Excellent built quality, killer transport section, soundstage and resolution. Great piece of audio engineering. Bargain price for redbook playback alone. SACD is just a bonus.

Takes a long time to burn-in but well worth the effort.

Sold my Wadia 860X for the SCD-1. Nuff said? SCD-1 is a steal. Grab one while you can.

Similar Products Used:

Wadia 850, 860X, Mark Levinson No. 39, 37 + 360

soundstage, detail, clarity

I purchased the SCD-1 based on numerous print and internet reviews. Even in my modest system (see below), the new addition has made an audible impact. I'm sure it will sound even better with an upgrade in pre/power amp and speakers, but that will have to wait.

Most of my CDs sound much better and SACDs are truly worth it, in my opinion. More releases are needed. I plan to fully support the medium.

My system:

Thorens TD-180, SME III arm, Linn Klyde, Linn Linto
Linn Wakonda
Linn LK 100
Linn Ikemi
Sony SCD-1
PSB Goldi

Similar Products Used:

Linn Ikemi

It's in the listening

Only the CD section

JungleBunnyJones:
You completely miss the point. We are talking about the SACD
section of the Sony SCD-1, not the regular CD mode. Did you
know this player has both SACD and CD playback? Did you read
how I described the average sound from the CD section? Yes,
I have heard both the SCD-1 and SCD-777ES. Yes, both totally
wipe-out the regular CDs. If you don't hear it, or have not
the chance to hear either player, then, my friend, you're
missing what real music is all about. Do yourself a favor:
go listen to the Sony SCD-1 playing an SACD disc.
Then tell me what you've heard.

Sounds better than LPs

Regular CDs sound average

Some readers, I think, simply miss the point. SACD is a new
format and should be judged for what it can do: as an
alternative medium. Giving the Sony SCD-1 one star because
it costs $5000 is unfair. If you can't afford it, consider
the SCD-777ES which costs less, sounds just as good and is
more forgiving. By the way, SACDs totally destroy
conventional CDs, gold or otherwise.

Similar Products Used:

Sony SCD-777ES

Everything That is said in all the Other Reviews What more
can I add

NONE

All I can add to all the Other Great reviews is
BUY THIS PLAYER!!!!!!! Its KILLER. So its Not Krell,
Wadia, Sonic Frontiers, YBA,CEC,ABC Etc, Etc Etc.
It sounds Like Music to Me. Thanks Sony

Similar Products Used:

Sonic Frontiers Processor 3

Best digital play back sound ever heard.

Way too inexpensive for what it does.

My unit is barely 3 days old and still breaking in as I was typing this review. My impression upon first time ever listening to this is just plain and simple: WOW! The only SACDs I've listened to are the two samplers that came with the unit and believe me this is the sound that can only reproduced by $20k or more LP turntables without the cartrgidge needle distortion. Just for regular CD play back, this player produces the kind of sonic performance that there is no other player I knew of can match and I would be very happy with it as a cd player. My advice for you audiophiles, sell or get rid of your high priced Mark Levinson, Wadia and get this NOW. You will not be disappointed, guaranteed! Note: I have a question to other SACD1 users out there: Have you tried to used the small button on the back that switches from "Standard" to "Custom". The Sony manual recommends not to use it unless you use their pre-amp/power-amp. My pre-amp has a bandwidth of dc-75khz,+-3db. Should I play it safe by leaving it alone at "Standard" or should I risk blowing my downstream gears for better sound by switching it to "Custom". Any advise?

Similar Products Used:

Sonic Frontiers P3/T3/SFCD1, Denon CD, Theta Digital DAC.

SACD quality is excellent, with CD it produces a good "all round" sound.

Detail in recordings is masked over with CD, mid-band frequencies are "closed in", instrument seperation is of average quality.

I have owned my SCD-1 for almost a year, and with the lack of SACD recordings being released I have been forced to listen to CD. I did not purchase the SCD-1 for its CD quality only, which although very good could be bettered by a "CD only" player. Once the novelty of SACD wore off I was back listening to CD's. ( a collection of around 300 titles as opposed to my 5 SACD's) Having listened to players from Krell and Wadia I know there is a lot more on my CD's than my Sony was producing. I decided to take the "tweaks" route and found a company called Audiocom who posted an article on web for upgrading the SCD-1 (www.audiocom-uk.com).

