r, v 3.1
Page 2
Introduction



In 1985, the engineers of Sony ES surprised the world of high fidelity.
The Sony CDP-650ES was the world's first CD transport with a digital output,
enabling unheard-of sound quality and unprecedented flexibility in audio system
configuration.


In 2003, the engineers of Sony ES have done it again. The
SCD-XA9000ES is Sony's first Super Audio CD player to provide an
uncompressed digital output for the Super Audio CD's Direct Stream Digital
signal. This is an i.LINK� digital output, compatible not only with Sony's own
STR-DA9000ES receiver, but also with latest generation of outboard D/A
converters from other high-end audio companies. In this way, the Sony
SCD-XA9000ES helps deliver Super Audio CD sound with effortless clarity,
transparency, impact and presence.


For owners who will connect the player to conventional receivers and
amplifiers, Sony has equipped the SCD-XA9000ES with a Tri Power
Digital-to-Analog Converter using eighteen separate SA DAC chips that deliver
the unprecedented precision of 36 DACs. With either digital or analog outputs,
the SCD-XA9000ES establishes a new and altogether higher standard in music
reproduction.

i.LINK Digital Output......................... Page
3
DSD Decoder LSI........................... Page
7
Audio Technology for Analog Outputs
Multi-Channel
DSP....................... Page
8
Speaker
Time
Alignment................... Page
10

Super Audio D/A Converter (SA DAC).......... Page
11

Tri Power DAC.......................... Page
16

Audio Circuit Boards...................... Page
18
Construction & Design

Discrete Dual Laser Optical Pickup............ Page
20

Twin R Core Transformers.................. Page
21

Frame and Beam (FB) Chassis............... Page
22

Silver Cascade Design..................... Page
23
Features and Specifications.................... Page
24
SCD-XA9000ES White Paper, v 3.1
Page 3
i.LINK
�
Digital Output


From the initial launch of Super Audio Compact Disc, the 1-bit DSD pulse
train was always converted to analog prior to output. While previous Super
Audio CD players did include conventional coaxial and optical digital outputs,
these outputs handled CD signals exclusively. The SCD-XA9000ES is Sony's
first SA-CD player to provide a digital output for the 1-bit DSD signal.



Typical SA-CD reproduction involves numerous D/A and A/D
conversions. The i.LINK digital connection can simplify the signal path.


This i.LINK digital output is compatible with the i.LINK digital input on
Sony's own STR-DA9000ES as well as a growing number of outboard D/A
converters from other high-end audio companies. The i.LINK interface
maintains the signal in the digital domain and can protect the signal from
repeated D/A and A/D conversions. The i.LINK interface also enables a single
digital cable to take the place of six analog cables.



A portion of the back panel showing the multi-channel analog outputs
(upper left), stereo analog outputs (lower left), optical and coaxial digital
outputs for CD (center right) and i.LINK digital output for Super Audio
CD (upper right).
Amplifier
Digital Signal
SA-CD Player
Speakers
SA-CD
D/A
convert
A/D
convert
DSP
D/A
convert LPF
Volume Analog
Power
Amp
Analog Signal SCD-XA9000ES White Paper, v 3.1
Page 4



Internal layout of the SCD-XA9000ES as seen from the back. Notice
the R-Core power transformers (1), the digital circuit (2), the analog
audio circuits (3), and the i.LINK output circuit (4), near the center of the
back panel.


The i.LINK digital audio interface uses Digital Transmission Content
Protection (DTCP), a robust system that protects the music from piracy. The
application of the i.LINK (IEEE 1394) interface for Super Audio Compact Disc is
clearly different fromand not compatible withprevious i.LINK interface
applications for DV camcorders, PC peripherals and professional digital video
systems. You can only connect the SCD-XA9000ES i.LINK output to a
compatible digital audio input, such as that on the STR-DA9000ES receiver.

1
2
3
4 SCD-XA9000ES White Paper, v 3.1
Page 5


The i.LINK output circuit incorporates a dedicated Large Scale
Integrated circuit (LSI), Sony's CXD3210.


