Rega Saturn or Sony XA5400: Sound or features?

I believe SunnyJim lives in paradise (Hawaii) and shipping to/from is very costly which could be the reason for the reluctance to Buy Sell and Re-sell if the system synergy is not present when the new kit is installed in his system.

To SunnyJim

Any luck with tracking down other audiophiles in Hawaii to help you out on your quest? There has got to be some audio enthusiast presence there or some kind of audio club where you can audition gear. I could have sworn Underwood Wally or UncleStu from AA Trader was in your neck of the woods. Those guys always have various types of gear going in and out of their hands maybe they could help you with home auditions of the cables and gear you are interested in. Anyway best of luck with all of this it seems like it has been a neverending fruitless quest for the proper gear for you.

Hi Jim,

As you know, I weighed in on this a couple of times over the months because I owned both the Sony 5400 and the Rega Saturn. I will only say (again) that I preferred the Sony. That said, I could easily have lived with either. Obviously, you will find some who agree with me and some who don't.

Your overarching question "will either be substantially better than my Rega Apollo?" is the tricky part. Frankly, I suspect not. I think that over the long haul you will notice subtle improvements with either of the two players that will make listening to your music more emotionally satisfying, but it's not likely to blow you away like a new pair of speakers might.

As has been stated by many others, at the end of the day, no one knows your room, your gear, and your subjective sonic preferences but YOU. In the absence of being able to try one out at home, you're simply going to have to take a leap of faith. So, find a good deal, try it out, and then re-sell it if you have to. (And consider a prescription for Prozac.) Welcome to the nut house. Good luck.

To Jedinite: yes, I live in Hawaii and it is paradise; that is, until the tsumani sirens start sounding or the islands are in the direct path of a mothering typhoon or hurricane. Despite the sun, blue sky, water and tight bikini bottoms, it is somewhat frightening to be in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

As Jed noted, shipping here is expensive; for example 25-30 lbs shipped USPS Priority Mail is $96.00,plus insurance to any location in the USA. On the mainland, it would cost approx. $25-$30. UPS and FED-EX rates are off the scope, and double the rate of USPS Priority for the same weight Therefore any try, sell or return experiments are not financially feasible over the long term.

A seller shipped a used pair of Acoustic Zen Adagios from a small town in Wisconsin to Honolulu by FED-EX and it cost $525.00. Call me crazy.... Jon 1257 already has. However, it was worth the money because it is a great speaker, the best I ever owned

Jed: Underwood Wally generally ships from Atlanta or has manufacturers direct ship product. He does maintain a store front in the town of Laihaina on the island of Maui where he lives. I don't know who Uncle Stu is, but I think you are referring to the owner of Hawaii HI-FI in Honolulu where I currently live. The other high-end shop is Audiolab. Both these dealers sell very high end gear such as Soulution, YG, Walker, TT's Focal, Acappella etc.

Winoguy has again confirmed the point made to Chayro,about the growing intolerance or impatience of some members. If you make other members self conscious of being redundant, then they will be reluctant to submit any threads. The last time I checked, no member designated you and Chayro, gatekeepers of the AG forums. I guess I will have to return to submitting more ponderous threads, like, " Do you listen alone or with guests?" That was a big winner,with several hundred replies and Yahoos

Nevertheless, relative to this post, which has gone over like the bubonic plague, I should ask if...."the CD player and CD format are dead"

I must go....because the guys with the white coats and straight jackets have arrived and are banging on my door.!!!

Dear SJ - what you seem to forget is that when you choose to post to a public forum, you open yourself up to criticism by other members. I once posted a thread asking about the Land Rover and got flamed to death, despite the fact that one of the largest threads on this forum concerned automobiles. It's just something you have to live with when you choose to go public. That aside, I said nothing negative to you in this thread. In fact, I even apologized. I merely directed your attention to a previous thread for the purpose of helping you make a purchase decision. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like, but be aware that others will also feel free to post what they like. Peace.

Hey Jim...

I definitely was not implying you were crazy with my Prozac remark. I was actually joking and referring to fact that this hobby can drive a person crazy--it certainly has driven me nuts at times.

Sorry if you missed the humor or if I hit a sore spot. In any case, as I said, good luck with your endeavors.