Hot Rod XA-777ES

[Metralla]

Originally posted by Dave
If I've been following correctly you now have the modded 555?
This was in another thread - on good sounding SACDs. But I didn't want to crap on that thread, so I started a new one.

Dave, I have a modified (some may say gutted) XA-777ES. The work was done by Ric Schultz of EVS.

This unit has been converted to stereo only (two of the three D-A boards have been ripped out) with fully balanced XLR outputs. We actually tried to use the 6 DACs and keep the added advantage of increasing signal to noise ratio as these cascaded (6db each time) but it simply would not work. Ric and I wanted this to work, but had to give up on the idea. Now the one D-A board that is there has been cut in half, and a custom hard-wired output stage on a perf board occupies the half closest to the XLRs. The output stage is balanced and uses just one pole of filtering (so it does start rolling off around 12k - but you don't perceive any loss of sparkle in the top treble).

There is a Super Clock II with its special power supply, and a bunch of Black Gates (except they are silver because the plastic has been ripped off) at various places.

The power switch has been disabled and the power inputs go straight into a custom traffo. The headphone amp has been disconnected.

I just took a quick photo of the innards. On the left hand side at the back you can see the new toroidal transformer and the two white capacitors on across the line. On the right at the bottom of the picture, that little board is the Super Clock II. The red caps are on the D-A board - there were three of these boards originally, and you can see the sockets where the others plugged in. The one that's left actually drives the center channel and the sub, so if you put it into m/c you hear some pretty weird music.

At the back you can see the output stages for each channel on the perf boards. The shiny cans are Black Gates with the plastic removed.

The big board in the foreground is the main computer - that's a $500 part. And if it plays up it has to be replaced. I'm not sure if mine is shot, but it's a bit flakey. That board controls the laser etc and I do have problems reading a couple of hybrids - and we are not sure if the board has a problem, or the laser alignment is not quite right. The price you pay for wanting a hot rod.

Regards,
Geoff

[Metralla]

Here is a closer shot of the D-A board and the output stages.

Regards,
Geoff

[Metralla]

Hi,

Just a bit more info. One of the problems of working on the XA-777ES is the three DAC boards are really tight, and there is simply not much room inside. There is in mine, 'cause two are removed. But this player is not an easy one to work on. I've seen Ric's work on the Philips 963 and there is tons of room inside that one for the custom electronics.

The most exciting thing about the new sound at my place is the dynamics and energy in the sound. I have always enjoyed what I was hearing with the 333ES, and had no complaints. I often wondered whether the top CD players and SACD players really provide a big step forward in sonics, or just a marginal improvement. It's early days for sure, and it should get better over the next 200 hours as the Black Gates settle in, but now I know how wrong I was in assuming that CD and SACD could only be slightly improved - it's a giant step forward for me.

I can understand that living on the edge is not for everyone - I don't even know if I should have done it. There is no warranty from Sony any more, as you would expect, and these SACD players do seem to play up a bit. If I can't sort out the problems I have with two of my hybrids through alignment of the laser (and I'm not sure if I can do it), then it has to go to Sony and they'll charge me an arm and a leg.

I do have 420 SACDs and 700 CDs to listen to though. And they sound way different; exciting and so realistic. It seems like I haven't heard these before; they sound a bit like what I knew, but on a totally different plane. So - a new collection then.

It has been a long wait to get this mod done - over a year. Ric had a few setbacks during that time, and if we had it over again, I would have probably chosen the SCD-1 to mod, just because it's so much easier to work on. And the idea of getting the three DACs to work in concert did not pan out for me. But in January 2002, a SCD-1 was way more than the $1900 I paid for the XA-777ES, so it wasn't even possible.

And now, I would probably chose a cheaper player - like the Philips 963 at around $400 - and have Ric do about $1000 worth of mods, and have something very, very close to my XA-777ES.

I can say one thing - this machine is unique. There is no other one like this, and Ric will not be modding them. He has one other XA-777ES that he is doing up like mine, but it won't have balanced outputs. I have the BAT preamp and that's fully balanced, so a balanced source is what I wanted.

Hey, it's a hobby.

Regards,
Geoff

[bassface]

Sounds great.

I'm thinking about having Ric mod a 963 or a pioneer 45a, but it seems like a year wait is pretty typical.

I'm also intrigued by the new denon that just hit the streets.

