Most of what we audiophiles look for & value at a 'Steal' price!

Slight edgy highs.

Apart from a slight edginess in the highs, this is a truly
high end product that should not be overlooked or underestimated, especially in CD playback, considering
its superb build quality and the current street pricing.

I've had this unit for just about a month now. Have been
doing heavy breaking-in procedures using the XLO CD to
speed up the break-in process. Done over 150 hours so far,
and here's the rundown (on cd playback ):

Bass - The SCD-777ES possesses phenomenal and accurate
bass reproduction surpassing, by far, the XA7ES !

Midrange - Vocals,Piano, Brass instruments etc.. are reproduced with such stunning realism and purity of tone
you never thought possible to be reproduced in this price
category ! Percussion is also clearly portrayed with such
purity of tone and timbre.

Highs - The weak point in this player. (However, to get
the smooth and sweet highs as well as the current strong
points in this player you will have to go to Accuphase
territory,(DP-75 or DP-75V),quite expensive for most of us, I think !
Still.. the highs are not as bad as I may have you believe.
They are just a little harsh or edgy in nature. May quiet
down further after more break-in hours. This may also be
tamed by trying different types of interconnects with the
unit, should it still persist after full break-in.

Soundstaging, side to side & front to back, is top notch.
The stage is laid more behind the speakers than in the XA7ES
which, in my opinion, makes for much easier and more enjoyable listening.

Instruments possess a much fuller body than in the XA7ES
with 'more meat on the bone', so to speak. Extension or the
decay of notes is much longer too.

Seperation and focus of the instruments in the soundstage
is truly marvellous and pinpoint.

Low level resolution and overall resolution of the music
reproduction is definitely beyond reproach for this price
category and for such a superbly built machine.

I don't know if Sony is using any kind of upsampling
or interpolation in this unit. But if they are not, then
the sound that's coming out is something to seriously
consider. I haven't listened to a Meridien 508.24 so I can't
really comment on any differences.

What I am sure of is that the SCD-777ES is definitely
leagues better than its (CD only) predecessor(XA7ES)in all
respects. And a whole lot more value at its current street
price !

Regarding SACD playback, I will endorse all that's been
said about this wonderfull new format. Yes, there is a
giant leap forward in music reproduction through this
media. Definitely more musical and more natural than regular
cd playback. Is it closer to vinyl without the deficiencies?
A big yes !

CD's are here to stay with us for a very long time still.
I urge anyone and everyone to seriously consider the SCD-777ES. It is a SUPERB SOUNDING one box cd player and
not just a good cd player as many have described it.
I am sure it can stand against units costing up to twice
its price in cd playback ! Maybe even 3 times.
It will also make a top notch transport if you decide to
add a seperate D/A with upsampling etc..So, either way,
it's a BIG STEAL !!

Associated Equipment:-

Plinius SA-50 MK3 Power Amp
Plinius CD-LAD Preamp
w/balanced xlr connections.
Hales Rev 2's Loudspeakers

Harmonic Technology Cable & Interconnects & Power Cords
Neotech Cables (Pure Silver 6N Single Crystal)
Cables & Interconnects and Power Cords

CD's used to evaluate the SCD-777ES:-

-Chesky Demo Disc
-Patricia Barber-Modern Cool
-Art Blakey- Jazz Around The Corner
-Dave Gruisin- Homage To Duke
-Oscar Peterson Trio- We Get Requests
-Eagles- Hell Freezes Over
-Roby Lakatos- Lakatos (DG)
-Marcus Miller- Live & More
-Diana Krall- When I Look In Your Eyes
-Sony SACD Sampler
-Telarc SACD/CD Sampler
-Dire Straits- On Every Street
-Art Pepper - Meets The Rhythm Section
-Jacques Loussier Trio- Plays Eric Satie
-Jacques Loussier Trio- Plays Vivaldi(4 Seasons)


Sherif

Similar Products Used:

Many Sony Top of The Line ES players including the recent CDP-XA7ES as well as a Theta Miles,Pioneer PD-65, Denon DCD-1650AR.

Playing SACD's it is open, warm, detailed and has good imaging. Well built chassis.

Poor cd section. Smooth, but lacks dynamics, detail and imaging.

