2-Part Help Needed

I asked for help here when searching

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/better-cd-sound-the-search

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/sony-sacd-player-scd-xa5400es-yay-or-nay

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/sacd-players-models-with-dsd-processor-used-and-new-not-dsd-conver

there’s no risk, crutchfield has 60 day returns, try it,

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_164CDC34/Integra-CDC-3-4.html

It was the dual Wolfson processors that made me give it a try, I’m so glad I did.

you will be very pleasantly surprised by it’s sound, the fact that it is so inexpensive and also the ease of a changer is kind of absurd.

I play mine thru a Vintage tube preamp upstairs, a Vintage SS receiver downstairs 

my 1st impressions were

"Oh Happy Day,

Integra CDC-3.4 6 disc changer arrived, like new, perfect, and, despite my ’doubtful’ expectation bias:

FINALLY one that sounds preferable to my Sony. I highly recommend the sound of this with it’s dual Wolfson processors and all of Onkyo/Integra’s tricks applied.

How to describe the difference: Like my AT33PTG/II cartridge, compared to any cartridge with less tight channel balance, EVERYTHING is a speck more distinct. Not bright, not sharp, a very thin veil removed allowing refined clarity. Imaging is the same width, but within that, main vocal, backup singers, specific musicians, simultaneously more precise.

A small improvement to EVERYTHING, is a LOT!!!"

It might be worth trying to clean the laser lens to see if that is the problem. Give the age of the unit it is probably dead, but cleaning is easy. There is plenty of info online on how to do this.

if not risk adverse, if in a different budget, get thee an even older unit, find one with known low hours of play (lasers get weak eventually)

Absolutely LOVE this Sony SACD/CD Player SCD-xa5400ES

ALL CDs sound better, first 2 comparisons: equal to LP

SACD without intermediate PCM conversion: Awesome, now I know what some have been hearing. 

..............................

If someone you let go regrettably used you as a job reference, and you get a call, you respond "I cannot say enough good things about ..."

I truly cannot say enough good things about this Sony SCD-xa5400es.

Very familiar, very revealing content, ALL CDs, all SACDs: ALL OBVIOUSLY, SURPRISINGLY BETTER. Not Preferred, BETTER!

Andreas Vollenweider’s White Winds; sounds of the Eurythmics Underground Train; Distinction of ’No More Tears’ duet by Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer; Richard Burton and the Martian Death Rays in Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds; ah, there’s a second mandolin behind Kate Wolf’s guitar; the distinction of different string types of the 3 guitars on Friday Night in San Francisco; and finally, what SACD people who have been hearing that I never heard properly until now.

FUNDAMENTALS. I think there is a tighter, firmer, more solid, ... start to the fundamental of Each and Every Note. Improved overtones, volume and time decay all follow that BETTER start. I have never heard a CD sound so good anywhere.

The 3 guitars on Friday Night in San Francisco, my favorite music to refine my cartridge’s anti-skate. I am very very familiar, love this music. I could not imagine the added degree of genuine realism this player got out of a standard CD.

I am sooooo glad I kept going on the DSD/no pcm conversion search, the unexpected big win here is the redbook cd output from it’s 8x oversampling filter.

SACD. Among others I have a series of Oscar Peterson performances, ’exclusively for my friends’. my prior listening conclusion was ’lower noise floor’, eh, I’m not spending a lot more for that. OH holy crap, first one I tried, Mellow Mood SACD, just landed in the room.

You know how a visitor says, "sounds like they are right there" and you know your system, you know it’s great, but no, right there it is not. This seemed like Oscar was playing my Uncle Johnnie’s piano right there!

I can keep slobbering, or go listen. Bye!

EVERYONE: get thee an xa5400es!!!

Yes clean the laser with a q tip no solution as it can damage it. Has worked for me in past.have 20 spinners it's a job keeping them going.enjoy the music

I bought a Smsl PL200T, list $500, to replace my Esoteric dv50. Tech has moved along in the last 23 years and I am blissfully reunited with my 4000 cd's. It sounds outstanding being fed to my Benchmark DAC3B, is pretty to look at, and fun to use. Recommended.