Sony 555ES Receives Class A Designation! (1 Viewer)

[Aaron H]

I can't comment on good guys, since we don't have them in Fl, but I would have to guess that they have some sort of return policy. We have Sound Advice here, which is owned by Tweeter, and they have a very nice 60 day satisfaction guarentee. I've returned stuff to them without any problem. Hopefully, goodguys has something similar for you. Worth checking on, at least.

Aaron

 

[KeithH]

Dave, unfortunately, single-disc SACD players are rare in the US. Of course, for around $2000, you can step up to the Sony 'XA777ES. It retails for $3000, but some authorized discount mail-order dealers sell it for around $2000. I still think that you should try to get your hands on the 'C555ES. As Aaron said, it is worthy seeing if any of your major ES dealers offer a satisfaction guarantee.

Another player you might consider is the Philips SACD-1000, which is a single-disc unit. It originally retailed for $2000, but it goes for $1000 these days. It is a DVD player, but some have commented on it favorably on Audio Asylum.

 

[WarrenCo]

Lee,

I am very happy with the Rel Stadium III. I am not familiar with your speakers, but I can tell you a little bit about me. My 10'T's go very low so for music I have the Rel crossed over at about 50 or 60 Hz I believe wired in with thier proprietary cable to the mains. For home theatre they are crossed over per the Pre at 80Hz. I set the level for music to be very suble. I don't like it to sound like there is obviously a sub on. Just enough so I can feel that little bit of bottom in the chest of a Bonzo Bass Drum. For the movies I have the Rel level matched through the pre with the other speakers.

I demoed the Aerial SW 12 in 2 different places as well as the Veldyne 12 and 15 inch subs, a macintosh and a couple of others. I found the Aerial couldn't handle things like U 571 and THe Haunting without "farting" while the Velodyne's were not very articulate on music to my ears. The Rel handled all the Home Theatre tests I threw at it perfectly and sounded articulate, deep and distinctive(I could hear different notes)with my music. Another big plus for the Rel is the ability to have seperate crossovers for music and movies as I discussed above. Bottom Line: I am extrmemely happy with my Rel Stadium III.

Dave,

J & R Music has a 30 day return policy.(you eat the shipping I believe). They are an authorized dealer for everything they sell and have great prices.

Good Luck

Warren

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Another big plus for the Rel is the ability to have seperate crossovers for music and movies as I discussed above. Bottom Line: I am extrmemely happy with my Rel Stadium III.

Thanks Warren. My dealer mentioned this as well. He is completely sold on the REL as his high end subwoofer of choice.

 

[Phil A]

Lee - I have 4 Rels in my main theater system, with 2 for stereo (one for rears, onr for center) and have set-up a couple of dozen of them, incl. with Maggies.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Not sure how old this page is but I just came accross it today. Its hard to believe looking at the 555ES that it use to retail for $1800. The face plate looks like cheap stuff from the 1980's.
Sony Super Audio CD Player
5 disc carousel design frame-and-plate chassis single lens with separate optical pickups for SACD and CD 24-bit variable-coefficient digital filter for CD SACD/CD Text display disc exchange dual R-core power transformers aluminum front panel analog outputs for SACD (5.1-channel) and CD; optical and coaxial digital outputs for CD remote control SACD frequency response 2-50,000 Hz 0.0015% THD 105+ dB dynamic range 17"W x 5-7/16"H x 17-3/8"D warranty: 5 years
sonyscd555esMSRP: $1,895.00Our Price: $1,199.95
Link Removed
Goodguys has the 30 day satisfaction guaranteed. I might be going down to Goodguys this weekend with my favorite cd's and my two sacd's and give the 555ES a listen. I am also trying to track down a dealer for Marnatz sacd. A dealer that acually has a marantz hooked up and not sitting in a box. Thanks for your help guys

 

[KeithH]

Dave said:

The face plate looks like cheap stuff from the 1980's.

