[pageman99]

Rega Apollo or Sony c555es or Sony ns9100es or cheap DVD into Stello da100???

Well, the funds are coming together and I'm going to upgrade my source.

Some info about my tastes. I like the Senn 650s, but I really like the Ultrasone sound signature. I simply feel they sound richer, but at the expense of a little accuracy that the Senns give me.

Obviously I like an somewhat in your face signature. I recently had the Musiland MD10 dac which was a bargain for the price. Very detailed and somewhat forward. But again not quite as controlled as I would like.

Again, I need to upgrade. Long term phone wise, I'll probably pick up Ultrasone Edition 9's.

But for now, I'd like to start at the source. I'd love to get the Rega Saturn but I think $1600 is more than I'd like to spend. Which leads me to my candidates.

I can pick them up for under $800. The advantage of the Sonys is that there would be an upgrade path.

The advantage of the Apollo or Stello, is that I would be done, i.e., no need for upgrades to the boxes. I'd resell and move on.

I'm leaning to a used Apollo. But I'm not sure if the signature would be too refined. Same problem with the Stello. And no opportunity in the Pittsburgh area for loaners (Pittsburgh has few, if any good audio outlets).

Music? I like it all but bounce mostly between old rock and jazz and more modern jazz, with some classical sprinkled in. I have hundreds (and hundreds) of redbook cd's, but I wouldn't mind experimenting with a universal player, but it ain't necessary.

I value reality, what I mean is that I want a sax to sound like a sax, voices to be real and am looking for an airy sound stage but with emotion. Sigh... easy right?

Anyhow, I'd love some input from folks who have hands on, (ears open?) actual experience with these models and can compare or contrast them, hopefully.

I've read and researched for hours, but now I need some help on these specific models. Thanks!

 

[ssportclay]

I would think that an upgraded Sony would outperform a stock Apollo.The main difference between the 2 Sonys has probable more to do with features than SQ.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pageman99 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Rega Apollo or Sony c555es or Sony ns9100es or cheap DVD into Stello da100??? Well, the funds are coming together and I'm going to upgrade my source. Some info about my tastes. I like the Senn 650s, but I really like the Ultrasone sound signature. I simply feel they sound richer, but at the expense of a little accuracy that the Senns give me. Obviously I like an somewhat in your face signature. I recently had the Musiland MD10 dac which was a bargain for the price. Very detailed and somewhat forward. But again not quite as controlled as I would like. Again, I need to upgrade. Long term phone wise, I'll probably pick up Ultrasone Edition 9's. But for now, I'd like to start at the source. I'd love to get the Rega Saturn but I think $1600 is more than I'd like to spend. Which leads me to my candidates. I can pick them up for under $800. The advantage of the Sonys is that there would be an upgrade path. The advantage of the Apollo or Stello, is that I would be done, i.e., no need for upgrades to the boxes. I'd resell and move on. I'm leaning to a used Apollo. But I'm not sure if the signature would be too refined. Same problem with the Stello. And no opportunity in the Pittsburgh area for loaners (Pittsburgh has few, if any good audio outlets). Music? I like it all but bounce mostly between old rock and jazz and more modern jazz, with some classical sprinkled in. I have hundreds (and hundreds) of redbook cd's, but I wouldn't mind experimenting with a universal player, but it ain't necessary. I value reality, what I mean is that I want a sax to sound like a sax, voices to be real and am looking for an airy sound stage but with emotion. Sigh... easy right? Anyhow, I'd love some input from folks who have hands on, (ears open?) actual experience with these models and can compare or contrast them, hopefully. I've read and researched for hours, but now I need some help on these specific models. Thanks!

Why no

Why not get a quality player & still use the stello.. I know my DAC1 scales greatly with better CD players..

 

[markl]

The sacdmods 555ES is really hard to beat for the money. Performs at the $4K CDP range. With the zapfilter installed, the ouput really kicks, excellent bass extesnion and great PRAT. Errs on the richer, fuller side of tonal pallette, rather than the dry, thin side. Sounds like its right up your alley.

 

[pageman99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssportclay /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would think that an upgraded Sony would outperform a stock Apollo.The main difference between the 2 Sonys has probable more to do with features than SQ.

I suspect you're right. I'll try to get ahold of SACDmods to see what he has to say as I'm sure he's intimately familiar with them.

 

[pageman99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why no Why not get a quality player & still use the stello.. I know my DAC1 scales greatly with better CD players..

You're probably right, but there's the matter of budget...

Not to mention ic issues, blah, blah.

I do wonder if the Rega Saturn would sound better with a dac. Maybe different.

