[radrd]

I'm getting tired of waiting for my Philips DVD963SA player to ship, and I noticed that there are a lot of Sony 333ES players up on Audiogon selling for around $400. I've read a lot of good things about both the redbook playback and the SACD playback of this player, and it is also quite modable.

What would a used, unmodded one in virtually perfect condition be worth? Who mods them (still) and can they be modded so that you can use your own power cord? How much are mods?

Has anyone heard the unmodded sound of redbook playback in comparison to an unmodded Arcam CD72T by any chance? Someone on Audioreview liked the 333 better. I really liked the Arcam during the two weeks that I auditioned it, but the price was too steep for me to justify keeping it.

Does the 333 handle hybrid SACD/CD okay? Someone on Audioreview had problems with theirs in that area. I like my Rolling Stones hybrid disk a lot, so I would hate to not be able to listen to it.

Does anyone think I should actually be considering the 333ES over the new Philips player?

 

[markl]

Well, not everyone here seems to agree about Redbook performance on the stock unit. I thought it was fine, but was missing bass and clarity. But, it does have a really nice "analog-like" sound in stock form that I hadn't heard from other CDPs. It's the antithesis of harsh, crispy digital sound. This seems to bug some folks.

A lot of us were able to pick a brand new 333ES from Goodguys for $400, reduced from initial price of $1200.

I would save up and buy a mod-ed unit used, that should be your best value. Modwright no longer mods the 333ES, but Richard Kern probably still does. Do a search in audioasylum in the digital forum to see reviews of his work.

I reco getting the Superclock in addition to the regular mods he does. Everyone raves about how good the clock mod is. Modwright didn't offer this when I had mine modified, so I got Bybees instead.

Mark

 

[radrd]

I was hoping you'd respond.

I figured something like that had happened at Goodguys because a lot of people seem to have gotten them cheap.

It sounds like I should probably just sit tight and wait for my Philips unit to show up.

If I see a modded 333ES for ~$500, I'll grab it, but $400 for an unmodded model doesn't sound like it would be worth buying over the Philips, which upsamples redbook.

Do you have any difficulty with hybrid playback with your 333?

 

[markl]

The 333ES upsamples to 24-bits. In fact, the 333ES gives you 4 separate "filters", which convert the 16-bit signal into 24-bits in four completely different ways, and each one has its own subtle differences, so you can "season to taste".

I've never had a problem with hybrid discs.

You will never find a mod-ed unit for under $500 when you consider that the basic mods cost $400 to start with. I've seem mod-ed units go as low as $700 and that had Bybee filters in addition to basic mods.

I wouldn't give up on the 333ES if you can spring for a mod-ed unit. It will compete with much more expensive players.

Mark

 

[ServinginEcuador]

I just wanted to chime in and let you know that I was looing at CDPs a few weeks ago and came across a couple of the Sony 333 on Audiogon, but they were seling for about $600-750 with decent mods. The Modwright level 1 was closer to the $700 end of the spectrum. It's your choice and money, but I would have a hard time believing that a CDP that cost $400 would sound as good as a model that recently sold for $1200 that has some mods done to it!!!!! That Sony is a well-built tank that weighs something like 40lbs, so it is no flimsy cheapo CDP!! Arcam learned about adding stiffness and rigidity to their equipment, Sony has been doing it for some time with their units. You can always add the Bybee filters to it later if you wanted just the mods to begin with. (The Bybees cost about $80 EACH!!!)


My thoughts and .02!!!