Best deal in didgital source SACD is awsome Regular CDs is almost as good. Almost 60 lbs. of transport mechanism!

Takes a few seconds to start playing the tunes, but well worth the wait

For the price one can do no better. It reportedly takes 1-2 months to break in. Sounds awsome right out of the box, (maybe a little bright at first) Excellent bass, deep, fast, defined. Pin point imaging, wide and deep, Opera is incredible, Details are clear but not overlypresent, but most importanatly these are all part of one wave of music. With superaudio mode there is a no contest. I could dicern every instrument in space including ones I had not heard before during Beethovens Simphonies conducted by George Szell. In the sampler included, Dave Brubecks piano was so realistically present and beautiful from hammer strike to the last bit of note. But most of all in regular playback, as well as superaudio the quality of TONE + TIMBRE is so good it makes me very very happy and eager to keep listening more + more. BTW this is all with the limiter switch off, through a Fi SET amp and Fi preamp on to single driver Fostex driver in a Voigt Pipe enclosure. My reference Lowther speakers are back tomorrow . . .

Similar Products Used:

Sony ES, Cambridge Audio, Rega Planet, Arcam

Everything, I mean everything

Still figuring out

I had a review on this machine elsewhere on this thread a while back when it was fairly new. This time, however the machine has been changed! Well, it was modified by R. Kern of Audiomod and I could never be happier with it. If you happen to own one of these stock players, have it mod by some of these experts and guaranteed, you'll not be disappointed!! My other reviewers had said enough about the modified unit sounds like so I will not say more.

You name it!

absolutley nothing for the money.

I'm not going to go into detail on how this player sounds, you owe it to yourself to audition this great product. If you want to get a general feel (idea) for it's sound, read the threads ;) I completely agree on the +

Good job Sony! keep up the good work! SACD is simply amazing! even regular cd playback on this unit is nothing less of astonishing!

5 stars all the way! ya baby!

all

none

This unit require break-in for 100 hours.
After break-in, my CD sound real good. I didn't
know my old CD's sound that good. I don't real care about
SACD.

Sound!!! with SACD and CD.

None with sound,but has a crackling noise as Ken describes below.

I think this SACD player is awesome. The sounds that come out of this box are incredible. Regular CD's sound so good, I'm listening to all my older music again and hearing so much more. The olny thing I have to complain about is the crackling noise that happens a couple times an hour just as Ken describes. I have sent the unit back for repair. It went back to Tweeter's repair center and they sent it back to SONY. I have not heard back from them yet as to what the problem is. I read Ken's message and wanted to reply. I will send another review when I get the unit back from Sony and evaluate it. I must say again, providing the unit will be fixed, that this is well worth
the money. I never thought I'd buy a Sony CD player as my reference player, but once you see the build quality and hear what it can do, I'm sure you'll like it too.
My system:
SONY SCD777ES
Krell 300i integrated amp
Rotel tuner RT 955
Monster power HTS5000
Klipsch Chorus II speakers
I think the next upgrade for my system will be speakers.
I love the Klipsch speakers. With good recordings I think they sound great, but bad recordings sound real bad. The speakers are on the bright side with solid state
amplification. They are very revealing. I know they would sound better with tubes, but I love the Krell and want to get speakers that work better with it.

Similar Products Used:

Older sony cheap CD player.

Not fully run-in yet, but already musical with lovely highs

Unknown - Not fully run-in yet

Have done about 50 hours of CD playback so far.

Out the box, the sound was nasty, thin and brittle, little bass, and what bass there was, was loose.

Already, there is a vast improvement in the sound, now musical to the point where it is difficult to leave one's seat. The mids still need to fill out a bit and the bass is not yet as deep or as strong as the CDP-CA80ES. I will write a proper review after about 400 hours.

System:
SCD-777ES
NAD C370 amp
B&W 602 S2 speakers
Kimber PBJ interconnect
Kimber 4PR cable.

Now on to the main purpose of this review:

I too, have experienced the clicking / cracking sounds on the unit.

