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View Full Version : Hey....guess what I’m about to do? [Major Oppo mods]



Gazjam
09-01-2018, 21:27
https://i.imgur.com/gmmGTyJ.jpg

Primalsea
09-01-2018, 21:39
https://i.imgur.com/gmmGTyJ.jpg

No, can’t see what you’re getting at here, but you do seem to have a few loose screws...:lol:

Firebottle
09-01-2018, 21:59
Swap the switcher to a linear?

Gazjam
09-01-2018, 22:01
Swap the switcher to a linear?

indeedy!

Macca
09-01-2018, 22:03
You're going to put jam in it and see if it still works.

walpurgis
09-01-2018, 22:07
I was going to say 'strip it for parts so you can build a good one' ;)

Gazjam
09-01-2018, 22:08
Whoa..
using the Oppo 203 as a Roon endpoint (digital output to my Dac) and after fitting the linear power supply i’m like.....

Yeah, ok..enough.
Night and day better playing Flac into my dac, this is tremendous.

Gazjam
09-01-2018, 22:10
You're going to put jam in it and see if it still works.

as always...nothings blown up yet!

clap
11-01-2018, 01:21
https://i.imgur.com/gmmGTyJ.jpg

Where did you get the new power supply? I see someone is selling them on eBay. Upgrading the iec and attached wiring also seems popular.

Gazjam
11-01-2018, 09:33
Got mine from this site here:
http://www.oppomod.com/

Read up on the guy in DIYAudio and elsewhere, the seller knows his onions and his products are well thought of.

I've ordered the Furutech/Mundorf wiring IEC upgrade too, from here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oppo-BDP-93-95-103D-105D-UDP-203-205-Kit-Furutech-Inlet-R-IEC-Mundorf-Wire-/121304662289?hash=item1c3e524111

(https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oppo-BDP-93-95-103D-105D-UDP-203-205-Kit-Furutech-Inlet-R-IEC-Mundorf-Wire-/121304662289?hash=item1c3e524111)

Tim
11-01-2018, 09:34
What about the 'after' picture then Gaz ;)

Gazjam
11-01-2018, 09:35
Some hours now on the power supply and things are improving as components start to bed in.
Nice.

Gazjam
11-01-2018, 09:52
What about the 'after' picture then Gaz ;)

Hey Tim, hows life treatin' you? :)

Not my pics, but same psu fitted:
http://www.jasonmyres.com/external_file_hosting/images/Oppo_UDP-203.jpg

Comparison between stock switcher and linear:
http://www.jasonmyres.com/external_file_hosting/images/Oppo_UDP-203_PSU.jpg

Oppomod does two linear psu's, I went for the SE version, which has better spec'd components.
Blurb from his website:

"The highest audio grade low ESR Nichicon KW series electrolytic capacitors are used.

Multiple all discrete Schottky barrier diodes are now used throughout. The lower voltage drop of the diodes provides higher switching speed and better system efficiency, while producing less heat, EMI and switching noise.

Wima film and tantalum capacitors are included for regulator IC buffering and impendence matching. Audio grade AMR 2A gold fuse is included."


I'll be swapping out the fuse for something better, I'm funny that way...

wee tee cee
11-01-2018, 15:39
ye just cant leave things alone!!!

That Dunkirk spitfire will no doubt sound rather splendid -and not look too shabby either!

Tim
11-01-2018, 19:51
Hey Tim, hows life treatin' you? :)
Pretty good Gaz, fully retired now which I have to say I'm really enjoying - plenty of time to really indulge my passion. I'd like to read more, but can't stop playing music! How did I ever find the time to go to work?

I also discovered Nashville last year, my new favourite city. Going again in Sept - music everywhere :)

Like what you've done to the Oppo too.

clap
11-01-2018, 20:25
Got mine from this site here:
http://www.oppomod.com/

Read up on the guy in DIYAudio and elsewhere, the seller knows his onions and his products are well thought of.

I've ordered the Furutech/Mundorf wiring IEC upgrade too, from here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oppo-BDP-93-95-103D-105D-UDP-203-205-Kit-Furutech-Inlet-R-IEC-Mundorf-Wire-/121304662289?hash=item1c3e524111

(https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oppo-BDP-93-95-103D-105D-UDP-203-205-Kit-Furutech-Inlet-R-IEC-Mundorf-Wire-/121304662289?hash=item1c3e524111)

Yes, the power supply is the same one I saw on ebay. What mains cable are you using Gaz?

Gazjam
12-01-2018, 08:33
Yes, the power supply is the same one I saw on ebay. What mains cable are you using Gaz?

Mains cable wise Tristan its a bit of a funny setup I have.

All my kits fed from a hardwired balanced mains unit feeding a homebru ‘Hydra’ distribution box.
From this each box has a seperate cable terminated in an IEC plug powering it.
http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq61/gazjamster/Kit%20pics/BPS/2013-06-05162333-1.jpg
The cable Ive used throughout is 4mm solid core french spur cable, thick as yer wrist and just as difficult to bend round corners.
Marco recommended it as he uses it and picked it up for me at the time.

The Oppo responds well to mains supply improvements, the silver wired Furutech IEC socket and the new Synergystic Research Blue fuse that are on their way should give similar improvements to fitting the Oppo with a linear supply.
Never seen picture quality like this in my puff, and it’ll get even better.

I’ve decided to stop here and not bother with upgrading the clock, maybe look at damping the chassis with deadsheet and get better isolation feet for it, and call the movie watching kit done.
Maybe that’ll improve disc playback, has done with any CD player Ive did it to.

