jamesp
1000+ Head-Fier
I have a chance to purchase this used DVD/CD/SACD player for about $400. It will be my primary source to go with the PPX3 SLAM. I have a few SACDs, but mostly CDs. Any opinions on it is appreciated.
Thanks
Thanks
opinions on the Sony DVP-S9000es requested
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bhjazz
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Well, let me dig out some more details when I get home, but I still own one of them and it is a really great player. The setup options are nice and is still one of the few (I think) players made by Sony that allows you to customize the rolloff filters, etc.
Sound: Damn good. When it was released, there was a lot of speculation as it was primarily a DVD player and most audiophile mags felt that was just too much. (From what I know, though, many CD players now use DVD transports since Philips stopped making CD transports. ) However, the sound is smooth, maybe a bit on the cool side. Possible subtle tuning could be done with cables (that's about all we can get from cables anyway...) Otherwise, it has good detail retrieval, and with the right associated components has a great musical flow. Once I had completed my Mint, I immediately connected up the S9000 and my HD600s and cued up Dark Side of the Moon on SACD. I was immediately dropped so far into the mix and found musical bliss, amazing rhythmic lines and subtle musical messages. It.was.amazing. I even identified all of the items that appear as the album (well...sacd) fades out. All of them.
Looks: Well, hell. Just look at it. To me, one of Sony's sexiest designs.
Ergonomics: Pretty straightforward. The front panel has mains power switch, and buttons for drawer open, stop, play, track select, and the Audio Direct mode which switches off lots of video circuits. There is a quirk with turn on. The mains power switch can be on, but the player is in standby. You either need to get the unit out of standby either by hitting the power switch on the REMOTE, or (the way I do it) by just hitting the drawer open button. Odd. Anyway, all other functions are with the remote and need to be viewed with a tv. (Keep that in mind.) (Also, if you do decide to buy the unit, let me know and I'll tell you how to get the player into service mode to check the hours on the laser. Very Important. )
Movies: What, you're not gonna watch movies with this thing? You should. Using standard composite cables will show a pretty sweet picture, but splurge and get some component video cables and YOW baby! I watched the DVD transfer of Willy Wonka from the 70s and was blown away with the detail and clarity of the transfer. Technicolors be damned! And still, there was no color bleed or mangled flesh tones. Austin Power has never looked so good either, and this is with a standard 27" tube tv. I would recommend using the components cables as many of the players form that era tend to very slowly drift when it comes to audio video synch (with composite cables). Without the component cables, I would occasionally have to hit stop, then start to get the voices reconnected (my eyes are pretty sensitive and this drives me up a wall. My wife rarely sees it. YMMV)
Updates/Mods: The player was accepted enough into the high end to get the attention of some really great modifiers. Check out modwright.com and notice his "Signature Truth" mod...which retails at $1300 and has some sweet tubes peeking out the top. I have heard some of the earlier Modwright mods, and they are fantastic. Also, I think he can do some basic repairs if your unit fails (he is Sony certified or something like that.)
I'll go over specs, etc, tonight for you.
One more thing: I have had trouble getting computer-burned CDs to play on the unit, but I think some google sleuthing would turn up the correct combination.
Enjoy! ~~bhjazz~~
Sound: Damn good. When it was released, there was a lot of speculation as it was primarily a DVD player and most audiophile mags felt that was just too much. (From what I know, though, many CD players now use DVD transports since Philips stopped making CD transports. ) However, the sound is smooth, maybe a bit on the cool side. Possible subtle tuning could be done with cables (that's about all we can get from cables anyway...) Otherwise, it has good detail retrieval, and with the right associated components has a great musical flow. Once I had completed my Mint, I immediately connected up the S9000 and my HD600s and cued up Dark Side of the Moon on SACD. I was immediately dropped so far into the mix and found musical bliss, amazing rhythmic lines and subtle musical messages. It.was.amazing. I even identified all of the items that appear as the album (well...sacd) fades out. All of them.
Looks: Well, hell. Just look at it. To me, one of Sony's sexiest designs.
