Sony C555ES Hot Rod Impressions & Review: The Director’s Cut

[markl]

Sony C555ES Hot Rod Impressions & Review: The Director’s Cut
Believe it or not, the following behemoth is actually a pared down version of the extremely long, multiple-post Impressions/Review thread I generated in the process of getting to know my 555ES Hot Rod. Here it is in a (slightly) more digestible and coherent form, with about 50% less “fat”. If you've read the old thread in its entirety, there's not much new here.

Still, it’s worth noting again that I wouldn’t have expended so many syllables if I wasn’t really impressed by this modified player. Months later, I can report I am still getting a nice “buzz” or “contact high” from it every time I fire it up! Since the first appearance of this review, a growing number of Head-Fiers have acquired their own 555ES Hot Rods, and are very pleased with their purchases. The Hot Rod has also been well-received at a number of recent Head-Fi meets as well.

PLEASE NOTE: I never had the chance to hear the stock 555ES, I had it sent directly to sacdmods. This Review refers exclusively to the sound of the mod-ed unit.



Links
sacdmods web site: http://www.sacdmods.com/

LCAudio: http://www.lcaudio.com/

Original Hot Rod review thread: http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...hlight=hot+rod

Pricing
Original list price on the 555ES was $1600 back at the tail end of 2001 when it first came out. As of this writing, the stock Sony 555ES can generally be found for ~$500-$700.

Sacdmods.com mod package for 555ES: $600.

(Given the cost of the parts used in the mod, plus all the work/labor involved in their installation, it should be noted that Matthew Anker's rates are very reasonable indeed, even when compared to other mod-ers out there.)

Total cost of player plus mods: ~$1100-$1400.

My System
Sony 555ES Hot Rod--->Virtual Dynamics Reference ICs--->Ray Samuels Emmeline HR-2 headphone amp--->Sony MDR-R10 headphones.

My Music Preferences
"Rock"/”Pop”-- some alternative rock, some classic rock, some punk, some hard rock, some electronic, some 60s soul, some 70s funk, some singer-songwriters, some folk, some blues, and some country. Expanding into jazz and classical.

My Digital Source History
So here are my reference points for this review:

1. Sharp CDP circa 1987. Roughly $250. My first foray into digital.

2. Phillips carousel player, circa 1993. This was roughly $500, and quite good for its time.

3. CAL Audio CL-10 5-disc CD changer, roughly $1600 circa 1996. Pretty good and a big step up from the Phillips, but a bit of a let-down for me given the price.

4. MSB Link DAC plus Monarchy Audio DIP jitter buster circa 1998. These were early versions of these now venerable products. The Monarchy Audio DIP ($249) is essentially a re-clocking device that takes the digital signal from your CDP and removes the jitter to improve fidelity of the digital data that is being handed off to your outboard DAC. The MSB Link DAC was a highly-rated $500 DAC. In the end, I only preferred this combo marginally over the CAL CL-10 by itself. Another digital disappointment.

5. Panasonic DVD player circa 1999. Roughly $400. Purchased this strictly for movie-watching but discovered it was almost as good on CDs as the CAL. Wha???

6. Denon DVM-3700 5-disc DVD player. $1000 circa 2000. Wow, this DVD player sounds even better on CDs than the more expensive CAL Audio, how can that be? The CAL is dedicated to CD-only, and the cheaper Denon has all that other video crap in it? Did some research on the net and discovered that DAC quality has accelerated by leaps and bounds over the last few years essentially to accommodate the rise of DVD, and that most DVD players just flat out have better specs than older CDPs. I later tried the Denon 4800 DVD-Audio changer (the replacement for the superior 3700) and was absolutely blown away by DVD-Audio. The player had too many quirks, though, not ready for prime time.

7. Sony SCD-C333ES, circa 2001. $1200 list price. Wow, SACD is just as amazing as DVD-Audio. But Redbook is a little uninvolving and muffled. Sent it to Modwright to have the caps and resistors in the analog section upgraded, mods to the power supply performed, and ultimately Bybee filters added at the AC mains, to the tune of around $500 as I recall. Overall, I thought this was a great changer for the money, I only paid $400 for the actual unit itself, it was deeply discounted by then. The mods were a nice incremental improvement over stock.

7. Kenwood Sovereign DV-5700 DVD-Audio changer, circa 2002, roughly $1100. Great on DVD-A discs and surprisingly good on CDs. So good in fact, I decided to sell my mod-ed 333ES and use the Kenwood as my source until I had saved enough money to buy a killer SACDP.

8. Denon AVR-5800 receiver, Denon's top of the line "statement" piece circa 2001. $3800 list. The digital section in this unit is first rate, besting the Modwright mod-ed 333ES and the Kenwood, but really not by much, the difference is subtle.