Gazjam
12-01-2018, 08:42
Pretty good Gaz, fully retired now which I have to say I'm really enjoying - plenty of time to really indulge my passion. I'd like to read more, but can't stop playing music! How did I ever find the time to go to work?

I also discovered Nashville last year, my new favourite city. Going again in Sept - music everywhere :)

Like what you've done to the Oppo too.

Excellent stuff mate, being but a mere slip of a boy I’m way too young to retire....ish. :)
Enjoy it all, Nashville sounds a nice place for sure.

More goodies to come with the Oppo, enjoying the journey.

Tim
12-01-2018, 09:27
being but a mere slip of a boy I’m way too young to retire....ish. :)
At just 59 I still think I'm a mere slip of a boy . . . in my head anyway!

:)

walpurgis
12-01-2018, 09:28
At just 59 I still think I'm a mere slip of a boy

You are sonny. :D

Stratmangler
12-01-2018, 09:29
More goodies tomcome with the Oppo, enjoying the journey.

Dunno why you're buggering about with power supplies and wires - just stick some "go faster" stripes on it and you'll be sorted :eyebrows:

jandl100
12-01-2018, 09:39
What about the 'after' picture then Gaz ;)

oops

https://www.altex.com/images/blog/UPSBreakdown/BurntBoard.jpg

:lol:

Stratmangler
12-01-2018, 09:44
oops

https://www.altex.com/images/blog/UPSBreakdown/BurntBoard.jpg

:lol:

You're a very naughty man, Jerry!
:rfl:

Gazjam
12-01-2018, 09:45
Forgot to wear my anti static wrist strap again.....
:eek:


oops

https://www.altex.com/images/blog/UPSBreakdown/BurntBoard.jpg

:lol:

Gazjam
12-01-2018, 09:49
Dunno why you're buggering about with power supplies and wires - just stick some "go faster" stripes on it and you'll be sorted :eyebrows:

I hear ya Chris,
would feel a bit of a cock if I hot rodded anything...
http://www.celebritycarsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/barry-weiss-chicken-car-1-600x439.jpg

Stratmangler
12-01-2018, 10:29
I hear ya Chris,
would feel a bit if a cock if I hot rodded anything...
http://www.celebritycarsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/barry-weiss-chicken-car-1-600x439.jpg

Any excuse to show yer cock off, eh? :eyebrows:

Gazjam
12-01-2018, 11:11
Steady lad...

Gazjam
15-01-2018, 17:44
More tinkering today...
https://i.imgur.com/uYk66Zk.jpg

AMR Gold fuse prefitted to power supply and the new SR Blue. Some blurb that came in the box. Have the SR Blacks in my system and they were a bit all over the place until they settled down.
https://i.imgur.com/Kjfrkux.jpg

Fuse fitted and ready to screw the lid back.
https://i.imgur.com/96T74IT.jpg

Gazjam
15-01-2018, 18:05
Straight from switching back on the picture was noticably brighter, sharper and colours popped with greater contrast.
I need to adjust the tv picture settings again.
Crikey. :eek:

Watched the latest episode of Star Trek Discovery in 4K HDR on Netflix, blown away by the picture improvement.
Looked ‘real’, different uniform textures...light catching strands of hair...pores in skin, all that stuff just drew your eyes in.

Most surprising change was the sound?
Last few days Ive been playing music through the TV as one of my 300B valves went pop and Im waiting replacement.
Sound quality pretty good through Sony TV panel, could live with it easily for a while.

After fitting the new fuse the bass was much deeper, punchier and tighter...from the tv.
Music sounded noticably better.

Guess Im making more of the linear psu now, of course caps n stuff will need to burn in as will(disbelievers look away now) the SR fuse. :)
Still the Furutech/ Mundorf silver wire IEC to fit when that comes, should be another step in eliminating any mains bottlenecks in the Oppo and letting it really do its thing.

Superb bit of kit this, look forward to hear how it plays as a CD transport and Roon endpoint after all the mods are done and bedded in.
Sounds pretty great as is just through the telly, look forward to it strutting its stuff when my system is back up and running with the New 300Bs.

*EDIT*
Musics on in the background, soundstage is much wider than before, more detail, more natural and less shut in sounding, I like this!

struth
15-01-2018, 18:32
looks like your in for a treat when its all up and running

Gazjam
15-01-2018, 18:57
Thinking of damping the chassis, Grant you remember that link for the deshete stuff you posted before?

struth
15-01-2018, 19:03
Will have a look when at pc. Lying down at moment mate [emoji3]

Gazjam
15-01-2018, 19:13
Take it easy mate, I'll have a look. :)

struth
15-01-2018, 20:47
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silent-Coat-2mm-10-Sheets-Car-Deadening-Vibration-Sound-Proofing-Damping-Mat/161282941044?epid=1652587028&hash=item258d366074:g:TE4AAOSwgQ9ViUpz

Gazjam
16-01-2018, 08:30
Thanks Grant.

Ordered some of the Silent Coat to further deaden the casework, last thing is better isolation feet then I'll call it done.
Any suggestions chaps?

*EDIT*
I'll start a separate thread for this.

