[purk]

immtbiker,
I think I am the only guy in here with d777, d555, and de-905. To my ear, D555 beat them all. D555 has EQ, bassboost, surround mode, and DDS. Using the comination of these DSPs, Sony D-555 brings out the many sound characteristics of the two. The bassboost features in the D555 is excellent in the lower volume, while very distorted in a higher output. The high is excellent with exceptional details in midrange. The D555 also has dual dacs, which should contribute in exceptional details of music.
D905 is a very details pcdp with very well define bass, however, the d777 is just more fun to listen to. I can't decide which I will put on top. If you want accurate and true to the nature of music, D-E905 is very hard to beat. On the otherhand, listening to the D777 with my Sony mdr-e484 and e888 bring out "fun" and impact to my ears. I love both player and won't sell any of them.
Six months ago I also had the E-J01, and 925. The two players sound identical. The megabass are way overdone. I used my grado sr-80 to evaluate these two player and...the result is very disappointing. Crank up the volume, and the bass become very muddy and distorted. The midrange is no where to be found while treble is o.k. to listen with. Oh....and I have to second Duncan that .....these 2 discmans are very highend and those Pana PCDPs are way behind, b/c i also own Panasonic Sl-S500sx, and Sl-S651C. Both were top of the line in 1996, and 1995.

 

[Superbaldguy]

The 925 has a fair amount of distortion near the maximum volume, but its sound is otherwise OK. It's headphone amp is very laid-back and it works well with classical and other "quiet" music, but not too great for rock and dance music.

As mentioned, it's quite slim and attractive, with superb battery lfe. Be forewarned the D-EJ925 uses two NH-14WMs which are rather pricey to replace, but the originals should last a few years with average use....

 

[puck]

i'm not really too concerned with the headphone out of the players since i have a portable amp. as i recall from the last sony that i had (i can't remember which model but it was mid or upper end) the eq did not work with the line out, only through the headphone out. is this the case with the models that you guys have been talking about?

 

[purk]

Puck,
line out has a pure signal....and won't effect by any bassboost amplification.

 

[immtbiker]

Puck,
line out has a pure signal....and won't effect by any bassboost amplification

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My older D-555, and my newer Panasonic SL-CT 570 line out(s) are affected by all the DSP effects, including the bass boost.
Got my D-25s today! What a piece of solid metal machinery. It looks mighty purty, too.
Hate to sound like my grandfather, but, "they sure don't build 'em
like they used ta!"

 

[The Quality Guru]

Quote:

Originally posted by purk immtbiker, The midrange is no where to be found while treble is o.k. to listen with.

For your evaluation of the D-EJ925, in the quote, is this with the mega bass setting completely off? (I actually haven't listened to my D-EJ925 through revealing headphones yet, and I really haven't listened to the player that much at all, really. So, when I get my ATH-W100's, I'll be sure to evaluate the headphone out on the D-EJ925). But this IS with the mega bass off, right?

Quote:

Six months ago I also had the E-J01, and 925. The two players sound identical. The megabass are way overdone. I used my grado sr-80 to evaluate these two player and...the result is very disappointing. Crank up the volume, and the bass become very muddy and distorted. The midrange is no where to be found while treble is o.k. to listen with.

Here I assume that you are referring to when the players have their Mega Boosts on, right? (Note: most PCDP's "mega bass boosts" when heard through the headphone out are horrible beyond belief; most important is the sound of the PCDP's headphone out when these boosts are not on). Again, are mega boosts on here?

Quote:

Oh....and I have to second Duncan that .....these 2 discmans are very highend and those Pana PCDPs are way behind, b/c i also own Panasonic Sl-S500sx, and Sl-S651C. Both were top of the line in 1996, and 1995.

When you say "these two discmans," are you referring to the D-EJ01 and the D-EJ925- if you are, then you are saying that the Sony's are much better than the Panasonic PCDP's, right?

 

[tktran]

The Panasonic SL-CT470 beats all of the current Sony lineup.

Sony's tend to sound clinical and often harsh, whilst the Panas have a lovely warmth to them.

 

[The Quality Guru]

This may be true (I will have to check this matter out, however, because I doubt that statement . . . what about the D25S?) but what I think is more important is how the line-out sounds, not the headphone jack. First off, the line-out is important for the amps that will be using that jack, and also for low-impedence headphones, (like the ATH-W100's) the line out drives them to a perfect volume for non-rock music, and exhibits a sound that is pretty refined (and IMO) smooth enough; I was listening to my W100's last night straight out of the D-EJ925's line out and the sound was quite impressive, especially for a PCDP (a lot of this audio bliss could be attributed to the headphones themeselves)

Anyway, I'm curious to know how Panasonic's sound . . . perhaps I will find one and have a listen.

EDIT: Ooops. Evidently the D-25s is said to be sort of harsh sounding as well. Hmm . . . well, perhaps Sony's are harsh and clinical, but I must find out for myself! Perhaps 'detailed' is a better word than clinical; with the D-EJ925 line out paired with the W100's it is detailed and smooth, in a portable package (that's the way I see it, anyhow).

 

[Spad]

Quote:

Originally posted by The Quality Guru This may be true (I will have to check this matter out, however, because I doubt that statement . . . what about the D25S?) but what I think is more important is how the line-out sounds, not the headphone jack. First off, the line-out is important for the amps that will be using that jack, and also for low-impedence headphones, (like the ATH-W100's) the line out drives them to a perfect volume for non-rock music, and exhibits a sound that is pretty refined (and IMO) smooth enough; I was listening to my W100's last night straight out of the D-EJ925's line out and the sound was quite impressive, especially for a PCDP (a lot of this audio bliss could be attributed to the headphones themeselves)

I use W2002s with a Sony EJ1000 and my experience is the same, QG. I have a JMT CHA-47 amp, but when using W2002s or Ety 4Ps, I rarely use it. The headphone out works fine for me. The amp is reserved for Senns and the Ety 4P/S.

 

[Audio-Me]

Tuki - you should definately give the Panasonic SL-CT570 a try. It's light years beyond any Sony I've heard. I mean, it's still a portable, but it's about as good as it gets... Coupled with a good portable amp (I use a custom JMT CHA-47), and a decent cable, it's a remarkable portable system.

 

[sohcahtoa]

Anybody have the Rio Volt sp90?
It's headphone jack is really exceptional, powers my Grado sr80's very well. I have the Panasonic sl-ct570 and I don't understand all the accolades people have been showering on it. It sounds pretty average to me, both the headphone and lineout jacks. Personally I would go for the Rio Volt sp90, it can play both regular audio cds and mp3 cds, and with the current rebate offer, it is only $79.

 

[zzz]

Anybody have the Rio Volt sp90?
------------------------

I have had a chance to audition sp90 with different firmware revisions on numerous occasions, and I have to say that at least when it comes to audio cds, it was the worst piece of equipment I have ever plugged my TA/HD600 into. Very noisy, very undetailed, poor mushy bass, treble rolls off pretty low, and one can hear occasional cracks between frames.

 

[iceage]

can we jump to the conclusion plz, I got dozed off reading the debate you all made.

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

Originally posted by The Quality Guru When you say "these two discmans," are you referring to the D-EJ01 and the D-EJ925- if you are, then you are saying that the Sony's are much better than the Panasonic PCDP's, right?

No... The D777 and the E905