ModWright Modified Oppo BDP-83!

modwright · « **Reply #80 on:** 6 Sep 2009, 07:57 pm »

Well, the intent is this:

Two channel balanced audio for music.

The board has room for five more channels then. Some peole run 5.1 vs. 7.1 multichannel or surround. I don't know if there is great interest in this combination or not, but I thought that I would make it available if there was interest.

The board has nine (9) discrete audio channels. 2CH balanced requires four of those channels. Some will only use the analog outs for stereo and will use HDMI for MCH. If so, then obviously no need for the other channels.

It is a flexible unit and I am just trying to make our offerings flexible also.

Thanks,

Dan W.

talk2me · « **Reply #81 on:** 7 Sep 2009, 06:59 pm »

Dan, is it going to be true balanced? I mean 2x everything including another power supply? edit: just read your update on website, thanks. I wonder how it sounds compaered to your Sony CD player mods and Denon mods you did in the past.

maikeldepotter · « **Reply #82 on:** 15 Sep 2009, 11:06 am »

Quote from: OBF on 2 Sep 2009, 06:15 pm

Just wondering what all the MCH mod users plan to connect the OPPO to? Is everybody using something like the McCormack MAP-1, or just connecting to the analog inputs on a pre/pro? Seems like that might partly defeat the purpose of the mod so that is why I'm asking. I tried searching and didn't find a discussion on how to best integrate something like this while taking advantage of the clean analog output.

I will connect the modded Oppo (scheduled to be send to me this week...) to a Sony TA-P9000ES 5.1 analog surround pre-amplifier, with the bass management being done with an (analog) Outlaw ICBM-1. In my set-up there is no need for delay settings to compensate for different speaker distances. In this way there is not one digital component between the Oppo and the power amps (except for frequencies below 80 Hz which are room-equalized using a DSpeaker Antimode 8033 bass equalizer placed after the ICBM and before the active subwoofer). In addition, I will connect the (higher quality) stereo outputs of the Oppo to my audiophile stereo pre-amp (Musical Fidelity A5cr), to which the TA-P9000ES is connected through a HT-bypass. I believe that this set-up combines the best of stereo with the best of surround, all in one set-up (PS I have also a digital surround pre-amp - the Outlaw 990 for digital sources like PS3 and iTunes through Airport - connected to the TA-P9000ES through a 5.1 by-pass). Hope this helps...

talk2me · « **Reply #83 on:** 22 Sep 2009, 12:17 am »

I sold my Oppo 83 after comparing the sound to a Arcam DV 139. So now it is back to researching a BDP.

modwright · « **Reply #84 on:** 25 Sep 2009, 10:18 pm »

To answer your question, the balanced output stage for the Oppo will be fully balanced/differential, yes, but will use a single supply. The mod board has room for 9 discrete circuits and the stereo DAC has differential outputs. As a result, the balanced mod will use four discrete circuits for the stereo balanced outputs.

I hope this makes sense.

Thanks,

Dan W.

djoel · « **Reply #85 on:** 2 Oct 2009, 01:21 am »

Quote from: talk2me on 22 Sep 2009, 12:17 am

I sold my Oppo 83 after comparing the sound to a Arcam DV 139. So now it is back to researching a BDP.

Cambridge is coming out with a uni blu ray player.. It should be interesting, MRSP is about 1000.

Djoel

sac8d4 · « **Reply #86 on:** 2 Oct 2009, 04:06 pm »

Anyone get their modded unit back from Dan yet, I am eager to hear about some reviews of player.

Phil A · « **Reply #87 on:** 3 Oct 2009, 12:41 am »

Quote from: sac8d4 on 2 Oct 2009, 04:06 pm

Anyone get their modded unit back from Dan yet, I am eager to hear about some reviews of player.

Not yet - mine has been there a couple of weeks so I would imagine within a week or two I should have it back it hand.

jjinid · « **Reply #88 on:** 5 Oct 2009, 02:01 am »

Hello everyone. I am the Jeff that Dan references in the first post in this thread - I sent my Oppo BDP-83 to Dan at the end of April for him to develop his modifications on. I just received it back from him this past week and finally had a little more time to spend with it this weekend and wanted to post my initial impressions.

