CD player ungradeitis; Sony SCDxa5400es

I owned a 333ES years ago that I ended up getting modded by Richard Kern. Sometime after that I acquired a XA9000ES which was better on both redbook and SACD. From the little I have read on the new XA5400ES and based on my experience with my 333ES I don't think you'll be wasting your money upgrading. The only thing you will lose is the 5 disc capability, everything else will be a gain IMHO...

I thought the XA5400 looked like a single disc player, but ont of the reviews I saw on line stated it was a multi disk. I figured perhaps they changed the loading mechanism to a car type where the disks shuffle around inside the unit. I'll have to look further into that.
Review link stating 5-disk;
http://www.product-reviews.net/2008/09/05/sony-scd-xa5400es-sacd-player-showcased-at-cedia/

I made the same error in reporting that it was a multidisc player but it is not. The display card at CEDIA was printed in error saying that it was.

I have one now and it is a single disc player.

Kal

One thing you have to take into account with the 5400. Multi channel SACD is only available via HDMI. There is not multi channel analogue outputs.

Hello John; the 333es has the Turbodacs that the SCD1&777 had all being stereo machines.Aside} the 555es is multi channel and has a different DACs & other components as well. I am sorry to tell you that only some SACDs are superior sounding to their CD counterparts.
My 333es is much modified with AD8620 amps out and some Black Gate caps; All on the audio board have NX .47 bypasses
around them. The regulators are changed also. Yet with all this work I cannot play 24 bit CDs in the 333; yet they will play in the Sony 2000 changer; which also plays SACD. It is a question of where you want to go with the music. For me stereo is complicated enough. From an engineering standpoint surround recording is still in its infancy.Where do you want to go?? Robert