Ergonomics: Pretty straightforward. The front panel has mains power switch, and buttons for drawer open, stop, play, track select, and the Audio Direct mode which switches off lots of video circuits. There is a quirk with turn on. The mains power switch can be on, but the player is in standby. You either need to get the unit out of standby either by hitting the power switch on the REMOTE, or (the way I do it) by just hitting the drawer open button. Odd. Anyway, all other functions are with the remote and need to be viewed with a tv. (Keep that in mind.) (Also, if you do decide to buy the unit, let me know and I'll tell you how to get the player into service mode to check the hours on the laser. Very Important. )
Movies: What, you're not gonna watch movies with this thing? You should. Using standard composite cables will show a pretty sweet picture, but splurge and get some component video cables and YOW baby! I watched the DVD transfer of Willy Wonka from the 70s and was blown away with the detail and clarity of the transfer. Technicolors be damned! And still, there was no color bleed or mangled flesh tones. Austin Power has never looked so good either, and this is with a standard 27" tube tv. I would recommend using the components cables as many of the players form that era tend to very slowly drift when it comes to audio video synch (with composite cables). Without the component cables, I would occasionally have to hit stop, then start to get the voices reconnected (my eyes are pretty sensitive and this drives me up a wall. My wife rarely sees it. YMMV)
Updates/Mods: The player was accepted enough into the high end to get the attention of some really great modifiers. Check out modwright.com and notice his "Signature Truth" mod...which retails at $1300 and has some sweet tubes peeking out the top. I have heard some of the earlier Modwright mods, and they are fantastic. Also, I think he can do some basic repairs if your unit fails (he is Sony certified or something like that.)
I'll go over specs, etc, tonight for you.
One more thing: I have had trouble getting computer-burned CDs to play on the unit, but I think some google sleuthing would turn up the correct combination.
Enjoy! ~~bhjazz~~
Send it to Dan Wright for the Signature Truth mods.
I have the 999es with those mods, and it is terrific. You won't regret it, and may not have to upgrade your source for a long, long time.
I have the 999es with those mods, and it is terrific. You won't regret it, and may not have to upgrade your source for a long, long time.
ssportclay
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You could also send it to DACDmods for a SS upgrade.He also reviews the stock deck so you need to look at his sight anyway.
bhjazz
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Okay, back for more!
I wanted to let you in on the service mode for the 9000ES. Please do not change anything you see when in service mode. Use it only to view the hours used or to gather data. You can seriously alter any player while in service mode.
Okay, to get there, grab the remote and do the following:
Hit Title, then Clear, then Power. You are now in service mode.
Hit the 4, and you can view the Emergency History. At the top of this next screen will be the CD and DVD hours. The SACD hours are added in to the DVD hours as it uses the same part of the laser assembly. My player, for instance, reads:
CD 495h
DVD 231h
That's in hours. Hit the return key to exit this screen, then hit the power button to close out the service mode.
This unit responds well to different power cords and interconnects if you like to. And, like I said earlier, if you connect headphones with only a head amp, you'll get dman close to the music...and you can get even closer with SACDs.....win/win!
I really enjoy having this unit, especially knowing that I can still get some pretty awesome mods done. There were some reviews back in 2001 by Audiophile Audition, Widescreen Review, and Sound & Video by Thomas J. Norton if you can find them online. My advice: do it if it has reasonably low hours. It's a gem!
I wanted to let you in on the service mode for the 9000ES. Please do not change anything you see when in service mode. Use it only to view the hours used or to gather data. You can seriously alter any player while in service mode.
Okay, to get there, grab the remote and do the following:
Hit Title, then Clear, then Power. You are now in service mode.
Hit the 4, and you can view the Emergency History. At the top of this next screen will be the CD and DVD hours. The SACD hours are added in to the DVD hours as it uses the same part of the laser assembly. My player, for instance, reads:
CD 495h
DVD 231h
That's in hours. Hit the return key to exit this screen, then hit the power button to close out the service mode.
This unit responds well to different power cords and interconnects if you like to. And, like I said earlier, if you connect headphones with only a head amp, you'll get dman close to the music...and you can get even closer with SACDs.....win/win!
I really enjoy having this unit, especially knowing that I can still get some pretty awesome mods done. There were some reviews back in 2001 by Audiophile Audition, Widescreen Review, and Sound & Video by Thomas J. Norton if you can find them online. My advice: do it if it has reasonably low hours. It's a gem!
Hirsch
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Great deal at $400. Original price was $1500. Great on SACD playback, good but not great on redbook, but the modders can fix that (I never bothered). My primary video player for the past 5 years. IIRC it's the same transport used in Mark Levinson players of that time.
Michael G.
