Sony SCD-1/777ES firmware update: my DIY project

Hi all,

As document previously by Khorn here, and by folks over on Audio Asylum, all models of the Sony SCD-1 and 777ES first gen SACD players have a problem with a small number of stereo/multichannel discs that are authored incorrectly which causes a burst of unpleasant white noise at the end of a disc. My SCD-1 had version 2.40 and was built in Oct. 2001.

I was always intrigued about updating my player to the latest (and last) V2.53 firmware, but was too nervous to ship across country for a problem that seldom occured.

Well, over on AA, some folks figured out you could order Sony part # 8-759-663-89 would get you the V2.53 chip. So, I ordered it last week ($75 total shipped) to give it a try.

Turns out it was EASY to replace! Just remove the top cover of the player, and the chip is in plain sight. A slight pop off of a chip cover, and the IC comes right out. Of course, static discharge safety is a must.

Here is a picture of the chip, borrowed from ThomasW over on AA, as well as a cruddy picture of my player. You can see the location of the IC just below the transport assembly on the main board, very near the bottom center of my picture.

NOTE: it doesn't matter if you have the SCD-1 or 777ES. The chip should work regardless of your model, what boards are in it, or when it was built.

 

Great!

I was wondering if it was worth getting SONY in the UK to update my player but was concerned that they wouldn't know what I was talking about and would charge me for the inconvenience if they did (we only got a one year warranty with the SCD-1 in England!).

This sounds like a breeze and at just $75 seems definitely worth doing.

One question - is there any reason a Europe bought SCD-1 wouldn't be compatible with this part?

Thanks for this tip

 

Malc,

Is your player 220V? Regardless, you should be fine replacing the chip yourself. It has nothing to do with the power suply, so I'm sure there wouldn't be any differences between a US and overseas version SCD-1. Let us know if/when you decide to do it.

My next DIY project: replacing the SCD-1 sled motor! This one will certainly be more tricky, I will attempt it on Thursday.

 

Sam,

I am told this only affects certain serial numbers...do you know which ones?

Or am I wrong and it affects all the players?

I have a 777ES but I have never had this problem and I am a bit reluctant to tweak this thing.

 

Lee,

I'm 100% certain this affects all SCD-1/777ES players. Most build dates have version 2.40 firmware, but some have 2.00 or 2.20. Going from memory, you can check your firmware by pressing the Text button on the player while pressing the Check button on the remote. Someone correct me if I'm mistaken.

My player with V2.40 definitely had the problem on some discs, so I'm certain that earlier versions did as well. It's more of a disc problem than a Sony player problem per se, but it's nice to have a fix.

As long as you're comfortable opening up the top of the player and disconnecting one ribbon lead, it's a very simple procedure. Of course, if you don't think you'll have any discs with the problem (or are not a habitual tweaker like myself ) you'll probably be OK.

 

Good info Sam. Thanks. I may try this. My goal is to have a Richard Kern mod done next year. I gotta do some recording with the new Tascam unit so I am saving some cash for that.

 

Cool My machine has been to Richard's twice. You can see from the (blurry) pic some of the mods. They include:

SuperClock I
SuperClock Power supply (can see it on the far left of the machine)
Vishay resistors on the audio board
Black Gate caps on the audio board
various power caps replaced/upgraded
Transport mod, includes replacing caps on the transport board

 

Sam, Great input, thanks so much. I am still debating if it is worth it to do to my machine because I only have 2 or 3 discs that make some minor noise, it is not that load and I was really hesitant to send it off for weeks or months. This home method sounds a lot better.

Sam, the chip looks like it is about a 48 lead TSOP. Did they send you a chip puller with it or did you have one or did you just pry it out? I assume to install you just lined it and pressed it into the socket. Is it keyed so there is only one way to put it in. (I know - I could open my unit to get these answers, but I too busy right now. )

 

Lucky bastard! Can I come over and listen?

 

Hey Tony,

They didn't send a chip puller, but I had one on hand. In hindsight, a chip puller is not needed because there is a little black collar over the chip which slides about 1/8" to the left, pops off, and the chip easily lifts out of the slot. No tugging necessary! You know, I'm not sure if it can go in either way.. the first way I put it in seemed to work OK, firmware registered as 2.53 on the first attempt. I had wondered this myself, but didn't try it the opposite way.

Definitely don't send it off for this upgrade, it's really simple and cost-effective compared to shipping it somewhere.

You betcha, c'mon by.. it sounds great!

Today (at work) a friend did some soldering on a board to replace my spindle motor with a new one from Sony ($98).. I'm "re-assembling" my SCD-1 tonight. Fingers crossed, everything will work once I put her back together, and my spindle motor/loading noise will be gone.

Wish me luck!!

 

Success

Didn't take very long to put the player back together. Definitely one of those "hows does this thing come apart" projects.

Everything is working/sounding as it should. Sled motor noise is cut down by 50%. I was expecting a bit more, but heh whaddya do? Am I the only one who notices this brief loading/unloading noise on SCD-1/777ES players? Now it's down to a tolerable level, but IMO it should be non-existent.

 

I actually like this noise...matches the tank quality construction with a nice industrial sound.

 

Ok, GOOD! Someone finally acknowledges that this noise exists! People over on AA where making me think that I was losing my mind by stating their players were absolutely silent when loading/unloading. Thanks for re-affirming my sanity, Lee

 

Sam, I posted this before, if I am very close to the player, I can hear a slight noise when it loads and unloads. It is not unreasonable or too load for a mechanical operation.

 

So, you think you'll order a chip for your player? Which discs did you have a problem with?

