Sony scd xa777es cd player for sale
SONY SCD-XA777ES CD PLAYER FOR SALE
Mint condition and works perfectly. No skips, jumps or failure to read/play CDs or SACDs. The digital display works perfectly and there are just two tiny rack marks on the top (see photos below)
Comes with original owner's manual and remote control. I will also include the factory service manual on a CD.
Built by Sony at the time to be their ultimate no compromise statement CD/SACD player. By the time Sony released their XA777ES they had had numerous attempts at perfecting CD replay through some pretty amazing machines and built up a vast resource of knowledge and expertise in the field of digital replay. Sony used all of this knowhow to produce the SCD-XA77ES at a time when the company still wanted to be a high end hifi market leader (why can't they find their mojo again now?).
Not surprisingly, the XA77ES's build quality is fabulous, far exceeding much of what is available today. The machine alone weighs 36 pounds (more than many decently powerful amplifiers). Everything is made out of metal. No cheap plastic parts, £10 CD ROM drives or tooth pick size capacitors here. The tray glides out in a way that Accuphase owners will recognise and the overall fit, finish, etc. is just exemplary. No wonder Accuphase, Lindemann and others used the XA777ES's transport in their flagship big bucks CD players for years.
I've provided some pictures below of the machine's 'innards'. Clearly, Sony put a lot of effort into the design and layout of the machine - check out the thoughtful compartmentalisation of the power supply/transport/Main Digital Board/Audio Circuit Board through a substantial frame/beam chassis, massive bespoke Sony made transport, big high quality 'R-Core' transformers, premium audio components such as the ludicrously large high end capacitors, high end headphone amplifier, 6 - YES - 6 digital to analogue converters (where most CD/SACD players make do with one, or at best, two...) for multi-level D/A conversion, etc, etc. It's hard not to admire this real world engineering excellence and craftsmanship.
When you look at the pictures below, if you have not seen something like a Sony SCD-XA777ES before, it may come as a bit of a shock. This is most definitely NOT one of those faux £2k+ CD/SACD players comprised of a plastic transport or cheap CD ROM drive, basic circuit boards and table tennis ball size transformer lost in acres of empty space packaged in an, admittedly, beautifully put together box fronted by a 4mm thick alloy fascia (added to give the illusion that you are purchasing something substantially built for your hard earned cash).
A comprehensive review (supported by a suite of measurements) of the machine is available online via a really interesting website run by Ken Rockwell, so you can balance his comments and testing against mine! According to 'Rocker's' review, "This player measures and sounds wonderful...Sony SCD-XA777ES is a spectacular chunk of audio playback hardware and arguably the best CD player ever made". Here is a link to the review:
http://kenrockwell.com/audio/sony/scd-xa777es.htm
Never mind this Rockwell fella, what do I think? In my humble opinion, Sony's SCD-XA777ES is one of the finest front ends ever made. That is a helluva bold statement to make, especially as it is relates to an evil, nasty CD/SACD player - and a Sony one at that - living in an analogue world... But, please bear with me here. Last year at the Cranage Hall hifi show I was able to play some of my favourite Steely Dan music on SACD through a mind bogglingly expensive system that had, amongst other things, a 4 box flagship dCS SACD player. I expected to hear things I had never heard before or find the music being taken to another level. Well it didn't happen and in some respects, especially musicality and timbre, I preferred my Sony. My Sony more than held its own on detail retrieval too.
The mythical 'digital glare' trope so beloved of hifi journalists desperate to fill pages is non existent. We can also effortlessly throw 'tonal hardening', 'lean' and 'dry' in the bin too. The music just flows out in a lovely neutral, natural and beautifully balanced way. It's the purity and neutrality of the sound over a really wide frequency range that gets me and, of course, it makes long listening sessions a fatigue free experience. As you would expect from a high end digital source, timing is phenomenal helped no doubt by the massive transport and advanced servo software. Definition, the ability to resolve detail is exceptionally high too and with high quality headphones on you can dig really deep into recordings like never before. Bass shows great extension but still manages to be precise and fast. No problems with the treble either. Fans of cymbals for example (I used to play the drums...badly!) will love the grain free presentation and enjoy the decay of notes against a backdrop of absolutely no noise whatsoever. Soundstage is cavernous and I love the way you can so easily locate the performers even in the most complex of mixes. I could say a lot more on the sound quality but in the interests of keeping a potential buyer awake it's probably time to stop!
The in built headphone amp is absolutely superb by the way, easily able to match the one built with discrete components in my Accuphase amplifier (which would be £10k in today's money). For that reason alone, the SCD-XA777ES is a bargain.
Here's some information on the CD player's functions:
Outputs
Analog
2-channel stereo and 6-channel (5.1) outputs.
2 V RMS full-scale into at least 10kΩ.
Headphones: 10 mW into 32Ω (565 mV) - this is GOOD as you can drive some pretty high impedance headphones with ease.
*
Digital
Optical TOSLINK: -18 dBm at 660nm (CD only).
Coaxial: 500mV peak-to-peak into 75Ω (CD only).
*
Frequency Range
SACD
2 ~ 100,000 Hz
*
CD
2 ~ 20,000 Hz
Size, including projections
430 × 130 × 380 millimeters, WHD.
17 × 5 1/8 × 15 inches, WHD.
Features:
Multi-Channel Super Audio CD Playback Capability.
CD/CD-R/CD-RW Playback Capability.
Tri-Powered Super Audio D/A Converter System.
Multi-Channel Direct Stream DigitalTM Decoder.
Multi-Channel Management System.
Discrete Laser/Optical Pick Up System with Dual Lasers.
Direct Digital Synch D/A Clock System.
Direct Disc Selection plus Track Access via Jog Dial Control.
32 Step Programming.
All Disc/All Track Repeat Functions via Remote (only).
SACD Text/CD Text Capability.
Fixed Line Output.
Unbalanced Audio Output.
Optical and Coaxial Digital Outputs for CD Selection.
6 Multi-Channel Analog Output, plus Stereo Line Level Output for CD and SACD.
Control A-1 II for Connection to Sony Components.
Frame and Beam Chassis Construction.
Dual R-Core Power Transformers.
Triple Audio Boards.
Gold Plated Line Outputs.
Aluminum Front Panel.
Off-Center Insulator Feet.
Dual User Assembly Optimized for SACD/CD Playback.
Picture time:
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The DAC lives in here:
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I would be more than happy to give a demonstration on my system. In fact, I urge you to come and have a listen. You will not be disappointed and lots of chocolate biscuits/tea/coffee will be provided. As the Grand Wazoo will attest, I do biscuits as well as or better than any one!
I also have a spare new GENUINE Sony (not a cheap Chinese copy) laser for the machine which is available separately for £275. That's £25 below retail and I've never even opened the storage box!
It's hard to work out a price for something like this. In the end I went on the dreaded 'fleabay' to see what SCD-XA777ES's fetch. £800 - £1200 seems to be the range. I am asking £800 for mine including insured shipping which is a very reasonable price!!!!! All that tech. for less than half the price of a mid-range interconnect - no contest
As other AoS members will tell you I pack very securely so you have no worries there.
Any queries, please do get in touch.
Thanks for looking.
Regards
Steve
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Originally Posted by Martyn Miles
