I apologize for posting a question! In researching my audio project I have come acrossnumerous refrences to the "super audio cd/cdplayers." Could anyone please email me at rwalsh@umich.edu and clear up ,y confusion. Is now a bad time to buy a cd player? Will it be oudated in a few months? Will the cd's themselves be updated also. If so, will new players be capable of playing regular cd's in my collection. ANY info would be greatly appreciated!

sound, looks, price

remote backlight turn-off time; lip sync on coaxial output

Overall I am really impressed with the sound of this system but have encountered a few drawbacks that I am looking for help on. The first thing is the comunications with the remote...I almost sent this unit back for an exchange when the remote would not connect with the pre-amp..that is until I found out that the A-link cable was causing this problem..I read on one review here that you need to communicate without it plugged in and then plug it back in after. Well..my unit finall did communicate when I tried this but as soon as I plug this A-link cable back in...the unit loses comm. Any suggestions as I have two units that I would like to use this feature with. The next and more serious problem (I can almost live with the previous problem) is lip sync problems with a coaxial input from my DVD. I have abundance of this going on..almost half to three quarters of the time...I finall read here that it was a problem with coaxial input and I thought I would try it...so right in the middle of a movie I pauses it and removed the coax and hooked up the optical and (as John Madden would say..) BOOM! the lip sync disappeared. I currently have ver 1.10A firmware and was wondering if a different version would help this problem or if anyone knows what to do?? Other than these two things (and the remote) I am TOTALLY satisfied with this unit. I think you could do no better for the money. Look around...because after I purchased mine I have seen them here on the web for right at 1000.00 and less. I also got the N9000 for 685.00 shipped and that was a steal. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Similar Products Used:

yamaha dspa-1000 (so this is a significant upgrade for me.
Sony TA-E9000ES
Sony TA-N9000ES
NAD 208THX
Sony DVP 550
Definitive BP30's
Definitve CLR 1000B
Boston T-1030's (rears)

Multichannel decoding, Stereo performance

Sony support

O.K, so I was very upset at Sony's so called tech support but after finally getting the 1.18c upgrade I just don't care anymore. I've had no problems with the hardware and I've got a Pronto and now the sound is unbelievable. EVERYTHING sounds better! In films the overall surround effect is far better and everything seems clearer ( music, dialog and effects ). In stereo I can confirm everything that was previously said, indeed it is Unreal. Every single track I try sounds so much better in every discernable way, and I'm listening to happy hardcore ( badly sourced off vinyl ) so it must be a pretty big improvement. How is such a increase in performance attainable from a 600k software upgrade?!?

If you have a E9000ES and it isn't Ver 1.18c then you really aren't making the most of your system. I would say that the performance of the unit it now comparable with units far more expensive in every respect!

Jonathan

Sound

Remote

I'm not sure if this is my imagination but the 1.18v upgrade has made an upgrade in the overall sound performance. I don't know what Sony did in this upgrade but I immediately noticed the increase in Bass and even more separation between the front speakers. The Mids seem to stand out more and Movies with 5.1 seem to have more excitement to them. I hope other users will hear the same difference so I can be sure it wasn't my imagination. Anyway do the upgrade its a darn good one. I hope to see more upgrades from Sony in the future, maybe Dolby EX and Hopefully 4 channel Stereo that would really make me smile. Other than the remote this unit is the best pre-amp, decoder in the market. Even if I had all the money I would take this over Krell, lexicon, Proceed any day. I heard them all and I can now say that not only does the Sony keep up with these high priced Decoders but also now it even exceeds their sound quality.

SYSTEM:

Aragon 8008BB
Acurus A250
Acurus A150
Sony TAE9000ES
Sony DVP7700
Sony MDS-JB930
Paradigm Studio 80
Paradigm Studio 20
Paradigm CC-450
HSU Research TN1220 /500watt
D.H Labs cables BL1/T-14
Sony WEGA 32 XBR250

Similar Products Used:

Lexicon, B&K, Proceed, Krell, Yamaha DSP A1,

Terrific sound in a highly flexible unit

Clunkly remote, even after being upgraded

Once I finally found the right cable, the upgrade went smoothly. The sound field is spectacular; 2-channel stereo works particularly well with Baroque music. My small collection of DTS CDs and music DVDs also shines on a Cambridge 5-way system.

The rollover frequency setting to my subwoofer (a 15" Definitive Technolgy unit) appears to be grayed out and non-functional. Also there's no diode on the volume control, as is common on Sony receivers.

I'm hoping to train the pre-amp to respond to the Marantz remote; right now, only the power button works.

It's important to take the time and carefully setup the unit with an SPL meter to see its true capabilities.

Similar Products Used:

Mates well with Sony's 6-way power amp.

Upgradability, The big improvment in Sound Quality from V1.18, and now excellent 2 channel sound that was not so good with V1.10c.