So, those are the components I'm comparing the 555ES against.

To Mod or Not to Mod, That Is the Question
It is important to note that modifying your player VOIDS YOUR WARRANTEE. The Sony ES players have a big fat 5 year warrantee, but word is that if they need servicing, lead-times are insane and repair work is often said to be shoddy through Sony's USA network. Nevertheless, this is not a small consideration. So, CAUTION is advised! Most modifiers warrant their work (not the player itself) for a small length of time, usually around one year.

Modifying audio equipment with better parts is nothing new, and has been done since the dawn of the audio hobby to all manner of equipment. There is currently a surge in the numbers of people modifying SACDPs, who offer improved performance out of all this amazing technology, bringing today's SACDPs much closer to their theoretical limits.

There are many different kinds of mods available out there for the Sony SACDPs, and a growing number of installers. Most of these mods (such as Richard Kern's, and Modwright's) consist of tweaking the existing circuits with better parts (chiefly new caps and resistors). This results in incremental improvements over stock CDP without radically altering performance or sound quality. However, there are more extensive mods now out there for the truly adventurous, which consist of altering or replacing large portions of the player's guts with better quality, more streamlined circuits.

Matthew Anker is the proprietor/modifier behind sacdmods.com. Though not the most radical mods on the block, his tweaks are more extensive than most; this is fairly major surgery and will yield a player very different from the stock unit. In all my dealings with him, he was friendly, eager to answer questions, and prompt in replies. His turn-around time at the time I got my mods done was outstanding—he had my player for less than a week, which included burn-in time to verify the performance of his work. Opening up the modified unit (turning it OFF first, of course ), I was pleased with the quality of his workmanship, everything was clean and sturdy, very neat and tidy. The additional boards that are added for the LC Audio X02, the Zap Filter, and the Zap Filter's power supply are very nicely mounted, very sturdily set in place. The soldering on the new wires also looks very clean. Well, at least it passes this layman's test FWIW!

sacdmods 555ES Mod Package
Matthew Anker does not actually create the mods he installs, rather he installs the audio boards designed and built by LCAudio, a Scandinavian company that makes a wide variety of mods for CD players, though he does provide a few extra tweaks of his own.

The LCAudio mods completely replace the analog section of the 555ES with a higher-quality, completely discrete op-amp free output section. This mod is called the "ZapFilter", and it effects only the two main channels of the multi-channel 555ES (the other 4 channels still function but are output through the Sony's normal output board). The Zap Filter becomes the analog section for the two main channels, and by-passes four op-amps per channel that are part of the original Sony analog section. The use of a discrete output is said to result in lower noise floor, more detail, much improved dynamics and reduces hash and grit caused by the op-amps. The Zap Filter also is said to result in increased gain for the outputs as well. The Zap Filter comes with its own dedicated power supply, which makes use of the wiring originally attached to the 555ES’s headphone jack. This means that Matthew’s mods disable the headphone jack on your 555ES, but based on what I’ve read, this is no great loss. Besides, if you purchase a 555ES Hot Rod, chances are you have a dedicated headphone amp anyway.

Here is a picture of the Zap Filter:


Here is a picture of the Zap Filter's separate power supply:


Next, Mr. Anker installs the LC Audio XO2 replacement clock (now upgraded to the XO3). Replacing the clock is generally considered by folks at audioasylum and by the mod-ers themselves to be the biggest bang-for-the-buck mod there is. Adding a better clock is said to reduce jitter, resulting in a smoother more analog sound, greater detail retrieval, superior soundstaging, and perhaps most surprisingly, better defined bass response.

Here is a picture of the LC Audio XO2 (this is actually the new XO3):


The remaining mods are Anker's own home brew. He replaces all internal wiring that is in the signal path with high quality wire from Audio Consulting and Vampire Wire. For the power supply he adds Harris/Fairchild HEXFRED Diodes, these soft recovery diodes provide clean power to enhance DAC performance. Finally, he also adds an IEC receptacle so you can add after-market power cords (yay!!!!), and replaces stock RCAs with fancy Cardas Silver/Rhodiums (which are just plain SWEET, big beefy and sturdy as hell):


Here's a peek inside the unit so you can see how the upgrades fit in the chassis:


”Hey--Changers Aren’t Audiophile Devices!”
It seems to be "conventional wisdon" that single disc players have superior transports and are preferable for audiophiles, and sadly that's why there have been so few attempts at producing audiophile-grade changers.

I disagree with those who say that all 5-disc changers are automatically "poor transports" compared to single-disc machines. IMO, the only difference between single-disc and 5-disc changers is the platter mechanism, not the "transport" itself. Both 5-disc changers and single-disc units have a platter that loads the disc onto the spindle to be read by a laser. To me, it makes no difference if the platter holds 5 discs or one, it simply isn't involved in what we consider the "transport" beyond holding and loading the disc.

