At the $2000 mark, I'm not sure that there is much real competition for the XA-777ES. Other players in the same price category seem to be cheaply made by comparison. I found the SACD performance to be excellent, on a par with the SCD-1, and you might be able to find a used SCD-1 for not much more than a new XA-777ES. On redbook, the XA-777ES has a smoother, warmer and more laid back character, while the SCD-1 has a brighter (occasionally strident) tonal balance. As a pure CD transport, I expect either would be excellent, but the SCD-1's disk loading and track access times are painfully slow. I previously owned a Modwright SCD-333ES, but I never had the opportunity to compare the 333 to the 777. Dan does great work,and modding an XA-777ES might be a good one box solution. I personally found an XA-777ES combined with an outboard Chord DAC 64 to have great results for SACD and redbook. I am also waiting for a Modwright Universal Truth DV-47a to arrive, and it might be yet another player to consider, even if you don't want DVD-A. As for the Xindak, I have no personal experience. It may be a great player. However from an ethical standpoint, I have problems buying products from totalitarian states that use slave or prisoner labor to produce commercial goods. Just my two cents.
