Sony SCD-XA9000. Comments, Opinions?

The Sony won't play DVDs of any kind.

Kal

I've also had some interest here. It's hard to ignore a Stereophile A+ rated component that costs many thousands less than the other A+ entries.

I've seen some curbstoner type dealers on Ebay selling it for $1995. If Amazon or another big place has them, a return ought to be easy. As for DVD playback, don't need it. I'm predicting that DVD-Audio will be a bust.

One thing to consider apart from the sound quality of the unit:

Sony Service/Support treats the buyer of a $3000 flagship SACD player no differently than the buyer of a $90 DVD player.

Have one and am very pleased with it. This will probably be the last CD player I will purchase. While I have some SACD units, I purchased it mainly for the quality of the redbook section. I also have a Denon 2900 which I used for video use and some audio use. That sounds very good too. Both units are good, but they have a different sound. For most of my audio, I prefer the Sony unit. I find the Denon a bit more brighter presentation. This doesnt mean the unit is bright, it is just that I find the Sony more natural. I can and do listen to it for hours at a time when I am in the mood for CD's (analog preferred). I listen through ML CLSIIZ's, other electrostatics and horns. These speakers are brutal if the electronics are not up to par. The Sony is wonderful through these speakers. One awesome CD player I did have was a Denon 900 cheapie. Wonderful for redbook but the transport kept breaking. I gave up on it. No problems at all with my sony after a year of ownership.

Thanks for that. It is the Redbook that I'm most concerned with. I saw a few indications that it might not be up to par, but I also find my Denon to have a brightish presentation. The others I'm looking at are the Accuphase DP77 and the Linn 2.1, but these are both more than double the price. I'd rather not pay that much for a marginal difference.

Dear Dr. Pscialli, it would be most enlightening if someone could compare the Sony SCD-XA9000 with the Esoteric DP-50 and the Krell SACD Standard. Are the latter somewhat more expensive two units worth the price premium?

Needless to say, I meant DV50.

Well, the SACD Standard is discontinued now. This makes me think that Krell is going to introduce a universal player soon, I'm guessing at the $8k price point. I've just caught wind of the Merantz SA-11 which is a 2-channel only SACD and Redbook player. It is said to be the successor to the SA-14V2 whichis well reviewed. I may have a chance to hear some Merantz gear later this week, maybe evenup against the Linn stuff.

The Krell SACD Standard was discontinued because Philips discontinued the transport.