I had the upgrade done in two stages, and after the impressive initial results went for the complete mod. The sound quality improvements are as follows;

The SCD-1 with a complete rebuild presents significantly more information and ambience of the recording (greater resolution). Greater bandwidth is evident across the entire audio spectrum. Vocals and instruments do not become congested, even with a complex musical passage (although already compressed sounding recordings stay compressed). The sound stage has greater 3 dimensional imaging, with increased depth and width. The definition is better on the leading edges of the music, and the decay of notes is more natural (piano for example). Musically the player scores much higher, with greater fluidity and rhythm.

I highly reccomend this modification to anybody who owns a Sony SCD-1 player. The rebuilt Sony sounds like a different machine in one aspect, yet holds the "good" characteristics of the original player.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 777ES, Krell KAV 300CD

quality build,superb cd player, awesome sacd sonics: anologue-like

no sacd digital out

have had the unit only one week and there is no comparison with my previous source, metronome t20 transport with kora 'hermes' dac. as a cd player it is a great value. it is as good as any $5000 player i have heard. this especially true when using it as a transport with a good outboard dac. the sacd player is as close to the best anologue as you are going to get and better then 90% or more of the anologue combos out there. i have a friend who listened to the unit today and thinks it is as good or better then his $9000 plus basis/vandenhul set-up.i am using the balanced hook-up with harmonic pro silway I cables that are great.will be trying the mkII soon. i also am using the custom setting on the rear with my arc vt100 amp and ls15 pre.have had no problem with this setting to this point.my speaker cables are audio tekne which are superbly detailed with great resolution and timbral accuracy.i presently have about 12 discs and each one is a great improvement over its pcm counterpart. as ultimate audio said, ' this is the component of the decade, not just the year'. this is,right now,maybe not for everyone,due to cost,but that will change in the near future,but it is the format of the future for serious audio enthusiasts.

Similar Products Used:

metronome t20 transport

Fantastic CD playback quality, SACDs sound like master tape, battleship construction

No HDCD

I've had this player for a week now, so it's not yet fully run-in. I have to say, without qualification, that this is the best CD player I've ever heard. Partnered with my Pass Labs X1, Chord SPM-1200E, JM Lab Mezzo Utopias and REL Studio II subwoofer this system has finally achieved my objective of making the finest music reproduction I've yet come across.
I don't say this lightly, but the only CD player I've heard which matches the SCD-1 for CD playback is the Linn CD12, and that doesn't play SACDs.
Its characteristics are a marvellous wide and deep acoustic soundstage, dynamics and attack that make you think you're in world war III, detail retrieval of a quality that makes me marvel at what was captured in CDs, let alone SACDs, and bass that goes deeper and tighter even than the previous best of my old AR/Assemblage combo.
A warning for potential users: for the best sound quality you really need to use balanced interconnect cables and set the bandwidth switch to 'custom', provided your system can handle it. You also need a very good mains supply: I use a PS Audio PowerPlant P300 and Kimber PowerKord cables.
On top of all this, the machine is still improving by the day. An absolute bargain - grab one fast before Sony withdraw this model.

Similar Products Used:

Audio Research CDT-1 with Assemblage DAC-3 and D2D-1 upsampler

Picture quality, SACD playback.

I am very impressed by the picture quality and the SACD feature
of this player. I do not have much to add to these detailed reviews about its ability as a DVD player.

However, I feel that I need to tell people out there about my experience about this player as CD player.
First, let me start with my evaluation system:
Pre-amp: Audio Research LS-2
Power amp: Krell KST-100 Stereo
Speakers: Quad 989
Interconnects: MIT 330 Plus Series II, Cardas Cross, FMS Microwave.
Speaker Cables: FMS Microwave II

This system is on a little bit bright side. Especially the MIT 330
interconnects, it's bright on the top end. When I used this SONY player in playing CD's (regular CD's), I exprienced some
fatique problem myself. After about an hour listenning, I just want
to take a breark.

I do not really have any more problem about DVP-S9000ES.
It's a great player!!

Just have a final question: has anyone out there ever compare
the SACD sound of DVP-S9000 with Sony's high-end player like
SCD-1 or SCD-777ES???? Like to hear about that.