Just purchased a classic Sony CDP-XA7ES CD Player

I have just pulled the trigger on a top-of-the-line Sony CDP-XA7ES CD Player circa 1995 via Buyee/Yahoo Japan.
Although I switched to computer based audio a decade ago, I have renewed interest in CD players .

Also, my experience playing back 44.1 kHz recordings on my Lampizator Atlantic has been extremely positive.

The Sony has very sophisticated circuitry and the fixed pickup mechanism is certainly a conversation piece. It has fully discrete analog outputs. The digital output I can feed into my Lampizator DAC for instant comparisons.

Should be fun!

I decided to go for the Japanese domestic market version in champagne. It matches better with my Marantz tube gear. I will build a bucking transformer to reduce the 120V incoming AC to 100V.

No remote, but any Sony ES remote with similar features should do.

I'll post pics of it when it arrives. Here are pics from the auction:

 

Here is a picture of the innards.
Notice the fully encapsulated "R" core power transformer. Circuit boards are all glass epoxy. Cheaper Japanese electronics use phenolic (paper) circuit boards.

This is a picture of another unit I found on the web. It has had some "tuning" mods done to it. I plan to leave mine totally stock...

 

I've never heard one, but that model has a great reputation. Hope it sounds good to you.

 

Thanks. I hope so too!

I have a feeling classic TOTL CD players will become even more popular in the next few years, and we may even experience a "CD" renaissance of some sort!

It will be interesting to compare the sound of it with it's internal "Pulse" 1 bit DAC and as a transport via Lampizator, which is discrete R2R.

 

Cool

 

I hope the player arrives safely. The Buyee service is convenient to shop for Japan only goods but it is very expensive. Almost $300 to ship this player from Tokyo to San Diego. Granted it's express shipping, but still a lot of money. Something to think about if you plan to shop there. Disregard their shipping cost calculator, it's completely off. It gave me a very low estimate originally....

 

The unit looks gorgeous. Best wishes for a very enjoyable experience with this player.

 

Thank you!
I have a shelf on my Archetype rack reserved for it. It shipped today from Tokyo. I hope all goes smooth sailing to San Diego. I paid for extra "protective packaging".
I also purchased a Sony remote off eBay. Not the original but it should work.
The player will not be my main digital rig. My computer based playback system will get the most use. So it should be reliable in the long run!

 

I got the player today. Looks good but there is a blemish on the edge of the faceplate near the Sony logo that wasn't there in the auction pictures. Oh well!

Took the lid off and the construction is indeed impressive with the power transformer larger than the one in my Marantz 10 tuner!

Sound quality is everything it has been said about it and then some! Very smooth sounding with excellent imaging and midrange texture. Bass is nice and tuneful.

Blends extremely well with the rest of my gear. It's a keeper!

 

Please post your impressions of the Sony feeding the Atlantic dac.

 

Excellent, congrats for your purchase. Give me one of those 90s units over any current "made in (you know where)" crap, anytime.
Of course the DAC might not be up to modern standards, but the transport is phenomenal. You may buy a new DAC whenever you like, and if you love the sound already, no further purchase!

Cool player

 

That is a beauty. Congrats.
How's the sound of such a renowned 20 years old CD player like that compared to, say, a modern middle of the line but new player?

 

Is it possible the transformer inside the Sony already has a 120V tap? If so, all you may need to do is unsolder whatever the 100V tap wire is attached to, and solder the 120V tap wire to that same spot. Just a thought.

 

Nice, that machine just oozes quality! I'm sure it will be a joy not only to listen to but to use.

 

That is one beautiful looking CD player. It's not often you see a CD clamp to hold the CD down.

 

Will do. I need to go to my storage unit and retrieve my old digital coax cable.
I am pleasantly surprised on how impressive it sounds with it's "Current Pulse" built in DAC. But Lampizator should, hopefully, improve it even further!

 

Thank you!
The sound is better than any other CD player I've heard including relatively recent models, but none in the same league price-wise.
So, a TOTL player such as this will still have an edge over a middle of the line unit today, simply because of the care taken in the construction and also the overbuilt power supply and analog stages.

 

There is an area on the power supply PCB marked "Export" to connect the AC cable leads to, presumably to a different tap on the transformer. I will need to investigate this further. Right now I am using a Japanese transformer bought locally with great results.

 

Yes it does. Impressive construction. The tray closes with a precision and smoothness that has to be seen to be believed. And the transport is extremely quick as well. It reads CD-Rs with no problems whatsoever, so the laser should be healthy.

 

Thank you! Yes they were trying to mimic the analog experience with this design. I must say they succeeded!

 

I found a XA20ES earlier this year that blows me away. I can't even imagine how good this one sounds! Cheers!

 

Initially I was going to go for the next model down the XA5ES, but this one kept calling my name. Glad you like your XA20ES, I think overall the ES line for this time period sounds fantastic. Probably some trickle down technology from the XA7ES. Enjoy!

 

Hooked up the Sony to the Lampizator Atlantic today. Used the coax connection. I had a coax cable I bought years ago for a long departed Squeezebox Touch. The cable looks fancy, although it's from a unknown manufacturer. Well made enough that it should be ok to try. And sure it enough the DAC locked to the signal from the Sony right away.

Listening right now as I type. I cued up the original West German CD pressing of We Get Requests, by Oscar Peterson followed by Under The Pink by Tori Amos. The Peterson disc has has a lot of fine scratches but plays perfectly on the XA7ES. It is easy to AB the sound from coming from the Lampizator and the CD player's internal DAC, as I have both connected to different inputs on my preamp.

They sound remarkably similar in timbre! The Lampizator sounds slightly louder as it has a 3V output versus 2V from the Sony. The Lampizator has a stronger upper bass and more body in the midrange giving vocals a more realistic quality. But overall I am very impressed with the Sony's internal DAC performance.

 

One advantage of having a quality CD player from the golden era is proper application of de-emphasis of early CDs such as the early Japanese CBS/Sony titles. I am playing Toto IV, original Japanese CD release, catalog 35DP 12. Through the XA7ES ' internal DAC the sound is warm and smooth. The Lampizator doesn't apply de-emphasis so the sound is bright...