The Remotes battery life

Robert,


I installed the V1.18 upgrade last night. I had to recalibrate all of the level settings since they were erased during the upgrade. I used the 5.1 system set up from the Pink Floyd The Wall DVD and a SPL meter to calibrate the 5 speakers and subwoofer(this is a great system set up for 5.1 systems by the way). Once I got everything dialed in I now see what is meant about the speakers just disappearing. I have this running to to my Adcom 5503 and 5500 going to a pair of B&W 805's and an HTM center channel and a Velodyne ULD15 series 2 for my subwoofer and Rock Solids for rear channels. The bass seems like it is much more visceral now with a lot more of the bottom octaves being heard and felt! I was watching DTS laserdiscs of Con Air and Die Hard 2 last night and I hear much more details of the sound mix that I was unable to hear with Version 1.10c! It was like watching these films for the first time! Even pro logic television programs sound better and much more detailed! Now I think my next step will be finding a clean used pair of B&W 802 series 3 speakers to replace my 805's that are in the front and use the 805's with my ULD 15 subwoofer in the rear channels. I was also looking at the Velodyne HGS 18 subwoofer and the HSU research subs as well for the .1LFE channel. I think this is going to be the next upgrade for me. I think that it is like Robert Raynor (a fellow TA9000 owner) told me "that this upgrade is like buying a new preamp". I am glad I didn't trade it in for the Adcom GTP 750 home theater preamp a couple of weeks ago. This salesman was trying to push me to trde in my Sony for 600.00 credit towards this Adcom. He was telling me that the Sony was a really weak link in my system and it sucked really bad and the Adcom was so much better and I should trade it in for the new Adcom preamp. This store that I was at sells both the Sony preamp and the Adcom. Obviously this salesman has not heard the V1.18 upgrade After hearing this upgrade I am so glad that I waited and didn't jump the gun on that I would not even consider that now. It's too bad that the reviews are limited to only 5 stars!

Similar Products Used:

Sony TA2000ES, STRG1ES

Built, sound quality & performance, affordable price, upgradability & playability, excellent decoding capability, lots of features.

None that I have found so far.

Here's some of my observations that showed a lot of changes or improvements in the performance of this pre/pro after i installed the v1.18c software few weeks ago.

1. Noise floor is down to the smallest or slightest perceptibility that does not in anyway interfere with the any audio performance. Hizzing sound is totally gone. All i hear is clarity from all recorded frequencies of all instruments and vocal sounds.

2. Volume control is quite impressive thru the remote. Adjustment in volume level is now very precise and responsive, that is you can control the volume step by step, or 1db down up or 1db down. Before, it slips two or more dbs with a slight press on the botton.

3. Bass is now deep and well defined. You can listen and feel the LFE right through its lowest level.

4. The Equalizer seems to blend and cooperate very well with the auto audio decoding format and cinema sounds set-ups. Unlike before when I had the v1.10a and v1.10c, the equalizer created a lot of noise when i augmented the volume with adjustments from the pre-sets.

5. I found another source of good and pleasing holographic sound from this pre-amp with just a fine adjustment on the equalizer. It's quite soothing to the ear with excellent sound staging.

6. I have observed that there is no digital delay adjustment which is common in Yamaha or other brands. In this sony preamp, you can find only a surround edit which is far more better than the latter. That means you don't doctor or mimic the effects of a movie sound tracks but listen to it in its original recorded effects thru this unit.

7. I have also observed that though the remote really that sucks, its lcd display is somewhat clear and good depending on your room lighting. It is more clear especially when the reflection is coming from an ordinary bulb and not from a white or daylight bulb. The lcd probably don't mix well with daylight reflection. Just an observation I hope you can experiment too.

Similar Products Used:

2nd TA-E9000E, Carver (with Sonic Holography)

That ES build,nice heavy 28lbs. Flexible i/o,Surround modes gimmicky but fun anyway. Easy to use overall. Nice sound. Makes my H/K reciever sound vield and lacking the detail this pre amp has. Of course there are better, just can't afford them yet. $1700.00 is cheap when I looked at the others for many more dollars.

Yep,like everybody says...what is with that poor excuse for a remote anyway. Light is dim,and menus could use some polishing here too,and won't learn like a "Pronto". Sony missed the biggy here. Once again ES wierdness. Expensive,but so is anything in home theatre these days. About $1700.00. what is it about that 1k figure anyway?? More folks will have a rough time justifiing when a reciever will do. The jump to separates is always a bit pricey to say the least. But worth it if you can.

