Sony SCD-777ES availability?

Ok,I was a little hard on Dave, for which I sincerely apologise. I applaud Dave's decision to purchase
whatever SACD player he chooses, and folks have given better advice than I.

I feel very strongly about "value audio", IMHO the 777ES is a value item, and a worthwhile purchase. However I've experienced the anguish of my audiophile friends as they have purchased "recommended" components time after time, and got the short end of the stick, as they've been blindly led down the rosy path of snake-oil reviewers. Again, reviews are one of my "hot button" subjects, and I do apologise for my rant! Dave, if you are anywhere near Massachusetts, and would like to listen to my 777ES, and enjoy some "opinionated" hospitality and a good cup of coffee or stronger, let me know.

Paul

Well I often thought that I was missing a great deal with the 777es and maybe I have. Hey Dave, I wouldn't go running to buy a discontinued 777es player until I heard the new one and had a chance to compare the two. Who knows, maybe Sony may strike gold twice with the new player and I wouldn't be surprised if you could find it for a very nice price as well.

Keep your head up!!

Thanks for all your advice (even Paul!). I had no idea
I was opening a can of worms with this simple thread!
I talked to the boys over at Oade, and they said the new
777ES will carry a street price of aound $1800. I just
figured if a discontinued 777 was available at a good
price, I'd buy it. I didn't know that they were such
a hot piece! And, by the way Paul, I don't live and die
by Stereophile's reviews or any other magazine, but I do
take them into consideration along with write-ups in
Audioreview. Thanks for the invite for coffee, but it'd
be quite a trip from Wisconsin!
Thanks to all!
Dave

The 777 and SCD-1 are a classic supply and demand situation. I paid $3125 for my SCD-1 even though I know others have paid as little as $2700+. Although I pride myself in buying very low, I wanted it and I wanted it NOW, so I paid the going rate. Same situation for the 777ES.

Keep your eyes on eBay and this sight. They go on auction a couple times a month. But expect to pay $2Kish, as these things are in demand. Why are they in demand? Becasue they are that good, that's why. However, if you can hang on for a while, until the new multichannel ES version comes out, you may be able to pick up a 777ES for a lot less than $2K.

The quality of the multichannel SACD players will also effect the prices on the two channel high end players. If the multichannel versions prove to be as good at two channel with the added benefit of good (and it better be good, not like DVD-A) recordings, then expect the prices of the SCD-1 and 777ES to fall. That said, I'm not sure if Sony will build another piece with the quality of the SCD-1 or even the 777ES for a long, long time. Those were statement pieces -- "hey look we want SACD to be the new standard in high end digital", where Sony engineers were given quality targets as opposed to cost targets.