I never had the 7700. I went from sewing on a small Janome DC2010 to the Janome 8900. Talk about an upgrade!! It is a fabulous machine, and I am busy piecing a California King Quilt for my daughter and her husband. I have kept my DC2010 as it is in great shape and a perfect size to take to guild sewing events. I have only had the new machine about three weeks so I am still learning all it can do. I paid $2999 for the machine and besides the warranty, I got two years free maintenance and free lessons for life. My Janome dealer is local and has an in-house service department so my machine doesn't have to be shipped anywhere should it need attention. All-in-all I am one happy gal! Now if I could just get someone to clean my house so I had more time to sew. LOL....