Preparing to Pull Trigger on 555ES (1 Viewer)

[Scott Merryfield]

Todd, I purchased a 555ES a few weeks ago, and my main reason was for improved redbook performance in a carousel player format. I considered the SACD support an added bonus. For $600, this is an excellent CD changer and was a noticable improvement over my 8-year old entry level Sony carousel player (even using my receiver's DAC's with the old Sony).
Have you tried www.onecall.com to see if they have the 555ES in stock? Their website price is $800, but they will sell it to you for just under $600 shipped if you call them direct.

 

[KeithH]

Rich, glad to hear that you are happy with the 'C555ES thus far. What SACDs are next on your wantlist?
You said:

given that there are no announcements for new SACD/CD-only models of this quality at this price and given that the C555ES stock seemed to be drying up everywhere, I was finally compelled to pry open my wallet.

Not only that, but Sony hasn't even announced a replacement for the 'CE775. :frowning:

 

[Tom Grooms]

OMG, KeithH, How many CD/SACD players do you own? I saw a 777es, 555es, a PD-65, an Ah! Njoe Tjoeb and a few other multi disc players.

How do you like the 555es next to the 777es and the pd-65 in redbook playback?

 

[KeithH]

Tom, I have a nice-sized family of CD and SACD players. I have the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000, Sony 'C555ES, and Sony '777ES (not 'XA777ES) in my main system and the PD-65, Sony 'C333ES, and Sony 'C555ES in my second system. In my experience in the main system, the '777ES comes first, followed by the 'C555ES, and then the Ah!. In the second system, which is not as revealing as the main one, the results are closer. I feel the 'C555ES is best, but the 'C333ES and PD-65 come close. At present, I am not using the Ah! player too much since it is a couple of notches below the Sony players in that system, but I am holding onto it since I am interested in trying the upsampler upgrade that Upscale Audio is now selling.

 

[Rich Malloy]

Rich, glad to hear that you are happy with the 'C555ES thus far. What SACDs are next on your wantlist?

I have more than just the Miles and Krall, but only had a chance to listen to the two of those last night. In addition, I've got four Stones SACDs (Beggar's, Bleed, Ya-Ya's, Aftermath UK), McCoy Tyner's NY REUNION, Bill Evans' WALTZ FOR DEBBY, and the C555ES came with the Midori/Mozart and the Gaudeamus SACRED FEAST discs.

My to-buy list:
Blonde on Blonde
Jazz at the Pawnshop
River of Sorrow
New Favorite
Sunday at the Village Vanguard
Saxophone Collosus
Mahler's 6th
Headhunters
Mingus Ah Um
Time Out
In a Silent Way, Round About Midnight, Miles Smiles, etc.
Rach's 3rd

And I'm looking forward to the releases of:
A Love Supreme
Hot Buttered Soul
Sea Change
New Moon Daughter
When I Look In Your Eyes
Come Away With Me
Gaucho

Actually, I have many more on the list, but these are my most anticipated. While I'm not yet overwhelmed by the SACD selection, I'm not close to having all the titles that I currently want.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Rich,

A quick question about setup: should I start with the notion that each channel should be set to output at the same SPL level, as with DVD calibration? Or is there a decided preference among listeners for de-emphasizing the center channel in favor of the two mains? Or was I reading reviews where folks had unmatching center speakers, and thus de-emphasis of same was simply due to a lack of optimal equipment? Finally, while I don't find the 120Hz crossover to be grossly sub-optimal (I have center and surrounds crossed-over), how many of you have the Outlaw ICBM and how much of an improvement did you achieve with it?

I recommend calibrating the levels the same as you would with DVD. You'll have to fine-tune by ear to get it just right. I used to use an ICBM. I gave up with all the cables and extra connections and just got full-range speakers all around instead. Muuuch better!

I don't think the C555ES is discountinued yet. Sony has no replacement for it, and may not for a long while. Go ahead and pick one up! I got mine when they retailed for $1700 and loved it. I now use the XA777ES. If you can take the jump for the better model, do it. It really reveals some of the C555ES shortcomings, including the lack of clarity and detail in the midrange. Not that the C555 is any slouch. I love its smooth sound especially on redbooks. I would've never been the wiser to its' shortcomings until I auditioned other players to it head-to-head.

