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Sony SCD-XA5400ES-Best SACD for under $10,000

This Sony player supplanted my Ayre C5-XE 3, which I still have, months ago. I paid $6000 for the Ayre after determining that it was the best-sounding unit for under $10,000. The Sony blows it away!!!
A unit costing $1500 besting all others under $10,000? That is exactly what it does!
For reference, I am using Audio Research electronics and Vandersteen speakers and subwoofers (about $30,000); a similar system has repeatedly been lauded as "best of show" at CES, so we are NOT talking second-rate stuff here.
This Sony is the only SACD/Cd player I have EVER heard that puts a classical piano live in my living room; nothing I ever had before even comes close.
This unit is a small miracle. I would have gladly paid $8000 for it, but if they want to give the thing away for $1500, who am I to argue?
This unit is going to send the engineers at Audio Research, Luxman, Esoteric, and Ayre back to the drawing board; their current units at 4 to 5 times the price are not even close. Some engineer at Sony is a freaking genius!!!
wa6itd
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dbphd
1,058 posts
 
Mrtennis,

I output analog XLR as well as HDMI from an XA5400ES to a Cary Cinema 11a, so by selecting the input I can compare the Sony processing to that of the Cary. I prefer the Cary processing for both CD and SACD, but the big thing for me is that DSD is available with HDMI, and in particular multi-channel DSD. It can be glorious!

db
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
i have yet to be told why the sony 5400 is preferred to the ayre sacd player.

the preference for the cary, i would conjecture is the somewhat tube-like, euphonic coloration that the sony lacks, or is there another reason ?

i may have a chance to purchase a new sony 5400 for under $1000, but am not convinced that its sacd capability will be superior to some tube based digital components playing redbook.

certainly one would expect the sacd layer to be preferred over the red book layer in many cases.

perhaps the sony's limitation in stock form is the that plaguing solid state components, namely too much odd order harmonic distortion.

by the way, what is the list price of the cary--hopefully less than $10,000, in which case it may have serious competition and beg the question posted in the thread.
tmsorosk
1,013 posts
 
Mrtennis ... $1000 is more what the 5400 is worth . I'm glad you see this . Ive heard the 5400 many times in a few different systems and its not close to either Ayre players .
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
hi tmsorosk:

in what way is the sony preferred to the ayre.

it has been sufggested that the cary sacd palyer has been preferred by one of the posters.

what performance parameters do you like over the ayre and other players ?

i would think that having a tube is an advantage. the sony in stock mode has no tube.
antonis
2 posts
 
hello dear friends . this is antonis from ( not so sunny today greece )
when i purchased the 5400 i had the weiss minerva dac in my system
the 5400 left it miles back in terms of analysis and musicality

BUT
today a friend brought his weiss 202 for comparison
AGAIN winner !!!!
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