New SACD player from Sony? The SCD-XA9000ES! (1 Viewer)

[Oliver]

I think you people still didn't get the real news here. It is not the i-Link. It is the i-Link in conjunction with the digital amps, means the signal stays from source to the coil before the speaker terminal completely !!! in the digital domain. Now, that is the signal path of the future.
To bad the receiver looks, well, is it allowed to say ugly?

 

[Dmitry]

I think people do get it's digital all the way to the speaker. It also means that it's good-bye to pure analog audio for non-digital sources as now signal has to be digitized before it could be amplified.

 

[Justin Lane]

What? no comments on the new 930 model???

The 930 looks like it could be a very nice model. Isn't the QS line the equivalent of the DB line over here in the states which Sony seems to have done away with? If they decide to do the 930 over here, it would probably be a lower model ES line player if this is the case.

I am still holding out for a new ES changer of some sort. I am happy right now with my 222ES, but if a 300 disc ES DVD/SACD megachanger was put out I would be very tempted to pick one up.

Though a bit slow on their announcements, it looks like Sony is finally getting some decent players to market in the near future.

J

 

[Rachael B]

Oliver, they have two reciever/DVD/SACD combination units for sale here. They have digital amps. They might be technically similar in some respect? I haven't seen them because there isn't a local ES dealer anymore. I'd like one for my bedroom, maybe? They look nice and convient on paper. Somebody around here must have bought one, surely? Thanks for the tip Oliver!

 

[Greg Schwabacher]

I am still holding out for a new ES changer of some sort. I am happy right now with my 222ES, but if a 300 disc ES DVD/SACD megachanger was put out I would be very tempted to pick one up.

Me too! Something I could replace my CDP-CX333ES with -- actually, just a multichannel SACD/CD megachanger would be okay with me!

 

[KeithH]

Dmitry said:

It's highly probable that the champagne color will not make it over here, as it's just not a popular choice in this part of the world.

This is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy in my opinion. We have not been offered many champagne (or silver) components here in recent times, so we have cabinets full of black components. Now when we get an opportunity to buy a champagne-colored component, folks often pass because it doesn't match the others.

I don't think we have been given an adequate choice of champagne or silver components over the years in order to really gauge US consumer interest. Most of what is available in champagne or silver are budget or mid-priced DVD players. It is true that a number of high-end stereo components sold in the US are available in champagne or silver, but we are really talking about more readily available components here.


All,

Regarding the future of the 'XA777ES, I would be interested to see first if the 'XA9000ES will be sold in the US. Then I would like to see what the retail price will be and if it will indeed replace the 'XA777ES. Then, it would be interesting to see if dealers start to blow out the 'XA777ES. I suppose it will depend on the specs. of the 'XA9000ES (i.e., whether the 'XA9000ES looks to be similar or better than the 'XA777ES or a step down). I bought my '777ES in October 2001 for $1500 when it was retailing for $2500. If similar discounts are available for the 'XA777ES (i.e., if it's selling for $1000), that will be awfully tempting.

 

[Tom Grooms]

If similar discounts are available for the 'XA777ES (i.e., if it's selling for $1000), that will be awfully tempting

That would be a no-brainer!

 

[Dmitry]

Wouldn't it make sense to design an amp that would use analog bypass for sources connected via the analog inputs and then use digital amplification for sources connected via the digital inputs (i-Link)? Could this be designed?

It would definitely make sense, but I don't see how it could be done. I'm no expert on amps, but is it possible to make one that's capable of amplifying both digital and analog signals without making it exorbitantly priced? Or at all?

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Keep addin' them zeros. I can't wait until I can by a 90000ES.

 

[Kevin Deacon]

The price of the new receiver will not be 7000 usd. That price was is some type of norwegian denomination.

 

[Brian Kleinke]

it's 17,000 Kroner

17,000.00 NOK = 2,382.50 USD

if that's true... heck $2500's less then the N9000ES / E9000ES when it first came out and it's got more power.

 

[Brian Kleinke]

Er sorry.. the 17,000 Kroner is for the SACD player

The reciever is 30,000 Kroner which is 4,204.57 USD

So that puts it below the 5803...

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Looks like $7k for the combo then...

 

[henning hoffmann]

i-Link is Sony's name for what Apple invented and calls Firewire. Apple gave it over to a standards body which gave it the offical name IEEE1394

So:

i-Link = Firewire = IEEE1394

 

[henning hoffmann]

I can't wait to hear if the XA9000ES works with Pioneer's i-Link capable receiver (what is it, the 49TXi? something like that).