When switched on, the unit emits a sort of "tick" / "click" or mild cracking sound about every 20 mins.

This is during playback and while idle.

The click does not emanate from the speakers.

The noises vary in intensity, sometimes a bit louder, sometimes a bit softer, so I deduce that it is unrelated to any relays, but it would seem to be mechanical in nature, such as the sound of a metal expanding.

After being on for some time so that the player is warm to the touch, and after turning off the power to the unit, these clicks continue for a while.

In view of the above, I am certain that the noise because of thermal expansion and contraction.

Further, these noises do not occur on my machine at all when located in a very well ventilated area. When placed inside a cabinet, open at the back and only about 3 inches space around the sides and, more significantly from a cooling point of view, the top, the noises occur.

Additionally, Here is what someone advised in Audioasylum.com:

"Doug,

I had a similar issue with my player. Richard Kern's response was:

"The top cover is expanding and contracting. Loosen the top allen screws and the noise will go away."

Worked for me."

I have not tried this yet, since I merely moved the unit to a very well ventilated location - no more problems.

Benefit of the doubt to the SCD-777ES, and pending a full review:
5 stars all the way.

Similar Products Used:

Sony CDP-CA80ES

Good punch, clean and clear

Takes half a minute for loading a disc

I wonder how the price can vary so much in US(from $1500 to $3400). The price in Hong Kong is generally within ¡Ó10% and I paid about US$1800 for it.

Before I bought the 777 I was using a Primare D30.2, which was a very good CD player, and I was very happy with it. So when I found the CD sound was quite unbearable when I listened to it in the Hi-Fi store, I just don¡¦t mind.

Its SACD was a different story: the same artist from the SACD seemed to be so much more skillful than when he/she was performing in CD. More musical, more dynamic, more depth¡K¡K.. I bought it. CD part? Forget it.

For the following 2 weeks, I enjoyed my SACD so much that I nearly forgot about the CDs. By then, I have got only 10 SACDs. Naturally, I turned back to my Primare for music I missed----from CDs. Out of curiosity, I tried 777 as well, playing CD. Hey! Something had changed! It was not bad. Not as bad as my first impression. I tried to compare the 2 players seriously. 777 was getting better and better and until the 3rd week, I can say it beat the Primare in every respect and just this CD part worth the $1800. I sold my Primare.

I regard the CD part a bonus when I first bought the 777, now I regard the SACD part as a bonus.

excellent sound, superb build quality

cracking sound (until now)

EURIKA!!

Finally I have solved the "cracking sound" problem and what you will find below is a cheap simple way to definately resolve the cracking sound problem described by myself in an earlier review and by other audiophiles in this column.

Well here it is. The sound is caused by the 2 different metal plates forming the base of the player. The internal base is made of a copper/brass type material while the external base is made of an iron/steel type material. The 2 plates of approx. 4mm thickness each are bolted together (nothing else) by 26 5/6 mm long bolts (black). They are easily identifiable as around the screw one sees black metal (the external base) while around all the others ones sees the brassy metal of the internal base.

I suspect that the 2 metals with different coefficients of expansion cause the crackling sound when they expand to different extents. The proof of where the carcking sound comes from came after the following experiment:

while keeping the player firmly against the floor with a fist in the middle of the top plate try lifting (without lifting) the bottom edges with the other hand. Like this you can get the player to make the noise whenever you like.

Now for the solution I used.

1) remove the 6 mm approx 26 bolts and from a hardware store purchase 26 similar bolts but with a 1 cm length. The head should be approx. 8 mm in diameter.
2) puchase 52 "O rings" and 52 metal washers (the washers should have a slightly larger diameter than the washers) which fit the new bolts.
3) with the player upside down (the CD weight should have been removed beforehand) on an appropriate surface (I used a hard flat cushion) place the washers followed by the O ring over the washer.
4) Now carefully place the external bottom over the washers and O rings. The external base should now be resting on the 26 O rings.
5) Insert the bolts with an O ring and washer into the 26 holes. Carefull! The external base should now be sandwiched between O rings.
6) Tighten the bolts gently and stop as one feels resistance against the screwdriver. Do not overtighten and go gently half a turn at a time per screw.
7) The player is now ready to go.

