sony scd-1 versus 9000es

I will be more clear.To upgrade my digital front end -I have a few options.I have the atc 150 asl speakers,Levinson 380s and the Scd-1 with a rel storm sub.My sony scd-1 has been modified by Warren Gregoire(vacuum state electronics agent in western US)-it has the stage 2 mod.To improve my stereo I thought of going with multichannel atc speakers,atc subs 6,?emm lab front end viz cdsd/switch 2/dac6e or just keeping the scd-1 and doing a stage 4 mod with vsei and purchasing the Meridian 861 pre. Any feedback?

I was wondering therefore, how the sony 9000es modded with stage 4 vsei stacked up against the modded scd-1?

What is the 4.5 upgrade?Everyone that I have spoken to likes the modded 9000 better than the scd-1.I agree that the build quality on the scd is Porsche-like.I had the Linn karik previously-and the stock scd was much flatter sounding and nasal compared to the Linn.The stage 2 modded was much better than the Linn.Slowhand-can you give me any of the sonic characteristics of the upgrade?

I have not heard the 4.5 upgrade. In speaking with Allen Wright, he says that the scd-1 with the 4.5upgrade gives the player much more resolution. More air and space between the instruments, along with more depth. I have a friend that has the dac6/emm setup. Allan told me that I should compare my scd-1 with his setup when I have the 4.5 upgrade done. He is not saying that the scd-1 will sound better, but he feels it would come pretty close. For $400 to $500 investment, that sounds pretty good to me. Allen posts on Audio Asylum. If you go onto the sacd board, you can ask him about it.