Hello Everyone,
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Sony CDP-X559ES CD Player and Transport.
Sony CDP-X559ES - Presentation
This unit belongs to a friend who wanted to know how it performs and has kindly allowed me to share the results. Thanks to him!
Released in 1992, the Sony CDP-X559ES had only one big brother, the X779ES, meaning it was in the top of the line ("ES"). The weight of 13kg alone tells about Sony's high-end intention with this unit.
It was available in black or that champagne with side wood panels to add a higher luxury touch.
So we were in the glorious 90s, at the beginning of the delta sigma era, here a 1bit PWM conversion, from what I could gather (I failed to find the datasheet). This Sony used a single stereo CXD2562Q (aka CXD2501Q) DAC from themselves, found only in upper class Sony CD Players. The CDP-X779ES had the favour of using two of these DACs. It's been said by some that this DAC was already over the CD Audio format at the time, we'll go check this out.
On the back, nothing fancy:
We get a pair of RCA outputs, one being variable together with the phones output. Only one SPDIF (Optical) output though.
Let's go inside:
This is a little more messy than the Accuphase I reviewed last week! But this unit is full of Sony's jewelry, from the super fast drive with a KSS-272A laser head, to the DAC already mentioned, but of course the Servo/decoding and the oversampling filter that are all from internal ICs.
The Service Manual of another Sony reveals the block diagram of the Sony CXD2562Q DAC in use here:
We see that it includes a 3rd order noise shaper (aka oversampling modulator) necessary for the delta-sigma PLM conversion. From the information I could gather, it seems the level of oversampling is 64x. Ultrasonic analysis of the DAC will reveal how it behaves in real life, anyways.
Let me add couple of more pictures, for of the two power transformers, one dedicated to digital processing (including fluorescent disply) and the other for the analogue section of the Sony:
I did not pay attention to these wires that would desire couple more twist
The Audio board has most of ICs hidden below, and this is the final output stage:
User experience
I'm starting to get used to add this section, and here it is only to share my usual delight of using these old mega-fast KSS laser heads from Sony. This is so fast, with instant response, be it to skip one or many tracks, but also to FFW/REW. There are many other programming possibilities, and a complete remote control. This mech is also completely silent when spinning a disc.
I particularly appreciate the presence of a phones out, this is too rare on high-end players, and I think there's no reason to miss it.
The look and feel is very luxurious. The big heavy baby feels built to last, and it did so far!
Oh, it is gapless playback, of course, and it applies correctly the de-emphasis filter when required (0dB deviation from the ideal curve).
Sony CDP-X559ES - Measurements
All measurements performed with an E1DA Cosmos ADCiso (grade 0), and the Cosmos Scaler (100kohms from unbalanced input) for analog outputs, and a Motu UltraLite Mk5 for digital.
I am now consistent with my specific measurements for CD Players, as I described them in the post “More than we hear”, and as I reported them for the Onkyo C-733 review. Over time, this will help comparing the devices I reviewed.
The Sony outputs 2.24Vrms, that is 1dB above the standard 2Vrms. The channel imbalance was a low 0.04dB and phase was dead flat.
----
As usual, let's start with my standard 999.91Hz sine @0dBFS (without dither) from the Test CD (fixed RCA out):
Nice, we get very low distortion at full scale, and the software computes near max of the theoretical performances of the CDA (from that undithered signal), with a calculated SNR of 97.8dB with presence of that max level sine tone. The right channel has a little more distortion, but still well below -100dBr.
Let's try the same at -6dBFS:
This time the dashboard shows the results of the right channel (the "worst"), as the left one does better. This is very good result with a level of distortion that was unseen from the R2R type of converters.
In these two measurements, we are at only 0.2dB of the best possible from the CDA!
----
I guess you saw some PS related leakage, well highlighted with my punishing 512k FFT length:
At -120dBr, this is buried in the noise floor of the CDA and won't be noticed into music. But maybe some more twisting of the power transformers wires would help here.
----
Next is the bandwidth:
This is very flat, below -0.1dB deviation.
----
Let's continue with the oversampling filter response:
This a phase linear sharp filter, fully active at 24khHz, which is what I personally like to see. The attenuation is a good -90dB with minimum ultrasonic artifacts (from the IMD AES test). That is a very nice trace for the era, and even for today!