I have been using my player for over a week and have not heard the slightest cracking sound.

I am of the opinion that the annoying sound is gone for good.

Happy listening to everyone.

I have decided to give the player a 5 star rating.

SHAME ON SONY FOR HAVING MARKETED THE PRODUCT WITHOUT CHECKING IT THOROUGHLY.
I TRIED CONTACTING SONY BEFORE SOLVING THE PROBLEM ON MY OWN BUT THEIR ONLY PROPOSED SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM WAS TAKE IT THE REPAIR MAN!! YOU AND I KNOW THAT THIS IS A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME AND A RISK (SEE OTHER REVIEWS IN THIS COLUMN).

Ken

Similar Products Used:

Roksan CDP 1 + Dac 1 + External trasformer
ARC DAC 2

excellent all rounder

"CRACK" SOUND 2 TO 3 TIMES AN HOUR (EVEN IN STOP MODE). NO AFFECT ON SOUND QUALITY

I have used the product since March 2001 and can declare myself almost completely happy.

UNFORTUNATELY, STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX, THE PLAYER HAS ALWAYS MADE A "CRACK" SOUND. THE SOUND LASTS A SPLIT SECOND AND SOUNDS LIKE "METAL EXPANDING OR CONTRACTING WITH A CRACKING SOUND". THE NOISE APPEARS 2 TO 3 TIMES AN HOUR AND IN NO WAY IT APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO THE:
- TEMPERATURE OF THE SACD PLAYER;
- THE TIME IT HAS BEEN ON FOR;
- WHETHER PLAYING CDS OR SACDS;
- WHETHER THE PLAYER IS IN "PLAY" OR "STOP" MODE (I.E. THE "CRACK" SOUND IS MADE EVEN IN "STOP" MODE WHEN THE ON/OFF BUTTOM IS ON).

THE "CRACK" SOUND IN NO WAY AFFECTS THE SOUND QUALITY OF THE PLAYER. WITH THIS I MEAN THAT THERE IS NO INTERUPTION OR DEGRADING OF THE SOUND QUALITY DURING THE CRACK SOUND.

YOU CAN CALL ME A VERY SERIOUS AUDIOPHILE AND THE SCD-777ES IS USED WITH THE FOLLOWING ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT:
AUDIO RESEARCH REF1 PREAMPLIFIER
AUDIO RESEARCH VT130 AMPLIFIER
SONUS FABER GUARNERI HOMAGE SPEAKERS
CABLES ARE AUDIO RESEARCH AND MONSTER CABLE.
THE PLAYER IS SET ATOP A SOLIDSTEEL TABLE SET PERFECTLY HORIZONTAL AND WORKS IN A COOL DRY AREA OF MY HOUSE. I HAVE HAD A SEPERATE (FROM THE REST OF THE HOUSE) ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT INSTALLED FOR MY HI-FI EQUIPMENT.

I AM WARY OF TAKING THE PLAYER TO A SERVICE CENTRE WITHOUT HAVING SOME ADVANCE NEWS ON THE PROBLEM. DOES/HAS ANY USER HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM?

Similar Products Used:

Roksan cdp-1 + DAC + EXTERNAL POWER UNIT

Sound stage depth, timing and musicality.

CD playback lacks dynamics, transparency, clarity and detail.

The first encounter with the SCD-1's aesthetics and build is one of commendation. The styling and finish, and battleship construction immediately impress. No plastic disc trays here, but instead a high quality top loading mechanism, which instils a degree of confidence with the first disc you spin.

The first disc I listened to was "Dave Bruebeck - Time Out". Anyone who owns this album on SACD will understand the improvements in sound quality from even the best engineered CD's. The SCD-1 with this SACD provides one of the most convincingly realistic encounters with digital audio. It's compelling and lifelike performance is enough to convince you that SACD is a superior digital format.

Not all SACD's are equal. Recordings vary, with some classical pressings sound compressed. This should come as no surprise, because it has been the same with CD's s since their inception.

