What is the better choice?

[zeplin]

I would like to try a Sony cd player out to have for my home stationary rig, and also to have another pcdp just for the hell of it (I specifically am looking at the D-EJ1000 for its extra long battery life, which the SlimX does NOT have). I use my iRiver SlimX for portable use and home use, but I would like to see how a good line out on a Sony works with my Acam A75 integrated amp and my HD600's or Ety 4S. My question is, should I save a good chunk of cash and get an older (like 1980, early 1990) Sony discman (which I hear have excellent sound quality that is far better than any of the players today), or go for the D-EJ1000 for its really good line out (which I have already heard a few times, but only with my Cosmic...and by the way I like it very much...but I haven't tried it enough times for extended periods of listening sesions in order to judge it fully)? Right now, for my main portable rig, I use the iMP350 iRiver with my Cosmic to power the HD600's and the Ety's...I love the results. I realize the line out on the 350 is not a true one, but I think the sound quality is excellent, especially with the Cosmic. When I compared the sound from the amped SlimX to the amped Sony line out, I noticed not an improvement, but just a different type of sound that obviously some people like, and some people don't. What do you all think I should do in this situation? I would really like to hear from more people that use the line out on any particualr Sony because I want to gain more insight about how most people would rate the line out sound quality compared to other players like a SlimX or any other player. I know this doesn't count for anything, but I really love the looks of the EJ1000 (not the 2000)...but keep in mind that sound quality always comes first in making this decision. Thanx in advance for the advice my fellow head-fiers!

 

[Eagle_Driver]

I know, the Cosmic - and other high-end Headroom amps, as well - are known to be a bit on the bright side of neutral, and couple that with the more forward sound of the Sony PCDPs' line-outs, and...

I'd say that you should order a couple more NiMH gumsticks for your SlimX, along with buying a few more AA alkaline batteries. The first couple of times that I charged my new SlimX, I barely got more than one hour of audio CD playback between charges. Only time will tell how long this third charge will last.

Barring that, if you absolutely must have a minimum of 30 hours of uninterrupted playback, then the Sony D-EJ1000 is a decent choice. Just be sure not to use its headphone-out (and yes, you can use its remote even with no headphone connected to it and with something connected to the player's line-out); the headphone-out to me sounded bloated and murky compared to other headphone jacks on my other portable equipment.

 

[zeplin]

I know people have already discussed this topic before. What I want to know about the older Sony players versus players like the SlimX, is more in depth descriptions and comparisons about the sound ouput...i.e. how the bass sounds compared to whatever players you can use as a referance. And...I just would like to hear from many different people and get an understanding of where most people would stand in this situation. I am not saying that I follow to what ever everybody else does...I am simply wanting to gain insight.