Having had the Sony SCD-777ES SACD/CD player along with a buddy who had his modified, the modified one sounded better then the stock unit. BUT, when he sold the unit, he lost too much money versus what the mods cost him. I went and purchased a used DAC. The DAC I purchased was as good as or better then the modifed unit on Redbook playback. When I sold my Sony, I got close to what I paid for the unit. I still have my DAC and can get what I paid for it used.
So my recommendation is to get a used DAC. Depending if you want SS or tube sound in your system, there are some very nice sounding DACs that easily better the stock Sony on Redbook playback. I had posted a thread on this many years ago but here are some DAC recommendations:
SS DAC Units:
1. Electrocompaniet was the best bang for the buck DAC that I heard at the time.
2. Chord 64 was the best of al the DACs I tried in stock form.
Tube DAC Units:
1. Audio Logic DACs were the best tube DACs I tried. You can find them for around $1500 or less depending on the model.
Email me if you'd like more information.
Happy Listening.
So my recommendation is to get a used DAC. Depending if you want SS or tube sound in your system, there are some very nice sounding DACs that easily better the stock Sony on Redbook playback. I had posted a thread on this many years ago but here are some DAC recommendations:
SS DAC Units:
1. Electrocompaniet was the best bang for the buck DAC that I heard at the time.
2. Chord 64 was the best of al the DACs I tried in stock form.
Tube DAC Units:
1. Audio Logic DACs were the best tube DACs I tried. You can find them for around $1500 or less depending on the model.
Email me if you'd like more information.
Happy Listening.