Sony SCD XA5400ES SACD/CD Player

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Moby Grape, Feb 27, 2014.

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  1. High Fidelity

    High Fidelity Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London
     
  2. Linger63

    Linger63 Forum Resident

    Location:
    AUSTRALIA

    "As you have been unable to audition the HDMI performance of the 5400ES , which is its strongest suit"

    ????


    Are you saying that using a quality CD/SACD player like the Sony 5400ES as a transport only is it's strongest suit?
    I would expect most players connected at HDMI level to show quite minor sonic differences........ if any.

    Of course analog is a TOTALLY different story and where players with higher quality DAC's and analog output stages like the Sony 5400ES......
    the OPPO 105....... and the CA 752 really shine.
     
  3. High Fidelity

    High Fidelity Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London
    Read the Hi-Fi News report . mch SACD (sounds best) depends 0n SACD capable H.A.T.S receiver UK Sony DA5400ES
     
  4. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    No I have not compared the XA5400ES to the Oppo 103. Your post seems like an ad from Sony ;). What you are basically saying is that to achieve this "superior" level of performance the XA5400ES has to be paired with a Sony AVR with H.A.T.S. technology. How is the performance of the XA5400ES without being connected to a H.A.T.S. enabled processor (see below)? If I did have an opportunity to compare my Oppo 103 or 105D to the XA5400ES the comparison would be a level playing field as I don't have a Sony H.A.T.S. equipped AVR nor do I want one. I would expect the two Oppo players and the XA5400ES to sound similar if not the same.

    I tend to look at the performance of a specific component standing on it's own and it's ability to perform equally well with different components it's connected to. It's another Sony scam to make the performance of one of their players at a higher level (supposedly) with only it's technology supported AVRs. Even you admit the performance of the XA5400ES is dependent on if it's connected to a H.A.T.S. equipped AVR. So to me the proper comparison would be comparing the Oppo 103 and the XA5400ES playing multichannel SACDs using HDMI with a processor without H.A.T.S. technology. That's called an apples to apples comparison ;).

    Well with a little searching on Google I found an interesting link to a Sony discussion thread from July 2014 with posts from an individual named LiteJazz (SH's LiteJazz53?).

    What Happened to Sony's (HATS) Technology??? - the Community

    Below is a quote from one of the posts from the above link:

    I can verify that connecting my XA5400ES to my multichannel Arcam receiver gives me poor sound. The XA5400ES is an SACD player and SACD is supposed to produce the finest sound. From the XA5400ES, sound from an SACD through the HDMI port to a receiver that has no HATS technology is terrible and no receiver has HATS technology except the now discontinued one that you cited.

    After reading the two pages from that Sony discussion forum it shows a small sample of how poor Sony's customer service is which you also confirm as being poor. As good a player that the XA5400ES is I'd have serious concerns owning one with the fear that it would ever need service.
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2017
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  5. High Fidelity

    High Fidelity Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London
    You need to re read my post, it is not an ad from or behalf of Sony, it is taken from the Hi-Fi News review March 2009 . As for Sony service many have had problems. My Sony receiver did fail, fortunately a very expert local service man was able to effect an economical repair £80,, at first we thought it was the player,he did say he can obtain a new laser if required. As for the XA5400ES, the very first review in UK Hi-Fi Choice Awards issue 2008 said it was a better CD than SACD player ,but they did not have at the time the HATS equipped Sony AVR. To date the 5400ES is the best player I have auditioned for SACD & CD it betters for me the Marantz SA7-S1, & the extortionate priced dCS P81 that Stereophile on its front cover April 2006 says AS GOOD as SACD can sound The dCs P81 player. I found it very inferior to my modified Marantz CD 94. Because of the misleading Stereophile review , I got dCs to give me a Home demo of the P8i and the dCs rep said there was no need for me to buy one. As I post I am listening to my 5400ES analogue connected to a stereo amplifier playing a CD , it sounds wonderful. Having auditioned the Oppo 203 , I prefer the Sony , however different room, different speakers.
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2017
  6. Litejazz53

