Sony ES 222 vs 555 vs wait? (1 Viewer)

[DanielK]

Hi,

I've been in the market for a new CD transport and have decided to try the sony ES SACD products. I was hoping to get some help in deciding whether to purchase the 222 vs the 555 (or wait for possible new products?). I unfortunately don't have the opportunity to audition either player, so any help would be greatly appreciated. The final cost of the player is not an overriding factor, but just want to get good bang for the buck and was wondering if I would notice a marked improvement btw the 2. Thanks in advance for your help - happy holidays.

 

[Chas_T]

IMHO.. I would prefer the 555ES over the 222ES. After much research and listening to the 2 resident experts on this subject, Keith and Lee, I decided to purchase the player 4 months ago. I am so very happy that I did. It's a fine piece of equipment.

Your next question is should I wait?

Well, I am not aware of Sony's next generation of players. With that in mind being the person I am, I'd purchase the 555ES now. I am not sure if they are still available as they seem to be in short supply. The other posters can direct you where to purchase if you buy one. Probably Keith and Lee will also chime in here with their thoughts.

Much Luck,
Charles

 

[KeithH]

Daniel, a similar thread is running on this board at present, and I shared some thoughts regarding the lack of new SACD players from Sony. Perhaps that thread will prove useful to you.

As for the 'C222ES versus the 'C555ES, get the latter if you can. The 'C555ES is the better player in every respect. CD and SACD sound quality and build quality are noticeably better on the 'C555ES. The word is that the 'C555ES has been discontinued, so you may have to work hard to track one down. You may have a better chance of finding one through a brick-and-mortar dealer than through discount mail-order dealers.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

As a recent purchaser of a 555ES, I would highly recommend the player if you are looking for good redbook CD performance. It's an outstanding player for the price. Also, as Keith mentioned, these models are getting more difficult to find, so waiting is not an option if you want either the 555ES or 222ES. Sony has not announced any SACD/CD player replacements, which was the final determining factor for my purchase. I was concerned that they would only be offering SACD support in DVD players in the future, and I really wanted a better carousel CD player.

 

[KeithH]

Scott made a good point in a subtle way. There really are few quality CD changers out there today. The changers by Arcam, Rotel, Anthem, and Cal Audio are no longer made. If you are looking for a CD changer today, the 'C222ES and 'C555ES are at the top of heap. They are excellent CD players at their respective price points (they are bargains), and SACD is a bonus. When I bought my first 'C555ES, I was looking for a very good CD changer first. I already had a stereo SACD player, and multi-channel SACD playback offered by the 'C555ES was a secondary consideration. The 'C555ES was definitely the right choice. Suffice it to say, me so happy.

 

[DanielK]

Hi,

Thanks for the responses. The 555ES sounds like the ticket - is $600 shipped a good deal on the 555ES? Difficult for me to assess prices since the 555ES is difficult to find.

 

[KeithH]

Daniel, no problem. The discount mail-order dealers have been selling the 'C555ES in the neighborhood of $600 since the spring. I got my second 'C555ES for $600 back in April. If you can still locate a new 'C555ES for $600 by mail, grab it. It seems as though the mail-order dealers are quickly running out of inventory on this one. Note that the current retail price is $800, and that is likely what you would have to pay through a brick-and-mortar dealer.

 

[Daryl Furkalo]

That is good price for the 555ES. I bought mine about 4 months ago and am very happy that I did.