 

[pageman99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markl /img/forum/go_quote.gif The sacdmods 555ES is really hard to beat for the money. Performs at the $4K CDP range. With the zapfilter installed, the ouput really kicks, excellent bass extesnion and great PRAT. Errs on the richer, fuller side of tonal pallette, rather than the dry, thin side. Sounds like its right up your alley.

I'm actually leaning that way. Start with the 555es then upgrade with SACDmods as the budget allows. Only thing is they are getting hard to find. The 9100es less so.

Sadly, I was watching a very clean one on ebay, only to take an unexpected nap. I woke up with 40 seconds left. Was shocked to see the high bid was only $320 (the last one sold for $510). I quickly entered $400, was told that the exact same high bid was already entered by someone else.

I really quickly entered $401. A message came back that bids were in $5 increments. Then it ended... Wah!!!

I almost cried. But such are the adventures of ebay.

So here I am, looking at alternatives.

I'm wondering how close a stock 555es or 9100es would sound to an Apollo. If close, I'd definitely go with the Sony, since I really do like a rich, full, forward sound.

Anybody have any experience with this?

 

[Azure]

There's a C555ES on Audiogon right now for $450 OBO: http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....lay&1183056190

I'm thinking about picking up an SACDmods C555ES as well, but I've read that the SCD-777ES is better for roughly the same price. Is this true? I'm torn between an SACDmods C555es and a stock SCD-777ES

 

[pageman99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure /img/forum/go_quote.gif There's a C555ES on Audiogon right now for $450 OBO: http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....lay&1183056190 I'm thinking about picking up an SACDmods C555ES as well, but I've read that the SCD-777ES is better for roughly the same price. Is this true? I'm torn between an SACDmods C555es and a stock SCD-777ES

X2. Anybody?

 

[purk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure /img/forum/go_quote.gif There's a C555ES on Audiogon right now for $450 OBO: http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls....lay&1183056190 I'm thinking about picking up an SACDmods C555ES as well, but I've read that the SCD-777ES is better for roughly the same price. Is this true? I'm torn between an SACDmods C555es and a stock SCD-777ES

I will go with the stock SCD-777ES and upgrade the op-amp or the clock. The SACDmods C555ES is a very nice machine but the SCD-777ES is not that far off. In fact, a slightly modified SCD-777ES should have no problem sounding better than the SACDmods C555ES. I owned the C555ES for almost 2 years and thought that it was great, but one of my SCD-777ES with an op-amp modded actually sound nicer.

 

[ccontreras]

SACDmods 999ES - Modwright 999ES
There's a NS999ES on Audiogon right now for $300 - 350

 

[purk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccontreras /img/forum/go_quote.gif SACDmods 999ES - Modwright 999ES There's a NS999ES on Audiogon right now for $300 - 350

You can go to Sony online outlet and get the refurblished 999ES for $299 with 5 year ES warranty. The modwright 999ES is definitely one of best out there under 2K. The modwright Sony 999ES is more refined and liquid sounding than the SACDmods C555ES for sure.

 

[pageman99]

Thanks for the help everyone.

Purk, I'm glad you jumped in because I've been told you know your sources. Not that others don't of course.

Which mods would you recommend for the 999es? And how does it sound w/o the mods relative to a 555es unmodded? I may wait a month or so to become more liquid, so I have to ask.

And how much/which opamp are you recommending in the xa777es?

Choices, choices.

We don't have many options to listen around here anymore, but my local dealer says he expects a shipment of Rega Apollos next week. Can it compete with any of the modded models we've been talking about?

Gonna make a choice within 7-10 days. But the itch is getting harder to resist scratching as the days go by.

 

[purk]

Quote:

Thanks for the help everyone. Purk, I'm glad you jumped in because I've been told you know your sources. Not that others don't of course. Which mods would you recommend for the 999es? And how does it sound w/o the mods relative to a 555es unmodded? I may wait a month or so to become more liquid, so I have to ask. And how much/which opamp are you recommending in the xa777es?

I would go with the Modwright universal truth mods. The modwright 999ES player is very liquid sounding and famous for glorous midrange and beautiful soundstage. Regarding the stock units, I have never heard of the 999ES stock, but I suspect the stock C555ES to be more superior sounding b/c of the better parts and build quality.

I successfully modded my SCD-777ES using the OPA-627BP before and 627BPs really clean up the bass, and enhance the details of the stock SCD-777ES. The stock SCD-777ES can be described as smooth but kindda dark sounding in comparison to other higher ends source. The SACD performance of the stock SCD-777ES is great though. I would pick up a used Modwright 999ES on audiogon if you have the fund.

 

[chesebert]

Are all the SACDmod stuff really better than Apollo? I seem to remember ppl compare Apollo to stuff atleast 2x their price already.

Any real comparison appreciated!