Just recieved a pair of MIT M1.3 Prolines from Joe Abrams at Equus Audio. They are terrific...better than the old Oracle V2.2's I owned last year. Music simply sounds more authentic and accurately voiced. |
That's great news Joeyboynj...enjot it in good health:O) |
Compared to some of my $15K products the Sony cord 'aint bad! A Transparent Powerlink MM will make the Sony into a world class player. |
I wrote a lengthy response Tubegroover, but it wasn't posted? Anyway, the Sony was great but I have downsized and moved on. I would say it competed in the best under $10K category...very organic, dynamic and textured. |
The Sony has absolutely zero digital nasties and presents the music with uncanny resolution and dimensionality. The other players are great but sound either too bright or closed in and dull. |
I moved out of my previous environment too much smaller quarters and cashed in the big rig to pay some bills:O( |
No problem, I have alot of gear I loved and let go over the years that I wish I had back sometimes:O( |
Steelhead, the Sony SCD-XA5400ES was just another experiment for me in the latest digital offerings available to us audiophiles. At it's price point, it was an easy decision to give one a try. What strikes me about the new Sony is how utterly complete, vivid and distortion free the sound is while maintaining musicality, transparency and oodles of detail. The acoustic space of any given recording becomes as much a part of the sound as anything...refreshing! Piano is rendered so believably that I almost have to force open my eyes to check if someone didn't sneek a grand in-between my Sophias. The SACD-1 was fairly brilliant sounding and clear but without the deep rich harmonic textures of the XA5400. I can't believe that SONY could deliver such an amazing player for so little with a sound so engrossing that I wish every audiophile could hear one and understand the frivolity of pursueing other, would be state of the art players...this is as good as it needs to be, period! |
RCA sounds best, compared to the balanced outputs...don't know why but that seems to be the case. I am strictly 2 channel so my opinions only reflect such a perspective. FYI, I am using my Oracle AC 2 power cord on it which don't hurt either:) I only paid $1180 delivered from Kevin at American Theatre. |
As the player has broken in it has really blossomed; so full of color, dynamic shadings galore, inner detail, grain and glare free, depth and imaging beyond reproach. This sucker challenges state of the art:) |
The player is very rewarding and I purchased on faith due to low price! |
Disbeliever, I agree the Sony takes a long time to settle in, but there was something very special about it right out of the box. It's rendering of tone, dynamic contrasts and transparency are uncanny! RB is as wonderfull as SACD, which is amazing. That said, keep in mind you may have to re-evaluate your system a bit to eek the best out of the player. I happen to have two of the best power cords available in my system...the Sony responds accordingly. I also wound up using ear selected cabling, as opposed to the usuall "Brand" purchase I normaly have done (and wasted good money on). I wound up with Monster Z200i interconnects RCA(which sounds better IMHO) and Monster M2.2s spkr cables which are freakin out of this world (better performance than my old Transparent reference and MIT Oracle V2.2's). The Z200i IC was better than my MIT Oracle V2.2 XLR IC @ $4600msrp!! Let me know your experiences as it breaks in...it is a gift from the audio God's for me:) |
Cleaner sounding with more acoustic and spatial information...other than that, not much. The777 looks way cool so I'd probably stick with it! |
Stop the presses....I just hooked up a pair of MIT Magnum M1 proline balanced IC's and all I can say is my opinion of the XA5400ES has gone even higher. I can safely say the new Sony is one of THEE FINEST digital players available at any price...definately worth a try for the asking price! remember when the price of admission to the high end was reasonable? |
My brother had one from audio advisor and returned it...the Sony has exceptional tone and texture with no glare or grain while the cambridge still had a sense of hardness in the upper frequencies. |
Update on XA5400ES! Breakin is quite extensive with this player as in several hundred hours on RB and SACD sections. Also, I re-evaluated the cables and outputs now that the player is sounding more fully developed. Balanced is better, offering am enhanced sense of dynamic shadings with presence and fuller bass. As for the cables, even though the Z200i's are a great bargian, the winner by a country mile is MIT's Magnum M1 Proline IC's...earth shattering performance that takes a great player into the top eschelon of the digital realm. In fact, with the MIT Magnum cables and a Transparent MM PC on the Sony, I consider it to be one of the few CDP's that can offer the ideal balance of warmth, transparency, detail, dimensionality, depth and imaging and tonal accuracy around...bar none:O) $1500 for this player affords you the unique thrill of being able to purchase the proper wires and still feel as though you have gotten a very large piece of the high end pie and for what amounts to mere chicken scratch in audiophile terms. |
