Picture & sound quality, build quality, SACD capability, "audio direct" switch

none so far...

After falling in love with this unit when seeing it in the store and after reading all the glowing reviews here and elsewhere, I had to have it! Finally got it a couple of days ago, after waiting for over 3 weeks. I'm running it for the time being via S-video to a several-year-old (but still looking good) 32" XBR, and it puts out a STUNNING picture. I was initially a bit concerned that its anamorphic downconversion would produce a "soft" picture (like other Sonys, supposedly), but my fears were dashed after trying out a few discs. Even with S-video and downconversion, the picture from this gorgeous unit is so rich and smooth ("film-like" if you will) and is no less sharp than my previous player (a Panasonic A310). It's hard to imagine how much better it could get with component outs/progressive scan and full anamorphic resolution. (Hopefully I will be able to experience it soon!)

The sound quality of this unit is equally stunning. Redbook CD playback is terrific, while SACDs are just out of this world! This player has a very useful "audio direct" switch to completely shut down the video section (as well as the digital outputs) so that only circuitry devoted to audio is enabled. Makes a difference! I look forward to many, many more hours of just LISTENING to this great player.

The appearance of this player is clean, elegant, and completely uncluttered. Operation is smooth, silent, and even luxurious in feel. The unit is also SOLID (it's nearly 28 pounds). Terrific job, Sony!

Similar Products Used:

Panasonic A310

good dvd playback

too expensive for what you get.

The sony dvd player has decent video playback, the pioneer piece however, has better. SACD is a nice feature but I would not buy this piece for that purpose. It is in fact a cheap SACD player, similar to the low price players Sony is about to release. The only reason why it costs so much is because of the dvd progressive scan capability. It's not even a "true" progressive scan player (I would pay extra for that). I've had mine for about 4 months and had to have it serviced already. Something was wrong with the line-doubler and it would put out junk when in progressive mode. Don't buy this player, I wish I could return it. Buy the DV-37, it's much better and much cheaper.

Similar Products Used:

pioneer elite dv-37, toshiba 5109, mits DD6000

Really good picture, as CD also very good.

Really good DVD player, as CD player also perfect for it's price. I had before DENON S10 cd , an can say that for price about 1500$ it's ok.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer-dv717, Sony dvp-s725

Picture, features, 'configurability'

Power switch

I have this player connected to a Toshiba TW40X81, and the picture is terrific. I use the unit almost exclusively for DVD playback in my HT so my comments are oriented more toward the video features of the unit instead of its audio capabilities. The features on this player are overwhelming. Any feature you can think of, this player probably has it. And then some. Progressive scan, gamma adjustment, disc setting memory for up to 300 DVDs, picture memory, SACD, DD, DTS, simultaneous S-video and component output, etc.
Progressive scan is its most important feature and the reason that I bought the unit. The advantage of progressive scan is subtle. I had to do A-B comparison with, and without, progressive scan in order to be able to see how progressive scan eliminated motion artifacts. But once you see it, you'd never go back to a player without it.
It's only weakness is the manual mechanical power switch. There have been several times when I needed to remove a DVD when the unit is powered off. I would touch the Eject button which would automatically power on the unit and eject the disk. I would close the drawer - and then have to hunt for the remote to turn the unit off because using the mechanical power switch on the front of the unit would turn it completely OFF so that I could not turn it ON again with the remote, only with the switch. Annoying.

Progressive output, ease of setup, out of the box performance, software bundle

None so far

I had been considering a progressive scan DVD player for some time to complement my high definition television, and finally decided to take the plunge. After reading reviews on several products in this category, I decided on the Sony 9000ES. Much of the good info I found here in these reviews helped me get the details I needed to understand why progressive output from the player would look better than the 480i --> 480p conversion already done by the TV - which already looked great.

I would say I am more of a "home theater enthusiast" than an "audio enthusiast" due to the trade offs between pure audio and the combo of video and audio required in home theater. Hence my component selection is more optimized in this area than on the pure audio side. I have not yet tried the SACD feature of the player (only had it for a week so far) but will in the near future and report in a follow-up review after burn in and more usage.

After a good buying experience with onecall.com, I received the player 3 days later via FedEx. The unit, as many have noted, is substantial and very well put together. Top end connectors, a design that I find personally pleasing, well laid out remote, adequate manual, etc.

In unpacking the box, I was pleased, as many others have been, to get the MIB, Avia, and SACD sampler bundle. I already had Video Essentials, and now I have Avia so when I re-tweak the system after burn in, I can compare the two (by the way, if you have not tweaked your system using one of these two DVDs, you may be giving away some total system performance, and on the video side, may be slowly damaging your monitor if you use the factory settings of contrast and brightness).

