Sony SCD-CE595 5-Disc CD/Super Audio CD Player

• 5-disc CD/Super Audio CD carousel changer
• Time Alignment function optimizes SACD playback; dual-laser assembly handles CD/CD-R/CD-RW/SACD playback
• Multichannel analog audio outputs facilitate hookup with compatible audio/video receivers and multichannel amplifiers
• Optical digital-audio output (CD only) permits simple connections with CD and minidisc recorders
• Speaker-management system lets you set the appropriate output levels for your system

Sony hit a home run with this, the best SACD player on the market for the average guy making the switch to super audio. When I changed from stereo to SACD I first bought one of those player that does both SACD and DVD. Nyet!

I don't care much about DVD and music is a large part of my life. I have collected classical recordings for 35 years and wanted to hear what those hybrid SACDs had to offer in SACD. My first experience was a nightmare; then I bought this machine.

Today I've listened to the Bach "St. Matthew Passion" highlights, Berlioz' "Symphonie Fantastique" and, now, Bach's "Two and Three Part Inventions" by Glenn Gould. Each of these SACDs delivers something a little different -the Bach was made last year and is true surround sound; the Berlioz was recorded in 1959 and is three channel without surround sound; the Bach, recorded in 1964, is SACD in stereo only.

But each of these recordings, when played on this machine, sounds like they were made yesterday. This machine is easy to set up, easy to use, delivers great sound and has five disk trays so you can load it and play it all day long.

This is an excellent machine for people that want to hear SACD disks and doesn't cost much at most places. You'll like it and you'll really like the sound it produces for you.

Buy Sony SCD-CE595 5-Disc CD/Super Audio CD Player Now

I bought a Toshiba SD-6915 multi-format 5 disc changer because it did SACD, DVD Audio, and CD. It was terrible and I returned it. It has the worst user-interface and ergonomics on the planet, and I noticed several bugs in the 2 days I owned it.

So after returning the item, I decided to exchange it for the Sony 595 SACD/CD player. Wow! the audio quality was amazing over my previous CD player. My wife said immediately when listening to CD's its like we had a new stereo and she could understand the lyrics in some songs that she couldn't before.

My stereo is a very good audiophile type setup, so I was surprised that the CD player was my weak link. I have Magnepan planar magenetic speakers, an Adcom 120W amp, and a Denon preamp. Previously, I had a Denon 5 CD changer that was about $400 in 1995.

I also listened to the 2 or 3 SACD's that I have and they also sound wonderful, but I am amazed at how everything sounds so much better with this unit.

I was also very happy that the SACD player lets you specify whether each of the 5.1 channels is present and a large/small speaker. It also lets you adjust the balance which is nice so that I can not send audio to my center channel which is a fairly lo-fi speaker.

The Sony SACD also has reasonable ergonomics and lets you select shuffle, straight play from a button on the front. Basically, it has all the buttons you need for the player on the front so you don't need to find the remote to use the player.

I am very satisfied with this player and it is too bad that nobody makes a player that works this well and does DVD audio as well.

Read Best Reviews of Sony SCD-CE595 5-Disc CD/Super Audio CD Player Here

I was upgrading some of my stereo equipment a few weeks ago and bought this Sony CD changer for the SACD capability. Let me first say that I do not have multi-channel capacity. To put it simply, I don't want a bunch of speakers with their wiring running all over the room and I'm pretty happy with 2-channel stereo. I listen to a pretty wide range of music, from country to classical and I have a fairly good stereo system. In addition to my main outfit, I've been using a Sony receiver and CD player at the back of the house to play music in the backyard through some outdoor Polk speakers. The Sony equipment was originally purchased in 1985 and has served well. I had no qualms about buying another Sony CD player.

SACD's and CD's on the SCD-CE595 sound a little bright compared to CD's played on my main CD player made by Rotel. Not harsh, but there is a tendency toward the treble. This probably can also be accounted for by the B&W speakers I use and their amazing clarity in the upper and mid-range. Anyway, a simple counterclockwise turn of the treble control on the amp cleared this up immediately. Julia Fischer's Russian Violin Concertos SACD was on the edge of harshness until I decreased the treble slightly.

To my non-golden ear, there's not a lot of difference between 2-channel SACD and regular CD. The SACD has a little more air around the music with a little more depth to the soundstage but, honestly, a well-recorded standard CD will give an SACD a run for the money. I have Claire Martin's two most recent Linn recordings on SACD and I must confess that there's little difference in sound when played on the Rotel compared to the Sony or, in fact, comparing them to her older recording on regular CD.

I don't have any complaints about the remote control. It works very well within its limitations. The only problem I encountered with this player is that it is too deep to fit on the shelves inside my stereo cabinet. It's not insurmountable--I just set it on top and put the lamp on top of it.

Last night, I had the displeasure to discover my 20-year old Sony CD player I use for outside listening was refusing to accept any discs. It has finally died. RIP. Today, I'm ordering another of the SCD-CE595's to replace it.

If I like it well enough to buy another, why not 5 stars? The bright sound is one reason--it could sound a little smoother and 2-channel SACD's could be a little more open. Also, I doubt today's Sony hi-fi equipment is as well-built as the stuff I bought 20 years ago. Today's consumer electronics are of reasonable quality but disposable. I doubt I'll get 20 years out of the SCD-CE595.

It is now May 2006. I've been living with these two disc players for long enough to revise my previous estimation. Considering the price, this is a five-star SACD player.

Over time, the sound has improved. A lot. What was originally overly bright has settled down. The sound is now more open and revealing--the detail of SACD's is amazing.

The player needs to be broken in. Buy one, play it a lot and give it some time. Patience brings great rewards.

UPDATE 03/2013: I've owned two of these Sony SACD changers since 2005, played music on them frequently and they continue to function perfectly and continue to provide hours of enjoyment. Sadly, this changer has been discontinued and Sony lists a single SACD changer on their website (at $1500.00!). Generally, SACD players are few and far between these days and very expensive when available. It appears the SACD concept has faded away as more people get their music from downloads. That is also sad but not unexpected.

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This is not a bad CD player, but it has some specific drawbacks. In its favor, however, the sound has good balance, with fairly clear highs. Sound, however, is noticably shallow. If you listen to a lot of music in mono or don't usually sit in a single place to listen to music, this won't be much of an issue. The only real functional problems are the slow speed of changing cds and somewhat poor performance with damaged cds. Still, this is a very inexpensive player for the quality.

The Sony SCD-CE595 has to be one of the great audiophile bargains of all time. I got it for $120 through Amazon and it is replacing a $3000 CD playback system.

The $3000 system consists of a $1200 Theta Digital D/A converter, a $800 Cal Audio Labs transport, $800 worth of upgrades on the Theta, and $300 worth of cables and accessories. It is about 15 years old. The last upgrade was about 10 years ago.

While the older system has a more refined top end, the cheap Sony has more detail, better bass, and good dynamics. I have tried several newer CD players and they all suffer from flattened dynamics and lack of detail. Those are the areas the Sony gets right. I have a Pioneer SACD/DVD player which sounds terrible in comparison with the Sony, although they are almost the same price.

I only have 2 SACD discs and based on that, I'm not going to be purchasing SACD versions of all my CD's. I can really only hear the difference when listening through my Seinnheiser HD 600 headphones. The SACD has better low level detail, but only people with a very high definition system will be able to hear the difference.

At the price that Amazon sell this CD changer, it is an absolute steal!