Sitting here with my pioneer pd91 playing in the background 😅 old is gold

I just picked up the Sony CDP-X7ESD and I paid 1600 Canadian Dollars. Very happy with this purchase.

Full of passion as usual! Love how you mix insights and enthusiasm. Your love for music always comes through. So refreshing!

That's my main CD deck, and I bought it back in 1989. I'd guess there were maybe 10 years in my life when I was too busy to have it hooked up and used at all, so it hasn't been in constant use. Now that I'm retired it's actually more satisfying enjoying the fruits of my labor after always trying to buy the best quality back in the 80's. I go between that or my old Pioneer CLD-M403 which holds 5 Cds on the carousel- I also use that to watch my Casablanca and Wizard of Oz laserdiscs. Livin' the dream, thanks for your channel.

Great review. I own the Sony CDP-X777ES that I have owned since 1991 and I couldn't bear to sell it. Occasionally I try to convince myself that a digital streamed file might be as good, but the Sony always beats it. The detail, presence and imaging is outstanding. I am dreading the day when it dies. Incidentally my drawer mechanism stopped loading a few years ago, but I managed to find a repairer who fitted a new rubber belt.

Hi Kelvin i've only recently found your channel however i'm enjoying watching your content very much. I own a Sony CDP 555 esd & i can really recommend getting to listen to one if you possibly can. I auditioned the whole of the Sony ESD series of CD players back in the 80's all of which highly rated at the time. However certain items were financially out of my reach back then so I ended up buying the CDP 222 ESD which I enjoyed for many years (and still own today). That all said the CDP 555 ESD was still the "Holy Grail" as I remembered how fantastic it sounded. Fast forward several decades & i eventually bought one which is now my go to CD player - quite simply it sounds fantastic (well on my system anyway - and to my ears). At the moment i'm looking for a vintage turntable to compete my system as this was another area where at the time i couldn't afford my top choice. Saw your video recently on a Thorens 150 deck - which i've seen posted up on jolly old ebay with the SME 3009 arm, i'm a bit of a fish out of water with where to start on vintage record decks - any advice would be greatly appreciated ! keep up the good work on the channel ! apologies for the rather lengthy post ;)

I remember waiting at the shop door way back in 1982 to purchase one of the first CD players from Sony. The CDP-101 It was very heavy and built like a tank. However it only lasted 4 weeks. It went back to Sony for repair, one of the large chips was replaced, it always ran very hot, really needed a heat sink. This repair however only lasted a few more weeks, same issue again. This time Sony kept it for 6 weeks. After it's return I noticed the chip had been replaced by a different one, this did not run hot and still worked fine some 6 years later when I sold it.

I just picked up a CPD-707ESD, the US version of the CPD-557ESD for $200. It weighs slightly more at 18kg! This was the predecessor of the X7ESD. There is something very satisfying about the sound of this player, that I never got from the many cd players I have owned since 1985. I read that the 707ESD was a cost no object exercise for Sony and even though expensive at $1800 back in 1988, it was likely sold at a loss. Looking inside you can see why, as it looks to be over the top. However, I guess that it is every little detail that makes the sum of the parts, which results in its superb sound and function. Very happy with it and just ordered a remote for it from Japan. As with any older electronics there are risks, but as long as the laser holds up, the rest seems like it could be serviced fairly easily.

I do enjoy my Arcam CD72 24 Bit CD player linked to the NAD 3020 with Wharfdale 10.1 for a small listening room - Pleasing.

My brother had a comparable unit growing up, I think from 94-95. Single disc ES series but with the wood blocks on the side. Really was an impressive CD player!

Oh dear now you have a problem once you go up market / quality its bloody hard to go back to excepting less... great review as always

That was a really nice presentation. Nice to see that a vintage CD player can wipe the floor with an over hyped modern streamer.

In the late eighties,early nineties Sony dominated the market for CD player bang for the buck wise from upper middle class models upwards and despite not being cheap they sold like fresh bread worldwide.

Loved the review. About what I figured. I have a Sony 777cd player built like that one, and it's a treasure.