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Quote:
I used to own one. The sound is extremely spacious and sparkling. I liked the the filter setting on "Slow" rather than "Sharp" (read about this in the manual - you have to navigate through the user options with a video monitor). Nice overall build quality, but most owners eventually experience some problems with the unit malfunctioning when it tries to read the layers on hybrid SACD/CD's. Sending the unit back to the factory for recalibration usually results in a temporary fix, as the problems seem to eventually re-occur. I liked the ability to play SACD's, but I finally decided to go for a dedicated CD player that sounded better, overall, to my ears. If you buy it, send it to ModWright for hot-rodding.
| Originally Posted by jamesp I have a chance to purchase this used DVD/CD/SACD player for about $400. It will be my primary source to go with the PPX3 SLAM. I have a few SACDs, but mostly CDs. Any opinions on it is appreciated. Thanks |
I used to own one. The sound is extremely spacious and sparkling. I liked the the filter setting on "Slow" rather than "Sharp" (read about this in the manual - you have to navigate through the user options with a video monitor). Nice overall build quality, but most owners eventually experience some problems with the unit malfunctioning when it tries to read the layers on hybrid SACD/CD's. Sending the unit back to the factory for recalibration usually results in a temporary fix, as the problems seem to eventually re-occur. I liked the ability to play SACD's, but I finally decided to go for a dedicated CD player that sounded better, overall, to my ears. If you buy it, send it to ModWright for hot-rodding.
andyshedd
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I heard about a post on audio asylum where the user's 9000ES died after 5 years (which is when the warranty expires). I would think that you could get a fairly reasonable new player for $400 without the risk.
milkpowder
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I have the 9100ES and it is very good. Excellent sound and video output. Of course, it won't be as good as a dedicated CD or SACD player.
jvbb2005
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Grab it by all means. Sony doesn't build machines like this any more. The transport is one of the best I ever seen for under 1k.
I been using the 9000es in my main rig for quite a while and I have to say I am impressed and happy with it. Will no consider upgrading.
I been using the 9000es in my main rig for quite a while and I have to say I am impressed and happy with it. Will no consider upgrading.
jamesp
1000+ Head-Fier
I just got it today and yes I love it. the damn thing is heavy as hell
. I really hope this going to last a while. I've found the source after a long time of searching...I think...until something better come along...lol....
jvbb2005
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Congrads. How do you find the sound quality?
Yeap, heavy as a tank. I think it weights something like 22KG, even heavier thank most 400 dollar int. amp. BTW, the build quality is exceptional too. Agree?
| Originally Posted by jamesp I just got it today and yes I love it. the damn thing is heavy as hell
|
Congrads. How do you find the sound quality?
Yeap, heavy as a tank. I think it weights something like 22KG, even heavier thank most 400 dollar int. amp. BTW, the build quality is exceptional too. Agree?
jamesp
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Quote:
I just had it hooked up and listened for a couple hours, but so far I love it. the sound is wide open, it is everything I want in a source especially on the SACD. One strange thing, I have the SACD hybrid of the dark side of the moon and for some reason it would not play the SACD layer. I also have another hybrid of Diana Krall and that it picked up the SACD layer just fine, weird. Does anybody know anything about this?
And yes the build quality is top notch.
| Originally Posted by jvbb2005 Congrads. How do you find the sound quality? Yeap, heavy as a tank. I think it weights something like 22KG, even heavier thank most 400 dollar int. amp. BTW, the build quality is exceptional too. Agree? |
I just had it hooked up and listened for a couple hours, but so far I love it. the sound is wide open, it is everything I want in a source especially on the SACD. One strange thing, I have the SACD hybrid of the dark side of the moon and for some reason it would not play the SACD layer. I also have another hybrid of Diana Krall and that it picked up the SACD layer just fine, weird. Does anybody know anything about this?
And yes the build quality is top notch.
jvbb2005
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sounds like you are having the SACD len calibration problem. It can be fixed for SHORT TERM but will come again as time goes by. Communicate with the seller to see what you can do.
| Originally Posted by jamesp One strange thing, I have the SACD hybrid of the dark side of the moon and for some reason it would not play the SACD layer. I also have another hybrid of Diana Krall and that it picked up the SACD layer just fine, weird. Does anybody know anything about this? And yes the build quality is top notch. |
sounds like you are having the SACD len calibration problem. It can be fixed for SHORT TERM but will come again as time goes by. Communicate with the seller to see what you can do.
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