Gazjam
16-01-2018, 19:55
Feet sorted, set of Sound Damped Steel plates.
http://soundeck.bigcartel.com/product/round-stainless-steel-black
Work well on glass table under my turntable, improved the Oppo too when I tried them.

https://images.bigcartel.com/product_images/179094482/roundstandsblack.jpg?auto=format&fit=max&h=1000&w=1000

Last things to do are line case with dynamat sheet and fit the Furutech/Mundorf silver wire IEC inlet.
Job done. :thumbsup:

clap
17-01-2018, 23:30
That will perform with amazing results with those upgrades.

I'm using a Furutech Alpha 3 cable with the Furutech plug and carbon fibre iec into my Onkyo SR605, fitted with an SR mains fuse. The effects were as you described, deeper tighter bass and a much bigger soundstage. I made the mistake of taking this cable off the hifi
as a mere experiment and the improvement was so great I had to go out and buy another cable.

I'm also using a neotech cable on the ps3 fitted with a better fuse. The result was a brighter clearer picture with better colour and detail.

The humax box showed similar upgrades with a cheaper Furutech cable and upgraded fuse.

All my A/V system is fed via a Belkin pf40 which was the first upgrade to sound and picture on the AV system.

dave2010
18-01-2018, 13:57
Gaz

Fascinating. Which Oppo unit did you start with? I have one Oppo DVD/SACD player, but it's old by modern standards.

Gazjam
18-01-2018, 16:28
Hi Dave

Its the new 4K one, the 203.
Feed the Blurays audio into my Dac, so the better analogue board on the 205 would have been wasted on me.
Strictly for video, that said these mods Im doing is really making improvements to audio, really surprised actually.

Looking ahead maybe something major in the works for it?

The guy who delveloped the linear power supply has designed an output board for the 203 which outputs i2s over HDMI.
Interesting to me because my Dac has an i2s input as its best sounding connection.
As the Oppo can be used as a Roon endpoint I could also send music from Roon through i2s, which should be interesting!
Even if musics bettered from another source, movie watching through i2s to the Dac will be great.

Suspect the output board will be as good as his power supply, a no brainer for me really, but one for the future though as the boards not ready yet.


Gaz

Fascinating. Which Oppo unit did you start with? I have one Oppo DVD/SACD player, but it's old by modern standards.

Stratmangler
18-01-2018, 19:00
The guy who delveloped the linear power supply has designed an output board for the 203 which outputs i2s over HDMI.
Interesting to me because my Dac has an i2s input as its best sounding connection.
As the Oppo can be used as a Roon endpoint I could also send music from Roon through i2s, which should be interesting!
Even if musics bettered from another source, movie watching through i2s to the Dac will be great.

The Young has a RJ45 connection IIRC.
Is that what the supplementary board for the Oppo uses?

The other thing to bear in mind is that I2S was never intended to be used for anything other than internal use in players.
To quote Wiki .....

Limitations
The I2S connection was not intended to be used via cables, and most integrated circuits will not have the correct impedance for coaxial cables.

Cables need to be really, really short.

Gazjam
18-01-2018, 22:45
I hear ya Chris,
Still have the Young but its not in the main system anymore.

new Dacs got some different inputs...
https://i.imgur.com/fxGtmV1.jpg

Stratmangler
19-01-2018, 09:22
It looks like cable interfacing and impedance is sorted, Gaz.
Just keep the cable as short as possible, and the shorter the better.

Gazjam
19-01-2018, 11:12
It looks like cable interfacing and impedance is sorted, Gaz.
Just keep the cable as short as possible, and the shorter the better.

Yup,
i2s over HDMI, pretty neat solution.

struth
19-01-2018, 13:08
Yup,
i2s over HDMI, pretty neat solution.

Sounds interesting. What's the likely benefits? Forgot u got a new dac. Was thinking you still used the young

Stratmangler
19-01-2018, 13:18
Yup,
i2s over HDMI, pretty neat solution.

And don't use those ones with the built in chip .....

Gazjam
19-01-2018, 13:56
And don't use those ones with the built in chip .....

:lol:

Gazjam
20-01-2018, 22:45
Some more tinkering...
Opened up the Oppo again after fitting the Linear PSU?
https://i.imgur.com/AC4fur1.jpg

Decided to put some vibration deadening material on the chassis? Started with the Transport itself?


https://i.imgur.com/nb6zCcn.jpg

Gazjam
20-01-2018, 22:52
Given I'd put a linear PSU in there, better check for height clearance...
Looks a bit high...
https://i.imgur.com/LiblFDX.jpg

Thinking about putting damping material (which is 4m thick) on the Transport AND the underside of the lid, best to check for clearance...
Yup, cant put damping material on both the transport and the underside of the case lid, need to cut out where it doubles up...

Gazjam
20-01-2018, 22:55
While I was working that out, the bits of the internal PCB that I couldn't access I damped from the other side...the bottom of the chassis, making sure the ventilation holes weren't coverered.
https://i.imgur.com/e25FFGn.jpg

Gazjam
20-01-2018, 22:57
All that exposed aluminium foil I wasnt happy with...ok for the underside but not internally (RFI/EMF...dunno?) so decided to cover the damping material in electrical tape, isolating any potential...whatever?
https://i.imgur.com/NYCGoII.jpg

Gazjam
20-01-2018, 22:58
Chassis done, time to do the lid.
Paying attention to clearance issues with the linear PSU and the fact that the transport mechanism wasn't screwed down to buggery, but was clamped on to a spring type mechanism...didn't want to interfere with that assuming some Oppo zen-like balance of resonance measurement.
Left well alone and cut the lid damping material around all that so not to interefere with it!

