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Review: Sony SCD-XA5400ES CD Player

Category: Digital

I love natural recordings that capture the full acoustic envelope of the performances. The Shostakovich Sonatas performed by Ax and YYMa comes to mind...the Sony portrays the entire event in such an unforced and natural manner that it triggers ones acoustic memory into believing it is real. A player that offers no tone color or openness would be my worst nightmare. I replaced my BAT VK D5 24 bit CDP and was amazed at how much resolution and color was lost on the older design. The Sony re-creates the space, music and acoustic tones with overtones so completely that you start to smile and realize that you have been given a great gift...a peak into the performance as it occured at the recording session. My opinion of the Sony applies as much for the redbook section as it does for the SACD section. This player will become a classic product for digital playback....much better it does not get! It's a keeper at any price,,,for $1500 USD it is a freakin steal. This is Sony's best effort to date and manages to break new ground in the digital domain:)

Associated gear
Wilson Sophia speakers
Krell 400xi amp
Harmonic Tech Cables
MIT Oracle AC 2 power cord

Similar products
Sony SCD-1
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Sony SCD-XA777ES
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Wadia 851
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MF A5
BAT VK D524bit
ARC CD 3
dave_b

Showing 1 response by karmatogdral

karmatogdral
66 posts
 
Dave great review,I'm searching for a cdp, and saw this one on yahoo(in Taiwan), as u mentioned that u had krell known for excellent bass performance, how do you rate sony 5400's bass?
I have owned two weak bass cdp so far, now i'm looking at Bryston bcd-1(with strong bass), it's not that i want bass emphasis, my spendor are very musical sounding speakers, but bass shy with rock and pop music, i need an all rounder(highly dynamic)to balance the rest of my system. I have never owned sony apart from their walkman, so please educate me on this aspect.
cheers
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