[orl2222]

Minidisco still has the Sony SCD-CE775 in stock, at 329.00. I know this high for a discontinued unit, I ordered another for my bedroom today as a second unit. The sound of this unit stock is amazing. burr- brown chips. I've listened to the philips SA 963, but this sony player in my estimation has the Philips beat. If your looking for a CD/SACD player only, this is a nice budget thats a winner hands down. The one plus that it has is a headphone jack that is powerful enough to drive my SENN HD600, my ETY4S and my eggos. You wont even have to buy a amp for this unit. I think its well worth it.

 

[AdamP88]

For what it's worth, I've got the 775 and a Creek OBH-11 headphone amp, and the Creek is clearly better than the sony's headphone jack in every area.

 

[radrd]

Quote:

You wont even have to buy a amp for this unit. I think its well worth it.

But you should buy an amp because there is a lot of sound quality to be obtained.

From what I have read, most people find the Philips better, and how are you comparing the two if you don't have a headphone amp? The Philips doesn't have a headphone jack.

 

[aos]

I really liked the headphone jack of 775. Can't say that I did a lot of testing but most other headphone jacks on commercial equipment I heard couldn't drive HD-580 well - this one has enough volume and sounded well balanced. This jack is good enough for most people, though I agree HeadFiers aren't most people... But you probably want something better than a CMOY to replace it.

 

[orl2222]

Well, that's true about a using a good amp, I do have a self bulit meta. That is what I brought along to audition the Philips. The whole point of my post was that the Sony unit gives excellent performance for the price, and is a good building block. It's a way into the hobby for beginners, who can add later on. I'm a believer that anything you listen to is only as good as it's source. Actually if you havent listened to the headphone jack on the Sony, don't knock it till you have tried it. Not everybody in my estimation has 1000.00 plus to buy a good source, an amp, and phones. We all at one point started somewhere. The Sony, to my estimation offers better performance for the money, and can be listened to right out of the box. The phillips, on the other hand does require a amp period.

 

[kerelybonto]

I've nearly started a thread on the SCD-CE775's headphone jack a few times since I got mine last fall. I think it's good enough to deserve some mention -- I'm not claiming it's up to the standards of a dedicated headamp, but in my experience driving Grados (even the current-sucking HP-1000s) it did markedly better than I would have expected. The detail's pretty good, with the most notable deficiency in the bass impact.

So yeah -- I think the CE775's jack is pretty good. Good enough that I felt okay with selling my sole headphone amp and being without one until whatever time I can rework my entire system.

kerely

 

[bundee1]

Thanks orl good lookin' out. Im dying to get one but $329.oo plus shipping is kinda steep. I dont want to spend more than $270.
Anyone else seen this player in NYC or online?

 

[orl2222]

Bundee, I did an extensive search for this player after I picked up one last fall. I simply fell in love with it. Minidisco was the only online sight I could find it. I called just to make sure, and placed my order by phone. I looked high and low, the only other sight Was federated audio, which wanted 389.00 for it. I did'nt call there. I know its a lil high, but it is a five disc changer. Just on a side note, my ety4p's, with a home made 4s cable(used 36 ohm vs. 75 ohm) sounds utterly fantastic with this player using the headphone jack. It still gives me the bass I want, while unveiling the highs. Its possible that you could pickup a used one Bundee, or perhaps another headfier would be willing to sell you one at a lesser price. Good luck.

 

[aos]

US $389 is way too high. I paid $250 Canadian last year - in Sony's own store no less - which was $250/1.6 at the time, i.e. US$156. Player is now discontinued which may explain overpricing...

 

[radrd]

Watch Audiogon, they come up occasionally, at substantially less than $300.

 

[orl2222]

I might just make a call to the Sony refurbusied store overhere in Lake Elsinore Ca. Just to see if they have any. This might be a possibility. I do beleive that there are Sony Outlets across the U.S. Usually you have to call them, they don't sell on line.


"The Sony owned and operated outlet stores offer a broad based selection of Sony consumer products. Products include current and discontinued models, the majority of which have been factory refurbished"

locations:http://products.sel.sony.com/SEL/con...locations.html

 

[AdamP88]

I can't believe Best Buy was selling these off at ~$160. That's practically giving them away! I got mine for about the same, and I've been extremely satisfied with it so far. I'll most likely have it modded (www.sacdmods.com) sometime in the not-too-distant future, but I do enjoy it immensely in it's stock form.

 

[aos]

Yes, for $160 they were a no-brainer. Cheapest Sony 5-disc CD changer was only about US$30 cheaper at the time, and the electronics inside 775 is much better than you'd expect for this price (I opened it and modded some) - e.g. some signal coupling capacitors are already Nichicon Gold which is audiophile grade. And there is a separate DAC chip for each pair of channels (3 DACs total if I remember well). Add CD text, useable headphone jack and pleasing chassis, and it's a winner even if you only care about CDs.

 

[bundee1]

Rubbing it in doesn't help! AT ALL!

 

[aos]

Sorry... Isn't there a replacement model? I think I've seen some cheap DVD players recently with SACD.