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Review: Sony SCD-XA777es CD Player

Category: Digital

This unit is by far the best CD player that I have heard. For Red Book CD playback it surpasses Sony's previous reference standard the CDP-XA7ES and the Mark Levinson No. 39, both of which I owned for a number of years and which in their day were as good as anything available. It is very nearly the equal of analog output of the separate Levinson 360S D/A converter. So much so that I don't route the digital output through the D/A in my system.

I would classify the difference between the two (360S vs. XA777ES) being that the Sony is slightly more analytical and less warm then the Levinson, but certainly not bright or synthetic sounding in any way. It just doesn't quite have that analog feel the standalone D/A gives.

As for SACD playback I think the unit is unmatched by anything available today and certainly anything even remotely in it's price range ($3000 list, but street price in the $1700-1900 range). The build quality is as good as any high end components I have seen. It also incorporates both 2 and 5 channel playback. The only drawback I can find is that it does not provide balanced outputs.

The SACD playback makes me want to forget about my record collection. Ever since I purchased it I have been buying every SACD of my musical tastes I can find. The new Rolling Stones remasters are particularly good, and since I had them (and in some case still do have them) on vinyl (my age is showing) I can say the SACD player gives every bit of the smoothness and tonality of the analog recording with all of the advantages of the digital format.

The remote, although rather simple by today's standards gets the job done. In some respects it's rather refreshing not to have to read the entire manual first to figure out how to use it. And all the functions are available on the front of the CD player, although most people will probably have to refer to the manual at least once to understand how to use some of them.

In summary this is an outstanding component and an even more outstanding value in high-end audio.

Associated gear
Mark Levinson 39, 360s, 380S, 333, 434s, Legacy Focus and Martin Logan ReQuest.

Similar products
Mark Levinson 39, Sony SCD-555ES, CDP-XA7ES
128x128dtf
the_smokester
174 posts
 
Dtf,
I see that you have the Sony SCD-555ES as do I. What are the differences between it and the new XA777ES (for two-channel stereo). Is the upgrade worthwhile?

I agree...the new hybrid Rolling Stones remasters are really worth listening to.

Regards,
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,752 posts
 
Dtf

Good post. I agree, I have a SCD-1 and love it. It is very good on redbook and simply outstanding on SACD. I too find myself buying any SACD that fits my musical taste. I know people like to slam these players but from my experience it is totally unjustified.

Chuck
drrdiamond
671 posts
 
Thank you for your post. I have an SCD-1 on the way to me. It is the first major NON-KRELL component that I have bought in over decade. Although it won't match the look of the Krell, I am hoping the sound quality will make it worthwhile.

Your post gives me comfort.

Richard
drv
19 posts
 
I agree with Dtf's impression of the XA 777's performance on SACD. Very smooth, detailed, and involving. It certainly beats the Philips SACD 1000 in every respect on SACD. When it comes to redbook CD playback, however, I disagree wholeheartedly. The Sony is detailed but also very analytical and completely uninvolving. The Philips in comparison, while not as detailed and with a more compressed soundstage and not as tight in the bass, is much more emotionally involving and musical.

Even when connecting the Sony to my Audio Logic 2400 dac I hear the same Sony "digitalness." So while an outstanding SACD player, the Sony, imho, is only a mediocre CD performer. Since I will continue to listen to redbook CDs, I decided to sell the Sony and replace it with a CEC TL-1 transport (it's on its way and I will post a follow-up comparing it to the Sony as a transport) for CDs and hold on to the Philips for SACDs.
theaudiotweak
2,769 posts
 
10 year old PS Audio transport and DAC totally outclassed a Sony SCD-XA777es in my system when playing back red book cd's.. The PS combo soundstage extended from wall to wall and floor to ceiling 21 feet by 9 feet. The Sony stage barely extended past the edges of my still almost Dunlavy SC4's.. When I used the Sony, only as a transport and the 10 year old PS as the dac the sound became much improved when compared to playing the Sony as a solo device. In total on red book cd's the PS combo sounded better than the Sony as a transport and the PS DAC. The Sony had been in use for some 6 months so it was fully broken in. This comparison was done with three other people present and we all agreed on the same results. Tom
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