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
Most of the time I read about how great this product is and how great that product is and I look at the people's systems making the review comment and they don't even have any room treatments in there music room.
How can they evaluate equipment when there room sounds like the Grand Canyon ?
If you have the best of everything in equipment and don't have a well treated room, your only half way there.
One can't hear much difference in power cords if there room isn't well treated.
I've heard the Sony in my room and it was a great CD player. Much better than anything I've ever heard.
I know that if it had the stock power cord on it it would have fallen short (shorter) to my ears compared to what it sounded like with a good quality PC.
I have heard some major improvments with PC's. I've also heard some major disapointment in them as well.
But evaluating a PC when every note is being echoed off of every wall is naive to say the least.
Yes, Zmanastronomy, that is the thing; on the Internet, no one knows that your room is a dog.

Kal
Rgs92:
Headphone-based findings remove the room-related factors.
and impose an entirely different set of factors.

Kal
Excellent points guys, regarding room issues....the room will get ya every time, if it isn't factored in and dealt with properly.