Best SACD Player in the $2000 Range

I have had the 5400 for 2 weeks, I have owned Marantz SA11-S1, S2, NAD M5 most recently. The Sony in my opinion beats all of them, it is more honest in it's representation, the NAD is the closest to the sound of the Sony but the Sony beats in detail and low end responce. The Marantz are great players if you have brighter components since they do add a liile warmth.

hi jtsnead:

are you saying the sony has more reolution than the marantz 11s2 ? i owned the marantz 11s2 and found it anything but subtractive or warm.

warmth is a slight dip in the upper mid/lower treble accompanied by a slight peak in the upper bass/lower mids.

i did not find the marantz 11s2 anything like that.

is the sony warm as i have defined it ? if not have you heard any sacd players that are very listenable, non fatiguing and warm, as i have defined it ?

thanks, in advance.

The Sony 5400ES is great. Here's my short-take.
It doesn't have the palpability or texture or detail-retrieval of the my EMM CDSD-SE/DCC2-SE, and the bass is a bit warmish and smoothed-over (but very pleasant and well integrated), but it really walks that fine line between too-much-info and glazed-over perfectly, and I just listen and don't feel that I'm missing anything important, or that I'm being punched around by some hyped-up part of the sound spectrum. Percussion is just right, with nice boundaries but fine decay and just the right degree of softening that keeps it from digital abuse. I can really just listen deep into its sound and want to keep listening. It is a significantly more refined and enjoyable sound than my former low-priced players from the past: Meridian 508.24 (ill-defined bass), Sony CD777ES (boring with grainy vocals), CAL Icon II (little pace, but an old-time favorite as I remember it).

I recently acquired the Sony XA5400.
It turned my system upside down, gave me a completely new sound I didn't realize was possible. The soundstage is phenomenal, it's like attending a live concert in an intimate acoustic setting. It stretches the octave range up and down and makes the middle come alive with incredible vibrancy.
I am listening to all my CDs anew and as if I hear the tracks for the first time, they sound that different. I am hearing instruments that were previously masked, little details like the bench groaning as Oscar Peterson was slightly shifting his weight during a live recording. At times I am holding my breath, waiting for what comes out next.
This is the single best invetment I have ever made, like I got a completely new system.
The funniset part is that I am using Snell K7 monitors. They are tiny bookshelf monitors, but very precise and neutral. I have a matched Snell Basis 150 hidden in a corner. When my friends hear the system they think all this grand soundstaging is coming out of these tiny cans only.
I have a 24 bit recording of Copland's Third Symphony, and when the big drums kick in people are almost falling out of their chairs. The realism is such that it is almost frightening.
Thanks to Sony for introducing this amazing sleeper product. If there are better sources out there I hope they are as affordable as this unit. Otherwise I urge everyone to have a good listen.
My former unit was a Sony S9000ES. No slouch, but compared to the 5400 it's like an old relic from college.
My other gear is Cary, Modwright and Simaudio.

I recently acquired this CD player, previously owned Jolida JD 100, as far as CD playback is concerned its really an improvedment, but when I compared same CD and SACD using either Hybrid SACD or CD and SACD, CD sounds way better than SACD, here are some of the SACD/CDs I tried

O Brother Where are THOU ? (differet CD and SACD)
The look of Love (Hybrid)
Sacred Love (Hybrid)

CD playpack is louder and clear with more depth as opposed to SACD

Just wondering whether anyone else has the same experience or is it just me and my CD player (It has just 30-40 hours of playtime) on it.