Furthermore the $1600 list Sony 555ES uses the exact same laser mechanism and pickup devices as the $3500 single-disc Sony XA777ES. Thus, if the 555ES has a “poor quality” transport, so does the much more expensive XA777ES!

And who knows, after you've discovered the joy of loading up 5 discs and letting 'em rip, you may wonder how you managed all this time without a changer! Got a CD with only a few good songs on it? Listen to 'em and then painlessly skip to the next disc from the comfort of your chair! Do you like to work while you listen to your cans? You can get over 5 hours of continuous music with a changer, plus it can be a great juke-box, randomly playing back different tracks from the 5 different CDs.

Who Should Consider the 555ES Hot Rod?
I am very familiar with players in the $1000-$1600 range, and the 555ES Hot Rod is far, far ahead of them in terms of sonic performance. At $1200 total cost ($600 for the player, $600 for the mods), I feel the 555ES Hot Rod is a real bargain.

The 555ES Hot-Rod is so amazingly good on CDs, the fact that it also plays SACDs is just an incidental, but well-appreciated bonus. There are a lot of single-disc CDPs available in the $2000-$4000 range, and I have no doubt that it's possible to find a $1200 machine on the used market that could equal the 555ES Hot Rod on Redbook, but I think it would take several auditions and lots of frustration to find it.

So if you are not one to turn up your nose at a 5-disc changer, and you are looking for a CDP in the $1200-$2000 range, this one really deserves your attention and careful consideration.

Build, Operation, Functionality, Ergonomics, Quirks
Like its older brother, the 333ES, the Hot Rod is simply a joy to use, and there aren't many components I can say that about, let alone one as complicated as the 555ES. It looks and feels just like the C333ES; that is to say, absolutely AWESOME for a changer. As previously noted, this sexy beast is probably the best built changer ever made. Yes, there are a million and one single-disc players that are far more impressive in build quality than the 555ES, but no changers. Enough said.

The changer mechanism itself is very quiet and just glides along without an alarmingly loud "thunk-thunk" sound.

The display is bright but not overwhelming, and information is easy enough to see from across the room. The player will display the text provided on some CDs (typically from Sony Music), showing the album name, plus individual song names which scroll across the screen as they begin to play. A green light comes on to alert you when a SACD is playing.

The heavily-built remote is simple and logical, and the player responds instantly to its commands. Also, the remote seems to be very powerful, you don't even have to be pointing it in the direction of the player for it to function. Only quibble is the inability to switch the unit on and off with the remote, this must be done manually.

Since owning the 555ES Hot Rod, we’ve had a few black-outs where I live, causing the player to cut out during use. Both times, the player fired up just fine after power was restored with no glitches.

One thing I’ve noted with the Hot Rod, is that it really does run pretty HOT! The rear right of the unit where the outputs are and where the analog section is located does get noticeably warm to the touch, to a point where it’s on the border of being a little disturbing. In the cold winter this is no big deal, but in the hot summer it’s a bit of a concern. I am told the stock 555ES also runs a little warm, so I have learned to live with this now and pay it no mind.

As part of the mod, a muting circuit of some kind is removed to increase the purity of the signal path. The upshot is that when a disc changes, there is a little "zap-zap" sound that comes through your headphones, not at a level that would cause concern. This is "normal" for Anker's mods, so don’t be alarmed!

Overall, fantastsic build and excellent ergonomics.

What About Up-Sampling?
Although the 555ES has 24-bit DACs inside, there is no definitive answer I have found to the question of whether or not it "upsamples" old Redbook CDs. (EDIT: it appears this player has 24-bit *over-sampling* as opposed to upsampling. There is a difference, but others more technically inclined will have to elaborate.)

That said, the question to ask is not, IMO, "does this player have upsampling", but "how does this player actually sound on CDs"? On that score, the 555ES is hard to fault. It may not have a light that comes on to tell you it's upsampling, but who cares when Redbook CDs sound this amazing? Sure you can now even find a $400 machine that upsamples, if that's your criteria, go for it, it will support that check-box. But the ability to upsample doesn't mean much if CDs still don't reach even half their sonic potential, due to the fact that everything else in the player is sub-standard. In the end, upsamling to 24 bits is a nice to have item, but it's no guarantee of good sound.

Sony SCD-C555ES Hot Rod Impressions Day 1
OK, how's it sound after one day and 7 CDs? Well, I've got a big ol’ grin on my face. So far so good! This is one POWERFUL, BIG, and DEEP sound. Tight, full bass very punchy and rythmic, has me rockin'. .

Despite all those other players I’ve owned, this I feel is really my first up-close and personal experience with a QUALITY source. The 555ES is doing lots of things I've never heard before, and it will take time to nail down exactly what they are, I'm in new territory here without a map.