Knock on it with a knuckle and it sounds totally dead, even though its not all covered...this vibration stuff is good.
https://i.imgur.com/wmUhOzG.jpg

Gazjam
20-01-2018, 23:03
Damping all done...well worth an hour or so's work.
https://i.imgur.com/p3Sm30Q.jpg

Gazjam
20-01-2018, 23:03
Look what else I've got?
https://i.imgur.com/cYsALyv.jpg

Gazjam
20-01-2018, 23:04
Out with the old...
https://i.imgur.com/VKCSiAL.jpg

Gazjam
20-01-2018, 23:05
Coamparison..
https://i.imgur.com/psTyoNt.jpg

Gazjam
20-01-2018, 23:05
Fitted..
https://i.imgur.com/XIG7ZFG.jpg

Gazjam
20-01-2018, 23:06
All mods done...Linear PSU, upgraded SR Fuse, case dampning and upgraded IEC inlet...

Original pic for reference...
https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-udp-203/images/UDP-203-internal-hr.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/qZ848iK.jpg

Gazjam
20-01-2018, 23:08
Watched a few Blurays and listened to some CDs...an already great bit of digital kit's been taken to another level.
Can say video/disk playback is now done.
Thing weighs the same a breezeblock and is totally dead when you knock on the casework.

Well worth the outlay, can see the value up there on the screen.
Won't have to think about it again, just enjoy the movies and music!

Well worth it. :)

struth
20-01-2018, 23:11
Big job well done.

Tim
21-01-2018, 07:56
:youtheman:

Getgaff
21-01-2018, 09:20
Great work :thumbsup:

Now thinking about doing the same to my 205

Gazjam
22-01-2018, 09:20
Great work :thumbsup:

Now thinking about doing the same to my 205

I would Gareth.
Might not be so much the case with the 205, but even Oppos are built down to a pricepoint.
Mods like this really open up what they are capable of.
Very worthwhile improvement.

Blueflash
12-02-2018, 16:50
I would Gareth.
Might not be so much the case with the 205, but even Oppos are built down to a pricepoint.
Mods like this really open up what they are capable of.
Very worthwhile improvement.

A very nice professional job. I am a big fan of damping material, linear power supplies and get as much Silver or silver plated wire in as is possible.

alphaGT
12-02-2018, 23:27
I’m curious, how much did you invest in these upgrades? Very nice job by the way!

Russell

Gazjam
13-02-2018, 18:37
I’m curious, how much did you invest in these upgrades? Very nice job by the way!

Russell

Hi Russell,

Not been cheap I guess, just shy of £600 all in I think.
The improvements up there to be seen (and heard) though, so money well spent as far as Im concerned. :thumbsup:

alphaGT
14-02-2018, 17:18
Hi Russell,

Not been cheap I guess, just shy of £600 all in I think.
The improvements up there to be seen (and heard) though, so money well spent as far as Im concerned. :thumbsup:

I don’t think £600 is bad at all! I imagined far worse. And if it moves the unit up parallel to other players costing thousands more, it can be considered a bargain.

Russell

Gazjam
14-02-2018, 18:43
I don’t think £600 is bad at all! I imagined far worse. And if it moves the unit up parallel to other players costing thousands more, it can be considered a bargain.

Russell

Absolutely. :)

Getgaff
24-03-2018, 17:32
Oppomod.com SE PSU ordered for my 205 along with the BD-ROM aluminium stabiliser:

http://www.oppomod.com/pdf/oppo-bd-rom-stabilizer.pdf

Will be adding an SR Quantum Black fuse, and this:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oppo-BDP-93-95-103D-105D-UDP-203-205-Kit-Furutech-Inlet-R-IEC-Mundorf-Wire/121304662289?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Gazjam
24-03-2018, 18:54
:thumbsup:

Id really recommend the silver wired Furutech IEC inlet as well, makes a great improvement, even with a basic mains lead.
Run mine direct from the balanced mains, but I tried powering it with my PS Audio AC-5 lead...holy crap!
Believe the Furutech iec removes a ‘choke point’ and lets you benefit from better cables.

Go for it.

Gazjam
22-04-2018, 18:36
Another potentially significant Oppo mod organised...
Just need it to come from Hong Kong.

Usual pics after its fitted.

Getgaff
22-04-2018, 19:06
Stabiliser or DAC mod?

Gazjam
22-04-2018, 19:43
Run it as a Transport to my Directstream, as good as I’ll ever need it to be.
Thought Dynamat on the transport mechansim would be enough, but...naa. :)

struth
22-04-2018, 21:07
Can u not do that anyway or does this bypass more things

Gazjam
23-04-2018, 11:08
Doing this - replacing the drive mechanism rotor and cover plate with something a LOT heavier.
I've damped the cover already but this is doing it properly.
http://www.oppomod.com/pdf/oppo-bd-rom-stabilizer.pdf

Six week waiting list on it though.

This guy did the same mods as me, I'm doing the second one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EIgMbddpWk&list=PLZSchm8zlC33na8N8uTTc8c-Damk_V17y&index=11&t=0s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EIgMbddpWk&list=PLZSchm8zlC33na8N8uTTc8c-Damk_V17y&index=11&t=0s

Marco
23-04-2018, 11:15
I love your dedication and attention to detail with these projects, Gaz! Reminds me of when I 'pimped' my Sony CDP and DAC :respect:

More folks should go down this type of modification route with their gear, as the reality is the gear that most folks use has LOADS of latent potential, just waiting to be (judiciously) untapped! As such, the potential increase in SPPV can be phenomenal.... It's defo the way to go, if you're not a box-swapper :cool:

Marco [my motto: leave no gear intrinsically very good, as standard].

