57ES Successor
After Sony did not seem able to fix my 57ES, they offered me a new 59ES, and although I did not like its cosmetics as much as the 57’s, I thankfully accepted. Alas, the 59ES turned out to display the exact same problems as its predecessor: failure of the take-up reel resulting in loose tape in the mechanism. Sometime later, after I had abandoned the format, Sony found the culprit and one could have the 57 or 59ES repaired at a service center and the problem was apparently no more. The 60ES apparently has the aforementioned fix built in so should not have the problem. Incidentally, I worked a lot with the professional PCM7030 and 7050 at my workplace and these proved to be utterly reliable machines.
Hi Christiaan, dat ik je nu weer tegen kom is door de DTC-59ES, leuk te zien dat je door gegaan bent in A/V. Was eigenlijk aan het onderzoeken welke DAC er eigenlijk in gebruikt wordt en of een DAC magic wel een upgrade zou zijn, want ik gebruik mijn DAT nu als DAC…
Hi Amnon, long time no speak! The DTC59ES is a good DAC but you can certainly get better quality as well as a more natural sound. However, that does come at a price. The DAC Magic is not really better I would say, but rather quite different in its presentation. The Sony is quite synthetic-sounding for my taste and the DAC Magic can sound a little more natural. But on the whole, you might not even be that impressed with it compared to the Sony. I recommend you figure out what kind of sound it is that you want and then find a DAC to match. Do check the DAC reviews that I have done on these pages:-) BTW if you still use the Vifa speakers then they will form a bottleneck in terms of resolution and if that is what you’re after, then upgrading the speakers would be more sensible than upgrading the Sony.
LOL, you remembered… Yes, still using the Vifa Carat’s….
I was using the DAC from the Squeezebox Duet (Wolfson, not the Burr Brown) and already the difference between that and my Sony DAT DAC (I believe a 1 bit DAC) was immense… That is what got me interested in DAC options. Like Topping DX3 Pro + for it’s versatility. I will check your reviews out, but I think that they are more high end than I need.
Thanks Christiaan
:-). Fair enough! In my view, the Squeezebox Duet DAC is really low-end. And even its SPDIF output sounds soft. The Topping DAC is great at the price but to be honest, I still regard it as budget level. If that is the area in which you are looking then I can be of little help. But in the end, your ears are the judge! 🙂 I suggest you look at the entry-level Denafrips which has really surprised me. But it may still be more costly than what you are looking for. Holo Audio and Audio-GD are also interesting. Have a nice DAC-hunt! Best, Christiaan
I have the 59ES and I listen to it through Teufel Ultima MKII speakers, and the DAT dewck sounds fantastic. Maybe the coloration of the sound comes from the speakers? I also have Edifier S1000W speakers, and they give great neutral sound.