Sony 900ES SACD sound vs CD - Help


I now have a little over 120 hours on my 9000ES DVD. Here's the problem: When I use the Sony as a transport (The digital output fed into an MSB Link Dac 2) the sound quality is MUCH better than the Sony supplied SACD music played through the SACD internal decoding circuits and output form the analog outputs on the Sony.

How can this be? I thought the SACD was supposed to be much better than the CD. Is it possible that the SACD circuits need much more time to break in?

The Sony when used as a transport is almost as good as my SimAudio Moon Eclipse cd player (when also used as a transport) which has a floating suspension.

I have the Sony on a magnetic levitation system which I designed that floats it 1/4 to 1/2" off the shelf.
This isolates the transport and circuitry from low frequency vibration. The result is: better bass, more open midrange, and clearer highs.

I just don't understand why the SACD part of this doesn't sound as good as everyone says it does. Maybe the sampler sacd is very good?

Any ideas??
128x128darrell
I'm not so certain that a $1K DAC would have improved the CD play on my Sony 300 DVD player above the S9000ES CD sound. This $1K also would not have improved the audio while playing DVDs (I play DVD-V as much as CDs), give me DTS capability (which the Sony 300 could not do), or give me progressive scan. Oh yes, I would not have the option to buy SACD records. For me, spending $1K on an external DAC in lieu of a new DVD player does not make any sense.
Well Jadem6. I appreciate your humor but in all seriousness, for you to say that the Sony 9000es is as good as most outboard Dac's just let's me know that Sony has you exactly where they want you. Hey, I'm not knocking anyone for how they choose to purchase their audio equipment but there are many people reading this post right now who are going to be influenced one way or another and I think it's best that they hear both sides of reason as opposed to purchasing on an emotional high. If you purchased the Sony 9000es and enjoy it, I'm happy for you. Infact, I did say that I would purchase it because of it's DVD video capabilities which to me minimizes the risk of it becoming totally obsolete in the near future.
In response to Drubin. I'm sure that everyone is an imformed purchaser like you and to prove it just look at some of the newbie questions that we have on this board. Maybe it is worth it to you to have an SACD playback deck in your system but what does that have to do with the software situation. What makes it worth it to purchase the Sony 777es which was the unit that I origionally questioned the many purchases as well as the many secondhand units for sale? I never questioned the purchases of the Sony 9000es unit. READ MAN READ!!! As far as saving all you dumb-ass poor slobs as you put it, all I can say is relax man it's only information in the form of an opinion. If my opinion on purchasing the 777es causes you to respond in such a manner especially when it's evident that you did not read it thoroughly enough to truely comprehend what I was saying, then it's no wonder you would buy a format that has no software support. You probably own the 777es or better yet, you probably don't and just want to be heard...
Well Martice, you've got me confused. The quotes below are from your own post 2/11/01 and I swear it sounds like you feel the 9000ES is not capible of playing and then later of improving your existing standard cd collection, and later again that the improvement wouldn't be worth the investment. Actually if you read the four quotes one would think they were from two or three different people. What am I missing here?
"once you bring this unit home and you play all of the crappy SACD's that they offer, you start to wonder why did I pay all of this money for a unit that I can't play my favorite CD's"
"and that sonic rewards while playing my regular CD's on this unit is marginal to OK?"
"I have a lot of CD's at home that I haven't realized their full potential yet so while Sony/Philips decide how they are going market this new format I will continue to try to get the most out of my regular CD's."
"I'm sure the SACD format is sonically superior to regular CD's but if there is little software what did you purchase it for?"
I think it's you who might want to calm down. I've owned the SCD-1 for about seven months now and enjoy the sound quality over my old $10,000 system wich my buddy has brought over twice for blind tests. The reviews from people here on Audiogon (some who have owned the SCD-1 and now the 9000ES have stated that the second generation machines are better than the SCD-1) I have never auditioned the 9000ES so I'm relying on others feedback. The reviews I've read compare the SCD-1 to an $18,000 upsampling system and multiple +$15,000 cd systems and the results are within a wisker of eachother using standard redbook cd. The SACD is equal to or superior to the above comparisons depending on who you read. Now if your telling me a $1000 dac will also compare to these systems I'd like to know your "dealer", as in drugs. From your posts it sounds as if you have no experience with any SACD player, and in that a number of us here on Audiogon do, I would ask you to back down untill you know what your talking about. As you stated above, people come here to learn what others have learned.
Thank-you J.D.
I do own a 777 Martice. I bought it to use as a transport and to play SACDs and, as Art Dudley suggested in a recent Listener editorial, to vote for the new format with my wallet. But at $1500, it was practically a no-brainer. I am plenty interested in others' experiences with these players, including your experience. But your opinions seem to be based soley on your sense of the industry and the outlook for the format, and apparently not on first-hand experience with the products. Meanwhile, lots and lots of owners (many are knowledgeable and experienced audiophiles) are very enthusiastic about the Sony players. Are they wrong?