Looking for review/recommendation for Sony ES CDP C79ES

[jimbofish]

I've searched AK for any info on this particular cdp and only came up with one reference that really didn't tell me much. I have a chance to buy one off CL for $50. I've d/l the manual and the operation seems pretty straightforward, except for the DSP feature, which I probably won't use much.

My latest quest has been to accumulate a system composed of Sony ES gear, specifically, the black-faced, rosewood-sided stuff. Naturally, it will have to be at considerably lower prices than it goes for at auction and I will have to settle for items that aren't TOTL .

Anyone have any experience with this particular model or have a link to a review somewhere? It not listed on TVK. Also wondering what the original price of this unit was.

 

[w1jim]

I sold my CDP-C77ES a few months ago. I thought it was nice but not especially noteworthy. I also have a STR-GX90ES that I've had since new that I would sell if I could get that damn Rotel RX-1603!
BTW, the sides look like rosewood but their actually some kind of synthetic material. Look nice though.
JimB

 

[jimbofish]

Was the GX series the one that needed to be connected to a tv to see the display? EDIT: never mind... that was something else. I have a GX900ES.

Yes. I'm aware it's not real rosewood, but it sure does look nice.

BTW, what price did you buy/sell the CDP C79ES for?

 

[cdfac]

i just picked up a CA70ES for $30 in a random deal. i'm new to the whole nice CD player world, so i've never really heard anything better...but i've never heard anything better! the high end CD player world seems to be more subjective than the amp and speaker world, but what i can say is that i think i've got some pretty decent gear and i don't feel like the CD player is the limiting factor right now. this C79ES is an updated version of the 70, i think. not sure what the differences are. i asked on the Digital board about the 70 and got no responses. you can always try it and then flip it to get at least a good chunk of your money back. hope that helps somehow.

chris

 

[terra1]

The C79ES manual I have is dated 1992. My receipt says 399.97 but I'm pretty sure that would be a sale price. I usually waited for sales. Purchased 2/93.

The owner manual shows a companion CD player the C89ES, but the only difference I can see is it has the buttons and cables for what is called Serial Chain Control which allows two CD players to be chained together to play like you would a pair of dual cassette decks in relay mode or alternating play. Specs are the same except for the weight.

C79ES specs
Frequency Response: 20 Hz-20 kHz (+- .3dB)
Signal to Noise Ratio: More than 115 dB
Dynamic range: More than 100 dB
Harmonic distortion Less than .0020%
Hannel separation More than 110 dB.


C79ES looks are unquestionable- gorgeous. If you saw another thread on AK then you probably saw the one about mechanical difficulties. That's the only thing that would make me not fully endorse it. Mine slowly developed similar problems with the carousel run amok. Plus as it aged, I noticed the bass was kind of mushy instead of crisp. Like other older players being properly level may be required to help it read certain discs better. Was able to read many CD-Rs: TDK, Sony, Verbatim.

I bought a Sony CDP-CA70ES to replace it. The CA70ES does not have DSP and I believe it is a better sounding player. It's simpler, no peak search, but it does have CD Text. Make sure you don't confuse this with the earlier troublesome CDP-CA7ES which has reported skipping and reading problems (see audioreview.com). From what I read on audioreview the CDP CA70ES replaced the CA7ES.

The specs for the CDP-CA70ES
Frequency Response: 2 Hz-20 kHz (+- .3dB)
Signal to Noise Ratio: More than 117 dB
Dynamic range: More than 99 dB
Harmonic distortion Less than .0025%
Channel separation More than 110 dB.

 

[jimbofish]

Thanks, thats very helpful. I'm very tempted to get it but I'm wondering if that problem is something they're prone to. I've never heard of the leveling trick... what does that cure?

I just found a list of ES gear someone has and it said the list price was $700.

No doubt that it's gorgeous...a very elegant, classy looking unit. Just to clarify something, did you mean to type C79ES instead of CA79ES?

 

[terra1]

Thanks, thats very helpful. I'm very tempted to get it but I'm wondering if that problem is something they're prone to. I've never heard of the leveling trick... what does that cure?

I just found a list of ES gear someone has and it said the list price was $700.

No doubt that it's gorgeous...a very elegant, classy looking unit. Just to clarify something, did you mean to type C79ES instead of CA79ES?

Yes. My typing got carried away. It would be C79ES not CA79ES.

The leveling trick can help older CD players read better. I have had several older CD players prone to stabilization issues. My Kenwood DP700, Onkyo DX-706 had problems reading some discs or skipping until I took a bubble level and shimmed the footpads. In the basement, there is a hairline crack in the concrete floor from past earthquakes. The bubble level was about 1/4- 1/2" off center.

Any vintage CD player may have some eventual problems. All you can do is hope the seller is accurately describing it, ask questions, and if he says it operates with no problem then you can at least get some enjoyment out of it for awhile. For $50 it's worth it even if one of the primary reasons is its looks. At least give it a listen since it's on CL. If there are problems you should be able to notice it. Just listen for any distortion, as I said if the bass sounds crisp or mushy on drum strikes, highs are harsh or clean. Take some CD-Rs along. The carousel problem would be obvious if it starts rotating back and forth or unable to read a disc.

