Audio Mods

wingnut4772

I ran across THIS site called Reference Audio Mods. They offer an Oppo DV 981 HD with :


"# Furutech IEC Connector- We add a high quality gold plated Furutech IEC connector to the rear of the chassis for use with high performance aftermarket power cords.

# Rubycon ZL/ZA capacitors-
We replace an abundance of voltage rail decouple/bypass capacitors in all critical areas with Rubycon ZL/ZA series caps! Very Very Nice improvement! A HUGE change in total sonic tonality and character, the stock caps are very bad! We feel the Rubycon ZA/ZL sound superior to even the very best Blackgates and are the most transparent electrolytic cap available (offering more speed, openness and vividness in the soundstage) and offer more ripple current and less impedance which makes them optimal in this use. We have directly compared/tested to these the best soudning blackgates that we stocked and found the Rubycon ZA/ZL to sound more transparent, resolving, faster and much more livelier! A definiate better sounding cap!

# Custom RAM Exotic Ultra High Speed Diode Bridge-
We replace the stock noisy/glary/grainy rectifiers with a handmade RAM Exotic version made out of ultra fast SMD diodes. These are superior sounding to the Harris versions and offer Less glare, grain and harshness! Better Video as well! These are wired into the circuit with Audio Consulting Silver Wire. Very little metal is used, this helps out the eddy current issues and give better resolution and bass. We have compared these to the "Harris Soft Recovery Diodes" that we used to install and our diode bridges make the music sound cleaner and faster with no grain whatsoever!!

# Jensen 4-pole Electrolytic cap in power supply-
We install an Jensen 4-pole Electrolytic capacitor in the power supply to replace the stock smoothing cap. This cap has an unique ability of reducing power supply distortion while at the same time remaining very fast and natural. Such a clear and audible improvement delivering more resolution, texture, dynamics, and liveliness. We wire this with Exotic Audio Consulting 24awg silver wire w/natural unbleached cotton tubing. The cap betters the best blackgates and any other cap on the market used in this particular position in the mod. This cap costs more than half the cost of the acutal stock player!!!! This even makes video looks better as well! This is a major mod component and we are the only company installing this into the Oppo units! This cap really cleans the noise from the AC supply giving the oppos such an analog sound!

# Analog Output Stage upgrades (for use as a standalone player)-
We delete the stock Analog Output stage (all caps, analog filtering, opamps, etc) in favor for our own version using Rubycon Capacitors and Audio Consulting silver wiring for a very "minimalistic" approach. We feel that this minimalistic approach will most likely be of higher resolution than if you compared it to a outboard DAC. (The factors of connectors, coupling caps, digital cables, impedance, input receivers, filters, stock electronics, etc.. come into play in the outboard DAC) Past clients who had our previous "samsung and toshiba" mods like this package here have said the player was definitely better sounding than if they connected it to a outboard DAC.

# Digital Output Stage upgrades (for use as Transport)-
We shorten the digital output path with Audio Consulting Silver wire and improve the output digital signal coupling. We replace the stock Coaxial rca connector with the WBT NextGen connector for better performance. If you intend to use this unit as an transport (or as a stand-alone machine), please make sure you also select the "Audiocom Superclock 4" Upgrade option to drastically lower the stock jitter lower for definite improved performance! (We also recommend having RAM modify your outboard DAC for even better performance!)

# WBT NextGen Female Copper RCA Connectors for 2ch out-
These are the best sounding RCA connectors in the industry and take the sound to a higher level. These are eddy current free designs and drastically improve the integrity of the signal over the stock rca connectors on the unit."



All that for the low low price of $875.00 but wait! If you order now (and for even more money) you can add.....!


"Optional Upgrades:

Take the Standard RAM Modded Oppo model much further!


