[meithkiller]

Hello all. I'm the one that parted with the D-14, and still have a D-5. They are identical in every way (that I could tell) except the D-5 has a shiny top cover, and the D-14 has more of a matte finish top cover. They both take take the same docking station, and they both had a manufacture date of December 1985. They both sounded the same to me, and I have no reason to believe they aren't the same internally. Maybe it was a D-25/D-25S kind of situation, with the color/finish being the only difference.

-Keith

 

[HighwayStar]

Very interesting. But that's a big leap in numbers for just a difference in finish. (Unless of course it was 9 shades darker

) Could it be the same unit named differently for different regions ?

 

[meithkiller]

That's entirely possible, I'm not sure when Sony started using their "add a zero" numbering scheme, I know it was in place by 1987 or 1988, or therabouts. In the mid to late 80's, Sony added a zero for the models that were for the home (Asian) market, so the D-25 became the D-250, the D-35 became the D-350, etc. I have (had) a couple of these examples that are identical to their US counterparts except for the addition of a 0 at the end of the model number.

-Keith

 

[millerdog]

Per Sony's website, the D5/D5A was the first released. I wish some of you would go back and place manufacture dates on the models, especially the vintage ones.
Most models seem to overlap by a year or so.
I am beginning to think Sony designates the models by perhaps design team project numbers.
Going back to the post about the "tea ceremony" player and the website, it seems they stick to actual design project names. Just my conjecture.
The D5/D14 comparison seems to be a conundrum. I wonder why they would use the two same designs and same accessories and use different designations? Internal differences?
md
Oh by the way, excellent sticky!
(edit) Anyone else notice how the D15(1988),D9(1989),D25(1992) all look similar? The chassis is the same, the only difference in the top cover?

 

[meithkiller]

Quote:

Originally posted by millerdog I wish some of you would go back and place manufacture dates on the models, especially the vintage ones.

As you wish:

D-5.......1985
D-14.....1985
D-7.......1986
D-10.....1987
D-T3.....1987
D-88.....1988
D-T4.....1988
D-20.....1988
D-9.......1989
D-160...1989
D-12.....1989
D-350...1989
D-555...1989
D-11.....1990
D-303...1991
D-25.....1992

This list isn't complete, but it is part of my collection that I have/had. I didn't include months of manufacture, because I no longer have all of the PCDP's, and only wrote down the year of manufacture. There are also a few Japanese models in the mix, as evidenced by the xero on the end, like the D-350 (D-35), and possibly the D-160 and D-20.

As you can see, unless there is a huge overlap of many years, there really isn't much rhyme or reason to Sony's numbering scheme, except occasionally, like the higher models such as the D-10, D-15, D-20, and D-25, but that could just be coincidence too (not sure about the D-15, never had one, but I think it falls in there somewhere).

Can anybody fill in any more of the early Sony models that I missed? I've had at least one player from every year from 1985 (the first year) to 1992, which is when things started to drop off quality-wise a bit, except for a few bright spots like the D-777.

-Keith

 

[purk]

Guys,
I might be a bit delay on my contribution, b/c my beloved computer (hard disk) has just died. I'll be needing more time to share pictures, thoughts, and brife review on: Sony D-555, D-303, D-515, D-E900, D-777, D-350, pana sl-s700, s651, and Sx500. I'll also post some of my legendary minidisc as well, those are sharp md-ss323, mt-831, mt-821, and sony mz-r50.

Purk

 

[katsudon1]

Finally got a damn CF adaptor to upload the pics. Here are the pictures of D900, D905 and D777. Just wanna take this opportunity to comfirm that D900-D905 are actually the same units. I couldn't find any difference in terms of sound/features/build quality. The D777 also employ the same chasis as the D900/905 but doesn't sound as good. Let me share with you Purk's comments on these units since he knows must more than me.

