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The Absolute Sound Review of Sony SCD-XA777ES ???


Just received the new TAS. Seems the mag. is going through some changes...starting to look a bit "mainstream". Anyway, in Robert Harley's review of the multi-channel Sony SACD player...there is no listing of associated equipment. The same thing is true of Cordesman's comments.

Don't mean to be nasty..but I am a bit of a multi channel for music skeptic(vs. movies), and thought this review might be a good insight, but without the listing of gear used to review the player...the review is nearly worthless.

With two channels it's good to know what else their using to evaluate something...but my god, 5 speakers, 5 channels of amplification, many more cables and wires...and were just left in the dark... Again, sorry, but the review is worthless without knowing what else was being used.

Yes there are some listings of associated gear in other reviews in the mag...but those are always changing from issue to issue and review to review...so it doesn't seem we should just try to add up what was being used.

Any comments?
whatjd
whatjd OP
1,139 posts
 
I may be wrong..but Tony's components don't add up to 5 channels.
dweller's avatar
dweller
3,757 posts
 
Dopogue: What is the street price for the Sony? Thanks.
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
The Oade Bros. price was $2,000 with free shipping by Fed Ex. It came double-boxed in perfect condition. There is now a 5-year factory warranty on this unit.
whatjd OP
1,139 posts
 
In looking at Mr. Cordesman's gear on page 123...I am then to assume that his comments are about 2-channel performance only?

As far as the main reviewer...Mr. Harley's gear listed on page 111 may be some insight. Are we to assume he was using the McCormack with some other power amp(s) for the other 3 channels and just more of the same wire/cables...and kinda guess as to which speakers were front, rear and center?

Perhaps this is not an issue for most, that's fine. For me the cover photo and Multichannel Magic: headline seemed to justify a bit better explanation of the system being used in the review.
bishopwill
369 posts
 
The review is "worthful" with or without an associated equipment list if and to the extent that you trust the ears of Mr. Cordesman and Mr. Harley.

If you think that afiles get wacky in their preferences for equipment and its effect on outcome, you should talk to surgeons about their preferences for instruments. Yet I've never read a surgical paper in which a list of instruments was included.

The bottom line is that, by definition, the output sound cannot be good unless both the equipment being evaluated and the associated equipment are good. I agree that it would be helpful to see a list of associated gear because if it included stuff you don't like it would give you a leg up on deciding whether or not the thing being evaluated might work for you. But it would not make all that much difference because the odds that Cordesman or Harley or any other reviewer uses exactly the same setup you do is miniscule.

Therefore....if you trust their ears, and they say it sounds good, give it a shot in YOUR system and see if it yields the results you want. In the end, it is YOUR gear that matters, not Mr. Cordesman's.

And, in the process, have fun.
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