    Litejazz53 Perfect Sound Through Crystal Clear Digital

    Hi Bill, I am the one and the same. I owned the 5400 for a few weeks and sold all my Sony products. I was a die hard Sony customer for so many years in all formats. I sold (2) XA7-ES, 5400 and 9000 CD and SACD players. At this point in time I could not purchase "expensive" Sony products. Their Laredo Texas repair facility is just not good, and when you have to worry about your product being damaged, as my SCD-1 was, it's just not worth the risk. Couple that with the fact that repair parts are very limited and they throw all original packaging away, as they did with me, it's much safer to just purchase a different product. The only way I ever got Sony to help me was finding out where the CEO lived and sending huge 8 month old files to his personal home, and that was not the route I wanted to take, but they made me so angry damaging my SCD-1, I was on a mission to say the least. I have no problem purchasing any Sony product I am comfortable with simply throwing away when it fails, certainly no televisions or any streamers or ES products, it's just not worth the risk and the battle if something goes wrong. I should mention, the office of the President is an office you would expect to be helpful. My experience was this office exists to minimize or complete eliminate all exposure for Sony, and block customers from getting to Sony's top people, and they are extremely effective, I was not the norm.
     
    Bill Mac likes this.
  7. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I have no need to reread your post. All your posts read like an ad from the Sony PR department ;). You talk about multiple players you've compared to the XA5400ES but fail to mention how the comparisons were done (digital or analog) or the gear used (processor) in your system when the comparisons were done. In the post above you say you prefer the Sony (model???) to the Oppo 203 but it was in a different room and different speakers. In all honesty how can anyone take your opinions seriously when you do a comparison in an entirely different room with different speakers.
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2017
  8. High Fidelity

    High Fidelity Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London
    I did compare the Oppo 103 to both my Sony XA5400ES & my Sony BDP- 760 US 1000ES at Home via HDMI using my Sony STR-DA5400ES AVR (UK version) and I would never again buy another Oppo. explicit enough for you ?
     
  9. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Huh :confused:? You posted (below) that......
    Very difficult to follow your posts as they're all over the place.
     
  10. Litejazz53

    Litejazz53 Perfect Sound Through Crystal Clear Digital

    Well, some things just never change in regard to Sony repairs, no matter where the repair facility is, in Laredo Texas or in the UK, is just bad everywhere, unfortunately.

    Sony UK is rated "Bad" with 1.2 / 10 on Trustpilot

    Sony Service Center - Laredo, TX

    So my point since my terrible 8 month battle with the electronics giant in the United States and premier Insurance seller in Japan, it does not matter how wonderful the product may be in the beginning, at some point in time everything need service, and when 95% of customers rate Sony horrible, what good is having any product from that company. One of the very positive advantages of Oppo, is their customer service is rated at about 99.9% and that is the first place I look now, before buying anything. Once a customer is badly burned, there is no going back.
     
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2017
  11. High Fidelity

    High Fidelity Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London
    Whilst I agree with you re Sony service, I am more interested in best performance and have managed to get Sony items serviced by others. having had problems with both Oppo 83 & 93 which Oppo support could never resolve,I would not touch another Oppo with a barge pole. same goes for Cambridge Audio . I have been very happy with my Sony products for many years and IMO they give absolutely best performance at good value prices.
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2017
  12. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    H.A.T.S off to you! :D
     
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  13. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    What were the problems that you were having with the 83 and 93 that Oppo couldn't resolve?
     
  14. High Fidelity

    High Fidelity Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London
    Long ago, can not fully remember, I know at the time there many updates, seems to me Oppo release a product not fully signed off and expect customers to reveal the bugs. VERDICT Overpriced crap despite some well made casework. I read people are already experiencing problems with the 203.
     
  15. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    C'mon man! You make statements such as "having had problems with both Oppo 83 & 93 which Oppo support could never resolve" but when asked to elaborate you "Can not fully remember" :rolleyes:. How can anyone here take your statements seriously?