 

Sam, My 3 disc The Who "Live at the Royal Albert Hall" has a burp sound at the end of each disc. I know I have two or three others that make the noise too. I will probably make the change just for the sake of completeness and not so much to eliminate the noise given how easy it appears,

 

Right on.

Let us know if you have any issues. The "guinea pig" aspect has already been taken care of courtesy of Sam

 

I hear a moderate gear whirring noise from my SCD777ES on load/unload. My player has produced it without change from the get-go, 4 years ago. It's not bothersome. I too am puzzled by the AA fellows who claim their machines are dead quiet. However, the last-track burst of noise that I experienced with several recent SACDs was very loud, and might possibly damage a driver if listening at high volume. It first showed up for me on a Avie SCAD: "Cecilian Vespers" and then again on two recent Alia Vox SACDs from Jordi Savall. I had the new chip installed locally under warranty and all is well now. I feel a bit sorry for all the poor wonks who sent their machines on a dangerous ride to Sony to fix it.

 

Welcome aboard, sleeper! Good to hear you had an easy experience getting your player updated.

As these SCD-1s/777ES players get older, I think we'll see a few more people try some DIY repairs. I'm getting more and more comfortable pulling it apart.. in fact I'd feel comfortable replacing the spindle motor and laser assembly (in addition to the sled motor I already did).

Also, it is ironic that replacing the sled motor doesn't cut down on that whirring/grinding noise that you and I hear. Maybe it has to do with some of the gears? It's an enigma. I did have another SCD-1 about a year ago, and I don't recall the noise being as loud. Could just be my bad memory though!

 

^^bump^^

Just curious to see if after a month's time any other SCD-1/777ES owners attempted this firmware fix?

 

I may well perform this upgrade when I get back to England in September. I have never had any trouble with the noise at the end of an SACD though - I guess I haven't got any of the newer discs that my firmware can't handle. One problem I'm curious if they've fixed with the 2.53 upgrade is in playing "enhanced" CDs - ie those with data files for PC use. I went to sleep playing one of these and found the player still spinning the disc in the morning - the firmware seemed to have crashed! Anyone else noticed this and/or know if the 2.53 firmware fixes this?


As far as the loading/unloading noise goes - yes I can hear it on my SCD-1 but it doesn't sound like anything is wrong - just the motors doing their work. On the other hand, my brother's SCD-777ES makes a grinding noise on loading/unloading. That would bother me enough to replace the relevant parts since it is clearly not supposed to be that loud/unpleasant (still quiet but not what you want for £2000!). As to which parts need replacing - it wouldn't be the spindle motor or a sled motor (since the pick-up is fixed there is no sled!) but rather the motor responsible for moving the platter into position under the laser. Is this the part you replaced Sam?

My only gripe is the hum I get from my player - not loud enough to hear if music is playing but still louder than it should be especially since the SCD-1 has the potted transformers. I once had a theory that the hum comes from the ballast (like a transformer) for the flourescent display. I haven't seen them side by side but I believe my SCD-1 display is brighter than my brother's 777ES display and his runs silent while mine has a hum. It's a long story but I have been through 2 different SCD-1s eventually sending the second one off to Sony to be checked out for the hum problem (the 1st one ended up with them too). They gave up trying to fix it after butchering the second model so I asked for the first one back! Interestingly, on the second one the hum problem practically disappeared when in the <display off> mode. However, the one I have now sounds only slightly better in <display off> - if only they had experimented with the first one!

Again, like the noisy motor on my brother's player - this problem is pretty minor. It's just that for over £2500 I expect perfection!!

[/ramble]

 

Hey Malc,

If you're considering putting the 2.53 chip in, I would recommend ordering one from Sony while you're hear in the states as Sony USA Parts can get it out to you in a matter of days.

Do you have any examples of discs with data and PC files that were/are giving you trouble? I have played several like this with no consequences, but I'd be happy to check others for you.

Actually, the part that needs to be replaced to help reduce the grinding noise actually is the called sled motor. Yes, the laser is fixed, but the sled motor is attached to the side of the disc transport assembly and it spools up to move the disc transport assembly from the "normal" position to hover over the laser assembly. Since it has to move a relatively longer distance (and rapidly) that is why you can hear it working when you first insert the disc and when you press unload.

As for your display buzzing.. well I'm afraid I haven't heard (no pun intended) about that one before. I've listened to mine closely but sounds dead quiet when off or playing a disc.

I whole-heartedly agree that noises on an expensive player are unacceptable! That's what led to me just basically taking my player apart in an attempt to resolve these issues. I plan on having my unit a looooong time, so I wanted no annoying quirks to interfere with my enjoyment. If my player was making that buzzing from the display, I'd probably rip that puppy appart and see if there was a loose connection going to the display or similar

 

Sam, I can't seem to find this Sony part # in the SCD-1/SCD-777ES service manual or am I just blind as a bat?

 

Hi there Oyama,

Congrats on your purchase of Dean's 777ES, you'll love that baby

You are correct, that part is not in the service manual. Since its a firmware revision chip, it came out much after the manual was published. You'll have to call Sony and ask specifically for that part number.

Do let us know if you decide to upgrade your firmware and how it goes

 

Thanks Sam! I’ve always wanted one of these players. Actually, it was perfect timing as my DVP-S9000ES bit the dust and there seems to be no possible way of resurrecting it.

Will certainly do... Once I receive the player and confirm the firmware rev. it’s running (most likely earlier than rev. 2.53), I will go ahead and order the part from Sony. I’m wondering if I should order a sled motor for back up as well. I mean who knows how long these parts will be around for…

Thanks again for sharing your DIY project with us!