I unplugged my Sony S550D player and plugged in the 9000ES in its place, adding the supplied analog audio cable (for SACD) to the component video and digital audio connections used on the 550. Plugged in the unit, went through the setup (which I found to be easy given the similarity to the previous Sony unit I replaced). When I got to the setting to change the component output from interlaced to progressive - a small click and bang - the TV showed a noticeably clearer picture on the menu display and the TV indicated 480P input. Time to rock and roll.

Got out my DTS version of "Twister" to check out the full audio side of the player, as well as looking through many of the chapters for different lighting, motion, special effects sections, etc. to see how it looked and contrasted to my previous Sony unit. I have to say that the audio was subtlety but noticeably better in highs and lows, and the progressive scan video was more than noticeably better. I contrast the difference between the interlaced video and the progressive video about the same or more than the difference between Dolby Digital and DTS. If you have the gear and have noticed this difference, then you know what I'm talking about.

Biggest differences I noticed on the video was sharpness of detail - much more pronounced edges, and subtle areas of clarity where it was soft on the other player - and on detail especially. Many people have commented that facial features - wrinkles, pores, hair, coloring - are the most noticeable way to see the improved the details of higher definition video sources (I also have a satellite HDTV receiver that drives the monitor at 1080i) and this player really is superior in this area. Not quite as good as the HDTV picture off the satellite, but much closer to it than the former 480i picture from the Sony 550.

Overall, this is a great unit so far for what I was looking for. I see the SACD capability as a plus, and will be exploring that soon along with the quality of regular CDs. Out of the box (no tweaks to player or TV yet) it was great, and after burn in, tweaking, and more playing I thought I'd come back and add more on my experience.

I would highly recommend this player, and also onecall.com as a place to buy.

Current System Specs:

Mitsubishi WS55805 16:9 HDTV
Sony STR-DE935 Pre-amp/amp/Receiver
Sony DVP S9000ES via component video, digital audio
Polk Audio RM7300 Speaker system with 125 watt 10" subwoofer
GI/Motorola 4DTV Model 920 C band satellite receiver
GI/Motorola HDD-200 HDTV satellite decoder via RGBHV
Monster cable interconnects

Hope this helps other prospective buyers as much as the other reviews help me. Enjoy!

Similar Products Used:

Sony DVP S550D

Quality, construction, gorgeous, progressive scan, sacd

too heavy, almost hurt my back installing it...none really

This player is very pleasant on the eyes. The transparant bar and the shinny buttons on the front panel is a nice touch, though the disc tray might be too thin. The picture quality is excellent in DVD playback(non progressive) SACD is a plus, though availability at brick and mortar stores is something to be desire. The price for a disc is still too high, about $25, and can only fit about 7-8 songs. This player will play CDRW even though the manual said it doesn't. I never owned a highend CD player before but I did listen to one before at a highend audio store, Audio FX. I can't comment on the CD playback good much but sounded great to me. This player is featured packed and that and its looks can almost justify its price. Compared that to Pionner's highend DVD ELITE players and Toshiba's Cinema series, the sony is a bargain.

Similar Products Used:

Technics DVD-A10, JVC BK701

Build quality, 3 year warrenty

Weak boxing and cables indluded in the package

Most everything about this player has been covered in one review or another. My slant may be more helpful to those who own an older high end DVD player. I spent the last year and a half very happily with the DVP-S7700. Wowing friends and family with its great picture and sound, enjoying the ease of operation, and using it as both my primary DVD and my secondary CD player.

The best thing I can tell you right off the bat is that everything is better. If you have an older DVD without progressive scan you will see the difference. This is even more true if you have a HiDef TV. I am not easy to please, nor quick to adopt the new. In this case, it was a foolish delay on my part. I looked at it over and over in the store and never really saw a huge difference. Let me state right up front the new player went in as the old, same cables, TV, reciever ect. Right off the bat, the picture jumped off the screen, same source better quality. No questions asked. I watched a number of movies, sampled some of the best I have as well as some of the standard tests. Two things I recall. On one of the sessions at West 54th street, I caught the artists face as a reflection on the piano. No joke, I actually stopped and went back to look at the picture on a music DVD. Second was Saving Private Ryan. A test DVD I use all the time. I found the opeing beach sceen disturbing. I have seen it 50 times easy, but this time around the blood and guts were just a little too real. The screams a little to in your face. I new something was different when my wife actually jumped when a shell went off behind her chair. I think those that have said the picture is more film like have it right on the money, the expreiance is closer to what I get in the theater then anything I have seen to date.