Anyway, so far I'd say the sacdmods.com mod-ed 555ES is giving me much more of an initial contact high than did the Modwright mod-ed 333ES. Of course, the Modwright mods aren’t nearly as comprehensive as those offered by Matthew Anker, so this is not much of a surprise. I am at a little disadvantage in that I never got to hear the stock 555ES, but it's possible that with its superior DAC chipset, a stock 555ES sounds better than a Level 1 mod-ed 333ES. Still, I feel Anker's mods have really taken the 555ES up into a class of players I've only just briefly tasted before.

Sony SCD-C555ES Hot Rod Impressions Day 2
After a day and a half of constant listening (it was a late one last night), I have now had the chance to hear around 15 CDs and 8 SACDs. The following observations constitute rather broad descriptions of the things that most leapt out at me, and what I think most other people are likely to notice straight away.

The 555ES Hot Rod has an almost "cinematic" majestic widescreen quality. It really puts on a show that's best enjoyed with eyes closed. It's truly holographic and 3D in imaging, almost hallucinogenic in effect with the right material. It almost makes me feel like I do when I'm listening to multi-channel music through my Home Theater rig in terms of total immersion and being surrounded by sound.

Perhaps the most remarkable and obvious revelation provided by the 555ES Hot Rod is in the dynamics and bass departments. Bass slam, depth, and articulation are almost shocking. Drums attack like lightning and boom like thunder, and bass notes throb and resonate, but this is not a "one-note bass" trick or mirage, it's amazingly articulate.

Tone and timbre are surprisingly natural for a digital source, the 555ES Hot Rod is capable of making amazing distinctions between instruments and voices, like it's painting from a more complete tonal palette than what I'm used to. In addition to shockingly ferocious brute force, this player is also all about the nuances. The Hot Rod brings out much more musical information; I am becoming aware of a host of subtle harmonics, over and undertones that I had never noticed before, even on very familiar recordings. Everything is blooming all over, very saturated and tonally rich. Totally musical.

This source has virtually zero distortion and an almost non-existent noise floor. It's ability to portray the difference between quiet and loud is astonishing to me. I'm amazed every time I hear a song start to fade out-- it's incredible to witness how the sound just disappears into a total blackness. I can actually feel the sound pressure on my ears diminishing as it slowly fades away into nothingness, leaving me a smiling puddle of mush in its wake. It's almost like the distance between loud and soft got multiplied by a factor of 10! Who knew there was so much SOUND on the humble Redbook CD? Who knew CD sound could have so much "presence" and "palpability"? Not me.

Soundstage depth is positively cavernous. Sound extends forever on the horizon before you, and yet still envelops you completely. Sound effects that are supposed to originate far afield in the soundstage and swoop in closer to you will have you dodging and weaving to get out of their way, it’s spookily real. The 555ES Hot Rod is the best I've ever heard in terms of sheer ability to portray SPACE.

The distance between Redbook CD playback and SACD (in my very limited sample of 8 SACDs I've listened to so far) is appallingly small. Listening to SACDs is almost a bit of a let-down given that the 555ES Hot Rod had dazzled me so much with its ability to play back CDs. Maybe my expectations were too high, my SACDs were not up to the task, or I just haven't learned yet how to more clearly hear the major differences between the formats on a player this good. In any case, the usual obvious step up from Redbook to SACD or from Redbook to DVD-A wasn't quite there in as much force as with the other hi-rez players I've owned, although the difference is certainly apparent on the 555ES.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's the LCAudio X02 jitter-busting clock that contributes to the Hot Rod's positively liquid and flowing sound, total resolution, very "pure", open and clean presentation, along with the amazing dexterity and quickness of attack. I'd guess that the Zap Filter and Zap Filter power supply contributes to the player's exciting and ALIVE sound, and punchy, deep, slamming bass.

I can only expect further improvements over the weeks to come with further burn-in, but I can't imagine where those would be.

Sony 555ES Hot Rod Review
After several weeks living with the 555ES and thoroughly breaking it in, here is my formal review of the 555ES Hot Rod.

Revelations
All the best audio components its been my pleasure to own have expanded my consciousness in some way with regard to sound reproduction; they do things I've never heard before or didn't even know could be done. The 555ES definitely schooled me on a number of areas, but there were a few key "ah-hah" moments for me that I'd like share:

1. The real difference between Redbook CD and SACD (*as it is presented today here in its infancy*) is actually quite subtle. My view on the real purpose and value of the new formats has been altered by my experience with the 555ES Hot Rod.