    There are definitely issues with the Oppo 203 and that's a well known fact. At least Oppo working at correcting those issues. Something that certainly can't be said about Sony and their horrible customer service which is also a well know fact.
     
  16. Litejazz53

    Litejazz53 Perfect Sound Through Crystal Clear Digital

    You absolutely make a very good point, each customer is profoundly impacted by poor customer service, in your case Oppo and Cambridge, and in my case Sony. I have not been as fortunate as you, not being able to find but one person that will even attempt to repair my Sony SCD-1 and he would not guarantee anything with a $100.00 minimum inspection fee, then there is the shipping and insurance on this 80 pound monster, so I have not jumped on that yet. Like you I was sold on Sony quality and it was not until the SCD-1 failed, that I really got it, although I did have another very bad experience years before on a video product repair with Sony, and they just replaced the piece with no argument, the damage was so apparent (screws, screwed into the S video output. While you are seemingly not affected by terrible repair facility experiences, many customers will be uncomfortable knowing they cannot trust their equipment will be "safe," much less successfully repaired, when shipped to these facilities in both the US or UK. :righton:
     
  17. dougotte

    dougotte Petty, Annoying Dilettante

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    I'm still happy w/ my 5400. I use it exclusively for stereo (don't have surround in my audio system, nor do I want it). I use the balanced outs to my preamp.

    SACDs sound about the same as my 777 did, but CDs sound much better than the 777.

    However, I'm well aware of problems getting Sonys serviced. If I ever have problems, I'll instead invest in a Marantz (but not the SA-10! - can't justify that expense). With a lesser model Marantz, I'd lose the balanced outs, but that shouldn't be an issue.
     
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  18. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    If you're in the UK, Richer Sounds are the sole retailer in the high street for Cambridge Audio. You have in England and Wales up to six years after the date of purchase to have faulty goods repaired.

    Your contract is with the retailer and not the manufacturer. Your issue then is more in Richer Sounds court than Cambridge Audio's.
     
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  19. High Fidelity

    High Fidelity Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London

    Never a problem with a refund, however , I will never waste my time again with a Cambridge Audio product
     
  20. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    I expect to have more, given as they've been flawless in my experience.
     
  21. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    High Fidelity has posted in numerous threads about his strong distaste for Oppo and Cambridge Audio players. He claims to have had issues with Oppo players that Oppo could not correct. When asked what those issues were he posted "Long ago, can not fully remember" :rolleyes:. I'd suggest moving forward to ignore his posts especially those making claims that he will not elaborate on. Just look at his last post as he quoted one of your posts four times in succession ;).
     
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  22. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    I've read a few of those before. Just found it unusual someone would continue to buy products he seemingly had a problem with by the same manufacturer!
     
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  23. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    You make a very good point! I'd say it's because he's just here to create controversy and nothing else but that.
     
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  24. High Fidelity

    High Fidelity Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London
     
  25. High Fidelity

    High Fidelity Well-Known Member

    Location:
    London
    I AGREE WITH YOU RE SONY SPARES WHEN MY SONY AVR STR-DA 5400 ES FAILED I COULD NOT GET IT REPAIRED BY OFFICIAL SONY ENGINEER DUE TO NO SPARES BEING AVAILABLE. I ALSO AGREE THAT IT IS ONLY WORTH BUYING CHEAP AND VERY GOOD SONY AUDIO PRODUCTS.I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER EXPENSIVE SONY. WHEN MY EXCELLENT SONY XA5400ES EVENTUALLY FAILS I WILL HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER BRAND THAT SOUNDS AS GOOD. NOW SOLD ON MY NEAR 30 YEAR OLD MARANTZ CD94 IS STILL WORKING FINE ONLY A REPLACEMENT BELT REQUIRED. THE PHILIPS EQUIVALENT 960 IS JUST AS RELIABLE.
     
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