Sony CDP-X707ES CD Player - Serviced - Rare Champagne Finish w/US Voltage!

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General:
Hands down our favorite Japanese vintage CD player, in gorgeous survivor condition with little signs of use. It still has its original glossy wood side panels that some units don't have anymore, or are in terrible condition.

And it comes with its original box in great condition!
Built like a tank and sounds amazing. Hard to understand how Sony ever made money on this piece.

Featuring copper, aluminum, and metal throughout without a hint of cheap plastic like subsequent models. Plus it's one of the very few Sony players ever built to offer balanced XLR outputs. 

This player was serviced in house where it received a new drawer belt, alignment, and long term testing where it performed flawlessly reading discs - a true testament to the build quality of early Sony CD players.  

This player does have a condition where it automatically closes the drawer after a few seconds while also allowing enough time to insert or remove a CD. A second press of the eject button keeps the drawer open.

Check out this video from our YouTube showing off a previous X707ES that sold quite quickly:

 

The Vintage Knob website, the authority on rare, unique, and special HiFi had this to say (Stock vintage photos in our listing courtesy of TVK):
Sony CDP-X707ES (CDP-777ESJ)
The last of the classic ES line.
Or : the last of Sony's great years.
Or : bar none, one of the best compact disc players ever made.

The ultimate version of the "X7" series, built exactly like its direct predecessor (CDP-X779ES), but adding even better componentry, more Pulse DACs and a digital filter capable of 20bit resolution.

The mechanical base is also the same : based on the "G" compound with a complex mechanical silencing system. "G" base is somewhat reminiscent of the "Cerasin" base used in the CDP-555ESD landmark ; this ultimate one however rests on a sapphire bearing - a common practice in Sony's high-end mechanisms, be it for tape or CD.

Building to such exacting standards and with such fine work on textures, finish and "feeling" is not possible anymore - built today, an X707ES would cost 5000€, if not more...

As always, ES units appeared at least a year earlier in Japan (or later elsewhere ;-) so this explains the long production run of the X707ES, along the fact that, depending on the market considered, these sold like hotcakes : there is plenty of them in Germany and even more in Japan - the X707ES really is among the best and the non-billionaire audiophiles didn't make mistakes.

Unfortunately, after this last version, Sony went the way of cheaper and gradually lowered the quality of ES units which ultimately led to the dismissal of the whole series in some markets.

If the equivalent but FPM-charged CDP-XA7ES carried that quality, it wasn't replaced by anything with a "7" in it : the X707ES was, at Sony, the last statement for music, sans bean counters, sans wild marketing whatever and sans bat-like supersonic bandwidth.

The end.

Curtain.

SkyFi Cosmetic Notes:
Some marks on the top of the unit, But very good overall. Front panel is super clean.

Brand Background:
Since 1950 Sony has been building the most innovative products in the audio industry.

Ownership:
Single Owner

Connections:
RCA Outputs, Balanced XLR Outputs

General Sound:
Neutral sound with little to no coloration

Cosmetic Condition:
8/10 = Very Good. Excellent front faceplate, one minor flaw on chassis side or top. See our detailed rating description here.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and tested on our bench with both CD and DVD. XLR and RCA working as they should.

Included:
Unit and box

Packing:
Original Manufacturers Packing

Specs:
Disc format: CD
Digital converter: 2 x CXD2562Q
CD Mechanism: KSS-272A
Frequency response: 2 Hz to 20 kHz
Dynamic range: 100 dB
Signal to Noise Ratio: 118d B
Channel separation: 110 dB
Total harmonic distortion: 0.0015%
Line output: 2V
Digital connections: coaxial, optical
Accessories: remote commander (Not included in this listing)
Year: 1992

Dimensions:
18.5" x 4.9" x 14.8"

Weight:
36 lbs.

Approximate Age:
1992

Link to Manual:
Click Here

Recommended Cables:
Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Best

Kimber Kable - BALANCED XLR Connectors - Better

Kimber Kable - BALANCED XLR Connectors - Best

Kimber Kable - Coaxial Digital Interconnect

Kimber Kable - Optical Digital Interconnect

Kimber Kable - Digital AES/EBU Interconnect

Testing Process:
We start with a visual inspection of all internal components to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage. Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect resistors and other passive components for signs of overheating. When the unit is first powered on we check the drawer mechanism function.

After the visual inspection we connect the CD Player RCA outputs to our Sencore PA81 Power Analyzer which simulates a real world input impedance and allows us to monitor the output on an oscilloscope. We start with a test CD with precision test signals to verify proper output on both channels. If the CD player has balanced outputs these are also tested at this time.

If this check passes, we move onto evaluation with actual music CDs. We listen for clicks, skips, and drops during playback. At this time we also check the transport functions including Play, Pause, Stop, Repeat Track, Next Track, Previous Track, Fast Forward, Rewind, and programming if applicable. If the unit has a remote control, all remote control functions are verified.

If the CD player is capable of SACD playback we test its ability to read SACD layers on multiple discs including standard and hybrid SACD's. At this time we also check the unit’s digital outputs where applicable. If SACD layers are being properly read we should see the digital outputs mute during playback. On redbook CD playback we verify that each digital output maintains proper lock on our bench DAC.

After bench testing is completed, CD players are set up for testing on our long term test rig. During extended testing we make sure that unit can play through several different discs from beginning to end with no skips or lockups.