So far, besides the 555ES Hot Rod, I have sampled in depth a total of three other hi-rez machines, and on all those machines, the leap between CD and SACD/DVD-A was immediately obvious. I got all hot and bothered over the new formats, as they were so obviously superior to their Redbook counterparts. (BTW: I'm still plenty keen on them) I thought at last, here were formats that brought digital up to a listenable level, a delightful level, able to involve and immerse the listener in a way that CD just could not.

Now, my feeling about the new formats, as they exist today, is that they are not *necessarily* just for audiophiles. On the contrary, I think the chief relevance of the new formats is the ability bring outstanding sound quality to the masses in low-cost machines. My revelation is that as you step up the line into the real "high-end" of CDPs (above $3K to me), you can get sound out of Redbook CDs that meets or even exceeds that given by today's $1000 hi-rez machines playing a new-format disc. I thought I had a pretty decent sense of what the Redbook CD could or couldn't do with my $1000-$1600 players of the past. Yes, I was certain you could get marginal gains all-around from a $4000 player, but I felt that in the end, a CD would still sound like a CD, granted a very well-played CD, but still so limited. But I was wrong. Good old 16-bit CDs have an awful lot more sound crammed onto their shiny surfaces than I would have thought.

So all this time, my enemy was not the CD so much, but my CDP! When played back properly, a CD really does have the ability to AWE I had only gotten from SACDs/DVD-As before. In the end, I think the new formats benefit the music-lover on a budget even more than the obsessed audiophile. Who'd a thunk?

However, given how badly early CDs and early CDPs sounded, it may be many years before we have hi-rez players that can fully extract all there is to be had out of the new formats at real world prices. I suspect that in 7-10 years time with advancements in recording, DACs and mastering equipment, we'll have SACDs/DVD-As that again sound light years better than the best 16-bit CDs ever could.

2. The 555ES left me with a paradox-- how could it be so dynamic, so fast, so clear, forward and open yet be so utterly non-fatiguing? I kept wondering if the player was somehow "dark" or had a rolled-off top end, but it just didn't sound that way to me. On the contrary, the treble seems to extend forever effortlessly; it's immaculately clean, and totally open sounding.

I decided that the real trouble with some components is not "too much" treble, but rather "not enough". When there is a ceiling on what the component can put out cleanly, and it gets fed a signal that extends beyond its abilities, or arrives with too much force, you get distortion. It's this sonic break-up, this inability to replicate the incoming signal that causes some components to come across as "bright" and "fatiguing". Akin to "one-note bass" you can also get a sort of "one note treble" that tends to distort because it's just not up to the task of reproducing it accurately. This situation creates fatigue, as the treble keeps calling attention to itself in its struggle to perform. So, my revelation is that rather than simple over-emphasis on treble frequencies, it's actually lack of true treble extension, articulation and control that results in what we may sometimes mistake for "brightness".

3. Dynamics, bass slam, bass depth, impact and "punch", are not things created exclusively by your headphone amplifier. Those basic pieces of information truly originate at the source. The whole source ball-game is not necessarily just a matter of finding the cleanest, most pure sound for hand-off to the amp. It should not be left to the amplifier to "create" the dynamics. A source is capable of outputting an entirely different kind of information besides just frequency, tone and timbre. It also gives the amp a stream of information about dynamics, heft, slam, energy release, power, force, attack, call it what you want. Lack of dynamics in a *headphone system* may have as much to do with the source as it does with the amp.

I knew a source could influence how dynamics are portrayed, but I never knew that it could be this much. Probably old news to you, but an interesting realization for me.

One-Word Review Game
If I had to choose one word to describe the Hot Rod, even before "dynamic", that word would be "PURE". I could have gone for the word "clean" or "immaculate", but that creates a false sense that the Hot Rod's presentation is somehow soft, dry, or lifeless. Nothing could be further from the truth! This thing crackles, pulses and vibrates with life. Yet it is as distortion-free as any CDP I've ever heard. It has total effortless control over everything, you really get the sense that it is operating well within its capabilities at all times. Because it is relaxed, you can relax, too.

I also chose "pure" because the 555ES Hot Rod is the least "digital" sounding piece of digital gear I've owned by a fair margin. It's not that the digital signature is completely eliminated, but the sound is remarkably natural and free of digititis. CDs just don't sound so much like CDs, they sound like *music*.

"Neutral" vs. NEUTRAL
By my definition, the 555ES is a very NEUTRAL machine. But my definition of "neutral" I think differs from that of many people. Some people are drawn to gear that acts like a sort of musical sieve or filter, hampering and impeding the natural flow of sound, removing all the large meaty chunks and only allowing the small little grains to pass through. IMO, this approach to "neutrality" results in a diluted, homogenous sound that just isn't natural.