Nice. Looks can be deceiving. There is nothing cheap about the looks or performance of the 'C555ES. It's high time you gave it an audition.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Hey Keith
I called up my local Goodguys and they have a 555ES in stock and they also have a unit hooked up. I think the only other thing is I might call them up to see if I can bring in my Denon DCD-1290. So I can compare the cd section of the 555ES to my 1290. Hopefully they will have layaway due to cash being alittle tight right now. But I will get a SACD, oh yes its true . I will let you know what happens with the audition of the 555ES.

 

[KeithH]

Dave, keep us informed. Hopefully they will allow you to bring your CD player for comparison.

 

[BenK]

Whats are the main differences between the C555ES and the C222ES?

 

[Dave Moritz]

Hello KeithH
I noticed on your site for your home theater you have the 555ES and the 777ES. In your opinion what is the major difference audio wise between the two? Is the 777 superior to the 555 or is there no or little difference? Just am wondering if the 777 would be a better choice? Any way will keep you up to date on what happens .

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Is the 777 superior to the 555 or is there no or little difference?

Stepping in for Keith, a boatload of difference. Better soundstaging, tonality, highs, midrange and bass.
The 555 is a great Super Audio player but the 777ES is built like a tank with a superior low-jitter transport and better circuit implementation.
Of course, it costs substantially more.

 

[KeithH]

Dave, Lee said it well. The 'C555ES is an excellent player for the money. At $600, you really have no right to expect a player of its quality in my opinion. However, the '777ES is in another league. The sound is more three-dimensional, open, layered, etc. Of course, the '777ES originally retailed for $3500 and cost me $1500 brand new. The 'C555ES originally retailed for $1700, and I bought one for $600 and one for $800. If it's within your budget, you might want to step up to a used '777ES or a new 'XA777ES.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Lee - I have 4 Rels in my main theater system, with 2 for stereo (one for rears, onr for center) and have set-up a couple of dozen of them, incl. with Maggies.

Four?!?! That's some righteous bass.

 

[Phil A]

Lee - that is my solution to bass management, full-range all the way around.

 

[Dave Moritz]

Thanks guys I will by checking out the 555ES this weekend but I may hold out for the 777ES. My goal is to get the best quality that I can. Bass management is not a big concern of mine, LOL. I guess I have the same solution that Phil does. I have a pair of Altec Lancing Voice Of The Theaters. So as far as 2 ch goes I say give'm all the base they can handle, lol. Will keep you updated.

 

[Rob Rodier]

FYI, all the high rez machines in the Recommended Components list were rated based on their sacd or dvd-a performance. Redbook was not taken into consideration.


-rob

 

[KeithH]

Rob, I saw that in the new issue of Stereophile the other day. That is certainly worth taking into account. The 'C555ES is an excellent CD player, but I would never expect it to compare to the far more expensive CD players that Stereophile has assigned a Class-A rating.

 

[Lin Park]

I really think they should create a hi-rez section because someone with a large CD collection might see this and misinterpret it as a Class A CD player. If they are going to take all sources into account then why don't they just group turntables/cartridges in with CD/SACD/DVD-A? After all isn't vinyl just another audio format?

Let's ignore SACD for a moment and base this on a $600 price, does anyone here think there is another CD player that can match this one?

Thanx,
Lin

 

[KeithH]

Lin, in my experience, the 'C555ES beats $600 CD players, though I haven't heard them all. The 'C555ES is a wonderfully dynamic and expressive player. Some $600 players might have a smoother treble presentation, but the 'C555ES is detailed. I like that in a player. While the 'C555ES is detailed, I don't consider it to be analytical, sterile, or harsh.

I have the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000, which in stock form, runs $579 through Upscale Audio. For another $60, I upgraded from the stock Philips 6922 tubes to Siemens 7308s. The Ah! is a very good player, but it is not in the same league as the 'C555ES. I find the mid-range to be a bit muddy with the Ah! relative to the 'C555ES. Also, the treble tends to be harsher with the Ah! The reason I have kept the Ah! is that I may try other tubes, plus I am interested in the forthcoming upsampling DAC board (24/192).