Sony X55-ES CD player... thoughts?

I am with you. I find the differences in digital gear is subtle - they are there but these differences tend to be dwarfed by individual recording quality (good CD versus bad CD). The difference between a $300 player and a $10,000 player is much less than the difference between a $300 speaker and a $10000 speaker. Or no room treatments versus a complete $10,000 rennovation with acoustics in mind.

I had a Sony TAN80ES amp for a few years too - there was nothing written about it either but it was a solid amplifier that performed well, IMHO. I think some people just assume all Sony gear to be crap but it isn't necessarily always the case. They may not be top of the league tables but they make some good products.