Hi Kelvin. This is just great. Another fun review. What it highlights really is that digital (and all HiFi) replay isn’t just about the Dac used but the quality of the power supply, regulation and output stages. That’s where costs are for the manufacturer’s. Always have been and always will. I will echo what others have said but go a little further. You can greatly improve the Node 2i with an outboard dac but you can also transform it by removing the internal switch mode power supply(which is noisy) and fitting a conversion board so you can use a quality linear power supply. The conversion board is about £85 and you can get a decent LPS for £150 (you can go higher for better results ). This would bring it to a similar level, power supply wise, to the old Sony. You’re feeling that spending thousands of £s, $s, €s is not a good idea is of course spot on. The reason for this is partly shown in your review. The Achilles heal in ALL CD players is the laser reading mechanism and loading draw. They don’t make them anymore or supply any spare parts for them! There are £20,000 Wadia CD players out there that sound stunning but once the laser goes it’s only use is as a door stop. Ha

I had the pioneer PD75 about the same time, fantastic build quality and sound,

Seems incredibly well constructed. I like that the tray makes almost zero noise when opening or closing. I don't like the shouting text on the front panel though. Thinking it could look rather clean without that and the stickers. And I have a soft spot for a proper Philips swing arm mech, which this of course does not have.

From the days when cd was king. Some of the Sony spinners were amazing beasts, and well worthy of the reputation.. whether or not they are worth the money being asked today, that's entirely up to the buyer to decide.

Enjoyed the review. Well done. I've recently began playing cds again on my Early 90s C77ES and can appreciate the build of these older units.

I love these Sony ES units. I have some lower end ES pieces, but I love them all.

Had one from new,as well as its smaller brother the 338ESD which i still have. An awesome player with build quality modern players can only dream about. The first word that came to me when i first got it was Bass......Bass that went subterranean. An excellent player but be weary of the unobtanium lasers for them.

These high-end 7 series Sony ES CD player’s has also a very good hi-End build in FED Class A output amplifier. And $ 3500 was a lot of money back in 1989. 😰 The best sounding CD players are made till 1994. From 1994/5 The focus became on DVD players, not on pure sound anymore. Everything became digital only. CD players without analog focus (board) That’s why hi end CD players till 1994 are so expensive now. The laser never dies from a 7 or 5 serie ES player till 1993. When your player is not playing, big chance it’s a capacitor problem, servo board IC, or laser flexible flat cable. And always lubricates the mechanism!! It will outlast you!

My Pioneer Still GETS REQUESTS !! Best Amp ever 35 plus years old AND stood up to every party ive ever thrown (Live on 4 Acres) !! Her and i are goin to Valhalla together !!LONG LIVE ROCK N ROLL lol and every other music i now listen too (Move over ole BLUE EYES ) . Cheers .

good taste in music there Kelvin. Be good your top 20 albums.

Players like these make excellent transports, No one makes a decent laser now even multi thousand pound players have a laser cost less than £10. Replacements even for new players are getting rare.

I honestly don't see what those giant capacitors in the Sony are there for, other than looking expensive. But maybe that's the point. From what you're describing, Kelvin, I get the same full sound from my ancient, lightweight Marantz CD-56 with its Philips TDA1541 DACs. I'd be interested to hear your analysis of one of those old Philips/Marantz units, many of which can be had for under £100. As for the grossly inflated prices asked by certain German (and Japanese) vendors on eBay, I can only say that an item's actual worth is not some arbitrary asking price; it's what buyers are willing to pay. Scalpers are ruining the market for vintage gear, putting people off buying with their greedy demands. Time and again I see the same overpriced units reposted and reposted again. The HifiShark website is the best indicator of what we should expect to pay for any given item of gear.

Thanks voor de review of the Sony X7ESD. Because of youre review i bought this cd-player. 😊

Great detail as always kelvin. Think you sum up everything my dad always said and what I look for. A sound which doesn’t tire on you. Somethings sound great impressive and that’s ok for a while. Would like to hear that beast of a c d player through a sugden a25 or 48 and a pair of bc 1.

biggest problem with older CD players is the optical pickups are no longer made. Both Sony & Philips stopped making them. So, once the pickup fails, your CD player can no longer be repaired. The only hope is to obtain a working pickup from a "donor" machine

when sony is on their game, no one is better. there are two things going on here. one is the transport mechanism. it's rock solid mechanically and delivers every bit off the cd at the correct time. the second thing is the dac. this thing has a crazy old school dac with discrete components by the wizards at sony. the dac is what makes it special but imho it's crazy in 2021 to pay for one of these when you can just go digital out of any reasonably priced decent transport and into a modern dac. cheap modern dacs have come a long way from the eighties.

Got a big Denon DCD 3520 EX, it is quite the same CD monster CD player ! I love those pieces of art.

its all about the snare drums :D

this is a nice review. keep coming up with videos like this. i think the differences you heard between tidal and the sony cd player would be how the tracks were mastered. probably not.