The following comparison was done using a one year old
demo Sony SCD777ES with NBS Monitor 3 interconnects and speaker cables. Powered by a PS Audio power plant 300 with NBS Monitor 2 power cords. Audio Research VT100mk2 amp and
Avalon Arcus speakers. All on a 20 amp dedicated AC circuit
with 3 Richard Gray Power Company boxs in parallel feeding
the PS Audio and the AR amp.
Compaired to my Wadia 860x using the telarc test cd the
Sony SCD-777ES in SACD mode sounds more open and has more ambiance in the treble due to it's increased bandwidth, but in every other respect is no better then my Wadia playing the same disk in cd mode. I REPEAT NO BETTER.
This is hard to say, but the Sony is not worth buying unless you plan on using it only in SACD mode. Playing cd's through it's own cd section is disappointing. CD's sound smooth
and inofensive, but lack dynamics, detail, imaging and openness. People who say the Sony has a great sounding CD section dont know what they are talking about.

Similar Products Used:

Wadia 860x

cd playback, SACD included

none at this price point

In my system which includes a Rogue Audio 66 preamp, two Decware SV 83 triode mono amps, Audioquest Ruby interconnects, Kimber 4TC speaker cable and a pair of Klipsch RB 5 bookshelves, it sounds fantastic! I think evaluations could be system dependent, as in, some products might not have the right synergy with others, in ones chain of electronics. So to say that buying this product is not worth it because it didn't sound right to someones ears is inappropriate. Besides, doesn't the Wadia cost at least twice as much. I would definetely suggest you give it an audition and let your system, room, and ears be the judge,if your considering buying a player that retails at around this price. Happy Listening.

Similar Products Used:

Too many to list

Superb Sound on SACD. Very Good CD sound.

Slow startup.

Note to all: Circuit City in Maryland have decided to stop selling the JVC
723 DVD-A/progressive scan player. I picked up a demo unit for $399. Try
your local CC for a deal if you want to try DVD-A without sinking $1,500 or
more into it.

I also just bought a Sony scd 777es ($1500 from Oade Bros. in Ga. : the
street price is about this: don't give Tweeter or Crutchfield $2500 for
one.) Rest of system: Chiro pre-amp, Conrad Johson Motif Power Amp, Pro-Ac
EBS studio speakers. Also use a Sony 444 ES AV unit for decoding and
powering rear speakers (Mission 77's): I'm not that interested in sinking
mega bucks into surround, but this inexpensive add-on lets me have fun with
movies. Also I decode regular CD's from the 777ES using the MSB link III
decoder. (Basic model: gives a noticeable improvement over the 777 s CD
decoding, imho)

The power amp and speakers are over 10 years old but were the best I could
find/afford at the time. I have been playing some of the Sony and Telarc
SACD releases, but the only DVD A disk I found is Buena Vista Social Club
which is only 96k/24 but does sound quite good through the JVC.

Findings. Even on 40 year old recordings, played through my 10-15 year old
amping, SACD blows away CD. Brubeck's Time Out is available as a digitally
remasterd CD and as SACD. The cymbal taps on Time Out are intstructive: on
SACD the decaying quiet "clatter" is clear and detailed. On CD the sound
disappears into a fizzy mush - it's not a question of "harshness vs. an
analog sound": in the CD format the information just ain't there at all. The
tonality of Paul Desmond's sax is majestic and hits you in the gut with SACD; it's merely pleasant with CD.

On one track on Wynton Marsalis' London Concert, his trumpet is echoed
_alternately_ by the oboe and the flute - a little detail I'd missed
completely (over 100's of listeneings) in the CD version: although, now that
I know about it, no doubt I will be able to hear it on the CD.

On the Isaac Stern Vivaldi disc, despite some limitations of the original
recording, a violin really sound like a violin, perhaps the first time I
have really heard that in a digital format. His pairing with David Oitstrakh
on the Double Concerto is inspiring.

The SACD difference is perfectly audible on decades old recordings through
now less than state of the art equipment. As some of the UK Hi-fi News
reviews of the mid-priced Sony 940XB player (about $700: worth buying a
transformer for and ordering from Europe) it is decisive through mid-fi
("NAD/Adcom") level equipment.

The SACD difference is like the difference between drinking scotch vs.
drinking scotch and water. In a blind test, I can distinguish between a
Johnny Walker and water and a Dewar's and water. But in fact no music lover
would dilute a good scotch.

The SACD difference also blows away any distinctions in high-end cables, or
in fact between super high end cables and a simple Calrad audio grade
interconnect: when this dawns on the general audiophile populace this is
going to beg a lot questions re expensive high end tweaks.

I read somewhere that Phillips in Europe are about to release some consumer
priced players along with 60 titles in hybrid SACD/format. Phillips'
Polygram empire include all of DGG, Decca, London while Sony have all of CSB
and Columbia. If they stick to their plans, SACD _will_ become a mainstream
format, and probably its merits will quite discernable on anything but low
budget equipment. (Certainly on decent walkman, for example). The question
is whether the E.M.I/Capitol labels with allow their disks to be released in
hybrid format. (All of the Beatles, for example.)