If your idea of neutral is having a friendly traffic cop on the sound, carefully controlling how each atom of music is presented to ensure that nothing, and I mean NOTHING, gets out of line even by a hair ("move along in an orderly fashion, there's nothing to see here"), stay away from the 555ES Hot-Rod, you would not like it. If you want to be held at a polite distance from your music, enjoying the view from the safety of the fog in between you and the performance, stay away from the 555ES Hot-Rod. If you're one of those people who walks into your local hi-fi shop in search of the most "neutral", least exciting, most reserved and polite piece of gear you can find ("Damn, that's one bland motherf*cker! Wrap it up, I'll take it!"), I expect you wouldn't dig this player. OK, you get the picture.

To me, the only time it would be a good strategy to pursue the "wrong" kind of "neutrality" is if you are trying to cover up the flaws in an upstream component, there may be some instances when you need to be at some remove from some badly behaved gear. But if you have even half-way decent equipment that you've invested your hard-earned scratch into, why would you want to cover them up? Don't you want to hear them in all their glory? I sure do.

To me, blind pursuit of this variety of "neutrality" just destroys a system's musicality, and I think kills any chance you have of being entertained, moved, involved, or even satisfied by your gear. I understand there are people who like that sort of sound, but I'm not one of them, and anyway, that's my essential "reviewer's bias". I don't want the sound artificially damped down, I want it to come through loud and clear in all its raw organic glory, just like life. I like components that get out of the way of the music, and allow the signal to just flow through unimpeded in its pure unaltered, unfettered form.

So, long story short, on all those scores, the 555ES Hot Rod is a home run for me. It's passionate, emphatic, COMMANDING, authoritative, urgent, fast, vibrant, rich, liquid and ALIVE. It speaks so DEFINITIVELY, it offers you no other option but to shut up, sit down, close your eyes and surrender. It has AWED me on occasion.

Re-Mixed and Re-Mastered?
Just like my experience with the Emmeline HR-2 headamp, I found the 555ES Hot Rod seemed to present musical information in a definitive way, making everything sound "new". The 555ES Hot Rod re-mixes and re-masters the sound in a way that leaves you no doubt that this is how this recording was INTENDED to be heard.

The 555ES is a master at taking complex recordings composed of dozens of tracks, instruments, vocals, and sound effects and presenting EVERYTHING, yet doing it all in proper proportion to one another. Complex, multi-tracked recordings can be very difficult to reproduce accurately, so it sounds like actual *music* and not a hap-hazard mish-mash of unrelated sounds. With the Hot Rod, albums you thought too busy and overproduced start to make perfect sense when they’re held together correctly, allowing all that sonic information to cohere into an awe-inspiring organic whole. I’ve ended up re-discovering and reconsidering numerous albums thanks to the Hot Rod.

I feel this sense that everything has been mixed and mastered properly also relates to the ability of the 555ES to draw amazing distinctions between "quiet" and "loud" sounds. I am much less aware that I’m listening to a recording, and feel more like I’m witnessing an event. It doesn’t compact everything into a artificially narrow band, shoring off dynamic peaks and boosting low-level info to a similar plane as the music. I think this quality of being able to accurately portray subtle shadings in volume can be as important to good sound reproduction as the ability to reveal subtle shades of tone and timbre, yet is often overlooked.

Detail/Resolution
The Hot Rod is an incredibly resolving piece of audio gear. In addition to the tremendous dynamics I’ve already noted, it’s capable of incredible subtlety as well.

Yesterday, for example, I treated myself to Joni Mitchell's "Blue", and I have to confess, I teared up, I was so unbelievably moved. I was also surprised at how much new information the 555ES revealed about this very simple, unadorned recording I know so well. I was able to discern multi-tracking of her guitar which previously I had always pictured as a single guitar. I could literally "see" Joni singing privately for *me*, so intimate and close it was spooky. Her exquisite guitar playing was even more moving than ever, and easier to "hear" in all its subtle shadings. I was just so emotionally wiped out by that I had to take a break for the rest of the day.

I disagree with people who say that revealing, detailed, hi-rez systems are somehow automatically not "musical". I reject the idea that being close to the master tape, and wanting to hear the recording in its entirety, is somehow "analytical" and not "musical". What's "musical" about being unable to tell what the heck the singer is singing? What's "musical" about a collapsed soundstage, 2-D imaging, and flat cardboard cut-out sound? What's "musical" about losing the sense all those tracks, sounds, instruments and voices that have been carefully layered into the recording for your musical enjoyment? You're *supposed* to be able to hear them, that's why they were recorded.

Using the Hot Rod on small-scale acoustic music is almost like taking an elephant gun to a flea. Thanks to its lack of grain and distortion, it will have no problem transmitting all the life and soul of quiet, serene music to your grateful ears. Its warm, rich and inviting sound is even easier to appreciate on somber, subdued, or relaxed music. The low noise floor means that you won’t miss out on any of those subtle details that are crucial to recreating that intimate, close-up experience you crave. The player’s sense of ease will help you relax into the music.

