I think we need to get our terminology sync'ed up
To me, a one box player is a CD or a CD/DVD player that will use it's internal DACs and audio output section. There are quite a few folks that mod good one box players to sound better than stock without the need for an external DAC.
The OPPO does not have a "problem" with the audio section. In order to meet a $200.00 price point, some compromises had to be made. The compromises OPPO made in the audio section are very common in most DVD players arounf this price. They used inexpensive, polarized, electrolytic coupling capacitors ( so do Pioneer, Denon, Sony, Panasonic, etc) an older, inexpensive dual op-amp, ouput coupling caps, muting transistors and so on.
Most of the stock DVD players offered today use the same basic design. Some of the more expensive ones use more expensive op-amps.
Using the OPPO as a
transport (ie, taking the audio signal from either the optical or coaxial digital ouputs) and feeding it into an external DAC for two channel, Redbook CD use is a good idea. It will bypass the internal D/A section and should give you better sound than a stock OPPO. This is not a one box soultion. You have at least two boxes with the DVD player and the DAC. Most DACs that I know of will not process Dolby Digital or DTS audio.
You will need an A/V receiver or preamp/processor to decode the Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks on most DVDs. You cannot listen to the high bit rate audio on DVD-As through the digital outputs. That is why I am working on modding the internal audio section on the OPPO.
If you have no desire to listen to DVD-A, then there is no need to get the analog audio section modded.
I am in the process of finishing up the audio mods on the OPPO, I have done some additional work on the digital output section and I have added a Slipstream Bybee in the line. I find it to be a GREAT improvement. There is far more information coming through. I am hearing more things between front to back and rear side to side channels.