Let's extend that view to 150kHz to analyze the effect of the noise shaper:
The noise created above 20kHz is limited which is good news and a proof that Sony was mastering the 1bit conversion from the delta-sigma modulator, from the early 90s...
----
Let's have a look at the multitone test that a lot of you like very much:
Nailed. Besides that one spike at 150Hz, we get more than 18bits of distortion-free range!
----
Oh yes, the jitter test:
The red trace is from the original WAV file and the blue one is from the Sony. It's a near perfect trace. Problem solved in 1992!
----
Started with the Teac VRDS-20 review, and on your request + support to get it done (more here), I'm adding now an "intersample-overs" test which intends to identify the behavior of the digital filtering and DAC when it come to process near clipping signals. Because of the oversampling, there might be interpolated data that go above 0dBFS and would saturate (clip) the DAC and therefore the output. And this effect shows through distorsion (THD+N measurement up to 96kHz):
Without surprises, the old oversampling filter does not have any headroom to process too hot masters and is at risk of generating distortion.
----
Let's continue with the good old 3DC measurement that Stereophile was often using as a proof of low noise DAC. It is from an undithered 997Hz sine at -90.31dBFS. With 16bits, the signal should appear (on a scope) as the 3DC levels of the smallest symmetrical sign magnitude digital signal:
This is a very good trace for the period, one that was not known. It means not only the DAC is super linear, which was the strength of 1bit converters, but also that the Sony is very silent CD player, adding minimal noise to the signal.
---
Other measurements (not shown):
The Dynamic range is very close to the best that can be measured (unweighted) with the Audio CD.
Crosstalk is very good and flat at a very low -112dBr.
Pitch error is a negligible 5.5ppm, again something good at the time, and even better after 30 years of service!
----
Last and not least, I like to run a THD vs Frequency sweep at -12dBFS as it shows how the conversion has evolved over time. I am currently using the beta version of REW and I discovered that this sweep gives better and more reliable results than before. I overlaid left and right channel, and we see that the right one has a little more distortion, but way below what the R2R conversions were achieving at the time:
You see from the plot at 1kHz, -109dB or -106dB distortion, both equally negligible.
----
As I did with the Sony CDP-597, I add a "max DAC resolution" measurement test. It is performed from a 999.91Hz sine @-12dBFS with shape dither (from Audacity). I restrict the THD+N span to 20Hz - 6kHz in REW not to account for the noise of the shape dither beyond 6kHz. I take the calculated ENOB and simply add 2bits to it (due to the -12dB attenuation, as 1bits=6dB). The potential maximum, when calculated from the digital WAV file, is 18.7bits under this test. A "transparent" DAC should achieve 18.7bits, ie 100% in this test.
Here are the results compared to others:
Appreciate that the Sony is in the top range. So yes, I can confirm, 16bits/44kHz was too easy for this CD Player
Sony CDP-X559ES - Testing the drive
What would be good measurements if the drive would not properly read a slightly scratched CD, or one that was created at the limits of the norm? The below tests reply to these questions.
Here are the results:
The above results are in line with other mega-fast and old KSS-based drives. We pay a little to get the speed of light from that drive. Note that I did not see any "transparent" interventions of the interpolator, meaning that when it got into action, I could see and hear it. These results are above the Red Book requirements, just so you know
Sony CDP-X559ES - Digital Output (from Audio CD)
Unfortunately the optical output suffers an issue. I can see the light, but my interface can't sync to it, there's only noise. I suspect the emitter of the Sony to be the cause.
This reminds us that these old devices can suffer from some issues. Better to test all features, if you can, when buying one. I think it will be an easy fix, though.
Conclusions
Last week, I reviewed an Accuphase C-280 which brought us above the stratosphere. This week, we are down to earth, addressing the more standard human life form of us, and we see that we can still enjoy a beautiful high performance piece of engineering. Thanks Sony!
So, indeed, I confirm the Sony CDP-X559ES was above the CD-Audio format, more than 30 years ago
This is therefore a very nice CD Player and I had pleasure of re-discovering The Alan Parsons Project - I robot album as a reminder of why we needed such a piece of hardware to appreciate such a master piece of engineered music.
I hope you enjoyed this review and I which you a happy weekend!
Flo
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Sony CDP-X559ES CD Player and Transport.
Sony CDP-X559ES - Presentation
This unit belongs to a friend who wanted to know how it performs and has kindly allowed me to share the results. Thanks to him!