Quote:

D-777: Sound: Warm with very punchy bass...can be a bit muddy...but excellent none the less. Sound stage: Narrower than the D-e905. Color: Gray....some are in light blue (very rare) Remote: Wired with LCD....micro plug connection. Usually equips with Sony mdr-e741. Battery life: around 5-7 hours on Ni-MH (1000 mah) ESP: 10 sec ESP D-E905 Sound: Brighter and wider soudstage(I agree with Purk's comments). Everything is perfect except the medicore bass. Lots of air in the atmosphere! Color: Marble blue. The most beautiful chassis on the Discman. Remote: Same as the D-777's. Different color though. Battery life: Longer (8-9 hrs) on Ni-MH (1400 mah). ESP: 10 sec ESP2 Both players share an exact type of chasis. The color is what differentiate they apart. I prefer the look of the D-E905 much more. The lid is made out of the same type of material, Bio-cellulose mat. Both players are as great as a REAL portable discman get. The let down is that it offer less battery life, and the ESP system is not up to today standard. The line out on both unit is great, with slight edge on d=e905. D-777 line out has narrower sound stage, and less air. D-E905 is great with lots of air, and sense of space. However, the line out of these two discmans still ....far away from the older discman (d-303, d-555, and d-515). None of the two players feature optical line out. They also have the same accesories: external battery attachment, remote, earphone, and ac adaptor. They are very thin and compact. No LCD on the unit here. The built quality is excellent. D-777 is a bit easier to find in ebay, while D-E905 is super rare. D-777 price ranges from USD80 - 170, depending on the conditions. OTOH, D-e905 is much more expensive. The least expensive one I've seen is USD140, while the most expensive is USD240. Of course, you can work out a deal and pay cheaper. If the seller is not head-fi and headwize influeced, the price could be easily less than USD50. It is on your luck. Final word is that these two discman are the best REAL portable discman! They are remarkable when compares to today's standard. Both pcdps sound very different from one another, yet very excellent. It is up to your preference, but lately i prefer the d=e905. They are rare and worth the price tag. I highly recommend you to take this one of the time chance.

Also, Aronan has written an extremely nice review for the D900/905

Thickness comparison. From top to bottom, Pana CT-790, SONY D915, D900, D905 & D777.

D-900 box set

 

[katsudon1]

Of course, I won't leave out the legnedary D25s which is still so widely available in ebay and here. It is so well constructed and the gun metal gray casing is just damn beautiful. Well, I won't say more here because it's a so well reviewed unit. Perhaps you should read Russ Arcuri's excellent review on this unit.

 

[katsudon1]

D-515, D-Z555 and D303 owners,

Could you guys please join in and take photos of your beloved unit to share with us?

 

[Yang]

I hope this helps:

This unit was just sold to Purk

 

[PianoBlack]

Great photography, katsudon1! I can just imagine you going: "Uhuh--deee-25s...give it to me baby. Yeah baby yeah!" Ow ow!

 

[8705]

I have Philips AZ6819,but........my girlfriend take it home.......haha !!

 

[purk]

Sony D-777:
problem with upload.

 

[katsudon1]

Following the success of D-50MkII, Sony released a 2nd PCPD, an enhanced version of D-50 on 1st April 1986. D-55T, the successor of D-50 is a PCDP with a tuner built in. Retail price was 57,800 yens (USD491)

Specs:

1. 12ch/FM76-108mHz /AM525-1605kHz tuner built-in. RMS of maximum of 16 tunes,
2. Weighted:570g
3. Anti rolling loading mechanism
4. Low power consumption: 2.6w
5. Operating time approximately 3 hours(25 hours if using tuner only)
6. Automatic power off and disk hold function.
7. Line output terminal (stereo mini-)
8. Size: Width 125.9¡Ñ height 31.1¡Ñ depth 131.8mm

 

[katsudon1]

Massive updates on the D-5/D-50 and D10/D-100 sections above. Due to fact that this thread is now become so graphical intensive, some pics may not load properly at the 1st attempt. Clink reload or hit F5 if the pics don't show up.