The design of the interface is exceptional because communicating six
streams of 2.8224 MHz digital samples raises exceptional challenges.
Conveying 1-bit signals at such high data rates and synchronizing the signals
with the other component's master clock would normally expose the signal to the
time-base errors called jitter. These errors translate directly into time-based
distortion of the audio waveform.


The connection from the SCD-XA9000ES to the STR-DA9000ES receiver
overcomes this challenge with the High quality digital Audio Transmission System
(HATS). HATS uses "command-based rate control of isochronous data flow" to
solve the problem. The system incorporates three principal elements.

1. Variable-speed transmission from the player.
2. Buffer memory in the receiver.
3. Command signals from the receiver to the player, controlling transmission
speed.


The receiver continually monitors the amount of audio data in its buffer
memory. When the buffer memory reaches its lower limit, the receiver
commands the player to increase data transmission speed. When the buffer
memory reaches its upper limit, the receiver commands the player to decrease
transmission speed. And when the buffer memory is between the upper and
lower limits, the receiver commands the player to transmit at normal speed.
SCD-XA9000ES White Paper, v 3.1
Page 6


With Sony HATS, audio data flows from the player to the receiver's
buffer memory, according to rate control commands from the receiver.
Reproduction in the receiver achieves the full time base accuracy of the
receiver's quartz crystal master clock.


In this way, HATS makes it unnecessary to synchronize a jitter-prone
signal with the receiver master clock. Instead, the buffer memory outputs a
jitter-free signal at the full quartz-crystal accuracy of the receiver's master clock.
You get all the benefits of digital transmission, without exposing the signal to the
potential for jitter-induced distortion.

SCD-XA9000ES
STR-DA9000ES SCD-XA9000ES White Paper, v 3.1
Page 7
DSD Decoder LSI


The SCD-XA9000ES processes and decodes the 1-bit signal using Sony's
CXD2752R DSD decoder LSI. This integrated circuit makes intelligent
decisions regarding the incoming data to form the 1-bit audio signal. The LSI
first reads the Watermarka feature protecting Super Audio Compact Discs from
piracyand then decodes the incoming data. The LSI uses a buffer memory to
take data that's output intermittently from the disc and rearrange it into
continuous 1-bit audio streams. The streams are output according to the master
clock signal from the audio circuit board. The LSI also reads sub code data
such as the Table of Contents, track number, track time, and text.



Multi-channel DSD decoding is handled by a Sony Large-Scale
Integrated circuit (LSI), the CXD2752R.
SCD-XA9000ES White Paper, v 3.1
Page 8
Audio Technology for Analog Outputs


While the provision of an i.LINK digital interface for Super Audio CD
signals is a technological tour de force, compatible equipment is just beginning to
become available. Clearly, many owners of the SCD-XA9000ES will be
enjoying Super Audio CD through analog outputs. For this reason, Sony has
developed sophisticated technology to provide an analog output of superlative
linearity, with extraordinary freedom from noise, interference and jitter-induced
distortion. The result is unsurpassed music reproduction, no matter which
outputs you use.

Multi Channel DSP


Home theater speaker configurations vary considerably. Some
enthusiasts have built upon audiophile-grade stereo systems. These systems
may have large, full-range Left and Right speakers that produce bass so deep
that any subwoofer would be extraneous. In this case, the Left and Right
speakers may well be considerably larger than the Center and Surround
speakers. Other systems may have five matching satellite speakers, plus a
subwoofer. Some systems may have no Center channel speaker. The
SCD-XA9000ES has a Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Large Scale Integrated
Circuit (LSI) to achieve optimal multi-channel reproduction with all these speaker
configurations. The DSP processes the Direct Stream Digital signal in its 1-bit
form, using technology similar to the professional editing systems currently used
in the studio to produce Super Audio CDs. The DSP accomplishes three
functions when using the analog outputs:

1. Bass redirection. You can optimize the SCD-XA9000ES output to work
with your specific speaker configuration.
2. Channel balance. The Sony ES player can also accommodate differences
in speaker efficiency, adjusting the balance between front/surround,
front/center and front/subwoofer speakers.
3. Test tone. The SCD-XA9000ES is equipped with a test tone oscillator to
confirm connection status and channel balance adjustments.

It's easy to a