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Sony SCD-XA5400ES-Best SACD for under $10,000

This Sony player supplanted my Ayre C5-XE 3, which I still have, months ago. I paid $6000 for the Ayre after determining that it was the best-sounding unit for under $10,000. The Sony blows it away!!!
A unit costing $1500 besting all others under $10,000? That is exactly what it does!
For reference, I am using Audio Research electronics and Vandersteen speakers and subwoofers (about $30,000); a similar system has repeatedly been lauded as "best of show" at CES, so we are NOT talking second-rate stuff here.
This Sony is the only SACD/Cd player I have EVER heard that puts a classical piano live in my living room; nothing I ever had before even comes close.
This unit is a small miracle. I would have gladly paid $8000 for it, but if they want to give the thing away for $1500, who am I to argue?
This unit is going to send the engineers at Audio Research, Luxman, Esoteric, and Ayre back to the drawing board; their current units at 4 to 5 times the price are not even close. Some engineer at Sony is a freaking genius!!!
wa6itd
budt
157 posts
 
The sony is a good machine for the money and is quite forgiving of poor recordings.However I recently picked up a Weiss Dac2 to try.I used the Sony as the transport.The bottom line is I never heard digital this good( ever).In fact I didn't know it was possible for it to be this good. I guess I just got lucky on system synergy.Some recordings are so lifelike it is hard to believe it is coming from a stereo.
Of course all this is my subjective opinion.As always YMMV .
paulfolbrecht
603 posts
 
Too bad the Weiss won't play DSD.

I find the Sony 5400 quite excellent on SACD and good on RB too, but the two very good redbook/PCM DACs I have are better (driven by a Mac Mini).
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
hi paul:

do you prefer your dac and mac in 16/44 mode over the sony in sacd mode?

that is if you have a hybrid sacd and play the sacd on the sony, do you prefer the sacd layer out of the sony over the redbook layer using your favorite dac and transport ?

if so, what dac are you using ?

i am considering the sony as an sacd player, but it may be possible that theredbook layer fed through a dac and xport may be preferred over the sacd layer played on the sony, in which case, the sony may have some sompetition as an sacd player.

i say this because i have found that hybrid discs recorded during the last 5 years, have an sacd layer which is more enjoyable than listening to the redbook layer.

then again there may be some dac and transports which can better some sacd players, subject to one's personal criteria, of course.

sorry to be so long winded. i am thinking and writing at the same time and could be more efficient if i spent more time composing my thoughts.
joc3021
99 posts
 
I am pretty happy with the Yamaha CDS 1000 on SACD and also as a transport. A little more costly than the Sony but better made and optimized for two channel only. A VSE mod, same as the Sony mod they do, apparently takes it into the stratoshpere, but I haven't heard that. This player is competitive with many of the audiophile players at several times its cost (IMO).
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dbphd
1,617 posts
 
Mrtennis,

I output analog XLR as well as HDMI from an XA5400ES to a Cary Cinema 11a, so by selecting the input I can compare the Sony processing to that of the Cary. I prefer the Cary processing for both CD and SACD, but the big thing for me is that DSD is available with HDMI, and in particular multi-channel DSD. It can be glorious!

db
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