What would you do to upgrade CD player??

If you follow audioasylum.com , there is company called EVS owned/run by a a "tweak-freak" Ric Shulz. One of his products is the Millenium DAC-II, which is a seriously mod'ed Bel Canto DAC-1 design ( better power supply, caps, etc )


Anyway, I was speaking with Ric yesterday about his DAC, and transports etc. He is VERY big on the Sony 9000ES, and is vastly impressed at Sony's design of the product from an audiophile perspective. He said he should be getting his first 9000ES this week, will be evaluating it, and mod'ing it as he sees fit. He said he should have some feedback posted up on his web site at www.tweakaudio.com in a couple of weeks. There is a wealth of good information, and nonsense, at audioasylum !


There seems to be a number of people "dumping" there old high-end digital gear and opting for SACD. I have a great transport in my Micromega Permium DVD2 paired to the Bel Canto DAC-1. Added to that cost are 2 premium power cords, digital cable, and interconnects that cost me another $1,200. A one-box solution will save me a power cable and digital cable, and should have lower jitter by design. I too am very interested in the 9000ES.


- Andy

I would second the opinion that the Sony 777ES SACD is an excellent CD player.


I have a CAL Delta transport coupled with their Sigma II DAC which I have been very happy with for ~5 years. I was seriously considering having CAL perform their DAC upgrade, but instead bought the SACD player in the interim not really even thinking that it could match the CAL unit for regular CD's. Boy, was I wrong!! After only one night of comparison between the 2 it's clear to me that, in my system at least, the 777ES is clearly superior in detail, imaging, soundstage depth and placement - dang, it just sounded so good, forget all the audiophile jargon everything just sounded right and real! And this isn't even through my audio system (my YBA amp got fried a couple of weeks ago - long story), this is through my Denon 5800. Now I'm wondering if I shouldn't just sell the CAL unit (although with that DAC upgrade I wonder..... ).


And that's not even the sound of SACD...


I'm truly happy with this purchase and would highly recommend this unit. Hope this helps, if you have any questions about the unit let me know.


Brian

The Sony 777 is said to be a great CD player - no arguments from me. Reports at the Asylum state it to be on par, or better, than a Meridian 508.24. The price point of the 777 and 9000ES at < $1,500 is fabulous for the quality these units are said to deliver.


Companies like TACT and Spectron were out first with digital amp technology. The new breed of digital amps are based on a digital amp module made by Tri-Path www.tripath.com


The first popular implementor of the Tr-Path moduerl is Bel Canto www.belcantodesigns.com The Bel Canto EVO 200.2 has been greatly reviewed, and I have listened to it too. Check out their web site for white papers, faqs, etc.


The Bel Canto amp digitizes its analog inputs, then amplifies in the digital domain. The output is some "pulsating" type of signal ( I believe ). The future of amps is that you will plug you source directly into the amp via a digital connection.


- Andy