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Hi-Rez Highway: REVIEW: Sony SCD-CE775 CD Player/Recorder by Audiophilander

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REVIEW: Sony SCD-CE775 CD Player/Recorder

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Model: SCD-CE775
Category: CD Player/Recorder
Suggested Retail Price: $199.95
Description: Modified by SACDmods.com
Manufacturer URL: Sony
Manufacturer URL: Sony

Review by Audiophilander ( A ) on October 29, 2002 at 12:15:09
IP Address: 12.238.76.211
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for the SCD-CE775


High-end SACD & CD Performance: A Winning Double Header!

Well, if you're still on the fence thinking about getting into SACD, this should get your juices flowing; mark my words: high-end performance has NEVER been more affordable! Now discontinued, trying to obtain one of these unmodified SONY units is going to become more and more difficult as they get snapped up, but I can't emphasize enough that THIS is the real deal. The SACD performance PRIOR to modification is impressive for an inexpensive player, providing a rich, open and deep soundstage in stereo which is essential to anyone who loves well recorded stereo. Note: Keep in mind that, considering it's price-point, the SCD-CE775 emphasizes mid-range, sacrificing a little treble detail and bass performance (i.e., inner-detail is subdued, the upper mids are a tad hard, and a modicum of grain resides in the highs; also, more noticeably, the bottom octave of the unmoded unit lacks cohesive firmness with what to my ears conveyed a mild albeit distinctive mid-bass hump).

Now for the juicy part, Matthew Anker's modifications.

The build-up: Only on rare occasions has gear impressed my spouse and usually it takes a VERY long time. I got a thumbs up when I bought my speakers; we'd auditioned them on and off for over 6 months with a wide assortment of gear prior to reaching the conclusion that they were exactly what we wanted. I tried various amps in my system, auditioned others in high-end audio shops and at friends homes (i.e., the homes of fellow audiophiles in need of a 12 step program) and finally settled on the hand-built Transcendent monoblocks [with a stipulated trial period; needless to say, they didn't go back], but it took another year before I broke down and purchased just the right preamp to match the amps' performance after auditioning half a dozen Preamps. The same held true for selecting a high-end CD/HDCD source before an unfortunate misstep into the "flat stereo" world of DVD-A. So when the SACD bug bit me, I decided to risk as little as possible before delving into the medium.

The pitch: On a whim I purchased the last remaining SONY SCD-CE775 in stock at an area Fry's (i.e., a demo unit w/o remote, service manual, packing materials or shipping box) with the option to bring it back for a refund in 30 days if not satisfied; I wasn't expecting much. The week prior to this I'd purchased a number of remastered Rolling Stone's SACD/CDs and had been enjoying their improved sonics over my Parasound player, but my curiosity about the SACD layer was just too great; so with some trepidation I installed the entry level SONY player and threw on (gently) the first disk (i.e., actually, I threw on all of 'em, it's a carousel after all!).

Solid hit, with an infield home-run: WOW! The only area where my Parasound CD player soundly trounced the SACD performance of the budget priced player was in the bass region. The mid-range richness combined with flawless soundstaging and lack of "unnatural" sibilence reduced the sense of fatigue during prolonged listening sessions; I found myself wanting to hear each album from start to finish rather than skipping around looking for favorite tracks. Still, that lackluster bass performance, slight (metallic) hardness in the upper mids and subdued inner-detail made me want to squeeze more, MORE, M-O-R-E out of the unit's performance!!! So, the next thing you know I'm reading gushing testimonial posts about mods for inexpensive SONY SACD players. Hmmmm.

Dropping the ball with the bases loaded: Okay, I made arrangements with Mr. Anker, SACDmods mild-mannered guru, to have the full-tilt stereo mod package and Priority Mail fumbled the delivery BIG-TIME (i.e., unfortunately, they apparently had the baseball game confused with football). My unit arrived in such bad shape that it had to be carried off the field and a service performed dor the remains! Fortunately, I had insurance, but now, with no available players in the bullpen, the game would apparently have to be called.

The BIG save: Matthew Anker provides the pinch-hit that wins the game! He goes the extra mile (actually 75 miles) locating and procuring and unmodified unit (i.e., adding only a modest ammount to the discounted CE775 he purchases to cover his time and gas) and completes the mods, shipping the unit back the same week! The duration of this event from the initial flubbed Priority Mail shipment to receiving my Anker-modified SACD Player (i.e., via UPS, having learned my lesson the hard way) was only 2 weeks!!!

The bottom (octave) if the Ninth [Beethoven, if not Yogi Bera, would be proud of that pun, ...or perhaps not! ;^)]: Right out of the box this is a different animal. Gone was the sense of a mid-bass hump, but in it's place was tight full bass delivery, extended right down through the bottom octave. Secondly, gone is any sense of restriction in the treble region; inner detail is more focused and the highs airy and clean. Also, the niggling touch of mettalic hardness in the upper-mids had vanished. Now, with modification, SACDs played over the SCD-CE775 demonstrate complete supriority to the CD layer reprised using my high-end Parasound belt-drive player. But wait! What of CD performance from Matthew's mods? These, too, have been discussed with glowing accolades!

The game winning run: Loading the carousel up with CDs I anxiously await what I expect to be good albeit sub-par (i.e., sub-Parasound) performance and, ...LO! AND BEHOLD, the reclocking combined with Mr. Anker's other modifications nudge CDs up to near SACD quality. "No way, Get outta town!" I thought to myself, but my ears weren't deceiving me. The most difficult part of this for me to grasp has been that performance is supposed to improve over the next 400 hours of break-in time. Well, I'm not from Missouri, but I'm going to take some convincing that the sound can get much better than this. However, if I've learned anything from this experience, it's to trust that Matthew's SACDmods are exactly what he has claimed; if anything, his claims are conservative.


Product Weakness: None, save the disconcerting stealth-appearance of a cheap player reproducing beautiful sounds that the listener knows full well should be impossible.
Product Strengths: Turns an entry level player into a high-end performer equal to units costing many times more than the meager amount he charges for modifications. Most noticeable strentghs: Top to bottom smoothness; wide, deep soundstage; full, rich mid-range and loads of inner detail resolution (i.e., hearing instruments and vocal inflections you've never heard before).


Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: Transcendent Super Compact 150 monoblocks, hand-built by Bruce Rozenblit - (150 wpc)
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Audible Illusion Modulus 3A
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Parasound C/DP-2000 belt-drive CD/HDCD Player
Speakers: Gallo Nucleus Solos (92 db sensitivity)
Cables/Interconnects: Accoustic Research, Phoenix Gold and Monster Cable Interconnects; VansEvers TFC Network Type III speaker cables
Music Used (Genre/Selections): SACD: Rolling Stones (Aftermath UK, Beggar's Banquet, Let It Bleed, Hot Rocks, Get Your Ya-Ya's Out), Creedence Clearwater Revival (Cosmos Factory)
Room Size (LxWxH): 24' x 18' x 8.5'
Room Comments/Treatments: Bookcases/books/software racks, to break-up standing waves
Time Period/Length of Audition: Still assessing improvements
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): none for SACD player & preamp; surge protectors employed for amps
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Sony SCD-CE775 CD Player/Recorder - Audiophilander 12:15:09 10/29/02 ( 14)