ZERO Sibilance
As reported earlier, the 555ES is a very PURE-sounding piece of audio gear. One of most remarkable things about the 555ES Hot Rod, is its literal inability to produce sibilance. This unit has liquid smooth, crystal clear edges to music that just flow effortlessly. LiSSSSten to the Ss being ssssung in your favorite ssssongsss. ZERO sibilance, NONE. Listen to cymbal hits, hear them hit fast then resolve completely and totally—bashhhhh! Crashhhh! Splashhhhhh! No ear-strain, but full impact. No break up, no grit, no hash (unless its there in the recording), just pure sound. Niccccccccce!

If I have one teensy tiny quibble with the presentation, I am finding that loud electric guitars, for example, in hard rock aren't quite as "crunchy" or "edgy" as I have heard, but I attribute this to the player's lack of distortion. Instead, the 555ES Hot Rod gives you a much greater sense of the actual *tone* of the guitar and the individual notes being played, providing a much cleaner presentation. As a result, some chaotic guitar pounding can sound more musical and "professional" but maybe not quite as explosive and raw if you follow me. But the information that is "missing" on the 555ES Hot Rod I see now was not truly anything that was contained in the recording, but was distortion produced by previous CDPs. The 555ES will get you very close to the recording, allowing you to see into it completely and clearly.

Performance on Older CDs, Re-Mastered CDs, and SACD
For some CDs, there's not much the Hot Rod can do to save them. Discs from the 80s-early 90s have that "veiled" washed-out low-rez sound with low signal to noise ratio that makes them so unlistenable. Well, no CDP no matter how good can "add back" info that simply isn't there in the first place. The 555ES is fully capable of extracting every last drop of sound from your CDs, and as a result, it draws an even bigger distinction between older badly mastered discs and today's better releases. This can be frustrating, as it may make discs that were once tolerable, totally useless. Once you get accustomed to the amazing panoramic full-bodied sounds the 555ES delivers from modern masterings, it makes it that much harder to go back and listen to the older material. OTOH, this player really lets me get the most out of modern re-masters, so it's a bit of a wash in the end.

The Hot Rod plays back regular CDs better than any of the hi-rez players I've owned in the past play back SACDs/DVD-As. This is not a small revelation and incredibly satisfying for me, as I've invested a lot in re-masters to replace older CDs. Now a lot of these re-masters are coming out on SACD, but I feel less of a need to upgrade yet again.

I have also now learned to better hear the differences between Redbook and SACD on the Hot Rod. SACD has more body, more midrange richness, more "presence", an even cleaner and less brittle sound, lower noise floor, and silkier, more articulate and easy-going highs. There is slightly larger soundstage width, height and depth on SACDs. All that said, these differences aren't as obviously night and day as they are on lesser hi-rez players I’ve owned.

Power Cord Rolling
For the extra $40 it costs you to get the IEC receptacle put on the 555ES, I feel it is ESSENTIAL that you do so. IMO, the Anker mod or any other source mod is incomplete without the ability to add a better power cable. You will be missing out on a lot that your $1200 new source is capable of.

I used to draw the line at fancy powercords (it just didn't make sense that they could be effective) until I actually tried a Virtual Dynamics Power 3 on my Modwright mod-ed Sony 333ES. For $75 bucks I thought what the hell. Well I was STUNNED by how much of a boost the Power 3 gave my 333ES, by far the biggest bang for the buck tweak I had ever experienced to that time. However, I also discovered over time that this WOW effect did not translate to every piece of gear I put a VD cord on. There were gains to be had, but not to the same degree that took my breath away when I put the Power 3 on the 333ES.

It turns out that "conventional wisdom" on power cords is "put your best one on your source". My experience seems to mesh with this advice. In my case, these two similar Sony players, the 333ES and the 555ES, seem to be especially sensitive to power cord swapping. In other words, there is a lot of extra upside to these players with *the right* after-market power cord. You'll really get to hear the "sound" of your power cord through the Hot Rod, so choose wisely. In my small sample of brands I tried on the 555ES, Zu Cable BoK, KAS Audio Primus, and Virtual Dynamics Reference, it was really no contest. (As for the Zu Cable BoK, just stay away-- YUCK!)

Without the Virtual Dynamics cable in line, electric guitars, for example, lose some of their "edginess", "crunch", "electricity" and cajones. The Virtual Dynamics Reference is not as "clean" as the KAS Audio Primus, but it's more "exciting" and forceful up top with slightly better soundstaging capabilities and slightly fuller bass. The KAS Primus, though, has found a very synergistic partner in the Emmeline HR-2 headamp, a really nice combo, so I'm keeping her!

