Sony 777ES Cleaning

Hello

The turntable they refer to in the manual is the little part or platter the actual CD rests on (About the size of a quarter). It has the little brass stem that sticks out in the middle that they brass weight installs onto. It's also a little elevated from the actuall CD compartment base. Basically just open the cover like your getting ready to install a CD, take a DRY Q-Tip and place it on the little platter and while applying light pressure with the Q-Tip place your finger on the edge of the platter and spin it at the same time. I took the liberty of cleaning the platter and the brass section of the platter at the same time. The whole procedure took 3 minutes, now the unit is working perfectly again. Some debris must have built up in this area over the years. Basically the procedure is like a miniaturized version of cleaning your vinyl with a record cleaning machine like a VPI. Let me know how you make out or if you have any other questions. I hope this will solve your problem as it did mine.

Regards,

Nocaster

Thanks for the info, Nocaster. I've had my unit for many moons and had it upgraded to the VSE Level 6 and I think it is the cat's meow, but it does show its age. I had the "no disc" display on different occasions and have addressed this my cleaning the lens on the lasers (requires removal of the top cover) with a Q-tip and a little windex. This is the first time I've heard of the "turntable" cleaning. I just did it and it does seem to help. Many thanks.

BTW: I, too, was a vinyl guy. After I had the unit modded by VSE, SACDs compete on par with the vinyl. I no longer miss vinyl when listening to the 777ES...and, the music from RBCD is not too bad either.

Thanks again.

Hello,

Glad to be of help. Too bad Sony has quick the SACD format, once again hanging people out to dry as they did with Beta vs VHS. Please inform me of the details of the upgrades you mentioned, my machine is 100% stock at this point. Also if you could advise in terms of where you had the work done and the approximate cost. In retrospect now that your 777 has been upgraded, if you had to do it again would you have spent 3 or 4k on a new machine. Perhaps a Moon 3.3 or whatever...........

Regards,

nocaster

Hi,

The mods were designed by Allen Wright of Vacuum State Electronics (VSE), and have been the subject of numerous reviews and commentary online. There has been a series of reviews on the various mods to the sony line (SCD-1, 777, and 9000) on Positive Feedback. I believe you can link to most reviews on VSE's website---http://www.vacuumstate.com.
VSE has agents on the East and West coasts who install the mods. I believe contact info is also on VSE's website.

Basically, the mods bypass the stock units' DACs and associated electronics with alternative circuits, modify the internal clocking system and power supply, and modify the grounding layout. The results to both SACDs and RBCDs are spectacular. As I mentioned earlier, I don't miss vinyl at all. The perfomance is at such a level that I don't plan on ever replacing the 777---ie, I'll keep nursing it along for as long as possible. Ck out the write-ups online, and there are several reviews posted on Audio Asylum, including one by yours truly. Let me know if you have questions.

I've dealt with both West Coast agents: Warren Gregoire in the San Francisco Bay Area and Jim Ellis in Seattle. Both have a modest supply of spares for the parts that routinely fail like the laser sled and spindle, and could repair the units when they fail. Both would be excellent folk to confer with and gain a perspective on what the mods will do to a stock unit. www.warrengregoire.com and www.sonicperfectionists.com

Regards,

rlxl

Hello

Thank you for the info. I think I'm going to take the plunge and work it around my holidays so that I don't miss the unit while I'm away. I actually contacted Allen in Europe via e-mail last night, he said that in modified form level 6 or the new 7 the SCD 777ES is pretty much the best sounding player out there. I'm very excited to do the mods. I'll keep you posted.

Regards,

Nocaster