Sony 900ES SACD sound vs CD - Help

Hi Drubin. If you're saying that the unit plays CD's very well or well enough to justify the price paid, then what can I or anyone say to that? Point taken!!

There is another way to look at the big picture.If no one buys the hardware because of the lack of sacd selection,then there will not be a reason to master more software.My hats off to anyone who early adopts sacd,for it is far superior to any cd playback i have heard up to 10,000. I did not find a big difference in sound quality between the 9000 and the 777 so i went with the 9000.However had i more disposable income at the time i might have went with the 777 for its better cd playback.I too feel that the 9000 is the best deal in audio ever,at least in my buying experience.I plan on putting more money into ic's and isolation devices than i paid for the unit it self [1075.00]but i am just a dumb ass slob so what do i no.

Jadem6, I think you (and I too) may have misread some of Martice's post, as I went back to re-read it. Martice, I'll try to answer your ultimate question as to why I bought a 777ES with limited (certainly not no) software available. To begin with, last winter, when the only units out there were the SCD-1 and 777ES at $5000 and $3500, I bought a dCs Purcell in the same price range on the same rationale as you point out, that for the same price I could get something that improved the 1000+ CDs I now have vs. a piece that had only a few available titles, many of which I had in other formats. However, when the price of the 777ES came down last fall to $1600, I took another look at the format's software, which was increasing and included a number of titles I, as a classical lover, was interested in from good labels, and figured that at this price it was worth the chance that the format might not succeed and at least a listen. Upon listening to the 777ES, comparing CD and SACD on hybrid discs of the same recording, the superiority of SACD was clearly apparent to me. I bought the 777ES ultimately because SACD is what I, as an analog fan, have been wishing digital, even upsampled digital, could be and I figured I should put my money where my mouth was now that I could afford to pay the price. If enough of these SACD players are sold, the likelihood increases that more software will become available as the manufacturers and distributors see the format as commercially viable; but if the hardware isn't in the hands of the consumers, there's no chance for the format. I figured also that if the format never went forward, my son would have a hand-me-down CD player that was at least competitive with units in the $2500-$4000 price range. I'm encouraged by Sony's latest models, which have lower price tags and, with the 9000, includes a good DVD player--this kind of marketing could make the format a consumer success. And, at least with the 777ES since it has a digital output jack, keep in mind that you can improve your redbook CD playback by getting a better DAC than is offered in the stock unit and using the player as a transport. I believe that this is why many of us think of the unit as a comparative bargain at the $1500-$1600 price--in my system, it's had the additional benefit of keeping my Forsell transport on its best behavior (don't ask me why, but that unit had always been very tempermental till I brought in the Sony; now it works flawlessly)! Sorry for the length of this post, hope it makes some sense to you.

Thank-you Martice. Well stated Ears, you'll be very happy. The funny thing to me is these machines are soooo cheap compared to the simmiliar sound quality cd only machines that you can afford to upgrade interconnects and isolation, thus receiving the double bonus. In my opinion anyone who buys a standard cd player at any price point has missed out on the greatest bargain in audio! And has overpaid for what they get. J.D.

Rcprince, very well stated. I have no idea why your Forsell is so scared of the Sony, but that alone justifys the purchase. J.D.