Sony SCD-C 555ES

all is well. the main problem was something that happened once before, awhile ago. there's a little toggle on the back of my amp which, when in the up position, turns my amp mono. i quickly put it in the down position. still not quite there - the clincher was "rarl"'s advice regarding sacd multi/2ch choices on the ams knob.
track #4 on "new favorite" by allison krauss really did me in.
thanks to all and don't forget the little toggles. dan

Dan-So how does it sound???

Pinpoint accuracy, super-defined soundstage, of course, and details heard for the first time. most impressed with what it did with a track on allison krauss' "new favorite" - the whole band was blastin' and i could hear each and every instrument more "there" than ever before and a large, "visual" soundstage.
then i tested redbook on it with a joan baez track that, to me, blurrs the distinction between "live or memorex ?" ..... that being "diamonds and rust"- a crystal clear acoustic guitar and ms baez's incredibly powerful voice.
i think i must expand my horizons - but i'm really hooked on female voice. thanks - all you guys did it, made me think and look and remember what happened years ago, and advised me on how to operate this new changer.

I can't believe that you got 18 responses and not one person mentioned SACDmods.com . I own the 555ES myself and I'm also not pleased with it's stock sound. Kinda harsh and cold. I'm about to have this player modded by Matthew Anker of www.SACDmods.com . From what I've read, these mods transform this player into a totally different player. It puts it on the level of the Carys and Arcams. You can go to site and take a look at the upgrades.

Also, you should go to head-fi.com . It's actually a headphone enthusiast website but the guys there know just as much about 2 channel stereo anyone. There's a really good review there about the modded 555es. Apparently quite a few guys over there have done it and they all say that the modded player is in another league compared to the un-modded player. Here's a link to the review that sold me.

http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=36751&highlight=hot+rod

Before you decide to give up on this player,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I BEG YOU,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW. Also, check out SACDmods site.

Good luck.

Meech33:

When the SCD-C 555ES first came out , it was an $1800 machine. With all due respect to the modification minded community ... for that kind of scratch, changing the sonic character of a unit should not be the first line of defense ... especially when the unit has a reputation for sounding a certain way. Pull the mod trigger, if your goal is to get a $1800 unit to sound like a $4000 unit with $750 worth of mods. But if your goal is to get the unit to sound the way that it is purported to sound, keep the mod gun holstered. In the case of the SCD-C 555ES, SONY has a ton of information in the user's manual that is not intuitive with just a cursory examination of the unit's controls. And to Dan, I'm glad that it all worked out in the end.

Regards, Rich