Comparison: 2 Sony ES CD players vs Primare d30.2


Comparison: 2 Sony ES CD players vs Primare d30.2

I’m by no means an audiophile, but I enjoy learning from those of you who are.

My journey started with the Primare. I thought it blew away the Marantz I was using.

Then I stumbled upon the Sony CDP XA 20 ES. Both the Sonys have metal ‘pucks’ that help
with stabilization.

My Parasound Halo Integrated amp has a great remote that allows me to switch to many different inputs, so a A’B’d the two decks and had to conclude, the $50 (yes!) I paid for the Sony was well
worth the money, (and much more I now realize).

So I lived with and enjoyed it for about a year.

Earlier I’d purchased a set of Dali Helikon 400 speakers. They were so damn smooth and clear I dumped my B&W 805’s. Then I wondered, since I have a rather large listening room if Dali made a bigger badder version. So I bought a pair of used Euphonia MS5 speakers and tri-wired them.

Unbelievable sound.

So using that same logic, I wondered if Sony ES line had a big brother (with a puck).
I just got a used one off eBay. Took a chance, the ad was pretty minimal with bad photos.

It was Mint!. 35 pounds of audio perfection. So I just A-B-C’d all three decks. It’s so much better
than the other two it’s well worth the price difference. So much power, intensity and clarity.

I wish I knew the verbiage to describe the sound in terms most of you know.

 

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I have one. Extremely satisfying if not quite my favorite source component overall. I have to say, too, that the 5400's DA section is at least as good if not better than any other stand-alone DA stage I've ever had in my system. But yeah, my favorite source component remains my phonograph. I gotta say, too, that I often get eminently satisfying sound from Qobuz.

BTW I am not doubting the 5400 is a great player, but the 20ES is a fraction of the cost and I have always been into budget gear for a steal of a price.

Sometimes these large corporations will actually utilize their considerable engineering talent and aim for a higher sonic target. I am glad Sony chose this path with their  higher quality XA 5400 ES player. A case where paying more gets you more. It has stood the test of time for its excellent sound quality.

Charles

I'll pick up a Sony SCD-xa5400es for the few SACD's I have

Can't believe I forgot to mention the model on the best Sony.

It's a XA7ES

Unfortunately Sony pulled the plug off for both ES line and the more prestigious Reference line, long time ago. 

I am a fan of big Sony players, owned in the past, XA707es, XA7es, SCD-1, XA777es. A joy to use and i bet all are still spinning as is my current XA9000es bought new back in 2004.

 

Unfortunately Sony pulled the plug...

As many companies have. If you are really digging a player, you might want to find a spare or two. I bought a used Pioneer Elite player from a guy I knew. It was an expensive player when new. I only got a few years out of it when the laser died. Lets hope you get many many years of enjoyment from yours.