sony xa5400es or marantz sa15s2?

I had the Marantz Pearl SACD Player for 2 weeks.It sounded warm & dark to me.I was unable to enjoy the music.
I now have XA5400es and it does everything right.The balance,colors & musicallity all strike a chord.
I am very satisfied with it.SACD's & regular cd's sound equally good

AP

I would say from my exposure to both that the Sony is better regardless of system.

I don't think "toneing" it down with a marantz will work.
It's not very musical regardless of dark or bright

I am a musician over 35 years
My ears are very trained
I trust my assessment

I think the XA5400es is a great player especially for the price.I like it better than Marantz and offer no additional observation.