Sony DVP-NS755V vs. C555ES

dan t

Based on my past experience Denon is not what I had in mind

Just curious, what kind of exprience was that?

Dan

Sydney's Dad

Originally posted by dan t
Just curious, what kind of exprience was that?

Dan

Right out of the box the cd player would constantly skip and the drawer would stick. This was first and only experience with a Denon purchase. I Took it back to GG and have been purhasing Sony product every since.

shack

Originally posted by LuSh
I'm curious Shack, did you have both players present and hooked up to the same gear?

No. But I've listened to them both on very good and similar gear so I assure you that the NAD was not at a disadvantage when it came to power and speakers. As I said...I was ready to buy a C521BEE until a better deal came along...so I think very highly of it.

I've owned the Sony CE775 SACD changer

I currently own the CE775 and SCD-C222ES. While the 775 is very good on SACD and pretty good with redbook the 222 has much better redbook performance. I now also own the Cambridge D500SE which to my ears is in some ways better than the 222. I did hear the SCD-C222ES and SCD-555ES in the same system and the SACD performance was comparable...BUT...the 555 was significantly better on redbook. I wish I could have afforded the the 555 at that time but it was running about $1,000 and was a little too pricey.

Is the C521BEE better than the Sony CE775...probably...but to notch that up and say because the NAD beats Sony's entry level SACD/CD player it is a better deal than a VERY GOOD 555 is just not apples and oranges. Remember...the 775's original MSRP was around $400 and the 555's was around $1,700.

I've also tested a Sony Multi Changer vs Harmon Kardons multi. Again, no comparison.

I've never been really impressed with HK CDPs. They have decent sound but are known for reliability problems. It would not suprise me that a basic Sony changer would sound inferior to a HK...but none of the HK changers that I've heard equals the Sony CDP-CA70ES or the older CDP-CA80ES, both of which are nice CD only changers.

LuSh - I'm sure you hear what you hear...we just happen to disagree. Plus, you have a VERY nice CDP if you bought the C521BEE. I just think Sony often gets a bad rap when it comes to their ES line of CDPs. They have been doing this for a very long time and they make good equipment. I think you would be suprised to find there are a few "high end" CDPs that use Sony transports as a base.

Given Sidney's Dad's inquiry...the Sony recomendation was the best choice for his situation...IMO (IMO being the operative term here).

A final note on SACD.

a formatt that is having trouble putting forth even 1/4 of todays newest releases, 1.5 years after its birth.

SACDs were first introduced in 1999 BTW.

This doesn't suprise me. SACD is not being marketed to mass market consumer. If most current consumers are like my daughters (and I bet they are) then they buy the current music...listen to it for 2-3 months till the next best group of CDs comes along...then the old ones are in a stack gathering dust. This consumer is not going to spend thousands of $ on SACD/CD players. They are going to use portables, boomboxes, DVD players or download everything into a MP3. NO need to spend the extra to produce everything as SACD. The SACD catalog will be geared to the same crowd as vinyl. Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Peter Gabriel, The Police, Rolling Stones, The Who, Miles Davis, Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc... Proven titles and artists that the "audiophile" will purchase to replace is redbook copy and will buy the SACD when that artist produces a new album. The "average consumer" could care less about high resolution. Bose can attest to that fact.

It really is all good...It's fun to discuss, compare, argue and disagree about.

Sydney's Dad - Good luck on the SCD-C555ES. I hope you enjoy it as much as I think you will!

LuSh

I didn't buy the BEE521 I opted for one better. The price point of the 555ES was set because

A. It was decoding a very very new format.
B. Was a 5 disc changer
C. Tried to do a good job to decent job on Red Book CD's. To it's credit it did. But alot of what you were paying for was the extras, SACD, 5 disc etc. If you were to buy as good a dedicated Red Book cd player that was single disc. I think you could find quite a few for much less money.

I have no idea what Audiophile CD's are. I buy music I like to listen too because I like the actual music. If its a great recording then all the better. The SACD has about 6 tittles that spike my interest.

It kinda reminds me of another Sony format that was "better" and had videophiles giggling. BETA. We know how that ended.

But difference in opinion is life, and were all better for sharing ideas.

Goodluck on your purchase I'm sure you'd be happy either way.

Sydney's Dad

It finally arrived today! I hope to have the C555ES hooked up tomorrow after I put a fresh coat of pain on the entertainment center.

Over the last couple of weeks I've sold off components from my 2nd and 3rd system and was able to pick up 4 Sony TA-N55ES Amps from the proceeds. I plan on running an amp each of the front speakers. (RTi150's & RTi70's). Still waiting for 3 of them to get here. Hope it sounds good.

Anybody know if I can run all my stereo equipment on one circut? Is there some formula I can use to detemine how much equipment can run on a 20 amp breaker?

Sydney's Dad

Well after a week of playing around with the 555 I am very pleased with the purchase. At first I was somewhat skeptical about my new purchase, but after a week of dialing it in and finally figuring out how to get the added bass from the sacd tracks I desire, I've changed my mind and can now say that I am 100% satisfied with the out come.

Now I just need to pick up my second pair of RTi150's tomorrow and my system will finally be complete.

It took awhile but I do not see any changes in the near future. Here is the final outcome:

Sony DA777ES Receiver
Sony TA-N55ES Amplifers (4)
Sony SCD-C777ES SACD/CD Player
Sony DVP-NS755V DVD
Polk RTi150 Front A
Polk Rti150 Front B
Polk CSi40 Center
Polk RTi70 Rear
SVS PC+ Sub
Infinity Sub

Thanks to all that helped me put it together.

-PM