Music and SACD, are a different beast altogether. On CD. Its a good CD player. Not bad, or harsh, difficult or bright as some have stated. It is not however outstanding in any way either. Its just a good, player, at least outta the box. Break in may change my mind a bit. I saw one review that said that this player need 200 hours at the least before the player will open up and sing.

SACD, is tough for me to talk about at this point. There are a few CD's that I know well enough to comment on. I have been a big fan of Train for awhile now and know the album Drops of Jupiter well. On SACD, its better, you can hear more of what's going on instruments are more prononced, as are volcals. I caught a number of riffs and back vocals that I did not know were there. I also picked up SRV Texas Flood. Again, words really don't do the experiance justice, you need to hear it. Its different, its better, and you will hear the difference. How much you hear will depend on both your system, and how important two channel play back is to you.

I simple terms I feel that SACD took a great system and pushed it up near the preformance of a true high end two channel playback system. My sub disappeared for the first time ever. I had to check twice to see if it was on. Music was just there, not in your face, or to laid back, it jumped out of the system and into the room.

Now the bad news. SACD is on the line just like DVD-A. Who will be the betamax. No one knows. For my part, the DVD makes the show anyway. For the price I get some great music as well. If you want one of the best DVD players out there, pick it up, if your goal is two channel playback first, I would look elsewhere. On the upside, you get to try SACD, but its a DVD player first. Cables and the packaging are at best poor. There is a simgle S-Vid cable, and one set of video/L/R plastic wrapped K-mart specials. Other then that I got two batteries and a remote. No sample SACD, no highend DVD's, no video essentials, or perks. The docs are not bad, but they are by no means the best I have seen either.

If you want this box as a DVD player for a HiDef TV then you get everything you pay for. If you have a hidef TV you won't blink at paying a bit more for some decent cables, or your own copy of video essentials. If you want to try out SACD its there, and it works. If you are just looking for a decent DVD player, or you are thinking of this as a CD first, and DVD second, I think you can get more for your money. Its not a bad CD player, and SACD is great, but it is not a CD first.

I am happy with what I got, and somewhat sorry I did not make the move sooner.

Similar Products Used:

DVP-S7700, couple of older Dennon and Tech's DVD players

1. Apparent build quality (esp. transport) 2. Versatility (one box, many software choices) 3. Superb video 4. Above-average smooth audio 4. 24/96 digital output 5. Three-year warranty 6. 2001 monolith looks

Some will identify cd playback, ergonomics (e.g., small buttons), or reliability (I mitigate my anxiety with the three-year warranty)

As an audiophile, I've never considered purchasing a component from Sony. Musical fidelity from a mass producer of mid-fi? Heretical.

As a regular consumer, I don't even like Sony's typical build quality or reliability (the latter I base on personal experience). In fact, a while back I swore off buying anything ever again from Sony, even a cheapo VCR.

Well, I've come around (reluctantly perhaps), having recently purchased the DVP-S9000ES. Yes, I still worry about Sony's reliability, but I console myself with the three-year warranty.

Enough worrying. Let's live in the present and talk about the merits of my fully functioning unit.

In short, I love it. Right now, I'm listening to Eva Cassidy's CD "Songbird" on the 9000ES. Yet, connected to the very same system is my Arcam FMJ CD23 player, one of the smoothest sounding, yet detailed CD players I've ever heard. It's my reference CD player and will remain so indefinitely.

Still, I'm coming back to the also smooth, yet purely crystalline music produced by the Sony. Admittedly, the 9000ES doesn't have the greatest soundstaging, but I am enjoying its lovely midrange.

Last night, I watched a badly scripted movie, Super Nova, on DVD. Despite the insipid plot, I couldn't get enough of those beautiful space scenes rendered by the 9000ES. I watched the film after calibrating my TV's settings using the Avia DVD included in the Sony purchase. Chroma, luminance, clarity--the S9000ES does it all superbly well. And I say that using the S-video connection, not the component outputs.

I'm an Arcam fan, and I've read that the Arcam Diva and FMJ models outperform the Sony 9000ES' video and audio capabilities. Perhaps they do. But for far less money than the FMJ and comparably priced to the Diva model, the Sony model is well-built (which is paradoxically not the same as reliabilty, right?), versatile player that also plays SACDs.

Yes, that's right--SACDs. The deciding factor to purchase the Sony S9000ES was its SACD feature. I'm an audiophile. I liking tweaking and trying new technology, but for a reasonable price. I'm sure the SCD-1 is a great model--blah, blah, blah--but I don't want to spend five grand on new technology. Well how about under $1500 to get (arguably) audiophile-quality SACD, DVD, and CD features? I say yes!

