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


This Sony player supplanted my Ayre C5-XE 3, which I still have, months ago. I paid $6000 for the Ayre after determining that it was the best-sounding unit for under $10,000. The Sony blows it away!!!
A unit costing $1500 besting all others under $10,000? That is exactly what it does!
For reference, I am using Audio Research electronics and Vandersteen speakers and subwoofers (about $30,000); a similar system has repeatedly been lauded as "best of show" at CES, so we are NOT talking second-rate stuff here.
This Sony is the only SACD/Cd player I have EVER heard that puts a classical piano live in my living room; nothing I ever had before even comes close.
This unit is a small miracle. I would have gladly paid $8000 for it, but if they want to give the thing away for $1500, who am I to argue?
This unit is going to send the engineers at Audio Research, Luxman, Esoteric, and Ayre back to the drawing board; their current units at 4 to 5 times the price are not even close. Some engineer at Sony is a freaking genius!!!
wa6itd
My ModWright XA-5400ES replaced a ModWright 9100ES. The 5400 is, IMO, a significant upgrade - much wider soundstage, better resolution and clarity, more open highs without a trace of etch.

FWIW, I am using a pair of Audience e version Power Chords for both the ModWright 5400 player and the PS 9.0 power supply. Acoustic Zen Silver Reference II XLR connect SACD player and preamp while Harmonic Technology Magic 2 XLR join preamp and power amp. I am very happy with the above combination. I also opted for Dan's new umbilical.
A few months later and I am still amazed at how incredible the Modwright 5400 sounds. Especially on redbook CDs and xrcds. I can listen to this and enjoy it next to my vinyl rig that costs many multiples more. A liitle more tonal roundness in vinyl but not much. And modwright is sure easier and more dynamic with a quieter noise floor.
Podeschi, I agree with you completely. I too own an analog rig "that costs many multiples more" but since my MW arrived several months ago, most of my time has been spent rediscovering cd's I haven't listened to in ages.

Seriously, the best digital I've heard!
Hey rfogel8 I see you own and appreciate the triplanar arm. I am just now in receipt of an atma sphere 208 (modded empire table) that comes with a triplanar vii uii arm. Glad to hear it is a dynamic lively arm!
Rfogel8, what kind of music do you listen to? I am curious for this reason: I have learned that comparisons of digital to vinyl are very music-sensitive.

This is what I mean. I listen mainly to 40s-60s jazz and have found that, while good digital recordings on good players can be very good, good records on vinyl are still substantially better. And, even more importantly, there are many many more good recordings of this genre on vinyl than digital.

(I had a MW 5400 but ultimately sold it. It was truly great - best digital I have heard - but a vinyl setup not much more expensive was still much better. By "much better" I mean much less fatigue and more enjoyment over long listening sessions.)