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Anyone modded a Sony 999es?

I have a Sony 999es DVD/SACD player. I made some inquiries on modifications about 2 months ago and saw one modifier was doing it but did not put in the new "superclock". Also did not mention exactly what was done to the unit. Another modifier emailed me directly saying he wasn't doing any mods to this unit. I have seen some reference to mods on this machine including the cut and paste job below:

"We have modified the SCD-1, the 777ES, and 9000ES. We determined that the transport and digital engine in the NS999 DVD player is the best Sony makes. The new 999ES is sonically superior to any previous Sony player whether stock or modified. It proves you don't need a 70-pound chassis in order to get state of the art performance. It is mainly the quality of the digital section that gives this player the advantage. The rest of the guts of the player are irrelevant, since we rework and replace them all anyway. We like Sony players because they convert PCM data to a DSD data stream, which is then decoded as an SACD would be. Most other ‘universal' players convert DSD to PCM, which in our view is counterproductive. We have looked at the other players and have found them lacking in comparison to the Sony. Sony's conversion of Redbook to the SACD format is at a very high resolution. In this player, it is equivalent to 50+ times over-sampling. Noise shaping and dithering are not required, so less data is lost or masked. With SACD, the data is presented in the same format as it is archived by Sony and no data is lost.
Richard Smith,
Audience Director of Design Development."

The problem with the above mod is that it is $5K - way too steep for me. I would love some feedback from some people who have had this unit modded, specifically who they used, how much, the turn around time and the before/after comparisons. I am really interested in improving the redbook performance but also the multi-channel SACD as well. Any feedback is appreciated!! -Tony
treyhoss
treyhoss OP
287 posts
 
Thanks for the response, Jay. I have read several testimonials about Dan's work regarding the Sony 9000es. The unit I have not heard about is the 999es which I own. Since the 999es performs multi-channel SACD, I am curious about the levels/sound across all the channels. I currently use an outboad DAC and upsampler (click "system" above). I have found the difference between using the DAC in the stock Sony vs. the outboard DAC to be almost two interpretations of the same work. The Sony is smooth at the top and not quite as wide or dynamic across the range. The outboard combo has more detail and sounds much louder (I think the DTI runs a higher voltage out but am not sure) but has a little more digital "glare" than the stock Sony. I would like to get the detail, width of image and immediacy of the outboard combo while keeping the smoothness of the Sony. BTW: SACD playback solves almost all of this problem, especially the smoother, wider and more powerful dynamics of the music! I would love information on what mods could achieve what I'm looking for or if they can at all. FWIW: The one modifier who told me they DON'T do the 999es mods was Richard Kern. In the mean time, I'll try to email Dan with this as well. Besides Dan Wright, are there any other modifiers of this particular model? Sorry to be long-winded!

Regards,
Tony
jayctoy's avatar
jayctoy
4,190 posts
 
Tony even if there is other modifier, I will stick
with Dan, this guy is genius.The soundstage of this
unit is so wide,and the depth is exceptional, thats
why I get good hologrphic sound.Its the tube stage
and the dac (triple dac upgrade also).But the direct
to amp is very good,IMS it beats my 2K preamp.I tried
my sony 9000 to the msb dac it did sound good,but
no comparison the sony mod.ITS ALL MUSIC THAT COMES
OUT ON THIS UNIT.Audience they do good job also from
what I heard,BUT 5K.
lokie's avatar
lokie
528 posts
 
Tony,
Please keep us informed as to you findings. I also have the 999es and am very interested in your findings.
Thanks,
Doug
Post removed 
treyhoss OP
287 posts
 
Thanks, TVAD. That review helps a lot. The more anectodel information I receive the more comfortable I become:-) about doing this. Lokie, I will keep you updated. I email Dan last night and he was VERY prompt with a reply. That makes me feel better as well. I will probably take the plunge here in the near future and will follow-up at a later date. Dan suggested the full "truth-mod" which includes a tube analog stage. I am a little hesitant with tubes as I don't have much experience with them - everything I have is SS. I emailed Dan as to the "life expectancy" of the tubes and if by having the tubes installed will necessitate having to leave the unit on indefinately. Of course if I do have to leave it on, how will that affect the life span of the tubes? Also, if a tube does go out, how easy is it to replace and can I do it myself? A few unanswered questions left but I am hoping to hear from Dan soon on these issues. Thanks for your input everyone! Regards, Tony
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