 

[KeithH]

Rich, you have some great titles on the wantlist. I see jazz is your bag. I have the Dylan, Mingus, Brubeck, and Miles titles you listed. They are all winners. I too am looking forward to the Coltrane, Krall, and Steely Dan SACDs coming out. It's too bad that we won't be getting the Deluxe Edition of A Love Supreme on SACD.

 

[Rich Malloy]

I do love the jazz, but I actually think that SACD releases are fairly well-rounded. I don't mind the general emphasis on jazz and classical, as it seems those recordings would benefit most from SACD and are also the ones that I extend most of my critical listening towards. But, truth is, while I have approx. 12 "jazz" titles on the list (which would include non-traditional stuff like the Krall, Wilson, and Jones, as well as fusion stuff like some of the Miles discs, Hancock and Brubeck), there's also a variety of classical titles, the array of Stones discs, as well as Dylan, Steely Dan, Beck, the epic soul excursions of Isaac Hayes, not to mention the Chinese traditional instruments music.
I'm not only impressed by the general range of titles on SACD, but the specific selection of titles has been very good. We have practically an honors list of the greatest jazz records plus the best of the contemporary crossover fare. For pop/rock, "Gaucho"'s a no-brainer, but the choices of "Hot Buttered Soul" and "Sea Change" strike me as inspired - very exciting!
I do think we could use some more Dylan, and I'd love to hear SACDs of "Blood on the Tracks" or "Desire" (or even "Biograph"), as well as a multichannel/2-ch release of "Love and Theft".

 

[Todd Schnell]

I want to thank all you guys for your thought.
I also did a search here & read most of the info that came up on the 555ES.
I'm in a bit of a rush, but wanted to let you all know I went for it.
After striking out with internet dealers, all out of stock,
& even some confusion on whether or not they will get any more in (Once Call even took the unit off of its web site).
I decided to check out my local B&M dealer.
This is a local mid to upper line AV dealer where I made several good size purchases in the past.
They had one 555ES in stock, & I manage to talk them down from the $800 retail to $650.
I could not get them to go any lower than $650 no matter how much I tried.
Not bad.
I didn't want to take a chance on missing out on this player, & I wanted it now!
I got it home, & did a quick set-up.
I put in the new Symphony X / The Odyssey, & Dakrua / Shifting Realities (I'll be surprised if anyone heard of these) cd to do a red-book check, & wow I immediately noticed a big improvement over my Sony CX-220 200 disc jukebox.
Much cleaner sound no question.
This unit does seem a bit forward, but not harsh, & from what I read after break in should smooth out some.
The increase in detail is very favorable compared to the CX-220 I have been using for the last 5 or so years.
The build quality lives up to the hype.
About 25 lbs wow!
Excellent!
My dealer gave me a 6 track promotional SACD of "The Rolling Stones Remastered Series".
I believe this one is a stereo SACD.
Not hybrid, or multi-channel.
I also had a couple of titles included in the box "Sacred Feast" (hybrid multi-channel), & a "Sony Music Sampler" SACD which I believe is stereo, not multi-channel.
Haven't tried these yet.
Of course I have much listening to do, but I have a big smile on my face right now.
I will try out the SACDs later.
I am wondering if there is a full list of SACD titles on the net somewhere?
Maybe I could find a few titles that interest me.
Thanks again guys, I really appreciate your help here.
I will have some more thoughts later.
Todd

 

[KeithH]