The CD playback of the SCD-1 could be summed up as average. The plus factors are it's musicality, depth and good timing. Dynamics, detail, transparency, timbre, sound stage and definition are somewhat lacking. Thankfully, the positive attributes of the SCD-1's CD quality are seldom found together in a CD player at this price. It's faults, with careful modification can be removed, and the end result is a machine that sings and engages you in the music, rather than just churning out impressively correct sound.

Removing 8 hexagon bolts from the top plate of the SCD-1 reveals the circuitry. Board wiring is very tidily finished, and high quality printed circuit boards and mechanical parts are used. Component quality is good, with a mixture of Elna ROS (Silmic), Nichicon Gold tune, Nichicon Fine Gold, high-speed op-amps, Schottky diodes and carbon film resistors.

The downside is the regulation where a combination of 78XX TO-220 & TO-252 packages are used to supply DAC, digital filter, current pulse and master clock and timing circuits. The NJM78L05 used for the analogue supply has a high output noise level of 45mV in bandwidth of 10Hz to 100KHz. A similar poor result is found with the M5F7807L/M5F7907L supplying the current pulse IC'S and the independent BA05T for the digital filter.

The operational amplifier for the I/V conversion stage is the OPA2604. This is a good choice for analogue filter stages but out of it's depths when ultra-low noise and high speed required.

The analogue filter and output stage uses 0.5W carbon film resistors. Whilst carbon has a polite, unobtrusive character, it is also noisy, and sound quality is veiled.

The modifications to the SCD-1 were stipulated one at a time to ensure an accurate analysis of the sound quality. This included a minimum of 100 hours "burn-in" between each stage

Step one was to replace all the electrolytics on the audio board with Black Gate electron transfer capacitors. The non-polar Black Gate BG-N are strikingly better than the Elna ROS series for digital and analogue applications. They possess a much greater transparency, are more neutral, have better detail, definition and fluidity. Black Gate BG-N were used for regulator bypass and de-coupling digital and analogue IC's.

The low value 100nF polyester film capacitors de-coupling the DAC and current pulse IC's were replaced with Black Gate BG-NX Hi-Q.

In step two the regulator bypass capacitors for both analogue and digital supplies are replaced with Black Gate BG-N & BG-NX. The main power supply smoothing capacitors for the analogue supply are replaced with Black Gate Standard, FK & BG-NX type. The low value 100nF polyester film capacitors used to bypass the larger electrolytics are replaced with Black Gate BG-NX Hi-Q.

Step three involves replacing a total of 8 voltage regulators for both the digital and analogue supplies with super-regulator, 5 for the audio board and 3 for the power supply board. An independent +5V regulator supplies the digital filter. A Single +9 and -9V regulator is series connected to +5V, +7V and -7V regulators situated on the audio board. supplies DAC, current pulse, master clock, and regulator amp circuits.

Step four requires removing the 8 pin/DIL OPA2604 op-amps and fitting the OPA627 dual boards. The 627 was a remarkable improvement. Bass has greater depth, fluidity and rhythm, being quicker on it's feet with better control and solidity. Improved dynamics give a greater swing of excitement at both frequency extremes. Extra detail in the mid-band is combined with an overall more natural (less Hi-fi) presentation.

The final step, step five is to replace each of the 0.5W carbon film resistors with Bulk Metal Foil type. The Vishay VSR4 was a preferred choice over the S102 or VSRJ type. The VSR4 has a fuller sound, greater depth and an extremely neutral sound.

The modifications to the SCD-1 outlined in this article are only for the experienced person who has a basic level of electronics and good soldering skills. Anti-static precautions should be taken to prevent static damage to semi-conductors, and a wrist strap should be used. Good quality soldering and de-soldering tools are essential.

The full article on the SCD-1/777ES can be found at;
http://www.audiocom-uk.com

The complete cost of the upgrade is £1493.63 ($2300.00). The end result is a CD/SACD player that will surpass any unit up to $12000.00!!

Similar Products Used:

Sony SCD-1, Marantz SA-1