Sony's XA777ES CD: competitive sound or obsolete?

I'd say obsolete, especially as CD playback is concerned (pretty easy to beat).

As to the "ticking time bomb" issue, my XA777ES started refusing to read discs after about 5-6 years. I sent it to Sony Laredo and it came back okay, but in the meantime I discovered what a mediocre CD player it was and didn't have enough SACDs to warrant keeping it. As I recall, mine went for around $900 and this was quite a few years ago.

The $3K MSRP is not a true indication of its street price, which was around $2K (what mine cost new).

I've heard a few of the high-end Sony ES SACD machines from the early 2000's, though not specifically the XA777 model (though I have heard the other higher-end 777 and owned the SCD-1). And I'd agree that the Redbook playback is uniformly mediocre, in fact below-average by today's standards. For example, I owned an SCD-1 that was easily beaten by my Meridian G08 (v1) in Redbook playback. And now I have an NAD M51 that I think is quite a bit better than what I remember getting from the G08.

But that's un-modded. Good modding can bring these back to relevance. And some of those Sony players certainly had great build quality. Another example: I have a Denon 3910 with Modwright Ultimate Truth mods. I used to own a stock 3910, and its Redbook quality was poor. The Modwright 3910, on the other hand, is very respectable; it can compete with the NAD M51, and adds a slightly sweeter sound to Redbook, though the M51 is a little more detailed. I prefer both of these to the Eximus DP-1 DAC on Redbook.

I also had a Sony ES 5-disc changer from the mid-1990's (un-modded), and that was actually more analog sounding than their higher-end 2000's models (i.e. I'd rather listen to Redbook on it vs. an unmodded SCD-1). It absolutely can't compete with the resolution of today's DACs, but it was an enjoyable listen on the cheap.

I would stay away from these old players because of failures of the sled mechanism. At some point Sony will not be able to repair these machines. I had a 777es and it was good but then got a Sony 5400es and it was much better. I finally stopped buying SACD's and just listen to redbook on my Audio Note equipment
Alan

I have a 777 and it has worked well, still providing great sound. I have needed no repairs, but when it does I will sell it off for parts and buy a current Oppo machine. I also have Sony 595's which I use in another system. I purchased a few from Sony direct as refub's. Sound quality is about equal to the 777 and it does play SACD, of which I think are still the best sound media, aside from Blu-Ray. I have been tempted to make 'mods' to the 595 but for the cost, an Oppo is a better value and sound. Sony has always made the best 'sleds', often OEM of other brands. Sony chips are also great and that is clearly so from their Blu-Ray players success. Sony's best chip years are behind them, especially since they are a drain on Sony's profitability. Unless Sony makes progress on their download high resolution machines I think they will leave the audio field altogether. Sad/

Thank you guys, you probably saved me from making another mistake in thinking some of the older players are worth the money, modded or otherwise,

As Buconero 117 notes, it is sad that Sony has not kept up with CD technology. I personally never considered Sony a high-end product.

However, even with heavy competition, they still make tons of money with their TV and video products, and also a few of their digital cameras get high marks compared to lower level digital cameras offered by Canon, and especially Nikon.