Sony CDP X 779 ES High End CD Player
It's always exciting to have such a massive ship in front of you, demonstrating how you could genuinely create affordable high-end. The 779ES (together with its predecessors and successors) is one of the greatest and heaviest CD players of all time, weighing in at over 18 kg.
As usual, the sound, as well as everything else on this overloaded CD player, is excellent. When used, it is quite affordable, especially when compared to ostensibly HIGH-END CD players weighing 5 kg.
OK Weight, without a doubt, does not make for good sound, but we have yet to find an affordable CD player that comes close to the quality of these vintage Sony players 77ES, 7ES, 779ES, and 707ES. Anyone considering purchasing a new CD player should definitely have a look at these Sony monster players! Many people, however, avoid purchasing spare components.
Anyone who has this device should be proud of it because the drive is highly reliable and the drawer mechanism still glides smoothly after more than 20 years. Under the hood, it's once again quite high-end, as was characteristic of Sony at the time. The X 779 is equipped with high-quality inside, with the best components.
This circuit, as intricate and space-consuming as it is, is a pure listening delight for the ears. Because the x 779's dynamism, musicality, and sovereignty are derived from its lavishly crafted and discretely concealed power source. Sony has only made this effort with the 7-bener series. The X7 series CD players and the XA7 are among them, but that's about all.
Modification
The CDP X 779ES isn't even finished, because there are still upgrade options in the form of newer and better components available in some places. The analog converter filter board, which is still equipped with the old Panasonic Pureism series, is the region addressed here.
Despite having a very beautiful, warm sound tone, these are relatively slow and lack resolution due to their poor dielectric. Anyone who raises complaints and claims that it is not due to the old Pureism series, but to the output stage, which is still outfitted with the old, tried, and tested OPs NE5532 or 5534, may be correct.
Never replace the NE5532/NE5534 in this device with quick Burr Browns like the OPA2134 or something similar, as this removes all of the beauty of the X779 and brings us closer to the dry, somber sound of an XA50. As a result, the capacitor exchange on the converter filter board and the Digi-Power board, as well as the use of Schottky diodes and the installation of a power cord with a Furutech power plug, remain unchanged.
Technical specifications:
Model: CDP-X 779 ES
Years of construction: 1992 – 1994
Manufactured in: Japan
Colour: black, champagne
Remote Control: Yes
Power consumption: 42W
Dimensions: 470 x 125 x 375 mm (WxHxD)
Weight: 16.5kg
Analog output, fixed (RCA) 2V over 10 kOhm
Analog output, variable (cinch) max. 2V over 50 kOhm
Optical digital output (Toslink), 660 nm wavelength, -18dBm output level
Headphone output, illuminated and can also be operated by remote control, 28mW, 32 ohms
S-Servo III
Digital filter with noise shaping: 45 bit
D/A converter number: 16 channels (priceless with today's devices)
D/A conversion 1 bit: A-Pulse D/A
Oversampling: 64fs
Frequency response: 2 - 20,000 Hz +/- 0.3 dB
Harmonic Distortion: <0.0015%
Signal to noise ratio: >120d
Dynamic range: >100dB
Channel Separation: >110dB1-bit high-density liner converter system
Advanced 8 + 8 pulse D/A converter
Direct Digital Sync. system
FET Class A output amplifier
High precision digital servo motor
Copper plated FB chassis
Double Twin Core Floating Power Transformer (one for analog and one for digital signal processing)
Vibration-dampening ceramic feet
Acoustically optimized front loader system with G-Tray
Stable lock mechanism
Linear Motor Tracking with G-Base Unit
BSL disc motor with the sapphire bearing driveshaft
Motor-driven adjustable line-out via FB
Optical and coaxial digital output
Balanced XLR output
Switchable display
