Sony CDP-XA20ES?

Dear

I tried XA20ES about a year ago. I was intending to use variable output to skip the pre-amplifier. Review mentioned similarity between XA20ES and XA7ES which got my curiosity. First, the variable output didn't work. Sound is pretty flat, no liveliness. So I picked up active pre-amplifer in the used market. Even with fixed output I didn't have much luck with Sony. I had Rotel 975 at that time also. Rotel is more musical, gives better tonal balance. One thing I noticed is better bass extension with SONY. I believe it is coming from better transport section. You might want to hook it up with external DAC but it only features optical output which is believed to be inferior to coaxial. I sold it after several months' trial. In the price range of $350, I wouldn't consider XA20. You can do better with Aacam, Rotel, or Rega. Please consider that my musical taste is mostly classical and my current CDP is meridian.

Hope this helps,
Sam

mcbiff,

I was also looking at the XA20ES. I believe Headwize member squirt has one and showed a picture of his rig. From what I remember he liked it a lot, it was built like a tank and the puck mechanism, though a bit old tech, worked.

I decided on buying the NAD c541 (see my profile). I purchased it for $350 (retail $500). I would highly recommend this CDP. The audio store I frequent told me that the NAD line is a neutral sounding player that offers up what is recorded on the disc (good and bad), minimal colorization.

The 541 differs from the 540 and 521 because it is designed to play CDRs. Some people were turned off by the fact that the 540 and 521 were iffy about reading CDRs. They were not designed to do so, that is why it was hit and miss for a lot of consumers. It also plays HDCD.

Check out their website for a review of the 541 from The Gramophone:

http://www.nadelectronics.com/Reviews/C541-0701.html

I hope this helps.

Regards - reynman

Yup i have the XA20ES...I do plan on replacing it whenever money permits being that its getting long in the tooth not because of lack of performance. The XA20ES has always been a top performer for me and all the reviews i've ever read, both "pro" and amateur were positive. At $350 a cdp of this caliber is a bargain. It has truly good dynamics comparable to CDP's costing many times more, good bass response and top notch quality build.

Unfortunately i've only had an opportunity to compare it to my previous CDP which was a JVC model and the XA20 clearly was the better particularly in dynamics and DAC performance. i haven't used the variable outs so i can't say anything about it. It does only have a toslink optical out unlike its big brother the XA7ES which also had a coaxial out but i haven't used the optical out either.

If you can afford it i would also consider getting a newer model CDP since they now have newer technologies in some comparable models but whether this truly translates into superior sound to the XA20 i'm still not convinced.

I'm looking into an SACD player now but i really don't think much of all this multi channel technology...a 2 channel player will do me just fine...

First of all, don't take my words for granted since I haven't heard the XA20ES. I think, I heard XA7ES quite some time ago and frankly was not blown away. Perhaps I'm not a fen of Sony sound, but all Sonys I ve heard so far sounded a bit forward in the treble and lean in the bass and lower mids- not enough impact in a way. I haven't heard their top end SACD machines though.
Since you alredy have the Marantz which IMO is very good I don't think the Sony will be a big step forward. It was said that it is a bit older tech player. You may better built player but not much better sounding one.
When I think about source upgrade I'm considering a DAC. The Marantz should work very well as a transport. It has both optical and electrical digital outputs and the pick-up is very good. Mind that Naim uses the same Philips pick-up in their over 1000 USD CD player (was it NAIT5?). So, I guess a decent DAC is the route.

I tend to agree that the XA20ES would not be a worthwhile upgrade if you have a 6000SE. If i remember correct i had first decided on getting the 6000SE but went for the 20ES simply because Sony has a strong market presence here in Hawaii and they have a good service center here which was the deciding factor. From what i hear the 6000SE tends to be warmer sounding and the 20ES brighter and dynamic which i think works out well with my HD600 which tends to be too warm and not too dynamic

@ 350 I wouldn't touch it. There are some great mods you can do with this player, but I bought mine brand new back in late 1997 for around $400. The MSRP was around $700 but at bigger chains you could find them for much less. I was looking @ this same unit on the bay and emailed the guy. He is really firm on his price like he's got a real gem. If you look the outer casing it looks  pretty nicked up plus no manual or remote. You can find twice the unit + newer in that price range. This was the player to have back in the late 90's though. Hope this helps.

It's the little brother of the CDP-XA7es which I currently own. I say save your money and get a CDP-XA7es. It's a HUGE step up. You can find a XA7es for between $700-$999. The XA7es is a serious machine.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/539188/show-us-your-sony-es-collection