ES--The Sony CDP-R1.
Its very existence tells you why our other CD players have an unfair advantage.
The unchallenged leadership of our reference standard CD player brings extraordinary technological advantages to the entire ES line.
Start with the world's most accomplished digital audio engineers--the ones who invented the Compact Disc format itself. Free them from the usual budgetary constraints. And challenge them to surpass their hest efforts in transport design, servo circuitry, digital filtering, and system architecture.
The result is the Sony CDP-R1/DAS-R1 Compact Disc Reference System. This remarkable component compelled Stereophile's J. Gordon Holt to hail it as "...the best CD player I have heard at the time of writing?"
And in Japan and Europe, the R1 has likewise driven the leading audiophile critics to unstinting admiration. But at a suggested retail price of $8,000, it has been an experience reserved for the uncompromising few. Until now.
Now the Sony ES engineers have applied the invaluable lessons learned in the CDP-R1 to our of her ES Series Compact Disc players. Which means now you can enjoy many of the benefits of an $8,000 masterpiece without spending $8,000.
Noise Shaping with 45-bit Processing.
The accumulation of fractional errors in conventional digital filters can result in less than full 16-bit decoding accuracy. That's why the Sony CXD-1144 digital filter IC of the CDP-R1 calculates to an unprecedented precision of 45 bits, while operating at an 8X oversampling rate. And it's this advanced technology that has been incorporated in our new CDP-508ESD, 608ESD, and X7ESD players.
To convey this superlative accuracy to the digital to-analog converter, these players also incorporate Sony Noise Shaping technology. Noise Shaping reduces requantization noise and allows the 18-bit linear converters to extract more musical detail than ever before. In particular, bass fundamentals are reproduced with a strength and clarity that leaves conventional CD players far behind.
Digital Sync for jitter-free performance.
In designing the CDP-R1, Sony ES engineers recognized a critical obstacle to improving CD playback quality: time-base errors known as "jitter." When jitter is present at the input to the DA converter, these errors cause modulation in the analog signal, veiling the music and deforming the soundstage.
Our investigations led to the development of the Sony CXD-8003 Digital Sync IC. Incorporated into three new ES Series players, it maintains time–base accuracy within millionths of a second, correcting errors long before they can affect the music.
Low-Noise Servo Stabilizer Circuit
For the CDP-R1, Sony ES engineers even examined the conventional assumptions about the most basic of CD functions: disc tracking. The result is Sony's Servo Stabilizer Circuit, a trailblazing design we've carried over to our other models. This stabilizer not only improves tracking on badly scratched discs, but reduces radiated servo noise by as much as 10 dB. A performance sustained.
With a technical heritage such as this, it's no wonder the new ES Series CD players and CD changers perform so much better than so many others. But then, it's a superiority we really shouldn't flaunt. After all, we did start with an unfair advantage.
The excellence of Sony's ES Series is also reflected in the three-year limited parts and labor warranty (see your authorized Sony ES dealer for details). For more information on where you can audition the full line of Sony ES components, call 201-930-7156 (Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-5:00 pm EST).
(adapted from Audio magazine, Jun. 1989)
Also see:
Sony's ES--Digital Audio (Sept. 1985)
Sony's ES series (ad, Nov. 1986)
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