Sony SCD-C 555ES

I think it has a lot to do with the source material rather than the player. It is a well-known fact even among SACD enthusiasts that there are many SACDs out there that sounds like crap. Fortunately, there are more and more SACDs that really show off their edge over CDs. Try some SACD samplers like Opus3, Concord Jazz Sampler, classical recordings with very little noice such as Dvorak Slavonic Dances or something conducted by Szell who's usually pretty well-recorded. Yo Yo Ma Solo and Bernstein conducts discs should have plenty of body. The 555ES is a great player but it's also an accurate player. If the source and room are bright there's nothing that the 555ES will do to lessen that.

Howie - thanks, i'll take this into consideration and try what you suggest. my system and room, however, have never been anything but "un-bright" - the only times i've experienced brightness at all was when interconnects or speaker wire was still burning in. what i'm getting with the 555es is very similar - and a flat sound stage.
as for the source material - so far my selections have been, i think, fairly decent. james taylor's "hourglass" (noy hybrid), allison krauss and norah jones. each of these artists has released beautifully produced redbook counterparts that throw a wide and deep soundstage with my old cal audio CL-10.
i'm going to see if my patience can outlast this break in period. and i will experiment with other interconnects.

Danbern3...

you indicated that you had checked your interconnects and that your system is strictly 2 channel. However, as Rar1 pointed out, you ALSO must reconfigure your player. Simply using the 2 channel outputs does not mean the player is reading the 2 channel SACD layer.

The final insult !! - i just did an a/b with my harman kardon RECORDER !! and the HK won by a mile. i am now certain that the 555 needs breaking in.
you know, one thing bothers me ........... we pay exorbitant amounts of money for that simple pleasure of approaching realism in recorded sound .......... but we are required to wait with saintly patience for the breaking in of new equipment. i can't speak for others, but the more i pay the quicker my patience wears thin. should the manufacturer or can the manufacturer shorten or eliminate this burn in period ??

Dan-Give it some time and let us know the outcome.