Sony SCD-XE597

Sony has a short but successful history of bringing high-resolution, SACD multichannel music to the masses with its relatively easily affordable budget players. As a joint driving force with Philips, it is responsible for the decoding technology in a raft of players from the entry level to the esoteric. Despite the allure of the £150 price tag, Sony still has competition from the super-budget universal disc players such as Pioneer's DV-575A (£150). These machines play virtually all formats and offer DVD video playback into the bargain. Sony's answer is to target its machine at the audiophile - this player is all about sound quality.

The SCD-XE597 has been designed to deliver great musical gymnastics from both CD and SACD. In achieving its goal, Sony claims to have taken a fresh design approach with oodles of tuning to get the balance right. In addition to this, the player's key feature is the new Super Audio CD processing chipset, which converts both the SACD data and the CD data into a manageable stream that can be sent to the DAC (Digital to analogue converter). The advantages of this new chipset benefit both SACD and CD sound by reducing noise and increasing accuracy. There are further gains to be realised from the proprietary, multi-level DAC employed in terms of reducing noise and increasing transparency says Sony.

Aside from the digital to analogue processing, this player can also manipulate the 5.1 surround audio with its speaker time alignment feature. This clever bit of software allows the user to add slight delays to each speaker to allow for compromised surround speaker positioning. It means that you no longer need to accurately place your speakers equidistant from the listening position, which is extremely useful in domestic environments. Further features are included to improve audio quality - such as integrating all the digital processing onto one chipset, and employing an 'intelligent' servo, which increases the accuracy of data retrieved from the disc by controlling its rotation at high speeds.

Build and finish, are as usual, of an excellent standard, and in a style new to the UK. Ergonomically, the player feels very solid despite its relative lightweight. Fascia-mounted buttons feel positive and sturdy, and the jog wheel for track selection also feels robust, though some will either love it or hate it. Around the back the player boasts an optical digital output (but no coaxial) and the standard analogue RCA outputs. The display offers Sony's familiar 'calendar' track display and the remote control offers full functionality and a good complement of programming features.

Sound
We tested Sony's latest disc player with both two-channel CD and SACD, and full-on high-resolution multichannel music. With old-fashioned CD the player gives a reasonably open presentation - very clean and impressively analytical for this kind of money. It manages to get a good amount of information from the disc and is pleasantly balanced, although some listeners may prefer a bit more warmth. Realistically however, most of us will buy this player for the SACD playback, expecting CD performance to be exceeded by dedicated machines, as it almost always is. The key point, however, is that CD playback is still very acceptable, and even if you chose this machine as your only CD player, you shouldn't feel let down when you reflect on its other capabilities - it's still superb value.

Stepping up a gear with two-channel SACD and the budget performer comes on song. Polished vocal recordings such as A Star Is Shining by the Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble (on the Opus 3 label) give a clear indication as to the resolving ability of this machine. Harmonies sound impressively natural, and choral passages are detailed, full of textural information and well separated. Moving onto to more complex music such as Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the Sony digs out the detail from this slick remaster and projects the bespectacled piano man into the room with aplomb. This machine is a master of fine detail and consistently surprises when you consider its price.

In multichannel mode its resolving abilities extend to a wraparound experience, bringing music to life and involving the listener throughout. It's not without criticism, however, as it can sound a bit thin at times and lacking in pace, but put into context against its rivals in the marketplace, the Sony is a real charmer in terms of value and features. If you fancy an introduction to SACD without breaking the bank, this is about as good as you'll get.