Released in 1992, the Sony CDP-X559ES had only one big brother, the X779ES, meaning it was in the top of the line ("ES"). The weight of 13kg alone tells about Sony's high-end intention with this unit.
It was available in black or that champagne with side wood panels to add a higher luxury touch.
So we were in the glorious 90s, at the beginning of the delta sigma era, here a 1bit PWM conversion, from what I could gather (I failed to find the datasheet). This Sony used a single stereo CXD2562Q (aka CXD2501Q) DAC from themselves, found only in upper class Sony CD Players. The CDP-X779ES had the favour of using two of these DACs. It's been said by some that this DAC was already over the CD Audio format at the time, we'll go check this out.
On the back, nothing fancy:
We get a pair of RCA outputs, one being variable together with the phones output. Only one SPDIF (Optical) output though.
Let's go inside:
This is a little more messy than the Accuphase I reviewed last week! But this unit is full of Sony's jewelry, from the super fast drive with a KSS-272A laser head, to the DAC already mentioned, but of course the Servo/decoding and the oversampling filter that are all from internal ICs.
The Service Manual of another Sony reveals the block diagram of the Sony CXD2562Q DAC in use here:
We see that it includes a 3rd order noise shaper (aka oversampling modulator) necessary for the delta-sigma PLM conversion. From the information I could gather, it seems the level of oversampling is 64x. Ultrasonic analysis of the DAC will reveal how it behaves in real life, anyways.
Let me add couple of more pictures, for of the two power transformers, one dedicated to digital processing (including fluorescent disply) and the other for the analogue section of the Sony:
I did not pay attention to these wires that would desire couple more twist
The Audio board has most of ICs hidden below, and this is the final output stage:
User experience
I'm starting to get used to add this section, and here it is only to share my usual delight of using these old mega-fast KSS laser heads from Sony. This is so fast, with instant response, be it to skip one or many tracks, but also to FFW/REW. There are many other programming possibilities, and a complete remote control. This mech is also completely silent when spinning a disc.
I particularly appreciate the presence of a phones out, this is too rare on high-end players, and I think there's no reason to miss it.
The look and feel is very luxurious. The big heavy baby feels built to last, and it did so far!
Oh, it is gapless playback, of course, and it applies correctly the de-emphasis filter when required (0dB deviation from the ideal curve).
Sony CDP-X559ES - Measurements
All measurements performed with an E1DA Cosmos ADCiso (grade 0), and the Cosmos Scaler (100kohms from unbalanced input) for analog outputs, and a Motu UltraLite Mk5 for digital.
I am now consistent with my specific measurements for CD Players, as I described them in the post “More than we hear”, and as I reported them for the Onkyo C-733 review. Over time, this will help comparing the devices I reviewed.
The Sony outputs 2.24Vrms, that is 1dB above the standard 2Vrms. The channel imbalance was a low 0.04dB and phase was dead flat.
----
As usual, let's start with my standard 999.91Hz sine @0dBFS (without dither) from the Test CD (fixed RCA out):
Nice, we get very low distortion at full scale, and the software computes near max of the theoretical performances of the CDA (from that undithered signal), with a calculated SNR of 97.8dB with presence of that max level sine tone. The right channel has a little more distortion, but still well below -100dBr.
Let's try the same at -6dBFS:
This time the dashboard shows the results of the right channel (the "worst"), as the left one does better. This is very good result with a level of distortion that was unseen from the R2R type of converters.
In these two measurements, we are at only 0.2dB of the best possible from the CDA!
----
I guess you saw some PS related leakage, well highlighted with my punishing 512k FFT length:
At -120dBr, this is buried in the noise floor of the CDA and won't be noticed into music. But maybe some more twisting of the power transformers wires would help here.
----
Next is the bandwidth:
This is very flat, below -0.1dB deviation.
----
Let's continue with the oversampling filter response:
This a phase linear sharp filter, fully active at 24khHz, which is what I personally like to see. The attenuation is a good -90dB with minimum ultrasonic artifacts (from the IMD AES test). That is a very nice trace for the era, and even for today!
Let's extend that view to 150kHz to analyze the effect of the noise shaper:
The noise created above 20kHz is limited which is good news and a proof that Sony was mastering the 1bit conversion from the delta-sigma modulator, from the early 90s...
----
Let's have a look at the multitone test that a lot of you like very much:
Nailed. Besides that one spike at 150Hz, we get more than 18bits of distortion-free range!
