I'm awaiting the arrival of a SA-14 so I will keep you posted. For redbook I will be able to compare to my Wadia 850. Unfortunately I do not have the XA777ES to compare it to although I do have one of the inexpensive SONYs SACD (the DVD 500 whatever) that I am listening to now. My impression of this player is that, with SACDs that are properly recorded the sound is effortless and natural and may even rival top quality analog. For CD, the SONY is lightweight - it ain't no WADIA - and is probably a prime candidate for modifying.
I checked with a reviewer who knows the SONY XA777ES but he said he had heard the -14 at shows only so had no definitive impression. The reason I purchased the Marantz is because of the updated DACs, the HDAM, and especially the balance outputs. I find that makes a difference in a truly balanced system. I am concerned with the "horror stories" I've heard from custom installers of multichannel systems with single ended outputs and a patchbay of cables, mysterious groundloops and so-on.
I checked with a reviewer who knows the SONY XA777ES but he said he had heard the -14 at shows only so had no definitive impression. The reason I purchased the Marantz is because of the updated DACs, the HDAM, and especially the balance outputs. I find that makes a difference in a truly balanced system. I am concerned with the "horror stories" I've heard from custom installers of multichannel systems with single ended outputs and a patchbay of cables, mysterious groundloops and so-on.