# Audiocom Superclock 4 Reference Clocking Upgrade ($295 Installed)-
Replace stock oscillator circuit with the New Audiocom Superclock 4 ultra low jitter reference clock. The Superclock 4 offers much lower jitter rate for the digital circuitry than the stock cmos type oscillator. The effects of adding the Superclock 4 into Oppo bring: More focus and detail into the presentation, Wider/Deeper/Taller Soundstaging, More subtle detail is now coming off the disc so the inner resolution of instruments and guitar plucks (for example) have the texture and liveliness and presence like they do in person. Overall resolution increases and Bass/Dynamics are tighter, deeper and more refined and controlled. Video will look better as the phase noise in the digital processing circuits is much lower, more vibrant colors and less grain. The Superclock 4 is a optional but critical mod component. This clock is leauges better than every clock we have tried on the market. The effect of adding this to your mod order is like in sense of putting a supercharger on a car. Eliminating tons of jitter and distortions, the oppos now have reference quality signal feeding the critical digital dsp servo circuitry.

# Audiocom Superclock Power Supply Upgrade ($295 Installed)-
We add a discrete power supply for the Superclock 4 that adds another level of performance to the unit by removing any reflections from the clock power supply to the digital SMPS power supply. Increased dynamics and resolution is what to be expected. The clock power supply is needed to truly have a matched package with the SC4 clock!!!

# Complete Cryogenic treatment after player has been modified ($200, add 1 extra week for return) -
This mod option is done after the unit has been modified and nothing else is to be soldered or touched internally. This is an industry 1st! We are the only source cryoing players! The result is shocking!! The benefits of cryogenic processing to the modified unit is: relieves stress in all solder connections and wiring connections, lowering the resonant engergies and intermodulation effects they produce, improved conductance of all materials (wires, connectors, solders, etc..), transient response, mechanical damping, improves heat dissapation. What is the sonic effects of this treatment? Heightened and more articulate perception of individual musical timbres and improved resolution and dynamics. Also improves video characteristcs as well. (Improved color saturation, clarity and less grain in the video outputs). Cryogenic treatment to the unit is a permanent process. The difference between modified and "cryomodified" is amazing!!

# RAM Handmade 1 Meter RCA Silver Interconnect ($195, will be included in box with unit)-
Need an extremely high performance interconnect, but dont want to pay the 200-500% profit margins that exist in the cable industry? Let RAM handmake and include in the box a 1 Meter Analog Interconnect that will really impress you. Our interconnects feature Audio Consulting 99.999% Silver Wire, Natural Unbleached Cotton Tubings, Eichman Bullet Plugs Connectors. Our Interconnects achieve unique natural, smooth resolving and dynamic sound. We have compared our handmade cables to multi-thousand dollar IC's on the market and it was very evident our was more live and natural sounding. Since the audio signals travel on the surface or skin of the wire, whatever is touching the wire (usually teflon or PVC) these synthetic properties are directly reflected into the music, giving you an inbalance or shift of the mid to high frequencies and some harshness in some cables out there. Our cables do not exhibit any type of brightness or hardness that is usually associated with silver wire because we use natural unbleached cotton tubing as an insulator, thus passing the signal with no apparent change or shift in tonality from the player to the next component you connect too. Truely an awesome interconnect that we could really price into the $XXXX range.



This would ALL come out to about $1800 or so roughly. My Question is ..why not just buy an $1800.00 player?

RuSsMaN

Ed Zachry.

The 'mod' crowd has reached the edge of out of control. No one can hardly listen to anything anymore that isn't modded by the Shoaling Monks with dried tiger **** filled capacitors. It's ludicrous.

unc2701

Yeah, I'm with you there. The oppo is a F---ing Steal at $200. At $1800, it's a gold plated ****. I'd take the $1800 player every time.

Early B.

Yeah, most of the mods listed above take advantage of an uninformed consumer. Mods are suppose to be a cost effective approach to getting better sound, but these prices border on being criminal.

Ricardo

Underwood Hifi is offering the Raysonic with two mod levels; $2,750 and $3,390. You can add a clock for $500 or so.

I am sure there are some benefits over the stock unit, but I doubt they spend more than $500 in parts.....

IMO any mod should be done by yourself, or a well known technician that won't rip you.