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A scoop: inside the Sony SCD-XA5400ES player

81.205.66.216
Posted on March 21, 2012 at 09:46:42
JohanV
Audiophile

Posts: 399
Location: Netherlands
Joined: March 5, 2010
 Agostino Manzato opened his Sony SCD-XA5400ES SACD player. See the full story here.

Sum-up:

If you really insist to ask me “HOW DOES IT SOUNDS?” I can tell you only my first 4-days opinion (I opened it the second day!), after saying that people claims a 500 (five hundreds) hours of break-in before that the best performance is achieved. Well, the first thing that impressed me was the strong but not unnatural low-frequency response; very rich and powerful. The first thing that I didn't like was a not so shining high-frequency response with a not so huge soundstage, in particular when listing to Redbook standard CDs. And last, I was really impressed of how the SACD layer of my FIM, Alia-Vox and Pentatone records were playing a much better music of what I was used to listen in their CD layer! From this very first impression, it seems to me a very good SACD player, but probably not so good CD player (e.g. Like the Burmester 001 that I have listened in the NEL Audio shop). It really needs more burn-in and -maybe- some good mods on the output board!

Why is there not a Cool Wall for this gear like they do in the BBC program Top Gear?

 

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Wow...you sure did take that thing apart, didn't you? Good job!, posted on March 21, 2012 at 11:50:08
Chris Garrett
Bored Member

Posts: 16707
Location: Miami, Florida
Joined: October 9, 1999
Contributor
  Since: June 19, 2000
 I hope it now all works properly?

Chris



 

RE: Wow...you sure did take that thing apart, didn't you? Good job!, posted on March 21, 2012 at 14:26:23
JohanV
Audiophile

Posts: 399
Location: Netherlands
Joined: March 5, 2010
 According to the datasheet the Burr Brown DSD 1796 DAC chip can decode a CD audio stream. There are always people who look whats under the bonnet. Keep up the good work Italian friend.

 

RE: A scoop: inside the Sony SCD-XA5400ES player, posted on March 22, 2012 at 01:26:38
Disbeliever
 We know Tino his remarks about the HF are absolute nonsense his own system is suspect due to the absurd conditioners he uses because of poor mains supply. The very first review of the XA5400ES in Hi-Fi Choice by Alvin Gold states Elegant, refined control system, very strong SACD performance and, in some ways even more impressive as a CD player. In both cases, the sound is bold and well-defined, with high levels of detail resolution.

 

RE: A scoop: inside the Sony SCD-XA5400ES player, posted on March 22, 2012 at 01:31:00
JohanV
Audiophile

Posts: 399
Location: Netherlands
Joined: March 5, 2010
 Visualguy wrote:

The sound quality of the analog outs (both XLR and RCA) of this player is decent, but not great. A little too bright and strident with a tendency to increase sibilance, and the soundstage isn't great. My Marantz players (SA-11S1 and SA-7S1) sound better to me on both SACD and CD. My DAC (Bel Canto DAC2.5) also sounds better (on 44.1/16) in my opinion.

 

RE: A scoop: inside the Sony SCD-XA5400ES player, posted on March 22, 2012 at 01:37:51
Disbeliever
 This is contrary to my own experience & HFN who say Sony's best SACD spinner since the SCD1 is suitably turbocharged by HATS HDMI hook-up. It's effortlessly natural,polished and capable of creating goose-bump inducing atmosphere.N.B. Distortion at 20kHz is only 0.0007% I had the Marantz SA7-S1 and found it not in the same class as my earlier Marantz CD94 quickly sold it on and the guy I sold it to put it up for sale one week later. Anyway we have been through this issue several times previously especially with Johan V and IMO this player requires no modification apart from changing the 2 pin to three pin electrical input on UK mains.

 

RE: A scoop: inside the Sony SCD-XA5400ES player, posted on March 22, 2012 at 08:50:37
Espen R
Audiophile

Posts: 73
Location: Norway
Joined: October 7, 2007
 I have a Yamaha CD-S1000 CD/SACD player.
It has the same digital board as the Sony XA5400ES player. The transport mechanism is great on the Yamaha, and the player is well buildt with a nice retro look.