17 kilograms with wooden panels 😅. I owned the x7esd in the nineties, and I found its sound very dynamic and extremely clean but a little threadbare. The advanced pulse converters used by Sony in later models sweetened considerably the results. Nonetheless, the construction was, and it still , first rate.

I had one for around a year and a half in 1991 and nothing has come close regarding all facets of the player except for perhaps the one I have now, my McIntosh MCD7010 (1998). Some say the X7ESD had the best DAC ever! the Burr Brown PCM58P, even better than the famous TDA1541. The only thing about the Sony, if it's really all that bad, is the transport. A few Sony models costing less had better ones such as the KSS-270A in the CDP-X33ES. Beautiful memories! Thanks for the video.

That Sony is some bit of kit! Very special!

The SONY X7ESD is one of my personal favorites 😎

when it is open instead of pressing the close button just press play and it should close

I like the CDP X777ES beast more! Beter sound. 1991/92 was for sure the best Sony “ES” year!

I am currently using a Sony CDP-228ESD cd player. It is from the same range as the X7esd and uses the same PCM 58 dac. I have got it sitting on a Townshend seismic platform. Using townshend interconnects into a Sony 630esd amp with Dynaudio contour 1.1's. It sounds wonderful. I'd love to hear what the X7esd is capable of.

Did you use the Balanced out Kelvin? I thought it makes even more sense as this is a true dual differential transformer driven balanced output. Its meant to be paired with a really high end Pre. Look at the reserves in the capacitors its better than many Amplifiers! Potted power supply transformers, one each for the digital and analogue sections twin burr brown DAC's. Its from a time when Sony could do magic. I would have one in my system in a heartbeat and I have a EAR Yoshino 912 in my system so its up there. Great review as usual..

Superbly built.

My 1990 ESD7 is still performing as new, and is still in as new cond. It's never had the lid removed. Love it! Don't know what I'll replace it with it when it dies, probably a higher end Marantz? I run my X7ESD through a Luxman A383 (purchased new 1995) & out through BRITISH made (not the latter Chinese version) B&W 604S3 (bought new '02). To me, a great combo along with a Rega P3 turntable.

Your thoughts on the X7 are pretty accurate. 👍 I bought mine just after they were released and was using it up until about 10 years back, when I decommissioned it, and moved to the convenience of having all my music ripped from their CD's and stored on a PC. It's now back in its original packing box and I've been wondering what to do with it. Seems I am sitting on an ever appreciating piece of Sony brilliance.

The price issue is really insane when it come to the Sony ES cassette decks.

I have an immaculate one that hasn't been used for many years because the draw mechanism doesn't work. Might see if I can get it repaired.

Hi Kelvin, this is my new favorite channel. By the way if you ever want to borrow with a view to possibly reviewing, a 1979 JVC JA-S31 amplifier and a Marantz Cd 52 mk2 (special edition) I would be happy to lend them to you for a couple of weeks. I'm based in West London. All the best.

Allways love these great presentation, congratz for this, happy continuation....if you find a sony cdp 227esd try it it has the best philips dac inside, imho its the best sounding sony, even better then the 557esd which also havy engeneered...

Pedants Corner- New Boots & Panties is late 70s(1977) not late 80s. Cracking album which I remember buying from W H Smiths when it came out. Just call me Clever Trevor!

You would like my system, Ruark solstice speakers, Rel stadium lll subs x 2 meridian 557s x2 .. Orbe turn table .. etc etc

The disc tray on my Denon DCD 610 (1989) will sometimes close by itself. Other times I have to nudge it. It sounds good. Bought it on ebay for $25 shipped.

One of the best single Players from Sony......maybe the 557 ESD sounds a little bit better analog..... But i don´t like his optical. The Best is still the CDP R1 Combi......

Hi Kevin, thanks for your review. i have a cd player SONY C67ES from 1991 that i bought two years ago very cheap at a thrift store, all ES sony models means elevated standard better than the regular Sony products and I also have a cd player NAD C542 from 2006 that I bought used 3 years ago . The nad is more punchy with more depth in the sound, vocals sound good but female vocals a tiny bit fatigating in my B&W dm603 with my Sansui Au-719 that you reviewed a long time ago, cymbals sounds ok. With the Sony the mid range instruments and vocals sounds a little bit more natural bass is more relaxed than the NAD , highs are a bit thin . In my room the presence of the vocal and mid range give more ambience with the Sony , depends on your musical preferences maybe Sony can be a good choice

The importance of the actual DAC chips is less then it seems imho. Clock, proper filtering and the analog output stage do much more for the sound. Just check out a computer interface advertised with some super converter. They sound awful. Then check out pro studio gear: same converters, great sound! Why: everything else’s properly designed. Also the match with the next piece of gear (amp) could make up for a lot of differences in sound.

