scd 777es sacd sony mod worth it?


hey. there is a gent (think he's a memeber here) who seems like a straight-up guy over the phone. he does mods for the 777es which, he says, really opens up the sound stage and mellows the highs. his name's richard and his website is http://www.audiomod.com/

just wondering if any people have done this mod and/or have thoughts about doing it. it's pretty cheap. i like the 777es as is but who knows what i'm missing.
equipment used with it:
arc vt100mkII
arc ref1 line
space-tech phono
oracle delphi mkI tt
acoustat mod III speakers
vandersteen 2wq sub

as always, thanks in advance.
kublakhan
I sent my 777es to Richard at Audience in March. Mines the first they've done (doing). They couldn't get the Sony people to give them a service manual of this unit, apparently Sony doesn't do this on new models, ergo Audience has had to trace out all the circuits on their own without the aid of the service manual. This is more than a mod, they are essentially rebuilding/replacing much of the unit where they deem necessary, including a new analog output stage. The initial estimate of around $1600 for the full monty is actually $2800, it went up after they got into the process and saw how difficult it was, particularly sans service manual. I've been told this modification/re-engineering will put this unit on par with any player out there at any price. We'll see. I hope so. It's been a loooong process, and costly. However, given what I'll have in the unit with the original price of the unit(good deal on A'gon) plus mod fees, it could still potentially be a reasonable bang for the buck if it's as good as Audience says it will be. I'll soon find out, mine is supposed (supposed) to be done any time now. If you're considering this process, you may want to wait a tad and I'll let you know what I think. Or you may have already sent yours, or you may not care what I think. Whatever, I'd be happy to relate my experience to whomever is interested. I'm hoping for the best, and will be cursing anything less.
Rcprince, thanks for your kind offer. I actually did try to contact you, but obviously my mail didn't get through and Mes, we must compare notes, once we have the units back.
Regards to all,
mes, detlof, dont leave us all hanging. PLEASE remember to post and compare when you guys get your boxes back. i can't wait to read the results!
God, i love this stuff.
:)
I own the SCD-1. I am extremely happy with the SACD/CD playback performance. I have no interest in "upgrading" my unit. Without the original configuration on hand, how can you be sure that there is "improvement" vs changes in the tonal balance. In addition, after spending $1500 on an "upgrade" there is a predisposition to assume that it was an improvement.