Sony's high-end SCD-XA5400ES SACD player eyes-on at CEDIA
By Darren Murph 
posted Sep 4th 2008 11:57PM
posted Sep 4th 2008 11:57PM
posted Sep 4th 2008 11:57PM
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God, that's hideous.
First comment?
I doubt it.
useless
I agree, you could just buy a new computer with 4TB of space for that price, and put all the music you could ever want on it, 2 years straight the audio is a whopping ~1500 kbps
But that is not the point to SACD. SACD is about QUALITY. MP3's and other media files do not have the level of fidelity an SACD can provide.
Take it from me. I own an SACD player and have repurcahsed many of my albums on SACD. Playing both the CD then the SACD on my high end audio system, you can really hear a difference between the two formats. SACD just brings the music alive, it's almost live concert like.
SACD is to CD what DVD or BLU-RAY is to VHS. The difference is big, you just need the proper HD equipment that can handle the signal.
(E.G. Blu-Ray on a 1980's RCA Console TV, just ain't gonna cut it)
The "No Disk" on the display is self explanatory.
Maybe it's useless if you don't have and don't plan to have a large collection of SACDs. For those who spent (probably more than) 10 000 $ on a thousand SACDs this might be a worthy upgrade. SACD has been around since 1999 and is very popular for classical music. Since other HD-formats rival this standard (DVD-A, BR-A) SACDs are becoming cheaper e.g. via ebay, so spending a reasonable amound of money on a still high end equipment might be worth it. You will save it when you buy the content.
Actually, not so if you are going to play SACDs and CDs on it.
You really should see the level of build and parts quality that goes into a high end unit and, more importantly, HEAR the difference. This is particularly important if you do not have gear that lacks HDMI support, which may be the case if you are using a stereo preamp with valve power amplifiers.
It is definitely over-engineered, to be sure. But, I'd take that over a low end CD player any day.
There is a specific market that this piece of equipment is catered to. Just because it doesn't appeal to you, it does not mean that there are no buyers for it.
Don't assume your preferences universally apply to everyone.
this post rocks my WORLD!
You must have a tiny little world or very small rocks.
This is the 9th post directly relating to TVs/entertainment systems one this page.
I miss the Engadget that talked about technological breakthroughs...
try gdgt
I'm already signed up (with this username), but I thought the site wasn't running yet. http://gdgt.com
wow it's 1996 all over again
Holy crap, why is it so big?! Is there a gnome in there spinning the disc?
You know you've been online too long when you think Gnome first and then something that sits in the garden pretending to fish in your pond second!
Everyone relax. This one has HDNA.
/sarcasm
What the fu** Sony? A SACD player for $1500 in 2008? Jesus. Not only is the format more or less completely irrelevant, it's _because_ of these ridiculous prices it ended up that way. Why not try and make a sexy, slim, and CHEAP player to attract some of us to buy one? FRACK!
This one can output a pure DSD signal. Can any other play do that, or do they convert it to PCM?
Sony already did. The device is called PlayStation3. It plays SACD and compared to this player it's cheap and slim, and sexiness is only in the eye of the beholder. I for one like it a lot. The main things $1500 gets you that $499 doesn't is DSD output via HDMI and balanced analog audio outputs. That's quite a price premium.
now with more betamax
For $1,500 you could just buy a new computer with 4TB of space, and put all the music and videos you could ever want on it. It would be about the same size.
What's that you say? We didn't hear (read) you the first time you said that, Jeremiah/Jeremiah Barrar!
Some of us readers appreciate better quality sound nowadays. Despite what many people say such as oh I can't tell the difference between a $100 CD player and a $1000 CD player there is phenomenal difference! Sure, Sony isn't such a reputable brand for high-end audio electronics and someone would be rather stupid to buy a SACD player from Sony, but rest assured it does make a difference to the trained audiophile ear.
TEAC Esoteric X 01-D2 SACD player goes for $16,000 usd. Some people just haven't trained their ears and therefore cannot appreciate good sounding quality music as apposed to HORRIBLE mp3's
"no disc"
how ironic :-p
I really like what I see. A $1500 sacd player, with sp/dif, balanced out, and HDMI.
A big sacd fan. There's just no comparison.
@ champ
actually SONY does make some excellent hi-end 2 channel audio gear, but most of it never leaves Japan for the overseas markets, such as the TA-DR1a digital integrated amplifier...of course, their older SACD players (e.g. SCD-777ES, SCD-1, etc.) are legendary amongst audiophile circles for their performance, robust build quality, & ability to be 'modified' and are still highly sought after today in the used market.
A SACD player for $1500. I agree with most comments, that a lot of money. But Sony is worth every dime. Go ahead purchase it and check it out. You will thank me.
Why not just get a PS3? You get all this and a whole lot more.
I'm waiting for non-audio people to ask what the big ugly round connectors on the back are for...
why did they not make a two channel amp to match with it
The placard in front of the unit says it's a 5-disc carousel player. I thought it was a single-disc player.
The disc tray doesn't appear to be the same width as the trays on previous carousel players. Is this
a misprint on the card, or does the new machine have some new type of carousel loading mechanism?
O M F G!
If people are bitching and moaning about 3 & 4 hundred Blu-ray players why on earth would they want to pick-up this, wallet rappist, beast? Sony. Please stick with the new stuff and stay away from resurrecting obsolete technologies will ya!...