Gazjam
23-04-2018, 11:26
Wot you said. :)
Thought I'd done all the mods on my Oppo till I seen this...bugger!





I love your dedication and attention to detail with these projects, Gaz! Reminds me of when I 'pimped' my Sony CDP and DAC :respect:

More folks should go down this type of modification route with their gear, as the reality is the gear that most folks use has LOADS of latent potential, just waiting to be (judiciously) untapped! As such, the potential increase in SPPV can be phenomenal.... It's defo the way to go, if you're not a box-swapper :cool:

Marco [my motto: leave no gear intrinsically very good, as standard].

clap
23-04-2018, 21:36
I briefly watched the video on my phone, and even then, I could hear the difference.

Gazjam
24-04-2018, 09:29
I briefly watched the video on my phone, and even then, I could hear the difference.

Me too Tristan.
Have damped the mechanism case already on my 203, but think the stabiliser will be on another level vibration control wise.
The linear PSU brings a lot, so not sure what the improvement split is between the stabiliser and power supply.

Bit of a waiting list for mine to come from Hong Kong, will update thread when it arrives.

Gazjam
02-05-2018, 19:40
Posties been..

Some tinkering later...Stuck on Dunkirk 4K HDR disk.
Yup, thats another leap of faith rewarded...fecking Nora. :eek:

The Oppomod guy....sorry, doing him a disservice...He has a doctorate in electronic engineering and is an audiophile and (more importantly a real tinkerer going by his blog posts) really knows his Oppo onions.

I’ll stick some pics up tommorow.
Oppo player...and movie playback...done.
(I said that before, but this time..whats left?)
Actual WOW...movies are great.

Yay, n such.

struth
02-05-2018, 20:56
great news... look forward to your update..

Gazjam
02-05-2018, 21:26
This mod fits on the 103 Grant...
Assumed the improvement I was seeing was down to the Linear PSU...the stabiliser mod maybe addresses something more fundamental?

Disk spins at “X” hundred RPM, dampen any potential vibration at the source?

struth
02-05-2018, 21:40
Get behind me Satan. Lol

Gazjam
02-05-2018, 21:47
Heh... :)

struth
02-05-2018, 21:50
Any audio improvement on cd with the heavy spinner Gary?

brian2957
03-05-2018, 02:21
Posties been..

Some tinkering later...Stuck on Dunkirk 4K HDR disk.
Yup, thats another leap of faith rewarded...fecking Nora. :eek:

The Oppomod guy....sorry, doing him a disservice...He has a doctorate in electronic engineering and is an audiophile and (more importantly a real tinkerer going by his blog posts) really knows his Oppo onions.

I’ll stick some pics up tommorow.
Oppo player...and movie playback...done.
(I said that before, but this time..whats left?)
Actual WOW...movies are great.

Yay, n such.

I saw the opening 10 minutes of that film on the OPPO the last time I was over at yours and it looked stunning . Lord knows what it looks like now then :)

Gazjam
03-05-2018, 08:24
Any audio improvement on cd with the heavy spinner Gary?

Been listening this morning Grant, and yup, It’s a good improvement.
Music sounds ‘bigger’ and more solid, piano stuff has noticably more weight and air around it.
Live music sounds more, well, live...with a better sense of the venue and placement of the band.

Well recorded tinkly live piano music and Girl with a guitar stuff sounds really really good now.
Listening to Live stuff, Ive noticed that I’ve been sitting through entire albums as Im more drawn into the performance, never felt that with CD except with my old Marantz CD-63 Ki Sig player.

So,
A great upgrade and good VFM with the level of improvement and knowing it maxes out what the Oppo can do as a transport.

Proper movie watching tonight, looking forward to seeing more of what the upgrade has done for bluray.

struth
03-05-2018, 08:30
Been listening this morning Grant, and yup, It’s a good improvement.
Music sounds ‘bigger’ and more solid, piano stuff has noticably more weight and air around it.
Live music sounds more, well, live...with a better sense of the venue and placement of the band.

Well recorded tinkly live piano music and Girl with a guitar stuff sounds really really good now.
Listening to Live stuff, Ive noticed that I’ve been sitting through entire albums as Im more drawn into the performance, never felt that with CD except with my old Marantz CD-63 Ki Sig player.

So,
A great upgrade and great VFM with the level of improvement and knowing it maxes out what the Oppo can do as a transport.

Proper movie watching tonight, looking forward to seeing more of what the upgrade has done for bluray.

great, thanks.. will have to save my pennies:)

Gazjam
03-05-2018, 08:55
great, thanks.. will have to save my pennies:)

Its definately worth the investment I’d say.
Your movies will look better too. :D

Gazjam
03-05-2018, 12:43
Just watched first chunk of Blade Runner in 4K...

The extra detail in the picture really draws you in to the movie.
Looks like it was filmed yesterday, not over 30 years ago.
Really noticing background details, stuff I’ve never seen before.
Contrast in textures between different materials, weathering and ageing on buildings...even able to read the newspaper headline Rick Deckards reading at the noodle bar. :)

Put on a half hour of Dunkirk, again the 4k HDR disc.

Outstanding;
grains of sand on the beach, cracks in leather belts worn by soldiers, wooden texture on rifles ‘feels’ like wood, rust on gun barrels, crisp blue sky and sea...wow.

