Sony SACD Player SCD-XA5400ES; YAY or NAY?

@secretguy Sony is still making/selling combo 4K Blu-ray/SACD/etc players--see crutchfield.com  I bought the one with 800 in the model in very late 2020. Frankly, it it was not for one issue on my Blu-ray player and the growing numbers of 4K discs, I might still not own any player and SACDs

One thing that makes it tougher for me to judge this player remains the dearth of SACDs and--for those you can find on ebay, the cost can  be an issue.  So I have found my "collection" to remain small so far, making it difficult to compare a beloved CD to its SACD counterpart since SACDs are an exception and not the rule--plus I only have the one Sony player.  I cant justify buying another without having a growing library.

SACD was kept alive, albeit barely, by Classical Music.  I have a few hundred along with a few dozen Blu Rays, both with and without Audio.  Non Classical listeners don't have much reason to go after SACD playback.

   The 5400 in my collection has gone basically unplayed during the dozen or so years of its existence.  I had added an OPPO shortly after purchasing it and the DAC was superior, one of the first ESS implementations.The OPPO also played DVD-A (I bought every one available when Tower Records had its going out of business sale) and Blu Ray.  The Sony sounds like soft haze in comparison, although I guess I could plug it in and try it out again.I had moved the Sony to a second system, rarely played it there and then added an OPPO 203 to that system when OPPO announced it was going to stop making players, and the Sony has been on the bench ever since

The remote went missing years ago.  I should probably sell it off.  I've only sold a few components in my time as I find the ordeal of listing a component and dealing with buyers and shipping pretty tiresome.  And then there is the issue of no remote, the fact that it skips the first measure of play if and SACD is played thru HDMI (it doesn't do this if the analog outputs are used, or if a rebook is played through HDMI.  At the time I googled it and a few others were having the same issue).  Given those issues, not sure what I should ask for it.  Maybe I just donate it to Goodwill and take the tax deduction.

SACD/DSD ... CD/PCM

I only have about 25 Hybrid SACD’s out of 4,000 CD’s, and had no plans to buy any more unless used and inexpensive. Mine are Hybrids, so I always have the CD PCM layer and the SACD DSD layer to compare.

No one in the ’Better CD’ conversation mentioned SACD’s almost always being converted to PCM, I found out later. I read a hell of a lotta reviews, none mentioned it, until the one I wish I hadn’t read!

I realized I have never heard DSD without intermediate conversion to PCM, then conversion to Analog. After all this work, I ought to hear SACD/DSD no PCM conversion stage right?

Prior to that, my quest was done. That’s what the xa5400 is about for me.

Then, it appears that it does juice up CD’s x 8, so there is that potential difference to possible prefer.

elliottbnewcombjr

how are you liking the Sony XA-5400ES ?

Happy Listening!

After several false starts by FEDEX (driver shortages?), the Sony arrived yesterday morning. As it happens, I had a repaired Integra CDC-3.4 II and repaired Yamaha DVD-C961 hooked up ready to compare. Stacked em, moved the same cable direct to Cayin: same input unit to unit this time rather than using different inputs. Volume outputs needed a tweak doing it this way.

The Integra and Yamaha still sound the same to me, both much better than my prior player, both under $250, functionally prefer Integra (CDs only), Yamaha big clunky remote equals it and plays SACDs. 

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Sony SCD-XA5400ES is a definite step up. I paid $999. ($1,120 taxed and delivered) for this very lightly used one and have no regrets. Actually low if you see what's out there, and this was in USA.

After being disappointed by the Oppos, I half expected to re-sell it, but it is definitely staying, I will sell ..... instead. 

I started with new music I had ordered, unfamiliar, listen on the Sony first, then, after a bit familiar with the music/voices, on the Yamaha and Integra, back to the Sony.

Couple of new to me SACDs

new to me cds

then into favorite and familiar CDs: Eurythmics; Blue Nile; Kate Wolf; Ani DiFranco; Sade; Mila Drumke; Casandra Wilson.

Both SACDs and CDs, each and every one, the Sony is the keeper.

Lastly, I ran it thru my McIntosh mx110z tube tuner/preamp's aux. Like the others, I prefer this to direct to the Cayin.

Chase unit is out, so it's Furman ON, warm up 20 mins, everything thru mx110z, to Cayin using it's remote volume.

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Why prefer Sony xa5400 you ask? I need more time to find the words, refine in my mind what I am hearing differently and responding to. Giving the ears a break until this evening.