Dan Wright "Absolute Truth" mod for SCD-1 / 777es

interesting article below found searching www.harmonicdiscord.com regarding Kern and Wright mods
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue6/stock.htm

Mejames: Thanks for posting that info. Now if i could just teach you guys how to leave a very simple link for stuff like that, we'd have it made : ) Sean
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PS... for those that want to learn how to leave "clickable links", PLEASE direct your mouse to the section under the response box that is titled "no html, but you may use markup tags". This shows you step by step how to do this.

For those who have not heard the comparison
between a a modded piece versus non modded,you
are not wasting money.Though I am a dealer,I have
a Philips 1000 that basicaly is an inexpensive
SACD player that uses cheap parts.I had Richard
Kern modifify it with Black Gates,Superclock
2,upgraded power supplies,ect.(I have no
affiliation with Richard,though I do know him).I
can tell you ,without question that the player
has been brought up to a new level,and
competes,or
outrightly beats Transports,Dacs,1 box players
costing 3 to 5 times as much (and I have such
pieces)Considering the
resale of a Philips stock version would be 500.00
tops,I find it hard to believe that one could not
get more than that for a modded version.All work
done by Richard,is warranteed,and nowhere have
I read that work done by the reputable modders
have gone bad within the warrantee period
provided by them or even after.The failures that have occured ,wether modded or not,
all seem to be with the stock pieces,Laser
mechanism,sled,ect not with the work done.Even if
the warrantee is voided,units with factory warrantee have been nightmares
getting the piece fixed and back to the customer,
have certainly been less than glowing.

Bottom line is,if you are looking to get a much
improved unit,which in most likelyhood will
operate just fine,you have everything to gain,and
very little to lose.Had the companies installed
reasonably good parts in the first place,this
issue would never be discussed.I am sure there are
more than enough people who are satisfied with
their modded units otherwise none of them would still be around.For those nay sayers,I
really wonder how many have actualy even heard a
modded piece versus stock.

I am also thinking about the Kern mod for my Sony 777ES. I have decided to try the SuperclockII and transport mod just because the link noted above said that it was the biggest bang for the buck. I have heard that the full blown tube output mod by Dan is great but I did not want to have any holes drilled into my unit figuring that there will be new combo SACD/CD players comig out in a year or two from the other well know companies. I think the Sony with a mod is a good value if you want a combo player if not, then get a better redbook player.

I compared my stock Sony to the same model with a Jerry Ozment mod. The mod is basically an Audio Logic DAC that is connected to the digital output on the Sony bypassing the Sony's internal output design. Alan Wright has a similiar mod design. Well, the mod was clearly better than my stock Sony from the first notes, making my Sony sound like the music was coming from a cardboard tube. That is the best way that I know to describe it to you. The person who had the Sony with the mod is Rcprince another Agon member who also uses a Forsell Mk.IV transport and dCS Purcell, with an Audio Logic DAC. That set up bettered the Sony with the mod on redbook playback but it was not that dramitic to my ears but it was better. Russ uses the Sony mainly for SACD playback.

So it seems like you have to spend quite a bit of money to beat a Sony with a mod as far as my ears could tell.

Hope this is helpful, Happy Listening.

A cost effective way is to buy a used sony 9000es and get Modwrights level III mods with tubed output stage. Cost is $1200 & the results are outstanding all for less than 2k. The tube stage puts a level III modded player in a totally different class.