Sony, by releasing no pre-DSD digitally mastered discs in SACD format so
far, is implying that if a PCM mastered recording _is_ issued in SACD format
they will have to add a caveat to the effect that "because this recording
was not mastered with analog equipment, the higher resolution of the
DSD/SACD format may reveal limitations in the digital recording technology
of the original master tapes."

Actually I have a quiet suspicion that the PCM 44k/16 system is,
mathematically speaking, just fine. It's difficulty lies in the fact that to
deliver its theoretical potential every step in the process has to be
executed perfectly: every bit recorded has to be accurate re the original
signal, every bit has to make it intact to the consumer's DAC, and every bit
has to be accurately converted back to analog. Any misread affects the
audible sound a teeny bit. SACD, on the other hand, in effect employs
massive data redundancy, so there is tolerance of imperfection in the chain
that allows for some loss before there is audible degradation.

We shall see. In the meantime I'm happily playing my 10 SACD discs over and
over.

What a bargain. The 777ES is a steal at $1500

None

This is one great player. Not only do you get a SACD player, You also get a great red-book player. I find it hard to believe that there is a better sounding red book cdp anywhere near the price of a 777ES.

Similar Products Used:

Mostly mid level cdp's. Sony, JVC, etc.

SACD+CD playback is something that you have to experience

Slow loading

Just awesome! I believe that this is what every serious audiophile wanted from digital playback.
CD sound is astonishing and then you have the SACD taking things to a stratospheric level.
Buy this player right now and invest your saved money to speakers, amps etc.

Similar Products Used:

Sony XA-7ES, Classe DAC-1

no upsampling ability

Just afew thoughts as much has already been read here: The CD section sounds very bad out of the box. So bad, I concidered giving away the player. Before I did that, I left the machine on playing CD's in the repest mode for 1 solid week. Whew, I was relieved when the player started blurting out the sound I was expecting. Very solid, clear and transparent. Only a few better players out there and for a ton more money. I am using Conrad Johnson's pre amp 16 LS and a pair of their Premier 12's mono blocks driving Maggy 3.6R's. A wonderful sound. Now about the delay in music starting after you push play: I never liked the music to start before I get back into my sweet spot. So the 30 seconds it takes to start playing is just enough time to get into the proper listening position. Now SACD has an up hill chance to survive long term but I sure got me a great CD player either way. I bought the player for the CD but as others has said, you get the SACD for free. You must burn this machine in! Way too fuzzy when you start it up for the first time. After that, great machine.

Similar Products Used:

Sony AX7ES

It plays music!

As a CD player it is limited to its price catagory

It is just great, I am still astonished by its performance. SACD is so much better than my CD and also my regular record player (a Goldmund Studio with T3F arm and Koetsu Urushi) has to eat dust (I still don't believe that so I am going to have my Koetsu send to Allaerts). I never had such a life like experience in my system.

The atmosphere, the timing, the breathing of the instruments and dynamic performance are all great. It simple plays with power and enthusiasm. I cannot find any faults in SACD.

I simple don't care too much about the CD replay, it is good enough. CD is obsolete anyway. It is that I have a special collection, which I want to keep, otherwise I would sell them all.
CD on my normal player is just dull in comparison, and I always liked it for its energetic and natural performance.

Similar Products Used:

No other SACD player, CD: Teac P2/Burmester 870 mkII with Nordost Silver Shadow

Sounds like live music

Limited software, although growing

Two weeks later...

On SACD mode: If your amplifier can handle 100kHz, turn the
switch at the back to "custom." It's the next best thing to
live music. The artificial soundstage disappears and it's
just you and the musicians. Wow!

On CD mode: Initially I though this section was just average. But as the unit continues to break-in, it gets
better and better. The tonal balance is excellent. And with
four filters to use, you're practically controlling what you
want to hear. This mode really surprised me.

As much as I crave the SCD-1, the SCD-777ES is the better
value because it costs less and is sonically equal to the
SCD-1. Besides, I got a great deal from Michael at J&R Music
world.

Goodbye digital. Hello SACD.

Similar Products Used:

SCD-1

Dynamics, transparency and high resolution

none so far

I could not imagine a better bargain digital product than this SONY SCD777ES. SACD sounds superb and regular CD is not bad at all.

My system: SONY SCD777ES-Placet passive-Aronov 960(mid, bass) & Rougue 88(treble) tube powers-Merlin TSM & Rell Strata III, Cables: JPS Ultra Conductor interconnects and Analysis Plus Oval 12 speaker cables (bi-amp system).
I am getting PS Audio P600.

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AA DDS Pro + DTI 32 Pro + Resolution Audio Quantum DAC