Some preliminary notes on the Sony SCD-C333ES

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Well, at last...a few extra moments to share some impressions of the 333 carousel SACD/CD/CD-R player....
INTRO...
Please note that these comments are *preliminary,* due to the fact that Sony sent me a pre-production 333 unit directly from CEDIA. This unit didn't have the final release firmware aboard, which meant that it evidenced a few bugs in extended operation...specifically, the carousel drawer didn't always behave itself, and the unit suffered thermal stress when I played it for days on end. Sony is sending the "final release" version any day now for final and formal evaluation.
Nevertheless, I was able to form some definite impressions of the 333 over a period of 4-5 weeks.
GENERAL MA-CHEEN
I posted the general technical specs on this unit earlier over on Digital Drive, but they seem to have drifted off the edge of the archives. I won't repeat the particulars, but will say that the 333 is the first SACD carousel player, with room for 5 SACDs/CDs/CD-Rs. The finish is "standard Sony black," with a tolerably substantial weight of about 24 pounds. Output is analog, plus Red Book PCM in both S/PDIF and TOSLINK flavors. Shuffle play/repeat are supported; so is SACD/CD mode control for hybrid discs. There's also a pretty decent remote...no phase inversion though. A headphone jack with its own volume contol is supplied; didn't get a chance to listen to that with my trusty rusty Beyer D's yet.
The 333 uses two lasers...one for Red Book and one for SACD (Scarlet Book, by the way)...but a single lens. The head mechanism is lighter, without the massiveness of the SCD-1/777 transport. For those who are easily made impatient, the 333 loads the TOC of either SACDs or CDs in about 7-8 seconds. SACDs TOCs *do* display text, even with the quicker load time.
The carousel supports the "mix 'n match" playing of SACDs, CDs, and CD-Rs. (I didn't have an audio CD-RW on hand to test whether or not the 333 would handle that media properly.) By that I mean that you can put SACDs, CDs and CD-Rs indiscriminately in the carousel; the 333 automagically detects the disc type and shifts to the proper playback mode. In the case of hybrid SACDs, I was pleased to see that the 333 shifts to SACD mode, bypassing CD mode even if the prior disc was CD. (With the SCD-1 and 777, if you're in CD mode and put a hybrid disc in, you'll spin up in CD mode...they will NOT automatically shift to hi-res SACD.)
This means no jumping up and down or punching a remote to change resolutions with hybrid discs...a point of real convenience.
The general build quality and finish is reminiscent of Sony's ES line...very good, but not at the world-class level of the 777/SCD-1.
Sony sent me some technical information on the digital gizzards and some advancements that they made with the power supply and chassis construction in the 333; detailing that will have to wait for the full-blown review in PF, Vol. 9, No. 2, amigos...don't have time for it here and now!
THE SOUND
No surprise right out of the box...the 333, like its big brothers, requires *break-in*. I found that the first few days of play found the 333 to be both rolled-off and rather thin sounding, all at once. Having learned the hard way about SACD electronics with both the SCD-1 and the 777, I didn't get too worked up. I simply put on a disc and let 'er rip for days on end!
After a couple of weeks, the sound began to open up and "bloom" in the usual way. (And no, none of us who've experienced this effect have any good explanation for it...but it seems to be a universal phenomenon with Sony SACD players. Resign yourself!)
The first SACD that I listened to was the soundtrack to "Dances With Wolves." This is a very fine recording, achieving the same general level of quality that the magnificent soundtrack to "Glory" does. (The LP of "Glory" is absolutely smashing, by the way. Get it if you can.) On the SCD-1, "Dances With Wolves" is an extremely rich experience: deep bass, haunting ambience, with stings and brass and human voice. The acoustical envelope stretches far left and right, and is nicely deep. (Soundstage depth is particularly enhanced by the resolution and phase-correctness of SACD.)
The 333 by comparison was very good, but not quite as rich and authoritative in its sound. Width was good, though depth was perhaps not quite as extended (at least, not by that time in the break-in). There seemed to be a touch of leanness that I noticed in contrast to the SCD-1; certainly not "graininess," but the 333 was not quite in the same league as the SCD-1 when it came to richness of tone.
Bass control was good: tight and clean. On the other hand, my impression is that high-frequency extension was not quite comparable to the SCD-1...this is an area that the SCD-1 excels in, even in comparison to the 777. The sense of "air" is really astonishing on good SACDs...and the SCD-1/777 duo are better at delivering it. (I haven't yet had an opportunity to try the Marantz SA-1 side-by-side with the SCD-1, but we're scheduled for a PF review of this highly-regarded player in the very near future.)
The sense of rhythm and pacing...that "quickness" that does so much to convey immediacy and presence...is not as well developed on the 333 as it is on either the 777 or SCD-1, though I'd want to run a 333 final production unit out for another couple of hundred hours before I came to any final conclusions on this aspect of performance.
Other reference SACDs were put through their paces: Ellington, "Blues in Orbit"; Mingus, "Ah Um"; Bibb, "Just Like Love"; Nighthawks at the Diner, "Walkin' on Eggs". In each case, I found the strengths of the SACD format, but without that higher degree of elegance, ease and authority that either the SCD-1 or 777 manifest. The 333 was not as quick with dynamic passages or rapid transients; not surprising, given the different power supply configuration of the 333 vis a vis the 777 or SCD-1.
I do have to confess, however, that I am *very* impressed by the SACD performance of the 333 thus far, given its relatively modest MSRP of US$1,250.00. I expect street price on this unit to be in the $899.00 range, which would make it quite the outstanding player in the US market.
I didn't get to spend as much time with the PCM side of things. On the standard CD side of things, the playback of the 333 was somewhat reminiscent of the classic Sony "ES sound", but with *noticeable* improvements. The playback was a *bit* forward at first, but was not edgy or pushy once I had gotten a couple of weeks on the unit. The 333 started to bloom after a few weeks, and was showing real promise when I had to shut it down for return to Sony.
Now Red Book PCM simply doesn't compete with SACD...don't even *try* to sell me that load, amigo!...but the sound of PF's Mike Pappas' KUVO CD-Rs (which read up without problem) on the 333 was very good indeed. I ran several of the hybrid SACDs through on their PCM layer...all was well, and sounded good. (Just not as good as the DSD!)
All in all, my first look at the 333 is encouraging. It looks like great value for the street price, especially for those who can't quite squeeze the bucks to cover the US$1,600.00 that a 777 will cost you via mail order.
Another important point: I am *quite certain* that the 333 is *highly tweakable*, and could be greatly improved. John Curl, Jennifer Crock, Ric Schulz, Scott Frankland, or Tim deParavicini could, I am confident, mod this into one helluva surprising player, at a very tolerable price.
So, as a primary SACD/CD player for those who are topped out at about US$1,000.00...as a tweakers DIY project...or as a secondary SACD/CD player for audiophiles who wouldn't mind the convenience of carousel and shuffle play...plus quick TOCs!...the 333 looks like a real candidate.
I'll reserve final commentary until I have the final production unit in place, fully broken in, and have some other ears past it (Rick Gardner, Jennifer Crock, and John Pearsall, for example).
But so far, so good!
david

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Topic - Some preliminary notes on the Sony SCD-C333ES - David W. Robinson 23:39:32 11/09/00 (2)

Re: Some preliminary notes on the Sony SCD-C333ES - John K 05:23:14 11/11/00 (0)

Re: Some preliminary notes on the Sony SCD-C333ES - 9fold 03:39:04 11/10/00 (0)

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