Nicely done. Lots of detail. I will say the DAC in the BlueSound streamer is pedestrian. If you attach it to an external DAC, it will sound better. Of course you have the associated cost to buy a higher quality DAC.

This Sony reminded me of my last purchased CD player, I payed £340'ish for a s/h mint "Sony 557 ESD" in original box & all shaped poly-packaging included, like as new, from eBay about about 9 or 10'yrs back. That was the going rate then for a mint condition 557-ESD with returns accepted, I bid on it because of it's (also) 17 point something Kg weight, all'copper chasis & the pic' of it's internals showed me a work of electromechanical art, Japanese 80's engineering Par Excellánce!& the original box's & manual's new-looking condition told me the previous owner actually 'cares' for his gear. That was the going rate then but in more recent times, I've seen folk ask £2000 & + & 1 Japanese seller ask 3,500 Euros for the 557ESD (I never followed if they sold) ...but I love the Sony 557 ESD for it's ultra slick, fast load & TOC read, & quick smooth as silk magnetic railed transport (KSA something, Accuphase used the same KSA transport in their top CD model, i read on "The Vintage Knob" site) ...2 heavy transformers inside & totally seoerate Digital & Analogue components sections, it's transport & it's whole control system is like an unforgettable favourite ex-girlfriend, simply the best ive ever had! I would not sell it unless a ridiculously high amount was offered tho' that won't happen as I'll never advertise it. It's getting on in years but sounds light-years ahead of the few other newer CD players i had on-loan & since, but none could better it in sound alone, certainly not in build quality (gimicky 192'Khz upsampling regardless!) I expect it's similar to this Sony X ES (Sony's "Elevated Standard" models) This CD & mine would cost a bomb to make now. I would not mock anyone for paying 1000 or 1500 for a mint player like these top 'ES' Sony machines. Tho i'd advise checking lazer output by seeing it can play your recorded, rewrite, digital cloned CDs who's reflective index can be low

Cheers sir, another enthusiastic review... Great work.... Keep it up K

Enjoyed that comparison, thanks!

Sony has a copper chassis and internal mods? Now we know where Ken Ishiwata got his ideas from.

Kevin a sansui au 717 with schitt Freya s tube preamp with bluesound node 2i and you don, t need a CD player..... o btw jbl l100..... perfect and nice review👍👍👍

I always feel like Kelvin could do with a nice glass of water as he always seems to look thirsty. 😉

Thank you 🎵

Nice Gear 👍✅

"That old saying ..They don't make'em like that anymore!! d 🤕🇪🇺🗺💜

if you are impressed with that Sony and its build quality / look into the DVP-S9000ES / you can probably find a used one for $200, its also heavy like a tank, the build quality is amazing inside, all made with copper and it sounds fantastic, the loading mechanism is probably way better... Cheers!

Would be interested to hear your opinion of the Marantz CD63 MKII KI, one of the nicest cd players ive ever heard.

Just found your channel. Hope I learn some things. I have watched Headfonia and "Z" a long time. Best, D.

These players are the last of the multibit converters, 1990 saw the introduction of one bit. The price rise is like;y due to multibit DACS popularity at the moment getting rave reviews and rightly so from my own experience.

Very good DAC (45 bit) so resolution will be great.

You have to give it to Japanese vintage, they really built the stuff.

80s' cd players had a particular sound.My two drawer pioneer sounds great compared to a modern player

Excellent video mate...Sony ES gear is awesome 👌

glad I found your channel!!

Everything sounds different.In some situations the better becomes bad.My PC sound card sounds so good that i doubt even £3k CD player will sound that good.I just needed to replace few Op Amp chips to get the sound i want.I like playing with Op Amps.It is like changing tubes with tube amplifiers.I have tried so many different cables too until i find the ones with rich and thick sound.My first is richness and spaciousness in sound.After that detail and smoothness (not too smooth).Instead of giving £3000 for a single device i would prefer to buy few different stuff and combine things until i get the desired synergy (if i am on budget)...

Chassis is OFC oxygen free copper chassis chassis does not oxidize generating noise in the earth path like steel does and it works.