Todd, congrats. on the pick-up! Nice job in getting the discount from a brick-and-mortar dealer. No question the 'C555ES will beat up the 'CX220 jukebox. I have two Sony CDP-CX333ES jukeboxes daisy-chained in the same system as the 'C555ES, and the 'C555ES is decidedly better.
For a list of available SACDs, check out www.highfidelityreview.com . Note that the following mail-order dealers have an excellent selection of SACDs, which will give you an idea of what is available:
www.elusivedisc.com
www.acousticsounds.com
www.amusicdirect.com
You have me intrigued by the Stones promo sampler you got. If it only has six tracks, then it is not the highly sought after one that was made available to music dealers and others in the industry before the release of the Stones hybrid discs. The promo dfsc I am referring to is a hybrid that has around 20 tracks on it. Could you list the six tracks on your Stones disc? I assume it is packaged in a cardboard Digipak. The other promo disc and all the hybrids in the stores are in Digipaks.
Best Buy stores in my area have been advertising an offer for a free Stones promo SACD with the purchase of a Sony DVP-NS755V DVD/SACD player. I was told at one store that the disc would be included in the box with the player. I had been thinking that this might be the original promo disc that I referred to, but now you have me thinking that it is probably the same six-track promo disc you received with your 'C555ES. The Best Buy stores around me have not yet received the 'NS755V, so I don't know what Stones disc is being included.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Lin,
The 555ES has wonderful sound quality.
The only thing that may be worth a look is the new Philips 963 player which is about to street and I believe it also has upsampling.
You cannot go wrong either way. Nice system by the way.
Go for the SP16, Audio Research is my favorite electronics company and its a great piece of gear (I would get the black faceplate though).

 

[KeithH]

Lee, I'm not sure that the '963SA is "about to street". Last I had heard, it would not be out until early 2003. I have heard no specific release date, or even a month, for that matter.

 

[Todd Schnell]

Keith thanks!
I will check those links out for sure.
I listened to the Stones for about 30 seconds before I had to run out.
It appears to be stereo SACD only.
I could not force it into multi-channel.
The packaging is just a cardboard gate-fold sleeve... it has no hub.
If it would help I could scan it for you.
If anyone wants to host the pix let me know.
Or, I could e-mail the scans to you if you want.
ABKCO's the Rolling Stones is on the cover.
Track listing:
Jumping Jack Flash (live)
Brown Sugar
She's A Rainbow
It's All Over Now
Honky Tonk Woman
Salt Of The Earth
Lee from everything I have read, the Philips 963 looks nice on paper, & the reviews seem positive.
However as Keith mentioned, all reports say this unit is at least a few months away from a US release.
I do have one eye this player.
Todd

 

[KeithH]

Todd, no problem. Thanks for the information on the Stones promo. You don't have to scan it, but thanks for the offer. Thanks also for posting the track list. It would not be a multi-channel SACD. Note that the 22 Stones hybrid discs in the stores only offer stereo SACD playback.

I too have an eye on the '963SA. Hopefully this player will deliver. J&R Music World is taking pre-orders on it for just $400.

 

[Lewis Besze]

For the Sony DVPNS999ES, time delay is performed in DSD by Sony's CXD9722 chipset. The following is from Sony literature for the DVPNS999ES:

I guess I overlooked this, you correcting yourself here,however the 999ES is much newer player,then the topic header 555ES so,I wonder if that player is equiped with that chip set.
Nevertheless Sony is heading to the right direction with that chip.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Lewis,
Yep, I think it was getting late and I was confusing myself about the DA converter doing DSP stuff..... Anyways, I think I've either confused people or hopefully clarified things regarding these players.

however the 999ES is much newer player,then the topic header 555ES so,I wonder if that player is equiped with that chip set.

Well the chip that does the time alignment is definitely not on the C555ES, but for certain the BM is handled by a DSD-based chip. Even though the 999ES is newer, that's not to say it's always better as far as audio goes. I'll be keeping my XA777ES for quite a while.

 

[KeithH]

O.K., so where are we on the bass management issue with Sony players? Do players before the 'NS999ES do bass management in the DSD domain or via a PCM conversion? What are my 'C555ES changers doing?

 

[BeatCrazy]

Keith,

No DSD-PCM conversion for BM in any Sony players. If you have your C555ES manual handy, can you crack it open to verify Sony's verbiage for me?

 

[KeithH]

Sam, thanks. I don't have the 'C555ES manual handy right now, but I'll check later today. I've perused the manual before, but never very closely. Basically, I used just to set up a few parameters on my first player. Anyway, it surprises me that they get into such detail.

 

[Lin Park]

Would those of you who recently landed one of these mind posting the manufactured date of the unit? I just want to know what to expect in case someone is trying to slip me a used/refurbished unit that is being passed off as new.

Thanx,
Lin