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Review 3 of 67
Price Paid:
$488.00
from Tweeter Summary:
I decided last week (after some quirkiness with my HK DVD5) that I wanted a good dedicated CD player to maximize my musical enjoyment. I was considering the NAD C541 which I auditioned in the store and was very impressed with. I was also considering the Cambridge Audio D500 SE which I have not auditioned. I actually visited Tweeter to look at entertainment centers and CD racks, but I caught wind of Miles Davis on an SACD demo. The player that was going at the time was the 555ES, but at $7xx was a little out of the budget picture, and I was skeptical that Sony could play redbook CDs like the NAD. Nevertheless, I was tempted by the way the separation in SACD was so good that you could literally hear the order in which Herbie was laying his fingers down comping behind Miles solo on So What. I noticed the 333ES piece in the corner with no price tag underneath. I went home, read the glowing reviews here and returned to Tweeter with a few CDs to listen to this close-out floor model. I was stunned. I had to audition it at home.
I''ve only had about 3 hours total devoted to listening so far, but it smokes what I''m used to whether I''m playing regular 16-bit discs, 24-bit discs, 20-bit discs, or the SACD sampler included in the box. Saxophones from the Dirty Dozen to George Coleman on the RVG Maiden Voyage sound far more three dimensional than I''ve EVER heard before. The sound of pianos and guitars is so spatious you think your head is in the sound hole of the guitar or right in front of the piano. There''s more bass than I''m used to, but it is detailed bass. On Miles live recording My Funny Valentine Plus Four, Ron Carter''s bass has more texture, for example.
Anyone who says this player is harsh makes me wonder what cables they are using. If anything, it MIGHT lack edge where edge is required, but it is hard for me to judge that since edgey music generally wouldn''t be my thing anyway.
Ergonomically, one complaint...you can''t power it down from the remote. Oh well...I''ll gladly walk the 10 feet to turn this on or off...I suppose I could put it on a switchable outlet of my NAD receiver too if that started to bother me. Since I did no side-by-side comparison, I can''t say how it would come out against an NAD CD player or the Cambridge. I''m statisfied enough to avoid the hassle of bringing those home and taking them back to "be sure." Strengths:
My living room is alive with the sound of music! Great bang for my buck, but I wouldn''t/couldn''t have paid the original retail. Weaknesses:
I have to walk 10 feet to hear it, but it''s worth the walk. Similar Products Used:
HK DVD5 (does that really count?), HK FL8400 with Audio Alchemy outboard DAC. I''m done with Harman Kardon, though...hopefully Sony ES will hold-up better for me with the longer warranty.
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4.63 of 5
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