Sony CDP-C15ESD CD Changer Review

Sony’s CDP-C15ESD is an upgraded version of the CDP-C10 CD changer, coupling the earlier model’s mechanical design and operating features with extensively redesigned electronic circuitry. The C15ESD uses Sony’s standard ten-disc magazines, which load through a large rectangular opening in the front panel. A single disc is played by loading it into a magazine.

The player provides some unusual features, including the ability to memorize up to ninety customized playback sequences from up to twenty-four magazines (or 240 discs). In addition, each disc can be assigned an alphanumeric title of up to ten characters that can be viewed on the fluorescent display panel.

Each stored sequence or name is assigned to a particular magazine (keyed to the first disc in the magazine) and can be recalled from the player’s nonvolatile memory whenever that magazine is loaded. Therefore, once a program sequence has been memorized, the selection and order of discs in the magazine should not be changed unless you want to reprogram them. The memorized program and title data can be deleted one disc at a time.

The C15ESD provides a full complement of operating features, including fast forward and reverse with audible sound and track step-ping in either direction. Two rows of buttons provide direct access to any disc or numbered track. The player can be operated from an external timer switch, playing a magazine automatically when power is applied.

In addition to the long-term program memories, up to nineteen selections from any or all of the discs in a magazine can be programmed to be played in any order. In the shuffle-play mode, all the tracks on one or more discs are played in random order. Any track, disc, or complete program can be repeated as often as desired. When the repeat mode is selected together with shuffle play, playback can continue indefinitely without repeating the same sequence. The auto-pause mode suspends playback after each selection; play can be resumed by pressing the pause button.

The C15ESD’s front panel has a stereo headphone jack whose output level is controlled by an adjacent knob. The knob can also be turned by an internal motor when the supplied wireless remote control is used. The remote unit duplicates virtually every other control on the panel.

The exceptionally complete display window of the C15ESD manages to look surprisingly uncluttered. A row of numbers in red circles corresponds to the disc slots in the magazine; a white line shows under the number for the disc currently loaded into the playing mechanism. A “music calendar” display shows the numbers of tracks on the current disc (up to twenty) or of the selected tracks in a program. As each track is played, its number disappears from the grid. Large numerals show the current disc and track and the elapsed or remaining time in the track. Conventional symbols appear when the machine is in its play or pause modes. Words identify the repeat and programmed modes of operation and whether only a single disc or all the discs in the magazine are to be played.

Although its operating features are essentially identical to those of the less expensive CDP-C10, the C15ESD is entirely different electronically. Its dual 18-bit digital filters oversample at eight times the normal rate, or 352.8 kHz, producing negligible phase shift and requiring minimal analog filtering to remove ultrasonic components from the audio output. Sony has taken special care to isolate the various parts of the circuitry, including the use of a dual-winding power transformer and ten separate voltage regulators. In addition to the fixed-level analog output, there is a variable-level analog output, controlled by the headphone volume knob, and two digital outputs (one coaxial and one optical) for use with an external digital-to-analog (d/a) converter. All electrical output jacks, including the phone jack, are gold plated.

The C15ESD measures 18 inches wide, including its wood-grain side panels, 14 inches deep, and 4-1/2 inches high, and it weighs about 15 pounds. It is supplied with one disc magazine. The player carries a three-year warranty covering parts and labor. Price: $800; additional XA-10B magazines, $29.95 each.

Lab Tests

Although the C15ESD’s specifications are close to the limits of current CD player technology, its measurements in our tests met or surpassed the specs in almost every case. The total harmonic distortion (THD) was exceptionally low, ranging from 0.002 percent at 0 dB (the spec is 0.003 percent) to 0.008 percent at — 20 dB. The fixed-level output was 2.06 volts, with no measurable difference between channels. The A-weighted signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) was 118 dB on one channel and 115 dB on the other, and the dynamic range was an excellent 97.6 dB (specified as 100 dB).

The channel separation, virtually identical for both channels, ranged from 118 dB at 100 Hz to 88.5 dB at 20,000 Hz. The d/a converters were obviously trimmed to close tolerances in their least significant bits, resulting in a linearity error of 0.2 dB at —80 dB and only 2.5 dB at — 100 dB. The phase shift between channels would have been unmeasurable without our newly acquired Audio Precision test system, which indicated less than a 0.3-degree shift up to 10,000 Hz and only 0.75 degree at 20,000 Hz.

The slewing time of the transport was fairly short, though not quite as swift as some of Sony’s single-disc CD players. Still, the 1.7 seconds it required to shift from Track 1 to Track 15 of the Philips TS4 test disc is at least on a par with most of today’s better CD players. When a disc change was also involved, the time was typically in the range of 8 to 10 seconds.

The C15ESD had no difficulty tracking through the calibrated defects on the Philips TS5A test disc. Surprisingly, however, our test sample was fairly sensitive to impact, especially on its top cover. A light-to-moderate slap caused a brief dropout, with the sound generally resuming from the same place in the recording.

Another surprise was the way in which the player handled the transition between two * adjacent tracks with no silent interval between them. Several tracks on the Philips TS4 test disc are recorded this way, and we use them to test the cueing accuracy of CD players. If there is a cueing problem, generally a player will clip the first syllable of Track 18 when making the transition from Track 17.

When it came to this transition, the C15ESD first played a fraction of a second of the second track, then muted for a fraction of a second and resumed play from approximately the point where the initial burst had ended. This effect occurred with all of the similar transitions on the test disc. We suspected that this behavior was peculiar to our test sample, so we ran the same tests on our photo sample, which did not have any problem in this regard. We feel confident that final production models will, in general, be satisfactory.

Comments

Our test sample of the Sony C15ESD operated flawlessly except for the cueing problem mentioned above. The instruction manual is complete and explicit, which is fortunate in view of the player’s flexibility and special features. Like all CD changers we have tested, it emitted audible mechanical noises during a disc change, but it was silent otherwise except for occasional faint clicks of its muting relays between tracks.

Considering the player’s operating complexity, the control panel is not overwhelming. The buttons for selecting a disc are somewhat larger and more clearly marked than those for selecting a track. We assume this layout was based on the premise that in operating a changer, a user would normally select the disc first, then the track. If you are used to programming changers, this is a nice touch, but otherwise it could take some getting used to.

The only significant feature missing from the C15ESD is the ability to access indexed sections of a disc. Although relatively few discs are indexed, there are enough of them to make index cueing almost a must for a deluxe, full-featured player.

The Sony C15ESD left nothing to be desired with respect to convenience, versatility, performance, and, of course, sound quality. If you are looking for a superbly designed, state-of-the-art changer, don’t miss the Sony C15ESD.

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