[KurtW]

Okay, I hope yous guys are right because I picked up a 333 from GG (they still have them at $399) at lunch today. I guess I can always take it back if I don't like it. My main interest is as a redbook player since SACD selection is pretty much a joke.

 

[BenG]

Quote:

Originally posted by Magic77 To SACD owners: Do you also get better sound quality with regular CD's on an SACD player? or do you only hear the difference with SACD's. I was curious about Sony's new SACD Changer, SCD-CE775,that goes for only $349. If it makes regular CD's sound better,it may be worth it, but if it only gives you the superior quality with SACD Discs it may not be,especially if you have 300 regular CD's in your collection. Thanks for any help.

The 775 is a slightly above average sounding CD player. I compared it with my Marantz 63SE and it it sounded good enough to make me sell the Marantz(the Marantz has more of an 'in your face' and bright quality), although I'll admit that the Marantz has a slightly more detailed and airy treble. But I never liked the way the 63SE 'editorialized' the sound w/ overly warm upper bass and a slightly grainy sound.

I kinduv wished I got the 333ES, but it was going closer to $600 when I bought the 775 for $329 from J&R, and I'm also trying to assemble a surround setup as well. I'll wait for the next generation or two of SACD players before upgrading players.

If your looking for your first 2ch only machine, I'd hunt a down a 333ES from GGs.

 

[Brian]

Picked up a SCD-C333ES 2 weeks ago....mmmmm....SACD.....I think the redbook quality is excellent for the price, on par with my friend's Linn Mimik.

 

[markl]

"Okay, I hope yous guys are right because I picked up a 333 from GG (they still have them at $399) at lunch today. I guess I can always take it back if I don't like it. My main interest is as a redbook player since SACD selection is pretty much a joke."

I hope people don't have unrealistic expectations of Redbook performance on the 333. To me, it provides "above average" Redbook playback for a $1200 machine, which means it's darn good, but maybe not jaw-droppingly outstanding. At $399 however, it's excellent and a total bargain. It does some things really really well, but for me, it's not dynamic enough, and can be a bit "woolly".

Also, it is critical to burn the unit in for a much longer than normal time period (this is a well-documented phenom with Sony SACD players), so try not to jump to conclusions. Also, keep in mind that you can get it mod-ed to boost performance on both Redbook and SACD.

And Kurt, we expect a full report! Cheers.

markl

 

[KurtW]

I haven't done any critical listening yet but for background listening while fixing and eating dinner it sounded pretty good right out of the box. It sounds better than I remember my brother's Denon changer sounding in the same system. I'll give it a good listen this weekend after it's run in a bit.

marl, you got your unit back yet?

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

My main interest is as a redbook player since SACD selection is pretty much a joke.

Kurt, it's small, but for those SACDs that are available... MMMMMM

Seriously, I've got a Vivaldi that is one of the best recordings I've ever heard. I look at my 333ES like this: outstanding Redbook playback for the price, plus the "bonus" of Class A performance on SACDs.

 

[gerG]

Haven't had enough time to play with it. I need to pick up some SACDs to try out that feature (the Sony demo disk is terrible). I am hoping that SACD images better that CD (on the speaker system) because it was not that great with CDs. About on par with any other CD player that I have heard. I haven't tried it on the outdoor system yet, which will help. I was impressed by the built in headphone amp.

I also have a JVC DVD audio player. I've been using it as a CD player with the K1000/SAC combo. Nice! I am put off by the fact that the DVD audio is really sliding into the surround sound abys. I am afraid that this will dilute it's capabilities for high-fidelity.

Oh, another bonus with the DVD audio player is that I am working my way through the entire Monty Python DVD collection

And now for something completely different...
Tpppppppt

 

[morphsci]

I am listening to Dark Side of The Moon on my new Sony 333. Very nice compared to the Rotel/Cal gamma or the Denon. I have to get a couple of SACD's to check out their sound. As Rick would say, "You know Frenchy I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship".

 

[RickG]

I have the SCD-CE775 but I have only used it for SACD's. I think it sounds great. I play the redbook cd's on the Planet. I too am going to watch what happens with the format and disc availability before I upgrade. I have 8 or 10 SACDs and am constantly looking for more. If anyone finds a good source or new titles let me know.

Rick

 

[Vertigo-1]

phoneprone, do you feel that the 775's redbook is really that bad too? I just picked one up the other day, and my initial impression was that the redbook was just really, really bad. I couldn't even get a minute out of my CDs because it was bad enough that it was very noticeable. It just sounded incredibly warm, as in Sony Streetstyle headphone type warm, and the bass was just boomy. I think the Denon 370 totally walks all over it for CD playback. I haven't bought any SACDs yet so I don't know how that sounds, but I assume of course it'll be superior enough to CD playback, just as any HDCD player sounds better than CDs on HDCDs.

If I had to stick with a low cost SACD player, I think I'd rather exchange the 775 for a DVP-NS500V, which is single disc but does DVDs as well as HDCDs. Even if its redbook craps out, it would still make a great dedicated DVD player (seeing as how it has a lot of trickle down features from higher end DVD players of the past) as well as a SACD only player, enough to pick up what makes SACDs so great at least. And it's also multichannel.

 

[RickG]

Vert-

I'm set up to A-B my Rega and 775 and IMO, the 775 sounds ok on redbook... a little muddy on the bottom but ok. It's just that when I switch over to the Planet, It just sounds so much better, I just leave it there!

I looked at the DVP-NS500V first, but I already have a nice Sony DVD unit so I went with the 775 just for SACD playback. I'm sure the DVP-NS500V would sound just as good or who knows, maybe better for redbook.

Rick

 

[Vertigo-1]

You took the words right out of my mouth...that's the word I couldn't think of, that the 775 sounds muddy. I hear Sony's DVD lineup tends to sound brighter, I wonder if that's true.

 

[Magic77]

I just bought the Sony SCD-CE775 last week and I think it's great!! I only have 2 SACD's so far and it sounds excellent with regular CD's to me as well. I feel it is definitely a great value.

 

[morphsci]

The 333 does not sound muddy compared to my Denon 370 or my Rotel 855/Cal Gamma on redbook. The only SACD I have listened to was the Sony SACD sampler. At first I thought it sounded a little thin, but then I realized that it actually sounded much airier and had a much more balanced presentation with more emphasis in the treble and upper midrange compared to redbook. Therefore the bass did not sound as pronounced. IMO.

 

[MacDEF]

Vert and I were talking about this privately -- I'm pretty confident that the audio quality of Sony's ES SACD line is significantly better than the "consumer" SACD line.