Marantz 8001 SACD Player mods?


Looking for input. I have a Marantz 8001 CD/SACD player. I'm either thinking about replacing it or having one of the modifier shops have at it. Is it worth up to $2000 to modify this unit or would I get better sound if I just replaced it with a used unit around $2000? Anyone have any experience with a modified 8001? Might I get better sound just by upgrading to a Marantz SA-11 or SA-15? I'm more interested in the best Redbook sound, as I only have a handful of SACD's.
tube540
I guess what I'm asking is for the same total amount of dollars, would the modified 8001 trounce a used SA-15 or SA-11? Or would the stock SA-15 or SA-11 sound better than a modded 8001? I know the resale value always suffer. Sometimes mods are of the "I can't believe the improvement" to "can I hear a difference and do I like it better after the mod"? Would love to hear opinions from people that owned modded Marantz 8260's or 8001's. The cost for the mods start at about $750.
IMO, mods would likely make the 8001 sound better than the SA-15 or SA-11.
Would it trounce them? That's really a matter of personal preference.

Some people write of "jaw dropping" experiences that others would
describe as a marginal improvements.

I will say that I have read little discussion on Audiogon regarding modded
Marantz 8001 players, so the pool of owner feedback is extremely small.
I have a Marantz 8001 SACD/CD player modded by Paul and Brian Weitzel of Tube Research Labs about a year ago (I bought it new for about $650 and had it modded for about $700). I formerly owned a Marantz SA-11, which I sold. I think that the modded 8011 has more detail than the SA-11, has better highs, and is more analog-like.
Just happened to browse the threads here, and saw this one, although it's nearly two months old. I have a couple of reengineered SA-8260's, essentially the same machine as 8001, and they are fantastic.
If you like the looks and feel of the 8001, and want to keep it, it can be made into something that's as good as anything out there. But you have to go for a complete reengineering of the player - new clock and psu, and a new output stage. Parts swapping modifications and other minor tweaks really don't get you much, performance-wise.
VSE and RAM are good modifiers who will get the most out of the player.
FWIW, at RMAF2006, RAM was showing a fully reengineered 8001 that had sound nearly identical to the top Esoteric player that they had for comparison.
As for resale value of a modded player, well that's somewhat irrelevant as you will want to never part with a fully reengineered player.
I have owned and sold five "reengineered" players (nice euphemism!).

I've now purchased a stock player.