So, based on this small sample, I'd vote for the VD cables as the best compliment to the 555ES Hot Rod. VD makes a lot of frankly "wacky" claims about their products that can be a turn off. One of VD's wacky claims about their power cords is that they can actually reduce the operating temperature of the components they're attached to. They claim to have measured this effect on amplifiers. Whether its due to their lower distortion, greater efficiency, extra bandwidth, or who knows what, they enable components to operate more easily and at a cooler temperature.

You may remember that earlier I mentioned some concern about how warm the Sony Hot Rod seemed to be to the touch. I can tell you anecdotally, that the VD Reference has subjectively lowered the temperature of the 555ES Hot Rod, just as VD claims. I have not stuck a thermometer in there, but the top of the player is not as hot as it was with the Primus or the BoK attached, the difference is such that I don't even question the result.

So, for all these reasons, I'd say you can't go wrong with a VD cord on the 555ES Hot Rod!

IC Rolling
I'm using VD Reference ICs with Speed of Light with my Hot Rod. These are around $250 used on Audiogon. I love these cables and they make a great companion for the 555ES. It's also possible that they have added synergy with the VD power cord I have on the 555ES. All cable manufacturers will tell you that you should use only their cables throughout your system to maximize mystical "synergy". But of course, they'd say that, wouldn't they??? Well VD says it as well, and these days, I don't feel inclined to argue with them, all their wacky claims seem to bear out in practical experience for me.

Of all the other brands of cables I've tried, the other one that I think would go really well with the Hot Rod are the Voodoo Cables Reference, I wrote about these here a little while ago. At $250 list $150 used, they're the best I've heard at their price point. They do have a forward, slightly edgy sound that emphasizes the upper range, and are especially great with electric guitars.

Amp Rolling
I feel that 555ES Hot Rod has tremendous synergy with the Ray Samuels Emmeline HR-2 headphone amp. At $875, this amp is a tremendous bargain. With a source as "pure" as the 555ES Hot Rod, you need an amp that can keep up with it, and show you all that it can do. When I say "keep up", I mean literally keep up, you don't want to lose the amazing quickness of the Hot Rod by teaming it with a sluggish lightweight amp. I feel that the Hot Rod is going to ask A LOT of the amp it's hooked up to. Luckily, as I predicted, the HR-2 is definitely up to the challenge of any source I could ever hope to afford. (Ray himself uses a very expensive Meridian CDP with his HR-2). Anyway, the HR-2 (with AD797 op-amps) and the 555ES Hot Rod seem to resonate at the exact same frequency, they are in total harmony and mutual agreement.

So the HR-2 is my reco for an amp to match with the 555ES. Things to consider in other possible partners:

1. A wimpy solid state amp with even a hint of that icky "transistory", hashy sound just won't cut it with the Hot Rod.

2. You need an amp with an extraordinary signal to noise ratio, high bandwidth and dynamic range. A high noise floor will negate a lot of the benefits of upgrading to the 555ES Hot Rod.

3. A prudish amp that prides itself on its "neutrality" (yawn!) will also be a waste.

4. An amp with a wimpy power supply will quickly become a bottleneck on this source.

5. It would take a very special tube amp to fully deliver on the dynamic capabilities of this SACDP or otherwise make a good match. I don't think the Ear Max Pro would be up to it. I doubt the MGHead is up to it (based on what I've read of this amp), I don't think the so-called "dark" RKV would be the first place to start, either. A Melos would give you *great* tone/timbre and midrange yumminess but you would sacrifice in terms of dynamics, speed and attack. A MicroZOTL would be an interesting option for someone looking to "tame" the Hot Rod a little. But the ZOTL's basic cleanliness and balanced sound should suit the Hot Rod more than adequately. The SinglePower Supra amps might be a very interesting possibility with the Hot Rod (again, based on what I've read), they seem to be very dynamic tube amps. I know Nightfall has a Cary with something like 70 watts per channel of tubey goodness, I'd have every reason to believe that's going to be a fantastic combo.


Conclusion
Suffice to say, I am very happy with my purchase. If you are in the market for a $1200-$2000 source, I definitely recommend giving the 555ES Hot Rod some serious consideration. How do I criticize something that's better (sometimes marginally, sometimes incredibly) than every other source I've heard in virtually any aspect I can name? How can I know what this player isn't doing, what it's limits are, when to me it's already doing the impossible with plain vanilla Redbook CDs? If I had lots of experience with $2000-$4000 CDPs in my own system, I could give you a better sense of how it really stacks up to the big boys, where it falls short and where it's ahead. Nevertheless, at roughly $1200 I think it's an absolute steal! If you are coming at this purchase like me, as someone whose experience is limited to "typical" $1000-$1600 players, the 555ES is a no-brainer.

Highly recommended!

Mark