It is like going home again but better this time around. I had a Sony CDP-505esd and loved it so much. The build was good,and I made allot of great tapes with it. It was reasonably priced and sounded fine. Dependable was its' forte. After running the be-jesus out of it,it finally said uncle and died. After 12 hard years of use,it died a quiet death. I still miss it. So the quandry arrives when time to get an A/V pre amp. Watching movies and listening to DTS music discs' my H/k wasn't cutting it anymore and I wanted to get more out of the DVD and the new power amp I just bought alittle while ago. What to do?? I looked at Parasound,and Sunfire,Rotel,Marantz. I must say the Marantz AV9000 was looking so strong too. Availability of the Marantz made me reconsider my choices. The RTC-965 was next choice by Rotel,but not enough inputs and outputs. The build was not quite what I had in mind. The price was right though. The Parasound and the Sunfire were too much money,though the Sunfire was very attractive just the same.
So I see this Sony TAE-9000es,and viola...could this be it? Enough I/Os, and build quality that reminds me of original CD player of over 11 years but better. So I take this pre/pro home and test it. The sound is very clear and well defined. This is really my first good quality pre amp that I have had, and I am going to look foward to allot of good years with this one. Playing just a video of "aladdin" and my DTS eagles "till hell freezes over", and I am amazed at the fullness of sound. My 603 B & Ws come alive. None of the grit and grundge in the mids like my H/K. Easy to see why separates rule. Do each function well and don't share resources with anything else. The bass is extended and will help my NAD 2400 power amp and HSU sub crack the foundation at my apartment. Already rattles the windows no problem before the Sony. Now I can shake,rattle and roll with some clarity and definition that the H/K only could dream about.
The features abound on this pre/pro,with eq modes,surround modes, and Cinema modes that imitate the studio theatre environment. I haven't been to a recording session yet but maybe someday. (Paramount Pictures in Hollywood is my territory). I must say that no tuner is not a big deal. I can use my NAD 7400 for that when I need to. So Sony did fine leaving that out. I still have to see how the 9000es does when I break it in so more. I have read the concerns with the software levels,and so on. So I would like to find out more about that at another time. So far everything works fine with no concerns. The vents on the top cover suggest that ventilation is a biggy so I have the pre sitting on top. A smattering of electronics inside. My H/K doesn't have as many filter caps or as nice a power supply as this. The boards appear to be well done with no stray solder flux that I can see. It is nice to get a beefy faceplate too. I am so used to seeing those aweful plastic "I am cheap" bezels on allot of gear. Makes me wonder what else is cheap inside too. Listening to music on my Otari 2 track on the tape loop is just breath taking. This is a pro deck and it has that warm sound that digital seems to leave at the house when it is time to go to work..if you know what I mean. This pre makes my Rotel power amp obey with authority. The bass is tight well fleshed. The mids are smooth and the highs don't hurt anymore. The test of time will tell how reliable this pre will be,but so far I am very pleased with it. I must say though that the remote is in need of more U/I
(user interface) refinement. Come on Sony, buy a Pronto and copy it if you have to. The folks at Philips/Marantz did it right. Cudos to those folks. That item will be my last purchase,and my home theater is done. Thank god. It is expensive to play this electronics game. Allot of work trying to get all the pertinent data before buying.

Associated equipment:
Otari MX5050b mk2. 2 track open reel
Nakamichi Oms-5 cd player
NAD 502 cd player
Mitsubishi u-71 VHS
Rotel RDV-985 DVD player
Rotel RB-985 mk.2 power amplifier
NAD2400 power amplifier for the subwoofer
B & W 603 S2 front channels
B & W cc6 center channel
Kef C80s' for the surrounds
HSU 12" subowoofer
Sony 27" TV

Summary: Sure,there are cheaper out there,and some darn good ones too. I just think anyone ready for a better Pre/Pro just has to audition the Sony and hear what they think. The ins and outs and the flexibility will be the boon of any home theater enthusiast, while the remote will be the bain of many. Just consider that there are some great times waiting in the Sony TAE-9000es just for you. Maybe it will be the right 1 for your system. Only your wallet and DVD,and music collection know for sure. V.C.

Similar Products Used:

Harman Kardon AVR-80-2,Nad 7400,Rotels,Technics.

Additional strenght is the Equalizer.

None and I cannot consider the remote as the weakness 'coz it does not affect entirely or any particular performance of the unit.

One great and valuable feature added to the strength of this unit is the Equalizer. I thought the idea of having an equalizer in a digital home system is a thing of the past or useless. The new Yamaha AX1 or Denon 5700 as well as american preamp processors don't have this independent feature. But not in the case of TA-E9000ES. Sony proved it right with this feature. I was very astounded and impressed by how it improves the performance and musicality of your speakers. You'll enjoy the audio quality of TA-E9000ES in listening music or watching dvds. I have a mid-budget category speaker but boy, i can listen to it like any other high end speakers with lots of clarity on the voice, instruments and bass. The equalizer carries a full of surprises with fantantic controls on front, center and rear bass gain and frequencies. The mid and high frequencies brightens the sound of your speakers. And most exciting of all is that you can have 5 presets of equalization. That means, you can adjust the unit to the pleasure of your sonic taste in five different settings. In sum, this feature adds and enhances a lot your digital cinema or dsp modes. Tthat's all.

Similar Products Used:

Refer to my past review.

The remote

Overall I have found this unit well built and to what I was expecting from a ES unit. The unit I purchesed was the Black US version not the Gold model that is available here. I have found the seperation of the channels more apealing after I did the firmware upgrade to 1.18C. I will post a more detailed report later. For those interested in downloading there are 2 site from where to download the software updates from.
http://www.sony-asia.com.sg/support/cpdt/faq/audio/tae9000/tae9000.html
or
http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/service/tae9000es_license.shtml
Both are the same but are packaged differentley, the Singapore site has the manual in PDF format