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Sony 777ES Cleaning

I have a Sony 777ES, yesterday it started not to read the various discs I was trying to play. It was a hit and miss with respects to reading SACD's or regular CD's, that was my first clue that all was not well. I mean what are the chances that both lasers went out at the same time (SACD & CD) right? Well I decided to go where most men have never gone before, THE OWNERS MANUAL. In it I found detailed information on how to clean the units "Turntable". Basically you hold a dry cotton swab or Q-Tip on the "Turntable" while turning it with your finger. After a few revolutions and three or four Q-Tips later just to make sure I really cleaned it well, I was ready for the acid test. Presto!!! The 777ES was back up to speed and reading the CD's perfectly again. I was all set to do the usual research when buying a new or replacement unit, but as it turns out the 777ES will be with me for a while. I'm a vinyl guy and am not all that critical when it comes to digital so the 777ES serves my purposes. Bottom line.......Know your manual or it could cost you!

Regards,
Nocaster
nocaster
rlxl
92 posts
 
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.
nocaster OP
52 posts
 
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
rlxl
92 posts
 
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
nocaster OP
52 posts
 
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
rlxl
92 posts
 
Hi,
One other thing: be sure to ask Allen about the "Breath of Life" mod developed by Jim Ellis---I'm not sure if this is counted as the Level 6 mod or just an extra mod, I've lost track of the numbers and the differences. But this is the redesign of the grounding layout of the unit, and is most definitely worthwhile to have done have the unit is in the shop. It, indeed, breathes life into the music.

While I have not heard the latest and greatest and newest, etc. sacd players, my ears and gut tell me that the modded unit sounds like music, so I have to agree with Allen's assessment. As an old vinyl guy who didn't even own a cd player for about 15 yrs (it took me that long to finally breakdown and buy one), this player has really amazed me. BTW: just to give you some perspective when I say "old vinyl guy"---my record collection has about 3-4K albums and my sacd collection is only 3-400 and rbcd is about 1500, but I really don't listen to vinyl anymore. In fact, my TT is not set up at present (I moved 2 yrs ago and have yet gone through the set up for the table.).

Keep me posted.

Regards,

rlxl
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