This is awesome, me likey. :thumbsup:

struth
03-05-2018, 13:17
enough:doh:

:D

Marco
03-05-2018, 14:25
Sounds great, Gaz. Glad you've been suitably rewarded for your efforts. Enjoy, dude! :cool:

Marco.

pcourtney
04-05-2018, 17:30
my Oppo BDP-103 just came back from Oppo and they will not fix it, instead they want to remove the mainboard and replace with another, on the basis that we don't really want to figure out the problem and it is easier for us to charge you £200 to replace the mainboard, and by the way "we are getting out of the AV market and no longer will be producing BluRay Players" , thank you very much Oppo, you can bloody well feck off then :-(

so before I upgrade my 103 with some of these great mods that Gaz has done, can anyone suggest a good person who could have a look at my 103 and hopefully fix it, it might be getting too hot and shutting down, it all works fine except that 20 mins into a DVD or Blu Ray it stops, freezes, and I have to reboot to carry on, so that is why I sent it back to Oppo to fix, but it is out of warranty and the dealer I bought it from 5 years ago is useless

struth
04-05-2018, 17:41
Worth 200 to get fixed imo. Most of these faults are a nightmare to find unless it's a usual. Changing boards is a usual reaction for a fault like this I'm afraid

Gazjam
05-05-2018, 10:34
my Oppo BDP-103 just came back from Oppo and they will not fix it, instead they want to remove the mainboard and replace with another, on the basis that we don't really want to figure out the problem and it is easier for us to charge you £200 to replace the mainboard, and by the way "we are getting out of the AV market and no longer will be producing BluRay Players" , thank you very much Oppo, you can bloody well feck off then :-(

so before I upgrade my 103 with some of these great mods that Gaz has done, can anyone suggest a good person who could have a look at my 103 and hopefully fix it, it might be getting too hot and shutting down, it all works fine except that 20 mins into a DVD or Blu Ray it stops, freezes, and I have to reboot to carry on, so that is why I sent it back to Oppo to fix, but it is out of warranty and the dealer I bought it from 5 years ago is useless

Hi Peter,
must be frustrating!

One thing thats maybe worth having a look at (assuming its an overheating issue?) is that the heatsink on the main board (lhs from the back) hasnt somehow dislodged, or lost its ‘clamp’ on the chip it sits on?

https://fthmb.tqn.com/P4Nhoroj2fsXF8wP_A8nd2HI1Ks=/768x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/oppo-bdp-103-inside-rear-5806d0823df78cbc28712703.jpg


If that looks ok and its a cap failing or somesuch then I’d agree with Grant...its worth paying to get it fixed.
Its a real ballache tracking down whats failing and I wouldnt even go there.

Getgaff
09-05-2018, 16:06
My Oppomod stabiliser is not all it should be.

This one ADDED a serious amount of noise and vibration and I’ve had to modify the spinner by removing one of the three pads to make it centre over the disc consistently.

Because of this I’m not convinced it’s any better than the original equipment it replaced. £130 down the drain as far as I’m concerned and not one I’d recommend.

pcourtney
09-05-2018, 16:12
Getgaff, do you have the 103D ( specifically that model Darbee ) ??

struth
09-05-2018, 16:16
My Oppomod stabiliser is not all it should be.

This one ADDED a serious amount of noise and vibration and I’ve had to modify the spinner by removing one of the three pads to make it centre over the disc consistently.

Because of this I’m not convinced it’s any better than the original equipment it replaced. £130 down the drain as far as I’m concerned and not one I’d recommend.

would send it back

Getgaff
09-05-2018, 16:23
Getgaff, do you have the 103D ( specifically that model Darbee ) ??
I have the 205.

Gazjam
09-05-2018, 18:28
would send it back

Me too.
The seller seems a good guy from my email contact with him, sure he’d sort you out.

Getgaff
09-05-2018, 18:43
Thanks guys, I’ve reached out to him for help.

Gazjam
11-05-2018, 17:35
Thanks guys, I’ve reached out to him for help.

Any news Gareth?

Getgaff
11-05-2018, 18:34
Nope, nothing. But all is not as hopeless as I’d originally feared.

If you look at the underside of the spinner (the surface that touches a disc) there are three small circular pads, presumably to provide friction against a disc or prevent scratching. Now these three pads are not stuck on equidistant to each other nor are they the same thickness. This surprised me as Oppomod.com claims this stabiliser is the result of a precise piece of CNC engineering and then someone randomly sticks crappy pads over it , upsetting the overall balance.

Removed all three pads and now the drive runs silently. And placing my iPhone 8+ running the Seismometer 6 app on top of the drive detects no vibration whatsoever. It ain’t scientific, but it does detect vibrations when opening and closing the drawer. Didn’t conduct a before-and-after test, but I’m now satisfied it’s doing what it claims to do.

Also did you know the drive is mounted on a spring-mounted chassis? Took the opportunity to level the drive using a bubble spirit level.

And for anyone interested, my 205 mods comprise of:

Oppomod.com SE Linear PSU with SR Quantum Black 2A slow-blo fuse
Furutech R IEC inlet with Mundorf wiring
Aluminium BD-ROM stabiliser
8-pin digital board silver plated power cable
SoundCare SuperSpikes feet
Soundeck DF Black Square damping feet

Has it made a difference? Still testing...

Gazjam
11-05-2018, 18:52
Nope, nothing. But all is not as hopeless as I’d originally feared.

