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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

Similar products
Sony SCD-1
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Sony SCD-XA777ES
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Wadia 851
Krell SACD Standard
MF A5
BAT VK D524bit
ARC CD 3
128x128dave_b
dave_b's avatar
dave_b OP
3,159 posts
 
Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention, I owned a Meridian G08 and thought it to be uniquely one of the most a-musical players I have owned. Cold, sharp and grey sounding.
cyrilmartin
8 posts
 
Possible to find in Germany from hifiberlinshop.de for ~1200euros incl. shipping. Just as many reviewers / buyers, I am impressed by the blend of qualities getting out of this player, and would go even further and say that it lost the "explosive" sound that Sony elements traditionally carry, to a more refined and measured experience. I use the XLR outputs to a Plinius pre/amp and a pair of Magicos, and am very pleased with SACD playback. CD playback is excellent too, although there is a very faint amount of sibilance likely associated with linear phase upsampling that could yet improve, but this is really a minor defect.
dave_b's avatar
dave_b OP
3,159 posts
 
Hi Cyrilmartin! After a few months (depending on your play time), the XA5400ES becomes smoother, warmer and purer sounding with an increase in dynamic shadings. Also, the Sony is extremely extended and WILL show up any ancillary distortion introduced into the audio chain, whether it be from external or internal sources. I use a Transparent Reference MM Powerlink and MIT V1.2 IC's. If you don't address the power line noise and intercomponent distortions with your cabling, then there may remain some residual "sibilance", that you refer to.
cyrilmartin
8 posts
 
Thank you- I have another source and the problem isn't there, nor does it happen with vinyl (although frequency extension is very different). I would attribute this to the Sony, and as previously stated, the type of filter selected to perform the CD oversampling. I have another piece of digital gear allowing to choose between 1) linear phase Half Band FIR upsampling, 2) Linear Phase Full nyquist attenuation and 3) minimum phase upsampling- settings one and two seem to lead to about the same amount (faint!) of sibilance, but with filter 3 it is completely addressed. What I am hearing on the Sony SCD-XA5400ES sounds similar, and is completely gone on SACD playback. Hopefully, first and second stage upsampling filter is performed in the SACD IC, and it may be possible to update the filter coefficients using a software update... Wouldn't that be nice? :)
dave_b's avatar
dave_b OP
3,159 posts
 
How long have you had the player? Breakin time is crucial for the Sony till it smooths out. With my PC it has the cleanest, purest most extended high frequency range of any player I've owned. I still think you have a problem elsewhere in the chain that the XA5400ES is showing up or passing along:O)
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