I replaced a fine sounding Sony DVP-S9000ES with a SCD-XA5400ES, and was struck by the improvement in redbook CD sound. My impression is CD playback got a lot of attention in the design of the XA5400ES. A well recorded CD leaves little to be desired when played on a XA5400ES IMO.
XA5400es for redbook CDs
I'm well aware of the ES's reputation as a great SACD player. However, how good is it as a redbook CD player?