If you look at the underside of the spinner (the surface that touches a disc) there are three small circular pads, presumably to provide friction against a disc or prevent scratching. Now these three pads are not stuck on equidistant to each other nor are they the same thickness. This surprised me as Oppomod.com claims this stabiliser is the result of a precise piece of CNC engineering and then someone randomly sticks crappy pads over it , upsetting the overall balance.

Removed all three pads and now the drive runs silently. And placing my iPhone 8+ running the Seismometer 6 app on top of the drive detects no vibration whatsoever. It ain’t scientific, but it does detect vibrations when opening and closing the drawer. Didn’t conduct a before-and-after test, but I’m now satisfied it’s doing what it claims to do.

Also did you know the drive is mounted on a spring-mounted chassis? Took the opportunity to level the drive using a bubble spirit level.

And for anyone interested, my 205 mods comprise of:

Oppomod.com SE Linear PSU with SR Quantum Black 2A slow-blo fuse
Furutech R IEC inlet with Mundorf wiring
Aluminium BD-ROM stabiliser
8-pin digital board silver plated power cable
SoundCare SuperSpikes feet
Soundeck DF Black Square damping feet

Has it made a difference? Still testing...

Spring loaded chassis....hmnn.
Knew it had, but assumed it was level, will get the bubble level out this weekend.

Have to say picture and audio improved with the stabiliser, but noticed slightly more noise than I’m used to when 4k discs first initialise?
My pads looked as though they were equidistant, but if it measures vibration free without them (and fixed your noise problem) then I might remove mine.


The Superspikes feet...which ones have you got, thread size...etc.
Ive stuck rubber feet from my old Rega Planar 2 under it, wonder if I can do better. :)


Thanks Gareth.

Getgaff
11-05-2018, 19:05
Remove the pads in a way that you can reattach them if necessary.

As for the Superspike feet, these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323132979520

But the price has nearly doubled from the £40 I paid to £75!

Edit: Should have said I needed to re-level the drive as I’d raised it to remove and install the 8-pin digital board power cable.

Gazjam
11-05-2018, 19:59
Read up on those feet Gareth, get good reviews.
Might take a punt on a set.

Never had to touch the spring screws on my drive, but wont do any harm to take a bubble level to it to be sure its 100% level.
The 3 pads just look like regular small self adhesive pads, hace a bag of similar ones I think.
Will run a few 4k disks through the 203 and see if any noise is annoying enough to take them off as you did.

Thought I was done modding my Oppo, but a thing I’ve had my eye on for a while has finally became available.
Next up...from Oppomod who built the linear psu...a PS Audio compatible i2s output board.
http://pcaudio.tistory.com/

This is big...really big.

My PS Audio Dac has i2s inputs, primarily for their Sacd Transport which is unique as it passes SACD to their dac DIGITALLY via i2s.
http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/first-listen-ps-audio-perfectwave-memory-player-transport/
i2s is my Dacs best input and by all accounts the best sounding way to connect digital gear.

So the board unlocks that potential and effectivly does the same as what the PS Audio transport (at Six grand) does.
Interestingly - the PS Audio transport uses the Oppos disc transport, so similar again.
Might have a play with SACDs again...

Also,
IN ADDITION TO what the PS Audio transport does, the Oppo can act as a Roon Endpoint so with this board my Hires files, SACD Dsd rips and MQA from Tidal will be fed to my Directstream Dac over i2s.
From there everythings converted to 20x DSD, the FPGA does all the digital filtering magic, then the musics output as double data rate DSD through a passive transformer coupled output.

The combo of the modded Oppo and Dac will be a fantastic digital hub and SACD transport...just with the addition of this board.
Digital done?
Wow...colour me impressed with Oppomod.


Pics up when its getting done next payday. :thumbsup:






Remove the pads in a way that you can reattach them if necessary.

As for the Superspike feet, these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323132979520

But the price has nearly doubled from the £40 I paid to £75!

Edit: Should have said I needed to re-level the drive as I’d raised it to remove and install the 8-pin digital board power cable.

Getgaff
11-05-2018, 20:11
Your enthusiasm is addictive, love it!

Have to agree the Oppo is just so versatile and your modded 203 + Directsteam DAC combo is going to be hard to beat. Looking forward to reading the next chapter of your Oppo journey.

Edit: I may look at doing the 205 DAC mod, but will probably wait for the warranty to expire as everything done to date is reversible.

http://www.oppomod.com/pdf/oppo-205-dac-circuit-upgrade.pdf

brian2957
11-05-2018, 21:21
Hah ! He only does these mods when the '' gets out '' for the weekend Gareth :mental:

Seriously though , I've heard Gary's system with the PS Audio DAC and OPPO player in use and it does sound a bit special .
Last time I was over we watched the first 15 minutes of Dunkirk and I must say the picture on his big Sony screen was stunning . SQ is top notch too :)

Ali Tait
11-05-2018, 22:40
Aboot time fer a board meeting methinks.:D

Gazjam
12-05-2018, 10:42
Aboot time fer a board meeting methinks.:D

Bit overdue I think Ali...

Been letting new stuff all settle in..
couple of changes since last time. :D

Gazjam
05-08-2018, 18:59
Update:
i2s output board on its way from Hong Kong. :)

Plan is to use the Oppo as a Roon endpoint, now outputting i2s directly to the dac.
Apparently that is its best sounding input and will enable me to output SACD digitally as native DSD to the Dac,
Hoping for a bump in sound quality with both movies and music.

Pics to follow when I'm fitting it.
After that...think the Oppo's done.