It's tough giving up on an old friend:O) |
Sorry, the old friend comment was meant sincerely. I loved my Krell SACD standard but gave it up for unreliability..I still miss the sound:O( |
The XA5400 is world class good, as in you can't get much better at any price. Yes, SACD digital is output via HDMI only! |
You must keep in mind that I am using the XA5400ES in a simple purist high end setup. I have a Transparent MM PC ($2250)connected to an isolated Wattgate outlet. My interconnect is an MIT Oracle V1.2 proline ($6500) which feeds the Sony into my balanced Krell 400xi which is connected by a MIT Oracle AC2 PC ($4200). Speaker cables are Sigma Retro ($3000) into Wilson Sophias($12500). Evaluations done using recievers and conventional connections will not hint at what it is capable of doing. |
It may not be perfect, but it is a stone cold high end bargain:O) |
Kal Rubinson, in the new issue of Stereophile, kicks the tires on the Sony XA5400ES player and declares it the best CD/SACD player he has heard to date...more to follow. |
The Sony needs as good a power cord and IC as you can afford to sound it's best. Some brass weights on top help anchor the sound a bit and reduce some smearing for better bass and soundstaging. If your system can allow the Sony to be heard properly I have no doubt you will be impressed. Tube output devices can euphonize the sound but can not deliver the complexity and agility of a well done SS player. Musical fidelity does a good job at melding both technologies together quite well, such as in their A5 CD player. |
Tvad makes good points and I can only speak from my own experiences with tubed players. I understand and have heard what a well designed tube player can offer, but at the end of the day it doesn't quite deliver an honest representation of the music for me:O) |
Not sure what Aarif is smokin, but good luck with the NAD players...typical digital sound:O( |
Now using a Transparent Powerlink MM and MIT V1.2 Proline IC's on my Sony, which is placed in a oak cabinet on top of a 4" thick butcher block support with composite felt feet...WOWZER!!! Put HiFi Tuning fuses into my Krell as well..even bigger results:O) State of the art dear A'Goners..the only limitations for the Sony is what you can or can't afford to feed it with or connect it to. |
Ah, the ongoing evolution of the species made evident by the juvenile ramblings of the modern educational systems end products. Between the wit of Aarif and the miimalist threshold for humor exhibited by Metralla, we have bore witness to the inevitable decline of mankind. It also answeres the age old question for me of who watches Southpark. |
Metralla rising...and with candor! Good to know there is hope afterall. The XA5400ES is an amazing player, especially considering the cost. It has pure grainless accurate tone across the spectrum with great dynamic range. Extension is beyond reproach and it operates flawlessly:O) I must say that it has an uncanny sense of just enough warmth and humanity without being colored..of course it demands the best connections. |
This player is not discontinued as far as I know...it just came out last fall to replace the XA9000ES. As I've said, I have owned most of the top shelf offerings and the Sony puts you squarely in the ballpark with the others. The price to performance ratio is off the charts. Clarity, dimensionality, natural warmth, extreme extension, tonal accuracy, lack of any grain-distortion or other digital nasty's...it just does the balancing act so well:)O |
Kal is correct...I didn't say it would be easy to find one! The US outlets seem to get orders filled within 2 weeks. |
Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention, I owned a Meridian G08 and thought it to be uniquely one of the most a-musical players I have owned. Cold, sharp and grey sounding. |
Hi Cyrilmartin! After a few months (depending on your play time), the XA5400ES becomes smoother, warmer and purer sounding with an increase in dynamic shadings. Also, the Sony is extremely extended and WILL show up any ancillary distortion introduced into the audio chain, whether it be from external or internal sources. I use a Transparent Reference MM Powerlink and MIT V1.2 IC's. If you don't address the power line noise and intercomponent distortions with your cabling, then there may remain some residual "sibilance", that you refer to. |
How long have you had the player? Breakin time is crucial for the Sony till it smooths out. With my PC it has the cleanest, purest most extended high frequency range of any player I've owned. I still think you have a problem elsewhere in the chain that the XA5400ES is showing up or passing along:O) |
Cyrilmartin, I have Maggie 3.6R's now so I think 40khz + is enough extension to hear what's going on up top on the Sony! I am Mr. Mom...no company affiliation. Attack would be wrong, I am just very impressed with the 5400 and like to correct any misunderstandings regarding it's performance characteristics. As for breakin? Well, if you don't think digital needs a long time to burn in and settle down then you are sadly mistaken:O( |
