SSD upgrade for Sony HAP-Z1ES

[Cohibaman]

The only feedback I've read about so far is that the SSD significantly reduces transferring time, specifically the indexing. I see this as a plus during the initial transfer of 1000's of files, but there after, adding one or two CDs moves pretty quickly, so improved indexing speed alone isn't worth the upgrade to me.

Before I pull the trigger on upgrading to a 1TB Samsung 850 Pro SSD, I'd like to get some feedback from those of you that have already done an SSD upgrade on the Sony.

[crwilli]

I think the SSD would also be more reliable in the long term simply because it has no moving parts. It is also silent.

[Mikeylee]

I plan to use an SSD as an external drive, if I ever get to the point of needing one, and as a replacement whenever the internal one shows problems.

[Cohibaman]

Originally Posted by crwilli

I think the SSD would also be more reliable in the long term simply because it has no moving parts. It is also silent.

Yep, plus it runs cooler too. SSDs definitely make my two PCs run faster and cooler. Those reasons alone are pretty good justification to upgrade. But any firsthand feedback or specific benefits to upgrading the Sony in particular with an SSD?

[crwilli]

Unfortunately no. I tried to talk my buddy to get the SSD when I set his up but he chose to simply add a 2tb drive. He loves it though!

[Cohibaman]

Well I did it....I just ordered one with free 1-day Prime shipping from Amazon. I'm looking forward to seeing how much it helps performance. I'm positive boot time and track access time will improve.

[crwilli]

I look forward to hearing how it works for you. I may still be able to convince my buddy to do it if there are enough benefits.

[JMAC]

[Cohibaman]

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I pulled out the 2TB spinner I installed several months ago.


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The SSD installed.


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The typical new drive warning popped up.


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The HDD status from the Service Diag Menu after system reset and HDD (SSD) format.

My initial observation is it boots up a bit quicker. I'm now transferring all 7800 files. There shouldn't be too much difference in the transfer itself, but I'm expecting the indexing to go much faster. I'll keep you posted.

[Cohibaman]

Everything is loaded onto the new SSD and I'm now sitting back and listening to music.

A few observations regarding the SSD upgrade:

Boot-up time was never really slow to begin with, but is now noticeably faster. Not a huge deal for me since it takes less than 30 seconds to boot anyway.

Accessing tracks and moving thru the menu was always "fast enough", now it's instantaneous. A definite improvement.

The biggest benefit is file transfer speed. It used to take 24-26 hours to transfer 7500-ish tracks (I now have 7848 tracks). With the SSD installed, it only took about 15 hours.

The indexing time improved substantially too. Loading and indexing combined, used to take over 30 hours with the conventional 2TB drive HDD. With the SSD, both tasks were accomplished in less than 23 hours!

Sonically, it's probably my imagination, but I do hear a subtly tightening and deeper extension in bass. I need more listening time with known tracks to tell for certain. Again, probably my imagination since the tracks aren't streamed live from the HDD or SSD.

I don't know that I would upgrade to an SSD solely for the transfer/indexing performance increases since you really only do this once. Plus, adding a single CD at a time was always fast enough and you'd likely never appreciate it or even notice the speed increase an SSD brings when transferring a single CD.

All in all, the above along with the typical benefits an SSD brings (no moving parts, high reliability, less heat, no noise, etc...), I think it's worth the $320 for the upgrade.