How do they expect to push the software to a limited number of hardware owners? Surely Sony isn't going to leave all of the hardware profits to its competitors.
It's a good thing Lucas and Spielberg don't have any product in SACD because they'd never release it with so few players on the market. ;)
Lin
 

KeithH

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Lin, if the 'CE775, 'C222ES, and 'C555ES are discontinued, then the only non-DVD SACD player that would be available from Sony in the US would be the 'XA777ES, which retails for $3000. It is available through discount mail-order dealers for $2000 or perhaps even a little less.
 

David*RT

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I purchased another 555es last week from Oade.
If they're out right now, then I must truly consider myself lucky! :)
 

Lewis Besze

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David,you son of gun![Just kidding!]:)
I was just thinking to get this player for my future 2 ch only![:eek:] set up with Maggie speakers,but I guess this won't be an option now.I'm not too keen on E-bay.
 

KeithH

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David, that makes two of us. I have two stereo systems and a 'C555ES in each one. One is just not enough! :D
 

Joe Wong

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What are the risks in purchasing through Ebay? Non-authorized seller voiding the warranty?

Thanks,

Joe
 

Dzung Pham

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Yes, if you purchase from ebay you may have difficulties getting the warranty honored, as well as the potential for having to deal with a bad seller.
www.jandr.com appears to have stock but according to their website, they will only ship to a few nearby states. Try calling them to make sure. They typically have very good prices and are an authorized dealer (in this case, a good price is ~$600).
Like David, I recently bought mine from Oade Bros about three weeks ago. This was after someone else had said that Oade would no longer be getting anymore units.
 

David*RT

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With Ebay, always ask if the warranty is legitimate and will be honored. Often, many times it surprisingly is.
 

Joe Wong

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Hey guys,

I took the plunge and ordered a C555ES from JandR. $627 delivered.

Looking forward to some hi-rez recordings!

Joe
 
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Hey Guys, I just bought a 555ES from my local dealer (Speaker and Stereo Store) for $ 550.00. He got it from his distributor in ~ 2 weeks. Something interesting, though - the unit was made in June 2001, (per the Certification panel on the back). Makes you wonder if its been out of production and there is a lot of "new old stock" around. In any case, the thing sounds phenomemal on SACD (Kind of Blue), and pretty good on CD, (though not as good as my Pioneer DV-38a.) Best sax sound since RR's vinyl recordings.
Has anyone compared this thing to the Big Kahuna, (SCD-XA777ES) ? Harley stated that there was a big difference between the -777 and the C555, but they are about 99% common in the SACD chipset, so it is hard to imagine enough difference for my 47 year-old testosterone-soaked ears http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...lies/smile.gif to notice.
 

Emil Stoica

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Don,

I have both the XA-777ES and the 555ES. Frankly, there is a difference. The XA uses 6 dacs for stereo as opposed to 2 for the 555ES. If you listen in stereo, the XA is in a different league. For multi-channel, they are closer. However, the XA still wins. And it should due to the cost difference.

I look at them this way. When I want background noise or am feeling lazy, I use the 555es. When I am actually listening to music, the XA gets the nod.

For $600, the 555 is a very good unit. I doubt most people would be disappointed.
 

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