I have now shipped it to a tech guy who will add these things to it.
- 2 Bybee Music Rails (2V +/-) in the power section
- Vacuumstate Terra Firma Lite clock (the best there is, and I have tried lots)
- New Op-amps, and maybe some other things on the analogue board.

Hope it will be good :)

 

RE: A scoop: inside the Sony SCD-XA5400ES player, posted on March 22, 2012 at 09:23:27
Disbeliever
 The Yamaha S1000 is a stereo only player that in stock form does not compare well with the Sony XA5400ES. Hope you get good results with your expensive mod.

 

RE: A scoop: inside the Sony SCD-XA5400ES player, posted on March 22, 2012 at 09:45:21
Espen R
Audiophile

Posts: 73
Location: Norway
Joined: October 7, 2007
 Disbeliver, how would you describe the DSD/SACD sound quality from the Yamaha CD-S1000?

 

RE: A scoop: inside the Sony SCD-XA5400ES player, posted on March 22, 2012 at 09:54:20
Disbeliever
 Not as realistic as the Sony.You are obviously not happy with the stock sound otherwise you would not have mod done. I would be interested in seeing Lab test for the Yamaha but none seem to be available. How much is the mod costing ?

 

RE: A scoop: inside the Sony SCD-XA5400ES player, posted on March 22, 2012 at 10:08:48
Martythomas


 
I replaced a $14k Meridiam 808 Reference with the Sony XA5400ES and noted a substantial improvement in addition to being able to play SACD discs. I ran a Purist Break in cd for 1 week straight before the Sony broke in properly. I have now had the Sony for about 9 months without any problems. The only thing I did was to add dampening material to the cover and drive support.

 

RE: A scoop: inside the Sony SCD-XA5400ES player, posted on March 22, 2012 at 13:48:49
nairb


 
This thread has tripped my Oy Vay! meter. The BS really gets deep here in Hi-Rez. All that's required for the full Monty is for someone to say, "XA5400ES really starts to reveal its full potential after 1000 hours."

 

Maybe Jerome Long can address your post, posted on March 22, 2012 at 17:32:25
Ozzie
Audiophile

Posts: 3964
Joined: August 1, 2002
 Jerome recently coughed up well over ten large and had concerns. As is proper, he needs to reserve his final judgement on his cash outlay until the capacitors in his player have fully formed and the player is providing it's final sound. My question to you nairb (non registered) is why do people like yourself readily accept that sound from uber costing equipment supposedly takes hundreds of hours to fully burn in, yet you seem to be unwilling to accept the same from less costly components? Oy vay!

 

That's Damping material, unless it's wet!, posted on March 23, 2012 at 00:10:11
oldmkvi
Audiophile

Posts: 10745
Joined: April 12, 2002
 !

 

RE: Maybe Jerome Long can address your post, posted on March 23, 2012 at 04:08:21
nairb


 
My question to you nairb (non registered) is why do people like yourself readily accept that sound from uber costing equipment supposedly takes hundreds of hours to fully burn in, yet you seem to be unwilling to accept the same from less costly components?

I suggested audio components require burn-in predicated upon their cost? No. Maybe you confused sarcasm for statement of fact in one of my posts? Which of my posts specifically did you derieve your accusations of hypocracies? I've no issue with, for instance a manufacturerer suggesting a short settling-in of capacitors may be beneficial or other audio items may benefit from short burn-in periods - those are within the realm of the rational. The audio forums posts suggesting ridiculously long break-in periods draw my wrath, and the price of a component has nothing to do with that. My arrows here and elsewhere on audio foums are aimed at the side of audiophilia that weds with belief rather than science. Acquaintances who believe in fluttering angels and Beelzabub drinking blood from a goblet upon a giant beast also draw my wrath, but that's another matter..