Wow, good stuff Cyrilmartin...thanks:O) |
Well Metralla...how does the Mod sound on the XA5400ES? |
I have to say guys, that this is a case of a little understanding can be a dangerous thing. I have owned Levinsons N0. 39, 390S and 37/360S, Wadia 850SE, BAT VKD5SE, ARC CD3, Sony SCD-1,777ES,9000ES and others. I use some of the best cables and power cords available. My Maggie 3.6R's definately let you know what's going on up top. Bottom line is that the Sony has the most natural and extended high frequencies I've ever heard...pure, clear, complex and tonaly accurate. If you guys are hearing something different, then somethings wrong with your setup or ears. This is not an opinion, it is a fact! Tell me your setups and maybe I can help identify the problem for you:O) |
I forgot to mention that I am around acoustic instruments in my house everyday (my children play piano, baritone, cello, drums, flute). I have recordings of concerts I have attended (jazz, classical and rock). I have owned many 50K plus rigs. I have no dog in this race. My opinion has merit based on the above facts. Oh, and I have no hearing loss...yet! Keep in mind I use true reference recordings with realistic high frequency content. Examining the brush strokes of a Monet painting may be interesting to an art major, but it kind of misses the whole point doesn't it? Please do list your equipment, cabling and music for reference however. |
Wow, I am amazed again! I owned a meridian G08...sucked; Sterile, whitish and flat sounding. Knowledge is a terrible burden for some..it dictates their perception despite any evidence to the contrary. Ironic that you would pick my least favorite examples of digital for a rebuke. Obviously you have never been to Boston Symphony Hall...now that's a reference standard:O) |
New cable find for the frugal and acousticaly astute. A comprehensive evaluation between my MIT Oracle V1.2 Proline XLR IC's ($6500) and a pair of Monster Cable Proline SP1000 XLR cables ($99.98/pair) has floored me!!
The SP1000's are every bit their equal in every audiophile category one can imagine plus just a scrim more warmth added. These Monster Proline cables are a Godsend to anyone who want's to have world class sound on an extreme budget:O) Sweetwater.com has them and even has a no hassle return policy..I dare you to try them. |
No not at all Tvad. In fact I am getting quite fed up with the idol worship of gear and technology at the expense of good common sense and a love of music. I've been guilty of it and I must say I regret it deeply. These days I'm looking to maximize what I own and seek out real bargains for the modest budgeted audiophile. 5ft is hardly that much longer than 1Meter, unless you read the ad wrong...they sometimes read 5M but the length is actually 5 feet for $49 each:O) |
I'll check it out...the SP1000 comes with pro velcro straps for securing and rolling extra lengths neatly behind the gear. |
Proline Velcro...says so right on the strap so it must be true. Right? Ohmy God, I've been duped...crap, I hate that:O( HeeHee! Anyway, the reason I love it is because it just smokes the best I've heard. Crushing dynamics, warmth and a huge open soundstaging. |
I'm not sure an RCA version exists for the SP1000 cable. I did have an RCA version of the Monster Audiophile Cable Z200i which I was told by Monster was the same cable as the SP1000, just priced higher for us audiofools:O) The Z200i has been discontinued due to lack of sales and product confusion for Monster, even though it was their best sounding cable ever. So, that said, the RCA version of the SP1000 clone (Z200i) was very much in the same camp as far as performance. The XLR version has a slightly lower noise floor and more of a sense of ultimate power and slam, but almost identical otherwise. |
The setup at VSE looks a little disturbing to me:O<> Talk about narrow rooms and the speakers looked close to the front wall. Power cords can address alot of issues that maybe Allen's trying to compensate for in his mods...not to ention his use of silver IC's! Don't think I'd chance the mod myselfO:) |
Crimhead, yes, yes, yes, yes and most definately yes! In some aspects it is competitive with several over $5k players. Deep controlled textured bass, full warm mids and extended grain free natural sounding highs. Transparency is exceptional and dynamic contrast is superb. Tonality (pitch) is dead on accurate. |
techradar.com has a full review and Kal Rubinson mentioned it as the best RB/SACD player he has heard to date in Stereophile. With great PC and IC it is definately not "technological" sounding. |
Crimhead, I owned Levinson No. 39, 390s, 360s&37combo, Wadia 861se, MFA5, ARC CD3, Sony SCD-1, Meridian G8 and a few others. I love the XA5400ES...maybe that helps a little:O) |
Kal, what do you think of the Sony after having spent some time with it? I still love mine! |
They are all great players. The Sony is certainly the value leader for sure. More important is the system they are placed into and how they are used. I like the Sony for it's overall take on things...everything balanced with enough detail and warmth to keep me listening:O) |