I always like to turn on my 337esd, it has the same drive but TDA converters. The joy is just watching the extension and retraction of the drawer and the perfect sound only completes the overall enjoyment. This Sony design has a unique charm even after years

You probably need good dedicated DAC to go with that streamer. Then there is the power supply issue. RF and electrical noise are messing with the sound stage. The Sony has two huge separate power supplies for a reason. The Bluesound has a tiny one inside it's box. I don't whether the Arcam has a digital output, but with a nice DAC it may sound as good as the Sony. Have you ever reviewed the Linn Wakonda? Couldn't find one.

Brilliant review Kelvin

It’s all about the output stage, what you are describing is similar to what I found with a Meridian 508, just sounds more wholesome, refined and vinyl like. The Meridian was known for its output stage and transport as well. Another great honest review, I can see you don’t wanna let that go, it’s written all over your face! 😢

Brilliant. Shows how equipment manufacturers failed to do justice to CD. Early players were excellent , later players rubbish. Naim is a good example of this, their early line were excellent, I auditioned a CD5si recently and it was awful - harsh and nasty. Clearly , the engineering expense of producing good CD replay did not make for a viable commercial proposition.

In the Arcam upstairs the bits are lighter so it have less weight. Do you change the Caps in the Sony X7ESD? In this case I've two X33 and I must change all the cap inside my two Super Players. You have luck if you have a CDX DAC inside your Sony! Well happy new year 2022! Best Regards Volker from Vienna Thumbs up Nr. 518. your Focus is out of the range.

Did you connect the variable output to a power amp directly and try it out ever ? I always feel that this connection sounds better bypassing the preamp of any system.

Looks like your open/close tray button needs deoxit

Both of them are harder to tweak than universal disc players made after 2012. If you can find one of these late 1980s era CD players in good working order, just sit back and enjoy the sound. Given my current skills, I probably can never make a 1989 era 500 quid Sony CDP sound like a 5,000 quid 1995 era Wadia CDP. Different story with universal disc players made after 2012 though.

i have a cdp970, also 1989, it has burr brown dac's and believe it or not an aliminium loading tray, but a plastic front facia, doh !!

No Blockheads in that Sony!

Kelvin, could you do a review of the Technics SU-8600?

Nice machine that Sony...but a fixed power cord ? Not so good. Thanks for reviewing 👌🏼

An external DAC very much improves the Node 2i. I’m using a second hand Schiit Bifrost 4490 that I picked up for under £200. It really is night and day between that and the Node 2i’s internal DAC.

Daniel Craig, Old cd players might be fun, but this is one area that going vintage doesn't pay off.

What a beast

I was always intriged by Sony cd players, why they dont sound good? They were always good looking, expensive, but when it comes to sound they just coudnt deliver that quality you acutally paying for... If you take any mid range Philips cd player they will easy outperform high class Sony player, they just sound better, more dynamic, more precise, reacher in low bass and so on... That Sony is overprices, I mean for $400-500 you could get Philps CD 960 high end player that will outperform any Sony, so why would you pay more then 1000 euros for Sony? What is sad midrange models like Philps 150, 614 or 650 will also sound much better and they cost about 100 euros or less... Because in those Philips you have best DAC famous TDA 1541, best transport CDM1 or CDM2 in midrange models, electonic inside any Philips is just better, thats why they sound so good. Even today CDM1 is best made tranposrt for any cd player, but many companies do not use them in thier models because it is very expensive.

I think this Sony model from 1989 model 😊

I think you were a bit dismissive of the Alpha A4cam and yet it has the very well renowned TDA1541 DAC chip in it. I wonder if you were too wowed by the weight of the Sony Machine, because I bet the DAC chip in the Sony machine is inferior

€4.000 is £3532,- and $4.253,-. Pound not what it used to be, neither is the dollar.

45 Bit is a strange convertor frequency. 32 bit or 64 bit is normal for digital to analogue converters.

4k euros equates to 4840 USD and 3460GBP.

Hi. One day could you address the typical repairs needed to bring vintage amps back to working order? And maybe the types of costs involved? Thanks :)

Hi Calvin. What do you think about the vintage sansui receiver G series. Compared to 221, 331, 441 series. Same qualtiy ? Better ? Greetings from Germany. :)

I think with these old CD players, 100 - 150 pounds should be what you’re paying, I think more than that and it’s a waste of money. I picked up a nice old silver Technics CD player last year and it’s a keeper, the sound is fantastic to my ears. A delight to use, although it only plays original CDs, it won’t play copies.