 

Break in- a myth?, posted on March 23, 2012 at 10:37:06
jsm
Audiophile

Posts: 1893
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: October 28, 2000
 I own the Sony 5400 and an Ayre C5-xeMP. My Ayre had many hundreds of hours on it. When I first started playing the 5400 it was clearly inferior to the Ayre. The bass was strong, but lacking real detail, and the overall sound was "smoothed-over," lacking in microdetails that gave life to the instruements on the Ayre. This is on SACD 2-ch, balanced out to an ARC LS27 preamp and ARC VS115 amp playing into Vandersteen 5 speakers. First I was told here it takes about 200 hours for the Sony to break in. OK, 200 hours of Sony playing later I did a careful comparion of the two players- same difference. In no way did the Sony improve relative to the Ayre. Somebody said I need 400 hours. Again, after about 400 hours the Sony was unchanged realtive to the Ayre. I had become more used to the difficiencies of the Sony and liked it better after 400 hours, but using the Ayre as a standard of comparison, I couldn't say there was any real change to the sound of the Sony. Maybe I have to go 1000 hours, 2000 hours..? If I didn't have a reference, I might have thought the Sony did get better. The most striking example of the how obvious the difference is occurred when my son entered the room while I was listening to the Sony. He could not see which was playing, as they are in cabinets, but immediately said "I hear you are using that crappy Sony again. How come you aren't using the Ayre?" He makes rather strong judgemental views. He has spent more than 10 years working in high-end stores and has better ears than I do.

The Sony is an unmodified unit, and for a variety of reasons I have no interest in "upgrading" it. I also have used the Sony extensively in MCH mode, but find that disappointing too. I get more realistic ambience and and a bigger, deeper sounstage from 2-channel stereo from my vinyl system- Basis TT, ARC PH5 phono stage, new DV DV20xh2. I paid $800 for the Sony new, about the pricde of the cartridge. For that price it is a very good player, vastly better than any earlier Sony SACD palyer I had- e.g., the 2000ESC. For a budget or even mid-priced system it could work well, but if one's standard is live classical music, it isn't that great. RBCD is clearly worse.

Joe

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on March 24, 2012 at 01:39:15
Disbeliever
 I have only heard the Ayre in a Hi-Fi Shop IMO vastly overpriced, I much prefer the Sony.So if the first Ayre was such a great player as extolled by JA in Stereophile why did it have to be upgraded into a second version. Exactly the same mistake was made by Stereophile when they proclaimed on their front cover AS Good as SACD can Sound The dcs P8i player, I had a demo of one at home by dcs and I would not give 500 for it let alone the rip-off 8K asked. This player eventually was turned into a MK2 version still at a rip-off price that some people are crazy enough to pay. Anything recommended by JA should be very carefully auditioned before purchase.

 

Ayre C5, posted on March 24, 2012 at 21:32:33
stvnharr
Audiophile

Posts: 660
Joined: November 6, 2003
 As usual you are incorrect in much of your post. There is no second version of the Ayre C5 player. They have made some upgrades to the original, nothing more.
The Ayre C5 is quite available for purchase. The Sony player you favor is long out of production. Maybe you need to remember that.
Your "audition" of the Ayre, from what you wrote, is rather funny. Are you trying to be a comedian?

 

RE: Ayre C5, posted on March 25, 2012 at 00:00:53
Disbeliever
 No I am not trying to be a comedian but I do laugh at people who pay rip-off prices for High End audio products misled by Stereophile and other magazines. Unlike small manufacturers most very big ones make a pre-determined number of products and when sold out end of the line.

 

RE: Ayre C5, posted on March 25, 2012 at 03:59:16
stvnharr
Audiophile

Posts: 660
Joined: November 6, 2003
 You are a good comedian, even if not trying to be so.

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on March 27, 2012 at 10:35:36
JohanV
Audiophile

Posts: 399
Location: Netherlands
Joined: March 5, 2010
 The Sony SCD-XA5400ES that the October 2011 edition of Stereophile listed as one of their A+ players...for its ANALOG out playback. Did Kal Rubinson also made a comparison between the Sony SCD-XA5400ES SACD player and the Ayre C5xeMP?

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on March 28, 2012 at 16:23:19
Kal Rubinson
Reviewer

Posts: 12621
Location: New York
Joined: June 5, 2002
 I have never used the C5xeMP. The only Ayre player I have used is the DX-5.

Kal

 

RE: Ayre C5, posted on April 2, 2012 at 20:20:23
Braxus
Audiophile

Posts: 926
Location: Fraser Valley
Joined: February 11, 2006
 Are you sure the 5400 is out of production? It just came to be listed on the Canadian Sony site for offer (on the pro site). It also seems to be still on the USA site if memory serves. So as far as I know- its still being made. Also ES components are no longer sold online, but through special Sony shops. So this may account for availability.

