Sony xa5400es acd @$1500

Gregadd

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sonysc3..jpg Sony and Phillips were co-founders of CD. Two companies who had the muscle and the street "cred" to push vinyl off a cliff. The initial players were "boat anchors."

I remember my first CD player was a $300.00 Phillips. I bought it because I wanted to play a CD I had fell in love with. I would still have it now if it had not died. I bought the $500.00 Marantz player that Sam Tellig raved about in Sterophile. I sold it because a friend of mine let me listen to his Accuphase.

I was glad that those sub kilo-buck players were gone. My street cred as an irrational audiophile was in deep jeopardy. I was glad when friends could say," what a $6k CD player?" "It only plays one CD at a time?" Yet they were fine players with great sound. Yes the Accuphase was much better. I never had the great remote that was milled out of a block of aluminum. Drat!

What's my point? Most Audiophile companies just don't have the finances to build their own parts form for a CD player. There almost exclusively buying small quantities of off the shelf parts from the big boys. Not only do they pay top dollar they have a limited market. How many players can Playback Designs(PD) sell per year? 100? Moreover The market moves so fast by the time they put the product out the suppliers has discontinued the part and moved on to something else. If you are going to service your product you have to keep the parts in stock. This means you have to buy a huge stockpile. Heaven forbid you get caught substituting parts.

Let's just imagine that the President of Sony and Phillps get bored and decide to give the PD 915k)a listen. They are wowed and decide to buy a license for the design. They believe they could push a 100,000 units at $2k/unit. They have a wide distribution chain that can stock more units than they can sell. They can offer a 30 day money back trial. You can literally go to your local mall on Saturday, put it on a credit card and play it at your party on Saturday night. PD feels lucky if they can get five dealers and be able to buy a demo. Don't even think about keeping one in stock.

What would do the Adiophile world? How many audiophiles would take the bait?

Whats the point? Sterophile has given this unit-an A+ rating. this unit can be ordered over the Internet for a kilobuck.

Too see how difficult it would be see the PFO review http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue47/sonyscdxa5400es.htm. They gave it a good review but not without up to a grand in audiophile mods.
























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Rutgar

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Yeah, at that price point I'm taking a serious look at this Sony. I'm also looking at the Luxman D-05, which is considerably more expensive. I really like the Playback Design player, but needless to say, it is just little more than I can spend.
 

Gregadd

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Yeah, at that price point I'm taking a serious look at this Sony. I'm also looking at the Luxman D-05, which is considerably more expensive. I really like the Playback Design player, but needless to say, it is just little more than I can spend.

That's my point. With the dominance of MP3 (IPOD) over the masses Sony could give the CD player back to the high end. With all due respect to high end CD modifiers, Sony could make a player that could blow them out the water at a price we could afford.

Look what Marantz was able to accomplish..
 

Gregadd

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I hope they have. I have not heard it yet. Every once and a while these mid-fi companies drop a major league piece on us. Who knows what their rational is. My old Phillips GA 212 tt is an example.
My memory fades but it was reviewed by Sam Tellig sold for $500.00. I purchased it at the local mid-fi emporium. Marantz 63SE? Someone will remember
 

repman

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TheNerds.net has these on their site for $806.00 if anyone is interested in getting one. The site says they have 50 in stock its the best price I have seen on these.

I thought that was a good deal so I ordered one although I have yet to hear one. I figured its at least good enough for an office system if I am not impressed but by all accounts it should be pretty good
 

Phelonious Ponk

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Every once and a while these mid-fi companies drop a major league piece on us. Who knows what their rational is.

My theory is that every once in awhile they just get tired of watching companies that couldn't afford one of their second-string engineers putting nothing special behind a slab of metallic wish-fulfillment and getting thousands for it. So they build something like a state of the art CD player, or Mep's preamp, for less than the price of a Naim power supply, hoping to stop the madness once and for all. It never works, of course. This much I'm sure of: When a company like Sony decides to make a "statement," it pays to listen. They've got the lungs to speak loudly.

Tim
 

JackD201

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Their new loudspeaker is supposed to be very good too. Now if only Sony would stop with the kooky names people can never pronounce..........
 

Gregadd

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My theory is that every once in awhile they just get tired of watching companies that couldn't afford one of their second-string engineers putting nothing special behind a slab of metallic wish-fulfillment and getting thousands for it. So they build something like a state of the art CD player, or Mep's preamp, for less than the price of a Naim power supply, hoping to stop the madness once and for all. It never works, of course. This much I'm sure of: When a company like Sony decides to make a "statement," it pays to listen. They've got the lungs to speak loudly.

Tim

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Close our eyes and see a HK -990 into a sony cd player and Sonogram speakers. You have money left over for RMAF to audition the big boys. I forgot we are both fans of the Orion spekers. We could probably run the Sony hot into the Orion.
 

Kal Rubinson

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Close our eyes and see a HK -990 into a sony cd player and Sonogram speakers.
Hmmm. I am listening to the Sony XA5400ES connected the the HD990 at this very moment. Remarkable insight (although you picked other speakers).

Kal
 

Gregadd

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is a reveiw pending?
 

Phelonious Ponk

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.

Close our eyes and see a HK -990 into a sony cd player and Sonogram speakers. You have money left over for RMAF to audition the big boys. I forgot we are both fans of the Orion spekers. We could probably run the Sony hot into the Orion.

The Orions, of course, are meant to be active. It would take 3 HK 990s. A lovely stack, but severe overkill, I suspect.

Tim
 

Phelonious Ponk

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Hmmm. I am listening to the Sony XA5400ES connected the the HD990 at this very moment. Remarkable insight (although you picked other speakers).

Kal

Do tell, Kal. What speakers did you pick?

Tim
 

Gregadd

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I think the Mggie 1.7 is the real choice. Try as I might, I can't create a buzz for the Sonogram. Maybe I should buy it myself.

Tim I think you can get the Orion powered.

Kal can you give us a link to the reveiw when you finish/? Maybe a preveiw is allowed?
 

Phelonious Ponk

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Tim I think you can get the Orion powered.

You can. That is, in fact, the most common way to get it.

Tim
 

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