----
Oh yes, the jitter test:
The red trace is from the original WAV file and the blue one is from the Sony. It's a near perfect trace. Problem solved in 1992!
----
Started with the Teac VRDS-20 review, and on your request + support to get it done (more here), I'm adding now an "intersample-overs" test which intends to identify the behavior of the digital filtering and DAC when it come to process near clipping signals. Because of the oversampling, there might be interpolated data that go above 0dBFS and would saturate (clip) the DAC and therefore the output. And this effect shows through distorsion (THD+N measurement up to 96kHz):
| Intersample-overs tests Bandwidth of the THD+N measurements is 20Hz - 96kHz | 5512.5 Hz sine, Peak = +0.69dBFS | 7350 Hz sine, Peak = +1.25dBFS | 11025 Hz sine, Peak = +3.0dBFS |
| Teac VRDS-20 | -30.7dB | -26.6dB | -17.6dB |
| Yamaha CD-1 | -84.6dB | -84.9dB | -78.1dB |
| Denon DCD-900NE | -34.2dB | -27.1dB | -19.1dB |
| Denon DCD-SA1 | -33.6dB | -27.6dB | -18.3dB |
| Onkyo C-733 | -88.3dB | -40.4dB | -21.2dB |
| Denon DCD-3560 | -30.2dB | -24.7dB | -17.4dB |
| Myryad Z210 | -70.6dB (noise dominated) | -71.1dB (noise dominated) | -29.4dB (H3 dominated) |
| Sony CDP-X333ES | -30.5dB | -24.8dB | -16.3dB |
| BARCO-EMT 982 | -32.7dB | -24.5dB | -16.3dB |
| TASCAM CD-200 | -73.5dB | -36.3dB | -19.7dB |
| Sony CDP-597 | -30.4dB | -24.7dB | -16.5dB |
| SMSL PL100 | -53.1dB | -31dB | -19.1dB |
| OPPO BDP-95 | -39dB | -28.8dB | -19.2dB |
| OPPO BDP-95 (vol -2dB) | -95dB | -97.5dB | -32.7dB |
| Sony CDP-X559ES | -30.6dB | -24.5dB | -15.9dB |
| SMLS PL200 | -94.8dB | -97dB | -39.5dB |
Without surprises, the old oversampling filter does not have any headroom to process too hot masters and is at risk of generating distortion.
----
Let's continue with the good old 3DC measurement that Stereophile was often using as a proof of low noise DAC. It is from an undithered 997Hz sine at -90.31dBFS. With 16bits, the signal should appear (on a scope) as the 3DC levels of the smallest symmetrical sign magnitude digital signal:
This is a very good trace for the period, one that was not known. It means not only the DAC is super linear, which was the strength of 1bit converters, but also that the Sony is very silent CD player, adding minimal noise to the signal.
---
Other measurements (not shown):
- IMD AES-17 DFD "Analog" (18kHz & 20kHz 1:1) : -97.1dB
- IMD AES-17 DFD "Digital" (17'987Hz & 19'997Hz 1:1) : -102.3dB
- IMD AES-17 MD (41Hz & 7993Hz 4:1): -105.5dB
- IMD DIN (250Hz & 8kHz 4:1) : -94.9dB
- IMD CCIF (19kHz & 20kHz 1:1) : -102.1dB
- IMD SMPTE (60Hz & 7kHz 1:4) : -95.3dB
- IMD TDFD Bass (41Hz & 89Hz 1:1) : -114.9dB
- IMD TDFD (13'58Hz & 19841Hz 1:1) : -112.3dB
- Dynamic Range : 98.3dB (without dither @-60dBFS)
- Crosstalk: 100Hz (-112dBr), 1kHz (112dBr), 10kHz (-112dBr)
- Pitch Error : 19'997.11Hz (19'997Hz requested) ie +5.5ppm
- Gapless playback : Yes
- De-emplhasis compliance : Yes (0dB deviation @11kHz)
The Dynamic range is very close to the best that can be measured (unweighted) with the Audio CD.
Crosstalk is very good and flat at a very low -112dBr.
Pitch error is a negligible 5.5ppm, again something good at the time, and even better after 30 years of service!
----
Last and not least, I like to run a THD vs Frequency sweep at -12dBFS as it shows how the conversion has evolved over time. I am currently using the beta version of REW and I discovered that this sweep gives better and more reliable results than before. I overlaid left and right channel, and we see that the right one has a little more distortion, but way below what the R2R conversions were achieving at the time:
You see from the plot at 1kHz, -109dB or -106dB distortion, both equally negligible.