So far, I'm not disappointed. Have you heard Willie Nelson's Stardust on SACD? He could be handing you some Smitty while he croons and picks his guitar strings in your listening room. That's palpability. Next, I'm buying Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell on SACD, which has to be better than the very thin-sounding CD version.

Will SACDs succeed in the format wars? I don't know, but at worst, I expect a prospering niche market of SACDs catering to us audiophiles. I can live with that.

Let's sum up then, shall we? Using (American) football analogies, the Sony DVP-S9000ES is an all-around great player--I dare say almost an MVP, if he weren't prone to so many darn injuries (reliability, again).

Some would say the Sony is not a fantastic special teams player, doing nothing particularly well.

I say, "Let's try that kid out as a quarterback, a kicker, and a receiver! He's pretty darn good at all of 'em. Then, we'll see how he does during the season."

Lastly, we often read about the system dependencies or synergies of stereo components that togther end up producing either wonderful or awful music. As a tweaker, I couldn't agree more. The Sony sounds great in my system. So, to be fair, here is a list of my related listening equipment:

InnerSound Electrostat Amplifier
InnerSound Pre-Amp
ML Aerius i's
REL Strata III Sub
Arcam FMJ CD-23
Sony DVP-S9000ES
MSB DAC Link II (connected to the Sony S9000ES)
Analysis Plus Oval 9s
Transparent, Harmonic Tech, Cardas wire and power cords
Monster HTS2000 line conditioner
Brightstar platforms

Similar Products Used:

Arcam, Panasonic

Incredible transport, Superb picture, SACD playback, Audio Direct feature shuts down the video cicuitry, price.

No CD-R playback

My system:

Denon 4800 receiver
Conrad Johnson Sonographe SA 250 Amp
Monster Cable MP HTS 3500 power distribution
Monster Cable M1000 series interconnects
Tara Labs Prism Bi-Wire (for front 3 speakers)
Monster Cable Bi-Wire (for back 4 speakers)
B&W CDM 7NT fronts
B&W CDM Center
B&W DM 601 S2 surround
B&W DM 640 rear Surround
Mitsubishi 46807 Wide-Screen TV

The 9000ES is by far an incredible piece. I auditioned the Pioneer Elite DV-09, the Marantz 7010, the Panasonic H-1000 and owned the Toshiba SD-9100. By far, this piece blew the competition away. The picture is crystal clear with very little to no noise. The CD transport in this unit has been tested side by side with higher-end seperates and it either held its own or surpassed transports that were 2 times its price. As far as SACD goes...I have tested the formats side by side (SACD and DVD-Audio) and I feel SACD is by far a cleaner, warmer, more eveloping format than DVD-Audio. I have not heard other SACD players than the 9000ES however, I own a few SACD's and am quite amazed at how much warmer they sound and how much more open they sound than regular CD's. So, you could go buy a DAC, a CD Transport, and a DVD player and spend about $3500 to $5000 to achieve the same quality or buy the 9000ES for about $1000, the choice is yours.

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba SD-9100

Awesome video, surprisingly solid CD playback, built like a tank

Small, square buttons on display, smallish display

I really loved the Sony 7700, great video, very nice for home theatre. At the same time, I wanted better playback for CDs -- the 7700 is just OK for that.

My initial goal was to add a high-end CD player and keep the 7700. I heard about the 9000ES and decided to demo it at home against the NAD S500 for CD playback.

I was stunned. I am not a Sony music fan at all. I like their video, but dislike their audio. Until now...

The 9000ES sounds like a $1500 CD player. In a demo against the NAD S500, the 9000ES lacks a little depth, but improves on clarify for vocals (especially female). Against the Arcam CD 92, the 9000ES lacks a bit of the imaging and involvement, but adds a bit more punch and overall clarify. In both cases, the bass on the 9000ES what deeper and better defined. (I'm still shocked)

The video on the 9000ES is better than the 7700. I wish the video were a tad sharper, but this is a nit pick at best.

I haven't even tried an SACD yet. Should be fun.

A few things I don't like are the small hard to use buttons on the front panel and a smallish display. The 7700 had that goofy sliding panel, can't Sony keep it simple!

Overall, this is a very high quality, great sounding machine. Build quality is that of high-end audio units.

Even at $1200, this player is a steal. Great product by Sony. Now I only wish we could all gt along! This SACD, DVD-Audio, HDCD stuff is driving me crazy!

My equipment:

Sony DVP-9000ES DVD/CD
B&K AVR305 receiver (this thing is awesome)
Paradigm Studio Reference 80 (fronts)
Paradigm Studio CC (center)
Paradigm PW-2000 Sub
Paradigm Studio Surrounds
Phillips DirectTV/Tivo

Similar Products Used:

Sony 7700 (DVD), NAD S500 CD, Arcam CD92 CD