Modifications

Before the mod, everything sounds volume-tric, meaning I am not listening to music but sounds. By
the 3rd or 4th track (Cai Qin or Eagles), I am already asleep because of the fatigue, trying to hear the
music or even make sense of it. I got the 740C back and after hooking it up, no more ear or hear fatigue. There is the
music, the chords, the instruments, the stage, the separation, the vocal, the bass and everything. There
is no more loudness even though I crank up volume but really music, music and music.

I did some listening with my upgraded North star DAC. It does sound better, especially with the Sonos.
The grainy gritty mids is much less now. The sound stage n image feels larger and rock steady. There is more details and better texture to the sound. Overall very satisfying balance.

The modded 8003 had more of everything. Highs were smoother and less "digital". Cymbal decay was superior.Instrument separation and detail were breathtaking. What used to be a splashy mess of brush overdrums on Diana Krall's "Cry Me A River" now actually sounded like brush over drums. Bass, oh thebass! Punchy and deep with lot of oomph. Less boomy and bloated than the "stock" 8003.

Although it wasn't as warm as it previously was, I love it, it seems like taking off a veil from the music and I don't feel any fatigue during the session. Similarly, the bass had improved tremendously, it became tighter and quicker. My John Mayer unplugged- Slow Dancing in a Burning
Room & Eric Clapton unplugged - Tears in Heaven & Layla never sound so good to me before, first
time I felt the difference of Redbook and SACD can be quite similar, like WOAH!

The overall musicality of the player has also improved. From a boring player, it now becomes a player that has the ability to draw you into music and forget about the hardware.