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Review: Sony SCD-XA5400ES CD Player

Category: Digital

I love natural recordings that capture the full acoustic envelope of the performances. The Shostakovich Sonatas performed by Ax and YYMa comes to mind...the Sony portrays the entire event in such an unforced and natural manner that it triggers ones acoustic memory into believing it is real. A player that offers no tone color or openness would be my worst nightmare. I replaced my BAT VK D5 24 bit CDP and was amazed at how much resolution and color was lost on the older design. The Sony re-creates the space, music and acoustic tones with overtones so completely that you start to smile and realize that you have been given a great gift...a peak into the performance as it occured at the recording session. My opinion of the Sony applies as much for the redbook section as it does for the SACD section. This player will become a classic product for digital playback....much better it does not get! It's a keeper at any price,,,for $1500 USD it is a freakin steal. This is Sony's best effort to date and manages to break new ground in the digital domain:)

Associated gear
Wilson Sophia speakers
Krell 400xi amp
Harmonic Tech Cables
MIT Oracle AC 2 power cord

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128x128dave_b
clayx
9 posts
 
I bought one through crutchfield and I am on the fence. I give it an 8/10. It's a good deal for the price, but there is plenty of room for improvement. Compared to my recently deceased Audio Research CD-2, the bass is less extended, has a hollow characteristic, and doesn't image as well, the upper bass frequencies are bit exaggerated/punchy, the upper mids/highs have a bit of grain, and the sound stage isn't as wide or deep. The CD-2 is much more extended, refined, detailed, linear, and musical.

The deal breaker for me is that using the sony remote turns the volume down and/or mutes my preamp. What a pain in the arse! I'm constantly readjusting the volume every time I switch tracks via the sony remote.

My system:
-ARC LS22R
-ARC 100.2
-ProAc Response 1.5
-Audio Magic Clairvoyant XLR interconnects
-Harmonic Tech Truth Link ICs
-Audio Magic Sorcerer speaker cables
-Harmonic Tech AC10 PC
dave_b's avatar
dave_b OP
3,159 posts
 
Clayx, have you put 400+hrs on the unit yet? The Sony is very revealing of cabling and power issues as well. I use a Transparent PLMM into an MIT Super 20 Duplex with MIT M1.3 Prolines feeding my Krell. AC noise into the Sony and backwash from the Sony back into the mains is addressed by my PC and Duplex conditioner. The Sony itself has no inherent distortion, grundge nor does it reduce soundstaging or limit bass extension. It does take a long time to burn in however.
clayx
9 posts
 
Dave, thanks for your input. I do not have 400 hours on yet, so there could be continued change in sonics. From a physics perspective, I have a hard time believing in a significant change in sound over time. However, I will keep an open mind.

I am using balanced Audio Magic Clairvoyant ICs between my sony and Audio Research pre-amp. They are smooth, extended, with deep bass and excellent 3-dimensionality. My PC into the sony is Harmonic Tech AC10 that is plugged into a PS Audio UPC-200. I will play around with different cords and ICs.

Any ideas for fixes for the sony remote turning down the volume on my ARC preamp?
karmatogdral
66 posts
 
Dave great review,I'm searching for a cdp, and saw this one on yahoo(in Taiwan), as u mentioned that u had krell known for excellent bass performance, how do you rate sony 5400's bass?
I have owned two weak bass cdp so far, now i'm looking at Bryston bcd-1(with strong bass), it's not that i want bass emphasis, my spendor are very musical sounding speakers, but bass shy with rock and pop music, i need an all rounder(highly dynamic)to balance the rest of my system. I have never owned sony apart from their walkman, so please educate me on this aspect.
cheers
dave_b's avatar
dave_b OP
3,159 posts
 
The Sony has excellent bass response and dynamic contrast, which will ultimately be determined by what power cord and IC's you use. The Krell was a tad more forcefull, but didn't have quite the dynamic shadings.
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