Why is Sony Digital sound more like vinyl?

Interesting, I just bought one used (XA777ES),and it arrived a few days ago. I find the redbook presentation laid back, yet clean in a good way. Orchestral tuttis expand with little muddiness. I sold a Marantz SA14 ver. 2 in order to buy a unit with multi-channel capability. The Marantz' output seems to be a little more powerful than the Sony and former's mid-bass a little more defined. I'm hoping that replacing the output caps in the Sony will open things up in that area? Anyone replace just the caps alone? How did it sound?

Agree totally about detail and neutrality, but going from long listening periods of SACD surround and two-channel, to redbook was just *too* disappointing. It's *so* over for me and redbook; that's the point I was making. If you all out there don't want your boat rocked, *don't* listen to SACD! (And no, i'm not buying a $8K+ redbook CD player. ; )

Final thoughts on Sony XA redbook performance. I've decided I like the redbook performance of the Marantz SA-14 better. It's just more tonally opulent, even though this leads to some muddying of textures in climaxes, but not much. However, I was just looking through my journal in which I had reported to myself that, once I had gotten over the Marantz' "glow" and bass-heft, redbook still left me cold compared to SACD. So there you go. I've decided to keep the Sony for its SACD playback--(can't complain in any way)--and give my redbooks a rest for awhile. I sold another 800 of them.

Classe *does* offer a 2 channel SACD player, I saw it reviewed months ago. I'm glad they're continuing to do so. I rarely listen to my redbooks anymore, except as background music, such is the superiority of SACD. You should hear the new RCA Living Stereo remasters in 3 channel!

Such an interesting thread. I continue to audition my new, (used) Sony XA777ES and the word that comes to mind is honesty. The dynamic range is very honest. When a solo violin plays, it's rather smallish, though when the orchestra roars, there's quite a bit of inertia behind the volume; the mark of a excellent CD player. Symphony practice just started up again and during pieces in which I don't play, I got a chance to sit in the hall and listen critically. It was, in fact, similar to Sony's presentation--at least the XA. There's no playing to the peanut gallery with the Sony--no hyper-realism--stings are in their place, bells sound like bells without splitting atoms, etc. I don't find the player harsh at all, though my Musical Fidelity A308 and Vandy 3a sigs are very friendly in that respect.

Not giving up the Sony XA777 yet: My audiophile pusher finally talked me into trying a better A/C power cord, (Audioquest nrg2), and low and behold, the sound *is* more beguiling, and more ambience is evident. Interesting. I'm taking the unit to a modifier today to see if better caps and power supply will fit; if so, I'm going to have these items installed. I'll let you know if such mods give the player more oomph.

I've not heard the XRCDs, but I've read on audioasylum that they are far superior. I can't believe these recordings are almost 50 years old. One of the great advantages of SACD remasterings of analog is no PCM anywhere. I hope. The only Living Presence I was a little disappointed with, both sound-wise and performance-wise, was the Cliburn Rachmaninoff/Tchaikovsky, though it was still 'good.' It's great to hear most of these in three channel, as the engineers hoped that they would be heard.

Vandersteen 3A sigs, Vandy center and surrounds, Cardas Neutral reference inteconnects and bi-wires, Musical Fidelity A308 Integrated and a Harmon Pardon amp for center and rears. If a good recording means imaging, bloom, large soundstage, etc; then I have heard some great redbook CDs as well. SACD just offers something more. I listen to Classical and it just seems to flatten during tutti sections with most redbooks. Exceptions include some Reference Recordings, and some Collins Classics. (Find Vaughan Williams "Job" on Collins if you can.) Next year I'm going to pick up another Marantz, perhaps the SA11 S1 that's coming out IF it's as good as the SA 14 v2 on redbook. Looks like it's just going to be messy for awhile.

While there is much air and transparancy with the XA777es, what I'm missing is "ambient glow." (I will leave it to CD-player critics to describe what *that* is.) I've also noticed that their isn't as much room interaction with the Sony as opposed to the Marantz SA14 ver. 2. The Marantz seems to outline and heighten chords more than the Sony--whether this is real or not, I don't know, but the Marantz was certainly more seductive because of it, though I think it led to some slight muddiness in tutti orchestral passages that led me to put some damping treatment (towels, ha ha) on the walls. Average to excellent recordings, with a good capturing of ambience and glow to begin with, sound great on the Sony. The Marantz salvaged recordings that were more distant, bringing out more ambience, but not more 'line' than the Sony. I hope this makes sense. It's safe to say that the Sony brings out more of the musical line, (leaving the responsiblity of capturing ambience and sensuality to the recording crew), while the Marantz brought out more of the verticle relationships (interaction between notes in a chord and between instruments). Which is better? A matter of taste: Some conductors are more line/melody-oriented, (logical), believing that the sensuousness will just fall into place while keeping the composer's ideas in tact; other conductors are more sensuously oriented, (very interested in chord-play), just barely keeping the musical line together. I happen to prefer that latter in the rare cases when it works.