ian
Lifting Meridians by their trays
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The Sony D-555 Portable CD Player
by Ian McFarlane
I first read about the 555 in posts by folks like Purk here on Head-Fi - very interesting. A CD player from the early '90's that competes with anything Sony has ever made? When I found a good deal on a D-555 with a slightly damaged front LCD display ($125), I had to jump on it (just for curiosity at first).
When I first got the 555, it didn't have a DC adapter with it. So all I could do is drool while I made the trip to Radio Shack to find a suitable adapter. The first thing you notice is the INCREDIBLE build quality. This thing is made completely of metal. You could literally drive over it with a truck. It's a large sized player, but it looks very cool sitting on your desk:
The LCD's catch the eye at first - not just one, but two! The front LCD (Which was a little damaged on my unit) display the regular track/time information:
The top LCD is the graphic equalizer and volume display. Here you get the neat bars that go up and down depending on the sound level. Ok, so I just think it's neat to watch:
As seen in the pictures both LCDs light up when the unit is connected to DC power.
The front display has a little volume bar on the right side that shows exactly what volume the unit is set at. To the left are the equalization modes:
EQ: can be adjusted 10 steps above and 10 steps below at each frequency: 63Hz, 250Hz, 1kHz, 4kHz, 10kHz.
Surround: 10 steps to max, 10 steps to min
Bass boost: 10 steps to max, 10 steps to min
DDS: 10 steps to max, 10 steps to min
All in all, there are a TON of equalization options so this unit can be adjust to fit ANY situation.
The other controls on the top is the open button, volume +/- (note, these are digital controls, not analog), forward and backwards, stop, and play/pause.
On the front of the unit there is a hold switch, and enter/remain, mode: play/key buttons - for adjusting play modes. Without a manual I didn't bother with these buttons.
The left side of the unit has the optical digital output and the remote port:
The right side just has the phones output, which is nicely gold plated (along with all the other ports):
The back has the line out and DC 9V power jack:
Ok, so I've had enough typing about how it runs. This is how it sounds:
All comparisons were made with Grado SR125's and Sony MDR-CD1700s. The CDs used included various rock, classical, and jazz selections - the one I used the most was Bruce Springsteen's Greatest Hits (one of my favorite CD's!). The D-555 was compared with the Radio Shack CD-3904 (a very nice sounding CD player, but also very cheap).
In a nutshell, the D-555 blows away every portable unit I have ever heard. Absolutely everything about it is better. The 555 has this incredible treble extension that is far from harsh or scratchy yet provides plenty of detail, even with the Grados. The 3904 sounded stingy and dry in the treble in comparisons. The 555 also had a much more lush and smooth midrange, whereas the 3904 sounded dry and boring. The bass was also a huge difference: the 555 had far more bass extension, weight (impact), and clarity. The 3904 was boomy and weak. There was also a large difference in the soundstage, because the 555 sounded far more open and clear. The instruments weren't nearly as jumbled together. Finally, the D-555 has a clean headphone output. The 3904 had a little hiss. There was simply no competition.
The 3904 does have a redeeming quality - it plays many more discs than the 555 (Which is very picky about dirty/scratched discs). But once the D-555 gets going, it sounds fabulous.
Well, now that I love the sound of the D-555, I'm selling it. What?? Well, I need a more portable discman. I hope to track down a D-777 or D-E905. The D-555 could be portable with the battery, but it's very old and the memory effect will have the battery life down to 20 minutes within weeks.
If you’re looking for the ultimate in not-so-portable CD players, I believe this may be it. I haven’t heard the other highly regarded Sonys (777 or E905), but simply read around on Head-Fi. The 555 is generally regarded to as the King. And now I see why.
by Ian McFarlane
I first read about the 555 in posts by folks like Purk here on Head-Fi - very interesting. A CD player from the early '90's that competes with anything Sony has ever made? When I found a good deal on a D-555 with a slightly damaged front LCD display ($125), I had to jump on it (just for curiosity at first).
When I first got the 555, it didn't have a DC adapter with it. So all I could do is drool while I made the trip to Radio Shack to find a suitable adapter. The first thing you notice is the INCREDIBLE build quality. This thing is made completely of metal. You could literally drive over it with a truck. It's a large sized player, but it looks very cool sitting on your desk:
The LCD's catch the eye at first - not just one, but two! The front LCD (Which was a little damaged on my unit) display the regular track/time information:
The top LCD is the graphic equalizer and volume display. Here you get the neat bars that go up and down depending on the sound level. Ok, so I just think it's neat to watch:
As seen in the pictures both LCDs light up when the unit is connected to DC power.
The front display has a little volume bar on the right side that shows exactly what volume the unit is set at. To the left are the equalization modes:
EQ: can be adjusted 10 steps above and 10 steps below at each frequency: 63Hz, 250Hz, 1kHz, 4kHz, 10kHz.
Surround: 10 steps to max, 10 steps to min
Bass boost: 10 steps to max, 10 steps to min
DDS: 10 steps to max, 10 steps to min
All in all, there are a TON of equalization options so this unit can be adjust to fit ANY situation.
The other controls on the top is the open button, volume +/- (note, these are digital controls, not analog), forward and backwards, stop, and play/pause.
On the front of the unit there is a hold switch, and enter/remain, mode: play/key buttons - for adjusting play modes. Without a manual I didn't bother with these buttons.
The left side of the unit has the optical digital output and the remote port:
The right side just has the phones output, which is nicely gold plated (along with all the other ports):
The back has the line out and DC 9V power jack:
Ok, so I've had enough typing about how it runs. This is how it sounds:
All comparisons were made with Grado SR125's and Sony MDR-CD1700s. The CDs used included various rock, classical, and jazz selections - the one I used the most was Bruce Springsteen's Greatest Hits (one of my favorite CD's!). The D-555 was compared with the Radio Shack CD-3904 (a very nice sounding CD player, but also very cheap).
In a nutshell, the D-555 blows away every portable unit I have ever heard. Absolutely everything about it is better. The 555 has this incredible treble extension that is far from harsh or scratchy yet provides plenty of detail, even with the Grados. The 3904 sounded stingy and dry in the treble in comparisons. The 555 also had a much more lush and smooth midrange, whereas the 3904 sounded dry and boring. The bass was also a huge difference: the 555 had far more bass extension, weight (impact), and clarity. The 3904 was boomy and weak. There was also a large difference in the soundstage, because the 555 sounded far more open and clear. The instruments weren't nearly as jumbled together. Finally, the D-555 has a clean headphone output. The 3904 had a little hiss. There was simply no competition.
The 3904 does have a redeeming quality - it plays many more discs than the 555 (Which is very picky about dirty/scratched discs). But once the D-555 gets going, it sounds fabulous.
Well, now that I love the sound of the D-555, I'm selling it. What?? Well, I need a more portable discman. I hope to track down a D-777 or D-E905. The D-555 could be portable with the battery, but it's very old and the memory effect will have the battery life down to 20 minutes within weeks.
If you’re looking for the ultimate in not-so-portable CD players, I believe this may be it. I haven’t heard the other highly regarded Sonys (777 or E905), but simply read around on Head-Fi. The 555 is generally regarded to as the King. And now I see why.