[Jeffrey]

Originally posted by Metralla

This was in another thread - on good sounding SACDs. But I didn't want to crap on that thread, so I started a new one.

Regards,
Geoff

Hi Geoff,

Feel free to go off on a tangent on any of my threads at any time. I don't think it's possible for you to "crap" on a thread. :)

Wow, the modded Sony looks awesome. Congrats! Now, i understand why everything you had experienced in the SACD world sounds so different now. It sure is amazing how much more high quality hardware reveals in the software. That's why i always get a kick from people who write their $150 TT and CDP "reveals everything".

-Jeffrey

[Metralla]

Originally posted by Jeffrey
I don't think it's possible for you to "crap" on a thread.
Thanks for your kind words, but I know I've done it in the past. I'm more vigilant now.

Regards,
Geoff

[Claviusb]

Geoff, I see a few more ways you could tweak this unit out some more on your own. You can apply blue tack to the tops of the electrolytics, which are very sensitive to vibration. You can apply damping material to the interior chassis walls to contain vibrations. You can apply copper tape to the tops of all the IC chips and carefully (read: quickly, you don't want the chip to get too hot from the soldering) solder a drain wire to ground. I'd also try to shield off that top left section in the first image, though I'm not sure how you'd do it.

[pigmode]

What is it you like about the modded 777? Do you still have the 333 for comparison?

BTW, I just picked up a barely broken-in 963 at a good price. It can't hold a candle to my main digital rig...

[Claviusb]

Long time, no see Sasaki! Welcome back, bud!

[Jeffrey]

Originally posted by sasaki kojiro
BTW, I just picked up a barely broken-in 963 at a good price. It can't hold a candle to my main digital rig...

Hi,

How does the 963 compare w/ the SACD 1000? Is the upsampling all they claim it to be?

-Jeffrey

[pigmode]

Originally posted by Claviusb
Long time, no see Sasaki! Welcome back, bud!

Hey Robert!

How does the 963 compare w/ the SACD 1000? Is the upsampling all they claim it to be?

Based on memory, I'd have to say the SACD 1000 is a much better player with a fuller and more enjoyable sound. It has a different output design, as well as a more sophisticated power supply scheme.

My 963 is only about 75% broken-in but even if the stock power cord was upgraded, I seriously doubt it will equal the SACD 1000. It's (963) a decent value for the money, but it's reliability is an unknown, and there have been a number of reports of noisey transports appearing on the web already.

Upsampling: I don't see it as something so very special as far as the 963 is concerned. OTH, my non-upsampling Shigaraki DAC is awesome! I can't say enough about it.

[Metralla]

Originally posted by sasaki kojiro
What is it you like about the modded 777? Do you still have the 333 for comparison?
Yes, I still have the 333 - it's in the cupboard. Since the new player arrived, I'm thinking very strongly of having the Allen Wright board added. I always wanted to have this modification doen, but I did not want to be without my SACD player. But now that I have the 777, the only thing stopping me is money!

It's fortunate that the chipset in this el-cheapo carousel player is suitable for Allen's mod. There is an agent for the Vacuum State Electronics (Warren Gregoire (http://www.warrengregoire.com/)) modifications in Walnut Creek, which is about an hour away. At least I would not have to ship it - which is a good thing as mine was a demo unit and I don't have the box. I'd like to have an IEC male socket added while the back is off, as I'd like to use one of my spare TG Audio power cords with it. Hopefully Warren can do that change at the same time and it won't cost too much.

I'm so impressed with the sound of this new unit. In many respects, it does not sound much like the old player at all. The improved dynamics are just outstanding and listening off-axis, that's the main thing I notice. I haven't yet plonked down in the sweet spot and listened to something I know well - say "Amused to Death". That will be interesting, and I'll do so when I have a few more hours on the machine.

The bass is another area that has improved vastly. For example, "Kandi" on SACD has way more punch in the bass. The bass lines really push the songs along, adding a rhythmic drive that I did not seem to appreciate before.

As I play CDs and SACDs I know well, each one seems so enhanced in musical impact and realism. I have never heard a stock XA in my system, and I know that they are a good player in standard form. So I can't really say what aspects on the XA's performance have been improved by the modifications. That's something I'd like to find out one day.

Regards,
Geoff

[pigmode]

http://www.tweakaudio.com/EVS%20modified%20SACD%20players.html

963 mods are posted. Anyone else have a 963?

Metralla,
Our systems are so different. I need to audition a Sony.