Sony SCD-XA5400ES-Best SACD for under $10,000

Well, since I've already admitted to being an idiot, here's another update. My previous cd player had a captive power cable so I didn't have an extra cable lying around the house. I was forced to fire up the 5400 with the 3 cent power cable they packed in the box. I caught up with a friend last night who had an extra cable I could borrow and it remedied 90% of what I described in my previous post. Soundstage is still a little shallow but wider now, and dynamics issues have been fixed. Presentation is still a little forward but I'm not ducking throwing stars anymore and the soloists aren't sitting in my lap.
I am hopeful again and will give it another week before I freak out. Sony should be ashamed of themselves throwing that cable in the box. I know that no self-respecting audiophile intends to use that cable permanently but it ought to AT LEAST be usable! Maybe they could refrain from including the ridiculous patch cable and spend the extra penny on the power cord?
Sequence56 - Can you calm my anxieties with regards to the soundstage/presentation issues? What can I expect in another week or two?

Well, In the beginning the sound was too dry with an unfocused sound, lacking space.
After some 175-200 hours the sound became far more smoother and openness came in. This process continued until around 425 hours on the clock. From this point on I am proportional happy with the sound, which is transparent, focused, very smooth, coherent and unforced with a solid low end.
Proportional, because I still use the stock powercord, which I intend to change shortly in one of the aftermarkets, Shunyata Anaconda CX, Furutech Powerflux, Nordost Valhalla or whatsoever came in in this quality region.
The only aftermarket pc I listen until now was a Belden, which was a great disappointment.
Good luck!

Well, that's good news. I would recommend trying every power cord in your house whether it's a high-end replacement or not. The one that comes with the player is pretty bad. I got improved sound just by grabbing one out of a drawer that I had left over from a computer or guitar amp or something. I have a Zu Cable Bok which I intend to use eventually, but I have to make a slight modification (i.e. big hole) in the back of my equipment cab to accommodate the cable, since the 5400ES is so deep.

One more thing, It could just be my imagination but the power cable upgrade seems to be accelerating the break in. I hear improvements every time I check in on it.

I think people forget something - they have a given CD player and they optimize the system to get it to sound it's best. They select the right ICs and PCs, move the speakers around, etc. Then they substitute something new and little wonder it may not sound right. You might have to move the speakers a bit or purchase a different IC or whatever.