It's the Sony XA5400ES the best CDP under 4k

hi coxhaus:

perhaps your experience with the sony is due in part to the cables you have mentioned that are part of your stereo system.

take the sony and place it in another stero system, and the impression of another listener may be different from yours.

from the posts i have read on the virtues of the sony, i discern differences of opinion--obviously different ears and different stereo systems.

i am considering the sony but wwill not be able to audition it before buying, so if i decide to purchase , i will try to pay as little as possible, so that i would minimize my loss, if i sold it.

i think the sony scd 1 and the second of sony's sacd player, retailing at $3500, would be competitive with the current sony, especially playing redbook.

the marantz 11 series and 7 series has also been mentioned as worthy competitirs of the sony. the more expensive marantz exceeds $4000, as does the ayre c5 xe.

I own the Sony. If your budget extends to 4k, you should be able to do a lot better

My XA5400ES outputs via HDMI to a Cary Cinema 11a. A well recorded CD or SACD sounds superb, smooth yet detailed with nice frequency extension, and a DSD surround can sound glorious. The Arts recording of Corelli violin sonatas is a case in point. So I don't care if it's the best; it's the best I've heard.

db

hi richard:

what sacd players do you prefer to the sony, and for what reasons ?

I have the Sony and an EMM CDSA. The CDSA has more resolution and really shows the character of each musical component.
That said, unlike some other players I have owned (from Accuphase and Meridian), the Sony does have nice sense of reality, showing the form, size, and boundaries of the musical elements, and really steers clear of the digital sins, like glare and ringing or buzz on vocals. It is smooth and pleasant with enough reach and palpable-soundingness to do the job. The EMM just seems to expose more texture, even more than analog, but that is an EMM hallmark, at least in my experience. The Sony is both more liquid with less grain and even more detailed than my old Accuphase 75V.
Stealth Indra ICs really help, and a Telwire power cord.
Ha! the Indras, even used, cost twice as much as the player.
What a crazy hobby.