Price Paid:  $0.00 from Ebay

Summary:
I immediately noticed a difference with this piece in my system. I haven't noticed or had any of the problems others have. I was hesitant about buying a Sony piece (despite having other Sony pieces) mainly because their customer service is horrible. But the piece is great and would buy another if I had too. All I need now are some cables. Any recommendations.........

Strengths:
Helped with imaging and soundstage. Love the exchange function.

Weaknesses:
Not a big deal but I wish all changers would start the next disc faster.

Similar Products Used:
Marantz, non ES Sony cd player.

Price Paid:  $250.00 from SONY STORE

Summary:
Great sound for the price....based my selection on price & specs ...specs on this unit are better than the specs on current Sony units... sounds better than my old single-disc player Sony CDP-710 although the 710 tracked better overall...have had the random skip or "hang-up" with this unit but that is very rare...unit is alittle noisy changing CD''s & does make a tiny"beep" sound at the start of a track.. only reason for changing from the 710 was the 5-disc capablity (got tired of running down to rec room to change CD''s when listening to tunes in upstairs living room & kitchen)...710 was rock-solid ...hope this unit can be as trouble-free....saw an old STEREO REVIEW 1997.. equipment directory that listed this unit as having HDCD decoding ability, but nothing listed in the manual...so far I am enjoying the music !!

Strengths:
excellent sound,changes CD''s quickly

Weaknesses:
alittle noisy;occasionally skips or "hangs-up" on certain discs(mostly CD''s borrowed from the local public library that aren''t in the best of shape)

Similar Products Used:
SONY CDP-710 single disc player (excellent unit)

Price Paid:  $400.00 from Sony Store

Summary:
I've had a really bad run of luck with Sony products recently, from the CD player to VCR to Laser Disk Player (yes, I still use one).

When I purchased the CA7ES I also got the extended warranty, which I assumed would be hassle free. However, when I complained about a grinding noise and long change time (twice), the technician concluded that it did not impede operation and so did not warrant repair. All their customer service department could offer was their sympathy. With about $3500 worth of Sony products in my home I expected better. Their technicians also estimated VCR repairs at $300 which I was able to get elsewhere for $88. Go figure.

Yes, I consider myself an audiophile (for the past 25 years) but in future will purchase on price like any other commodity. Funny, my 16 year old NAD still works just fine. Sony, you've blown it.

Strengths:
Tracking ability on damaged disks

Weaknesses:
Speed of access, Sony repair policy

Similar Products Used:
NAD single and Sony Carousel CD Players

Summary:
I have used my CA7ES for two years now, and I am pretty disappointed. It sounds great, I will grant you that. Many of my discs skip badly on this unit. And they don't just make little jumps int he sound, they skip without pause to the next track when probelms are encountered. Oddly enough, my little Sony X500 single disc player I bought for making MDs reads all these discs without a problem, even the discs that are obviously scratched and will not play on most CD players. Why can't Sony build this kind of robustness into their ES line?

The other big problem is that many times, especiall on random play, the player will replace the disc back onto the tray just slightly off-center, and then of course it doesn't recognise it the next time it comes around. So if you set up 5 discs for random play (the whole reason for me getting a changer), about one hour into it you will be lucky if all 5 discs are still recognized.

I know it's out of production, but I don't know if the new version has fixed these problems. If you can still find this at a bargain price, I'm not sure i would recommend it. Sorry, Sony ES.

Strengths:
Great sound, when it's not skipping

Weaknesses:
skips on many discs, CDs occasionally are not recognized because they are not placed flat back onto the carousel

Similar Products Used:
JVC cartdrige-type changers, sony single-disc

Summary:
Stunning detail in this changer! I noticed an immediate difference when I plugged it in to my system, and the system isn't that great! Decent, but not great (yet!)

I've used it for 2 1/2 years now, with absolutely no skipping problems described here. The only disc it has skipped on was VERY scratched and scuffed, and yet it only had a slight problem with one track. I personally don't know why it even played! =)

Can't wait to hear it using the optical digital out...

System:
JVC Dolby Pro-Logic amp, circa 1993. The surround portion of the amp is dying, soon to be replaced with a Denon AVR-4800.
Panasonic A-112 DVD
Sony CA7ES changer
Klipsch KM4 speakers
Monster cable interconnects all around

Strengths:
Excellent sound for the price. Solid unit, zero problems.

Weaknesses:
Remote lacks functionality that my old, circa 1990 Sony single disc player had. Interestingly enough, the old remote works with this player, including the buttons that are missing from the new remote.

Similar Products Used:
Onkyo changer, non-ES Sony changer