I was in the 2nd round of the Oppo EAP group of 300 so I spent a good amount of time evaluating the player's audio and video quality (and reporting some bugs) before I sent it off to Dan. As it has been a few months since I had my stock player and I don't have a stock player to directly compare to, my comparisons are mostly based on memory. However, I can say up front that the modified player does not even closely resemble the sound of the stock player - it is so much better across the board! There is a much better balance to the sound (before it sounded a little thin/bright) - accuracy and bass in particular stand out along with much better instrument and vocal clarity. The improvement is apparent across all formats -the dedicated stereo outputs are phenomenal sounding for both CD and SACD and are significantly better than the Sony SCD-2000ES that Dan modified for me several years ago. Uncompressed Blu-Ray audio out of the multichannel outputs is a revelation now - before I could not tell much if any difference between it and the compressed DD/DTS digital output via coax and having it processed by my pre/pro (a McIntosh MX119). That is not the case at all now - the difference between compressed and uncompressed DD/DTS is as big as it should be.

I will be glad to answer any questions that anyone has regarding my impressions of the modded player and I will post further impressions once I have more time to listen to (and enjoy) the unit. I will conclude by saying that everything Dan has said and promised about this player and his impressions of the sound are right on (as usual) and it is well worth the upgrade if you are using the analog outputs for 2-channel and/or multi-channel audio. The Oppo is an outstanding universal Blu-Ray player - I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to be Dan's beta-test customer and am very pleased with the results of his work!

ted_b · « **Reply #89 on:** 5 Oct 2009, 02:18 am »

Jeff,
Welcome to AC.

I am one of Dan's earliest customers and have had almost all his mods and products (except the amps so far); I've beta tested quite a few of his creations. I'm very appreciative of your post and your unique perspective.

Question: for those thinking of using the modded 2 channel analog outs for all that is stereo, but use HDMI for multichannel SACD/DVD-A operation (and mch Blu-Ray too) can you comment at all on whether Dan's improved power supplies, etc have done anything for the HDMI side of the house? Dan assumed some of these improvements, while not directly aimed at HDMI, would improve that aspect of the player too. Thanks
Ted

jjinid · « **Reply #90 on:** 5 Oct 2009, 02:38 am »

Hi Ted,

Thanks for the welcome! I unfortunately can't directly answer your question about the improvement made to the HDMI side of the house as I am only using the HDMI output for video and not audio - my MX119 is over 5 years old now and does not have HDMI inputs. I intend to upgrade it at some point but having the modified Oppo now and plugging it into the 7.1 analog inputs sounds terrific. If and when I upgrade it will be more for the other advanced current pre/pro features (i.e. room correction, increased flexibility, etc) vs the need for HDMI 1.3 audio processing. I will say that I am glad to have the Oppo back as I was "getting by" with my PS3 for Blu-Rays and I can say that the Oppo's picture quality is definitely better. I just can't say how much if any it is better than the stock player since it has been a while since I had the stock unit.

I should have the opportunity in the next couple of weeks to compare a stock Oppo player that a friend is ordering to my modified player. I was mainly interested in comparing the audio side but I can also take a look at the HDMI video output and listen to the other digital outputs and see if I can tell the difference between the two units and the impact of the upgraded power supply, shielding, etc. that Dan has put into the modified unit. If I do indeed have the opportunity to do that comparision I will be sure to report back.

HDJK · « **Reply #91 on:** 20 Oct 2009, 09:51 am »

Quote from: modwright on 18 Jul 2009, 07:47 pm

...

We may thus offer a sort of a la carte mod offering for this fantastic player, due to its diverse customer base and use.

Thanks!

Dan

Dan, will you be offering a digital only mod? I may plan to use an Oppo solely as a transport, so any analog mods would be obsolete.

Thanks
Jan

modwright · « **Reply #92 on:** 21 Oct 2009, 12:46 am »

At this point, the only mods that we will offer are those listed on our site. I don't know about a mod for transporter use only. It is possible, but we have to get A LOT of the other ones done first.

Thanks!