----
As I did with the Sony CDP-597, I add a "max DAC resolution" measurement test. It is performed from a 999.91Hz sine @-12dBFS with shape dither (from Audacity). I restrict the THD+N span to 20Hz - 6kHz in REW not to account for the noise of the shape dither beyond 6kHz. I take the calculated ENOB and simply add 2bits to it (due to the -12dB attenuation, as 1bits=6dB). The potential maximum, when calculated from the digital WAV file, is 18.7bits under this test. A "transparent" DAC should achieve 18.7bits, ie 100% in this test.
Here are the results compared to others:
| CD Player model or DAC | Calculated ENOB (999.91Hz sine @-12dBFS with shape dither, THD+N span = 20Hz - 6kHz) | Percentage of max resolution achieved (higher is better) |
| SMSL PL-200 | 18.7bits | 100% |
| OPPO BDP-95 | 18.7bits | 100% |
| SMSL PS-200 (from CD player) | 18.6bits | 99.47% |
| Denon DCD-900NE | 18.5bits | 98.93% |
| Yamaha CD-S2000 | 18.4bits | 98.40% |
| Onkyo C-733 | 18bits | 96.26% |
| SMSL PL150 | 18bits | 96.26% |
| Sony CDP-X559ES | 17.9bits | 95.72% |
| SMSL PL100 | 17.9bits | 95.72% |
| Pioneer PD-D9 | 17.7bits | 94.65% |
| Sony CDP-597 | 17.5bits | 93.58% |
| Onkyo DX-7355 | 17.3bits | 92.51% |
| Denon DCD-3560 | 17.2bits | 91.98% |
| Yamaha CD-S303 | 16.8bits | 89.84% |
| Revox B-226S | 16.8bits | 89.94% |
| Accuphase DP-70 | 16.6bits | 88.77% |
| Sony CDP-337ESD | 16.6bits | 88.77% |
| Teac VRDS-25x | 16.5bits | 88.24% |
| Marantz CD-73 | 14.9bits | 79.68% |
Appreciate that the Sony is in the top range. So yes, I can confirm, 16bits/44kHz was too easy for this CD Player
Sony CDP-X559ES - Testing the drive
What would be good measurements if the drive would not properly read a slightly scratched CD, or one that was created at the limits of the norm? The below tests reply to these questions.
Here are the results:
| Test type | Technical test | Results |
| Variation of linear cutting velocity | From 1.20m/s to 1.40m/s | Pass |
| Variation of track pitch | From 1.5µm to 1.7µm | Pass |
| Combined variations of track pitch and velocity | From 1.20m/s & 1.5µm to 1.40m/s & 1.7µm | Pass |
| HF detection (asymmetry pitch/flat ratio) | Variation from 2% to 18% | Pass |
| Dropouts resistance | From 0.05mm (0.038ms) to 4mm (3.080ms) | 1mm |
| Combined dropouts and smallest pitch | From 1.5µm & 1mm to 1.5µm & 2.4mm | 1mm |
| Successive dropouts | From 2x0.1mm to 2x3mm | 1mm |
The above results are in line with other mega-fast and old KSS-based drives. We pay a little to get the speed of light from that drive. Note that I did not see any "transparent" interventions of the interpolator, meaning that when it got into action, I could see and hear it. These results are above the Red Book requirements, just so you know
Sony CDP-X559ES - Digital Output (from Audio CD)
Unfortunately the optical output suffers an issue. I can see the light, but my interface can't sync to it, there's only noise. I suspect the emitter of the Sony to be the cause.
This reminds us that these old devices can suffer from some issues. Better to test all features, if you can, when buying one. I think it will be an easy fix, though.
Conclusions
Last week, I reviewed an Accuphase C-280 which brought us above the stratosphere. This week, we are down to earth, addressing the more standard human life form of us, and we see that we can still enjoy a beautiful high performance piece of engineering. Thanks Sony!
So, indeed, I confirm the Sony CDP-X559ES was above the CD-Audio format, more than 30 years ago
This is therefore a very nice CD Player and I had pleasure of re-discovering The Alan Parsons Project - I robot album as a reminder of why we needed such a piece of hardware to appreciate such a master piece of engineered music.
I hope you enjoyed this review and I which you a happy weekend!
Flo
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