chickey Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 Folks, After years of putting up with my big old Klipsch speakers, more amps than she can count ("what are those big ugly boxes?"), and a dazzling array of remotes ("I only use the one that turns on the TV"), my wife has finally put her foot down. She wants a CD changer. A fair compromise, even it does mean I may be hearing more Enya and Basia than I'd like... After I reluctantly accepted the general concept, she casually mentioned her intention of running down to Costco and buying the Daewoo special. That's when I put my foot down. Displaying a bit of obnoxiousness only a pseudo-audiophile could muster, my immediate response was "not in my system you don't!" Met with a temporary obstacle, her millisecond response was "fine, tell me which one to buy and I'll get it, Mr. Perfectionist." A little reading and research later, I came upon the Sony DVP-CX777ES. 400 disk changer, DVD, SACD, and a host of other goodies. However, I know changers have historically had reliability problems, not to mention sub-optimal audio performance. I'm wondering if this latest generation is any different, and is anyone has any hands-on experience with one of these bad boys. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 My brother in law has a Sony player taking several hundred CDs and it sounds okay to me. Maybe I'm a tin ear. I listen to CD players of various old vintages and find them okay. His unit has never jammed. It seems to me that there are only philosophical suspicions about budget ($) players which are sophisticated. E.g. isn't the limited money going into cheapo substandard electronics. The veritable kookoo-clocks of mechanisms must be prone to breakdown too. My belief is that that these probably have more advanced electronics that the single play units of, say, three years ago. The mechanisms are not any more cranky than their forebearers. Keep the S.O. happy. Gil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMcGoo Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 The DVD mega changers also play CDs and may sound better. The use of a mega changer does not preclude the externals DACs in a processor or receiver or stand alone DACs. Make each box count at this point. WAF is important, especially when she turns reasonable. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 You know what would tickle your wife pink? An audio server. Forget the changers - put the CD's away forever! She could dial up her favorite song list in seconds, and enjoy for hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 I think the 777ES would be very good and serve your purposes perfectly. It will provide the WAF with a single hold-all, be-all unit. And as far as I can say with my 333ES 400CD changer, the sound quality is just as good as high quality (though not boutique) single CD players. "Compromise" isn't even the word...because I truly believe the Sony ES line mega changers are built superbly and produce very clean sound, providing the signal throughout the equipment chain is good too. And just taking a gander's eye at your gear, "good" doesn't even describe how outstanding your HT gear is. You? Pseudo audiophile? Nah!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-Man Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Look into the Pioneer Elite PD-F27. I did a little reasearch on them at the time and I believe it to be the best mega changer available. I bought one a few months ago and I like it. I don't remember the DACs off the top of my head, but I remember them being better then the ones that Sony uses. I only wanted a 100 disc changer like the one that I was replacing, but to get the quality that I wanted I had to get this 300 disc changer. If your looking for the best sound quality to be had in one of these buy the Elite, don't buy Pioneers lower end models. It was only around $500.00, I also bought a combo DVD-Audio/SACD player at the same time, that's why I don't rember the exact price of the Pioneer. If your as lazy as I am, you can't beat them. I lay back in the recliner and listen to a couple of songs on a CD and then flip to another CD. I'm lucky if I like as many as three songs on any given CD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formica Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 I noticed you already own a separate DAC... Will you be using it with your new juke-box player? I ask that because a CD player's character comes from it's DAC more than it's transport... so I think MrMcGoo brought up a valid point. You'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between these units. The only way a transport will change the sound of a CD is if it has a data reading error, which is rare given the low read speed required for a standard red book CD. The internal DACs would be used only SACD and DVDA... two formats which are inherently superior to the red book CD. On the other hand, if you use the juke-boxes internal DACs, you will be able to hear discreet differences between players when you A/B them. Good luck... Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenratboy Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 I have a older 300 CD changer I have used hard for over 2 years. Awesome. Reliability is fine (I just heard yesterday the old 200 CD chnagers were trash), and the new ones should be better. Go for it. If anything, it will save your CD's from scratches! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclonecj Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 I have 2 Sony non-ES changers, a 200 & a 300 disk. They are both still working fine. I have always used the digital out to my receiver, so I had no problems with sound. Not long ago, I did some testing with 4 Cd players & 3 DVD players using only the digital out to my receiver. I could not tell the difference between any of them, with one exception, my $39 Apex DVD player. But it also spends most of its summers out in the sun & dust at the lake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickey Posted February 24, 2004 Author Share Posted February 24, 2004 Folks, Really appreciate all the replies and great input. Looks like my initial trepidation was unwarranted. Of course, I've now fallen down the slippery slope of upgrade-itis. First the changer. Next the pre/pro. Then the monitor. The beauty of this hobby is that it never ends.... Well actually, it stops at the Klipsch. They're staying. Thanks again! Colin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.