Dan

klao · « **Reply #93 on:** 25 Oct 2009, 01:32 pm »

Hi Dan,

Would you also be looking into the BDP-83 Special Editions that are equipped with ESS Tech's Sabre32 Ultra (ES9016) and Premier (ES9006) chips into your mods? Or would that requires new design into your mods. I have no ideas how much those special edition units cost, though.

BTW, congrats on your appointment of a MWI distributor (Elpa Shaw) in the Thailand market.

Thanks.

ajzepp · « **Reply #94 on:** 25 Oct 2009, 02:45 pm »

Wow, this is exciting as hell!

I took a little crap from some people a while back when I started really drooling over some of the nicer multi-channel preamps on the market. I eventually picked up a McCormack MAP-1 and it's been a fantastic match with my Sony BD player and my maggies. But this modded player from Dan is EXACTLY what I've been hoping to see....and it's EXACTLY why I like sticking with analog gear. I can't wait to pair a modded Oppo with my McCormack sometime down the road.

ted_b · « **Reply #95 on:** 25 Oct 2009, 03:15 pm »

Quote from: klao on 25 Oct 2009, 01:32 pm

Hi Dan,

Would you also be looking into the BDP-83 Special Editions that are equipped with ESS Tech's Sabre32 Ultra (ES9016) and Premier (ES9006) chips into your mods? Or would that requires new design into your mods. I have no ideas how much those special edition units cost, though.

BTW, congrats on your appointment of a MWI distributor (Elpa Shaw) in the Thailand market.

Thanks.

Are these Special Editions just previously modded players with the new DAC chips? I see no mention of an SE version on Oppo's pages, on other forums, etc. The newly announced Ayre DX-5 player is sourced from an Oppo shell; they kept the main PCB (with the video decoder, ABT scaler chip, and HDMI transmitter), the transport mechanism, the VFD display, and the remote control handset. But it's $10k!! Hardly a BDP-83 SE.

sac8d4 · « **Reply #96 on:** 25 Oct 2009, 04:35 pm »

Good point Ted_b, I wonder what he is refering to by this Special Edition nomenclature. Ayre, Lexicon,Theta at this point are all basing their bluray players on the Oppo BDP-83, and the price of admission for the aforementioned units range form $3k to 10k.

Philistine · « **Reply #97 on:** 25 Oct 2009, 04:48 pm »

I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on Dan's Oppo - it will blend in well with my MWTP and reduce my Oppo universal DVD player and cheapo Memorex Blu-Ray player down to one unit, in addition to giving me great audio and video performance.

To be fair to Ayre they plan to do a significant amount of cosmetic and performance upgrades, the full details can be found here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1181755
I'm sure it will be a great performer, but at a much higher price level.

sac8d4 · « **Reply #98 on:** 25 Oct 2009, 04:55 pm »

Quote from: Philistine on 25 Oct 2009, 04:48 pm

I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on Dan's Oppo - it will blend in well with my MWTP and reduce my Oppo universal DVD player and cheapo Memorex Blu-Ray player down to one unit, in addition to giving me great audio and video performance.

To be fair to Ayre they do a fair amount of cosmetic and performance upgrades, the full details can be found here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1181755
I'm sure it will be a great performer, but at a much higher price level.

Good point, However the real test would be Dan's Mods vs the uber expensive Ayre and the other Oppo based Blu rays players.

Also Ted_b mentioned, Ayre is keeping the main PCB (with the video decoder, ABT scaler chip, and HDMI transmitter), the transport mechanism, the VFD display, and the remote control handset. OK, that is pretty much what Dan is keeping, hes changing out the clock, builiding a new analog stage, rebuilding the PS with the addition of separating the digital/analog section on its own PS.
I am on the waiting list for Dan's Full Multi-Channel Mod with Master Clock upgrade, I can't wait to get the mod and the unit back from Dan

modwright · « **Reply #99 on:** 26 Oct 2009, 10:46 pm »

I also considered the notion of taking an Oppo BDP and putting it in our own enclosure with out own circuits and call it our own. To do so however, would necessarily put the price upwards of $3K-$5K. Alternatively, I can offer mods to the unit in its own box and keep the price to < $2K. The minute it enters dealer network and is offered as a mf'd. product, the whole pricing matrix changes.

This is one of the benefits of mods.

Thanks,

Dan