 

[titanstats]

terra1 speaks words of wisdom. I have a CA9ES player that I like quite a bit. It'll read anything, and sound good doing it -- good enough that I gave away my Rotel player a while back. Not much of a Sony guy here, but their ES line of products seems to be pretty nice. :thmbsp:

 

[jimbofish]

Doh! Talk about typing getting away... I looked back at the listing and the manual download three times to check whether it was CA79ES or C79ES... never noticed that the NUMBER was different! The player I'm considering is a C77ES, not C79ES. Man, do I feel stupid!:sigh:

So, now the question is there a difference between the 77 and 79? Probably just a prior model, but maybe not. :scratch2: From the manual, it sounds and looks the same. Any thoughts?

 

[terra1]

Doh! Talk about typing getting away... I looked back at the listing and the manual download three times to check whether it was CA79ES or C79ES... never noticed that the NUMBER was different! The player I'm considering is a C77ES, not C79ES. Man, do I feel stupid!:sigh:

So, now the question is there a difference between the 77 and 79? Probably just a prior model, but maybe not. :scratch2: From the manual, it sounds and looks the same. Any thoughts?

Well, then that simplifies things. That should eliminate the concerns mentioned about the C79ES.

If you have the manual for the C77ES then compare the specs to what I provided. Do the features on the C77ES work for you? Whatever other differences shouldn't matter unless you want to hold out for a C79ES for some reason. But looking at the downloaded manual the features look pretty identical as far as major features I would care about. It has Peak Search which is handy if you're recording from it. Optical and fixed/variable outs. Programming feature, etc. The difference in specs should not be a deal breaker either way.

According to retrevo.com the C77ES was 1991 and the C79ES was 1992.

The only other thing you need to do is listen and decide whether or not to take it home.

 

[jimbofish]

The specs appear to be so close that I don't think I'd notice any difference. Specs don't always tell the real story though. There don't seem to be any glaring disaster reports yet, and it has all the features I'd want.

The C77 just happens to be the one that is available... I have no real preference. He hasn't replied whether there's a remote included which will be a deal-breaker at $50. I don't know if he has a system that it can be tested on, but I plan to take some headphones with me at least.

Thanks for the help. I'll post the outcome next week.

 

[jimbofish]

Well, it's mine now!

Went to look at it Sat. It was still in the original box w/packing and remote with original (dead) Sony batteries! He couldn't find the manual though. Wasn't even dusty, inside or out. :thmbsp:

I forgot to take my headphones (DOH!) so all I could test was the visual operation. Everything seemed to work fine. He wouldn't go for a lower price though.:thumbsdn:

I asked him why he was selling it and he said... you know what's coming... "I upgraded to a Bose system". I then asked if he had anything else he wanted to get rid of. Sadly, it was all gone except for an Onkyo dual cassette deck and a Yamaha surround processor. Apparently he knew something about stereo gear as he said he had Harman Kardon amps, Marantz tuner, Klipsh speakers.

Anyway, it's home now. All I had to clean up was a smudge of something on the front display and a few spots on the top. So far it's just sitting on a stand in front of the stack and patched into a cable disconnected from another component. I've only had a chance to flip through a few CDs but they sound as good as my Denon DCD-1500 II CDP. Not sure I'll use the DSP settings much. It's supposed to be cold and rainy here for a few days so I plan get in some serious listening. Overall, I'm very happy with the deal.:yes:

 

[w1jim]

Not sure I'll use the DSP settings much.

Does anyone use those settings? My Sony ES CDP player had them and my Sony home theater receiver has them. I've flipped through them once and have resented them since.
JimB

 

[jimbofish]

Does anyone use those settings? My Sony ES CDP player had them and my Sony home theater receiver has them. I've flipped through them once and have resented them since.
JimB

Wow... resent is kind of harsh... couldn't you, at least, tolerate, or maybe, ignore them? Good Karma, eh! :huge:

I do like the file label feature. Remembers the title and the settings for each cd.

 

[terra1]

thanks for the update!

I'm glad you like the player.

I experimented with the DSP at first and liked the Jazz Club setting best. They stopped building DSP into their CD players since they and others started building it into their receivers. Nowadays I prefer listening with DSP off too.

 

[Stuart Pedaso]

Overall, I'm very happy with the deal.:yes:

A good deal indeed on a nice piece. I payed ten times that for a C79ES in '93 and still consider it good value. Never a problem with it. Sounds good and offers abundant control features, though DSP is not one that I've personally found useful.

Ironic how, in your pursuit of finer audio, Bose can be your friend!

 

[slow_jazz]

Congrat's there. Back in the early 90's the ES actually meant something before they cheapened them down...

 

[jimbofish]

Ironic how, in your pursuit of finer audio, Bose can be your friend!

Hmmm... wonder if the Bose Store gives out names of customers as references?

"Gee, Mr Bose salesman, before I buy one of your systems, could you give me the names of some of your recent customers to see how they like their new stuff?":yes:

 

[240sx4u]

I have a line on one for about $20 whaddya think. I need another CD Player like a hole in the head but I am very curious.

Evan

 

[jimbofish]

I have a line on one for about $20 whaddya think. I need another CD Player like a hole in the head but I am very curious.

Evan

If the remote is included, that would be a steal, assuming it works and isn't beat up. If no remote, factor in the cost of genuine Sony D715 remote as there are some functions that need the remote. FYI the remote also works with a CDP-C435.