I originally bought my Sangean ATS-909W from a ThieCom in Germany (the
'W' meaning it covers 76-108FM instead of the usual 88-108) and got it
upgraded by RadioLabs while visiting the States. I've never used the
Sony 7600GR nor the other portables mentioned, so can't comment there
but I've found my mod'd 909 to be quite a bit better than it was
unmodified. The sound is certainly a LOT better and the sensitivity
seems to be quite a bit better too but again, since I don't have any
other shortwave receivers to compare it too, I can't say if it's
better or worse overall. As pointed out in previous posts, there is a
fair cost difference between a Sony 7600GR and the overall cost of a
mod'd 909.

(If you're wondering then why I ended up going for the 909 + mod, some
of the reasons were the addition of RDS and the signal strength
indicator. Most European FM stations use RDS, so it's handy for
quickly identifying them.)

...Francis