Old is Good.... Sony Kit

[El Hefe]

I am lucky to get my hands on this unit....

A long lost love.... Rekindled today...
Managed to find this unit on the net for GBP 160..
I purchased this unit 1999 for GBP 300 from Sevenoaks Brighton... Matched it with my previous MF X-DAC and XA1/XA50... And TDL RTL3SEs...But due to financial crisis as a student where my bank balance was about 85 pence, had to sell it for just GBP 100 after less than 1 year of use.
I use this CDP to synchronously dub music into MDs on my SONY ES MD player besides play endless hours of CDs from HMV/Virgin stores..
Eversince I got back into hifi bug in 2008, I have been looking high and low for a 2nd hand unit on ebay but to no avail... Except for the ones in the US...
Now its back in my hands...loving it...

 

[MeanandGreen]

I've had the CDP-XB930 as my main music source since 1999. It's a wonderful piece of kit, battleship build excellent reliability and fully loaded with features. Mine has taken a bit of a back seat since adding an Arcam iR dock for iPod use, but the Sony is always my first choice when I want sound quality over convenience.

 

[hoopsontoast]

Still love my S9000ES! (With my old 770ES amp sitting on top!

 

[MajorFubar]

:cheers:

Wll done that man.

I think it's great when you finally get your sticky mitts back on a piece of kit you cherished years ago but had to sell in bad circumstances. With my other head on I remain interested in film photography and years ago I had to sell my beloved Olympus OM-1 for similar reasons to you. Felt like I'd sold a family member, but at the time, needs must. They're worth pittance now, and I was recently able to pick up another one in better condition than my first for £50 including lens.

 

[El Hefe]

I've had the CDP-XB930 as my main music source since 1999. It's a wonderful piece of kit, battleship build excellent reliability and fully loaded with features. Mine has taken a bit of a back seat since adding an Arcam iR dock for iPod use, but the Sony is always my first choice when I want sound quality over convenience.

Excellent unit isnt it? Now I am contemplating whether to put this Sony into my main system and take my MF CDT into a second system.

I wonder whether there is a diferent between your unit and this one I bought which has an E at the end of the model number.

 

[El Hefe]

Still love my S9000ES! (With my old 770ES amp sitting on top!

Another excellent piece(s).... I wonder where I can find an ES CD player. I think it did not really hit off in the UK at that time. I want to find a matching champagne finish to my MD ES player.

 

[El Hefe]

:cheers: Wll done that man. I think it's great when you finally get your sticky mitts back on a piece of kit you cherished years ago but had to sell in bad circumstances. With my other head on I remain interested in film photography and years ago I had to sell my beloved Olympus OM-1 for similar reasons to you. Felt like I'd sold a family member, but at the time, needs must. They're worth pittance now, and I was recently able to pick up another one in better condition than my first for £50 including lens.

Thanks Major... It is indeed a very overwhelming feeling... I am surprised that thsi CDP is still fetching a price above GBP150... but I guess people are still looking for similar items.

My next hunt would be:

1. MF XA1 and XA50

2. Marantz PM57 and CD67OSE

Unfortunately...my TDL RTL3SE and Heybrook Optima...both are damaged... So, cant really go back to a full 'student days' set up.

 

[the record spot]

Still love my S9000ES! (With my old 770ES amp sitting on top!

Another excellent piece(s).... I wonder where I can find an ES CD player. I think it did not really hit off in the UK at that time. I want to find a matching champagne finish to my MD ES player.

Check Ebay then; there's a CDP-X3000 ES in the finish you're after. £229 I think.

 

[MeanandGreen]

I've had the CDP-XB930 as my main music source since 1999. It's a wonderful piece of kit, battleship build excellent reliability and fully loaded with features. Mine has taken a bit of a back seat since adding an Arcam iR dock for iPod use, but the Sony is always my first choice when I want sound quality over convenience.

Excellent unit isnt it? Now I am contemplating whether to put this Sony into my main system and take my MF CDT into a second system.

I wonder whether there is a diferent between your unit and this one I bought which has an E at the end of the model number.

It certainly is an excellent unit, there is something quite special about placing the magnetic puck ontop of the disc before loading it in. Mine has been a faultless machine since I bought it in Richer Sounds for £200 back in 1999. It was a bargain as it should of been £300.

I particularly like the jog dial and CD Text, the solidarity of the build is very good on these units too! Also not forgetting the sound! It's a very full and detailed presentation.

Your 930E is the uk sound tune version, I don't know what that entails. The main noticable difference is mine has a headphone output on the front which the 'E' lacks. I think these players have a bit of a cult status hence they still can fetch decent money.

 

[Mr Morph]

Wouldn’t class the XB930 as ‘Old’… but this is…

About to enter its 26th year of operation, and making ‘extended warranties’ look pointless. It cost me a pretty penny back in 1988, but after 25 years it works out at a rather reasonable £1.83p per month. Still looks fantastic, and operates flawlessly. Sony build quality... you’ve gotta love em!

 

[drummerman]

Sony certainly made some quality stuff.

I currently use a STR DB930 as my main amplifier in preference over other stereo integrateds. Probably one of Sony's finest Receivers, at the time a show case of what can be done and better built/specified than subsequent ES models.

Nichicon Gold and other selected quality components througout with a massive Frame transformer ... no pancy torroid here

Add good DAC's, power and a lovely, quiet phono stage.

Its not perfect, nothing I've had was, a little more warmth in the bass would on occasions be nice but its much preferable to a wayward and loose one. It easily has seen off my £1000 Denon amplifier. Midrange is sublime and valve like.

regards

 

[MajorFubar]

Wouldn’t class the XB930 as ‘Old’… but this is…

About to enter its 26th year of operation, and making ‘extended warranties’ look pointless. It cost me a pretty penny back in 1988, but after 25 years it works out at a rather reasonable £1.83p per month. Still looks fantastic, and operates flawlessly. Sony build quality... you’ve gotta love em!

They built them to last back then.

My Technics SL-P777 is a year younger (bought brand new for £350 in 1989 from Practical HiFi) and while it hasn't been used for a couple of years now, it was hammered almost daily for the first 18 years of its life. I'd bet my annual salary that it would function absolutely fine if I plugged it in and switched it on right now.

 

[El Hefe]

Wouldn’t class the XB930 as ‘Old’… but this is…

About to enter its 26th year of operation, and making ‘extended warranties’ look pointless. It cost me a pretty penny back in 1988, but after 25 years it works out at a rather reasonable £1.83p per month. Still looks fantastic, and operates flawlessly. Sony build quality... you’ve gotta love em!

Yours is definitely 'old'er

But such a good looking unit as well. Sony truly knows how to make things last.

 

[El Hefe]

A not so serious review... http://notanotherhifiblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/sony-cdp-xb930e-true-love-lasts-forever.html?m=1