Price Paid:  $160.00

Summary:
Change Op amp´s!!!
Burr Brown OPA 2604 (double).
Unplug the Headphone Unit.
You´ll get a relaxed Sound.

Strengths:
Detailed, open Stage, but too harsh before modification.

Weaknesses:
Remte Control

Similar Products Used:
Marantz CD 63 se
Micromega Minium CD
Parasound D/A 2000
Sony XA 5 es

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This player is very sonically neutral...
It showed me what a high end player ought to sound like.
Great job, engineers at sony.
awesome.

Strengths:
neutrality, imaging, separation of instruments.

Weaknesses:
none yet. maybe in the rest of your system if you don;t like it.

Similar Products Used:
nad c541.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
A great cd player, especially after replacing the fixed power cord with a Bob Crump design cord. During breaking, this player lacks transparency, especially on variable output. But once broken, with the variable output only and with a good power cord (like asylum alias Bob Crump design), it sounds 90% of the performance of the Meridian 506.24. The replacement of the cord boosts the performance by 20-25% which was more than expected. I would describe the sound as audiophile with a good mixe of neutrality, wide frequency range, precision, detail, transparent and fluidity. Only on variable output i was able to get improved palpability like more expensive cd player like Kinergetic KCD-40 and Meridian 506.24. About the rating, I give 4 with the stock cord and 5 with an upgraded power cord. For tips on how replacing the power cord, contact me.

Strengths:
Great tracking, variable output, good overall performance, performance/price ratio

Weaknesses:
Poor fixed power cord

Similar Products Used:
Kinegergetic kcd-40, Proceed pcd2, Rotel 965/971, Meridian 506.24

Price Paid:  $400.00 from Dealer moved!

Summary:
Have had the XA20ES for many years now.
Thought it sounded good out of the box, but immediately wanted to MOD it! Main changes were upgrading the inexpensive Japanese op amps on the audio board, to better quality US made chips. Think I got it where I want it. Better sounding all around now. It is simple to do. I put 8 pin sockets in the audio board, and tried chips till I got what I wanted to hear. IT uses the standard 8 pin dual op amp configuration, and pinouts are standardised on most or nearly all 8 pin dual amps. Have ANALOG DEVICES chips, but you can try BURR-BROWN, etc. This is one area that mfrs. cut costs on, but you can experiment fairly cheaply! I even replaced the headphone amp chip, which is unfortunatly, a surface mount type. LOve the new sound, it is like trying different tubes in amplifiers. VOIDS WARRANTY! Get help, if you don't know what to do!

Strengths:
Improved detail and slam, plus imaging, with new chips installed. BUt was good to begin with.

Weaknesses:
NO coax output to drive my DAT machine. But the PC board has the holes for the parts if you want to add it on. Need service manual from Sony..

Similar Products Used:
FIrst SOny player I've had.
Fairly easy to get service manual if you want to try analog upgrades-leave the digital alone!

Price Paid:  $350.00

Summary:
Incredible transport, very good sound using analog outs, fantastic build quality, sleek...and then Sony f#$@ed things up by being 'techno-pushers,' as usual: WHY NO COAXIAL DIGITAL?! MORONS! WHAT AN AWESOME TRANSPORT, SO WHY?
I use a separate DAC that sounds great with my Denon DCM-370...just an OK player, about $300, but has a coax digital output. Then I get this thing, thinking that the Optical would be comparable - uh, uh, no. The first thing I noticed was the S/N dropped - I had to keep turning up my volume, and kept getting more hiss. It is my understanding that the European model has a Coax. What the hell? Obviously, Sony had some sort of side agreement (Possibly with Toshiba) to once again try to spin a market in a particular direction. What a shame. I am taking it back today.

Strengths:
Above

Weaknesses:
ABOVE!!!