 

RE: Sony SCD-XA5400ES SACD Player Discontinued, posted on April 4, 2012 at 01:29:39
JohanV
Audiophile

Posts: 399
Location: Netherlands
Joined: March 5, 2010
 Sony SCD-XA5400ES SACD player. Discontinued Audio Components | Sony Store USA

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on January 10, 2025 at 03:41:50
thardin43@yahoo.com
Audiophile

Posts: 3
Location: Midwest
Joined: March 12, 2023
 I know this is 12 years too late, but Sony never made a 2000ESC SACD playing ANYTHING...
Bogus comment?

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on January 19, 2025 at 22:56:25
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15962
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 Sony did manufacture- SCD-C2000 ES player.

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on January 20, 2025 at 10:25:09
dbphd
Audiophile

Posts: 1792
Location: Montecito, CA
Joined: September 6, 2006
 I have the Sony 5400, bought on Kal's recommendation, the Ayre CX-5eMP, bought later on JA's recommendation, and the Ayre DX-5 DSD, bought on Ayre's recommendation. I think the 5400 is superb and a great value, but the CX-5eMP introduced me to Ayre's sound, or lack thereof, the music just seemed to flow as though not be reproduced. Ayre claimed the DX5-DSD is better than the CX-5eMP, but for me it was the universal player. I'm downsizing, but I'll probably keep all three players.

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on January 20, 2025 at 16:21:16
thardin43@yahoo.com
Audiophile

Posts: 3
Location: Midwest
Joined: March 12, 2023
 No, but Sony DID make a BDP-S2000ES Blu Ray player. It does not play SACDs, though it performs VERY well as a CD player/transport as well as having a unique and attractive exterior design.
I keep one in my main system along with an SCD-XA5400ES sacd/cd player; ALSO used as a CD transport into a Gungnir Multibit A2 dac / Freya+ preamp.

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on February 3, 2025 at 03:37:24
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15962
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 db-
I want to purchase your AYRE players when ready to sell.
Happy Listening!

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on February 4, 2025 at 12:13:57
dbphd
Audiophile

Posts: 1792
Location: Montecito, CA
Joined: September 6, 2006
 The only Ayre stuff I'm keeping is the DX5-DSD & QX-5 Twenty, so make an offer for CX-5eMP and it's likely yours.

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on February 4, 2025 at 12:24:01
dbphd
Audiophile

Posts: 1792
Location: Montecito, CA
Joined: September 6, 2006
 Fanta, I also have two Sony SCD-XA5400ES available if you're interested.

I'm downsizing to KEF LS60 and a pair of KEF KC62, with Roon as my primary source for music. I do have a Nucleus I'll probably keep.

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on February 4, 2025 at 14:11:34
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15962
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 Do you have the Box, Manual, Power Cord & Remote for CX-5eMP player?

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on February 4, 2025 at 15:15:01
dbphd
Audiophile

Posts: 1792
Location: Montecito, CA
Joined: September 6, 2006
 yes

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on February 13, 2025 at 02:03:31
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15962
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 Excellent. I will send you an Email soon.

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on February 14, 2025 at 09:06:46
dbphd
Audiophile

Posts: 1792
Location: Montecito, CA
Joined: September 6, 2006
 dwbphd@gmail.com

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on February 14, 2025 at 13:09:42
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15962
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 Added to my Contact list.

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on March 5, 2025 at 12:32:13
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15962
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 Email sent- db.

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on April 22, 2025 at 13:03:17
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15962
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 Email re-sent. PLease reply as of today's date.

 

RE: Break in- a myth?, posted on April 23, 2025 at 09:08:36
dbphd
Audiophile

Posts: 1792
Location: Montecito, CA
Joined: September 6, 2006
 My downsizing plan fizzled. I was convinced to keep the oh so handsome KEF Reference 1s, and that led to keeping the Ayre QX-5/20 Roon-ready DAC and buying an AX-5/20 integrated. While I wait to move, I'm using only the KEF LS60 and KC92. The LS60 connected to an Ethernet outlet and eARC makes a very tidy and satisfying setup for those of us who have the urge to downsize. Roon, eARC from the Sony Bravia, and Blue-ray from the Ayre DX-5 DSD are the sources.

Wish I had the guts to stick with my downsizing plan.

 

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