Getgaff
05-08-2018, 19:16
Looking forward to seeing this :thumbsup:

Gazjam
11-08-2018, 22:08
Bought a dremel...

some mods asooth...

struth
11-08-2018, 23:59
Dremels are great things. Ive got a generic mains powered one with a flexi shaft. Really good. My bro is using it to build his model boat at moment

Gazjam
12-08-2018, 07:40
Back last night fuzzy headed from Banchory beer festival, a stout breakfast and a pot of coffee this morning then I’m getting Dremel out.
Mines has the flexi shaft thing, thats a really handy thing to have Grant for detailed work I’d say?

struth
12-08-2018, 10:10
Back last night fuzzy headed from Banchory beer festival, a stout breakfast and a pot of coffee this morning then I’m getting Dremel out.
Mines has the flexi shaft thing, thats a really handy thing to have Grant for detailed work I’d say?

Aye, great for getting into the tight corners. lighter in the hand too.... Good luck with the job...

Gazjam
12-08-2018, 11:06
Thanks.

Softly, softly, catchee monkey...
Be taking my time with this one!

Gazjam
12-08-2018, 19:51
Job done. :thumbsup:

All tested working, music on and sounding great...quite different depending on what HDMi cable I use?
More so than I can remember ever swapping out interconnects?

Interesting!


Post up some photos tommorow, happy it’s all done and working. :)

struth
12-08-2018, 19:59
Top job mate

Gazjam
14-08-2018, 21:00
Ok,heres some pics and some initial observations...

Heres the board, comes supplied with the ribbon cable if you want to connect the Oppo's own Dac board as well as the i2s board.
Didn't come with the screws, had to sort that myself. M3 machine screws, job done.
https://i.imgur.com/pofrx1E.jpg

Taking ZERO chances with the risk of metal filaments from cutting causing a short...
https://i.imgur.com/aYQPABd.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/VYrHIfg.jpg

Enter the Dremel
https://i.imgur.com/ums9fGk.jpg

Board fitted...I've tidied up the rear panel a little with black electrical tape. Fit for purpose, never selling the unit and who cares, it's never seen.
Starting to think I've voided the warranty? :)
https://i.imgur.com/DC6PEFs.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/3aOLIRU.jpg

Ok, board fitted now the "brown trouser bit" - will it make a noise?
https://i.imgur.com/U7xpNzD.jpg

And the answer is...YES! :eek:
Now for some listening...
https://i.imgur.com/p22Lyya.jpg

struth
14-08-2018, 21:05
Jobs a good un

brian2957
15-08-2018, 04:20
Nice work mate . Looks like I'm going to have to pay you another visit :)

Gazjam
18-08-2018, 10:29
So,
I’ve lived with the Oppo for a few days after its latest bout of surgery and can comment on the mod.
Top level, best digital Ive heard in my system by quite a ways, perhaps by opening up more of my Dacs potential using the i2s input?

From first switch on it DID sound a bit digital and ‘shiny’ for a few days...oh, thats a bit of a let down.
Left music playing and was all over the place the first few days but with some time on it seems to have smoothed out and opened up. Very detailed and crisp sound but musical and very not ‘digital’. Soundstage is massive!
The Oppo doesn’t decode MQA and cant play DSD over the network only via USB, but hey...who cares, can always play those from the Dacs network card, just switch inputs.

Biggest improvement I think is playing back CDs, they sound quite different from how Ive heard them before.
Easy to forget the hifi stuff and just drift off into the music, love it.
Looking forward to trying SACD as the Oppo will feed the DSD layer to the dac, should be interesting.

Another cool thing the Oppo does is it has a “PureAudio” mode, which switches off the display and all the video playback circutry, kinda like a source direct feature to maximise audio quality.
It works well, and it improves things again, but I do miss the display when playing back CDs though, ah well. :)

Connecting the Oppo with the supplied HDMI 18GB cable, and it sounds great.
Tried a few different HDMI’s I had kicking around, and there are distinct differences depending on the cable used, more so I’d say than interconnects weirdly.
Interestingly the Monoprice one with the Redmere chip doesn’t work at all here.

So...the quality (and length?) of cable really matters here it seems?
The Oppo cable Im using is six foot long, probably not ideal for i2s.
Worth “going large” with this one I think, will do some rummaging about online for this.

But yeah,
A very worthwhile mod, digitals stepped up in a big way and whilst Im not comparing it to the six grand PS Audio i2s disc transport, it DOES use the same Oppo disk mechanism and with the linear PSU, disc stabiliser and other mods I’ve done, the Oppo sure makes for a good digital transport.
The bonus being of course I can now play my Roon/Tidal/Spotify music library (and CDs...never thought I’d go back to those!) through a far better digital connection and make better use if my Dac, the PS Audio transport doesn't.

Just need to get that HDMI cable sorted... :)

Gazjam
25-08-2018, 18:28
Well...THOUGHT I was done.

till I read up on on femto clocks...
Theres two clocks on the Oppo, the main system clock that runs at 27mhz and another on the Dac board that runs at 100mhz.

Not concerned about the dac clock as I run the Oppo into an external dac through it’s i2s connection, but found out the main system clock can be upgraded.
The high end guys like DCS, MSB and the like invest heavily in clock accuracy...so I’ll take the lead from them.
From everything I’ve read, I’m expecting this upgrade to improve everything, significantly, including video.

Oppomod to the rescue again, every upgrade I’ve done from him has significantly improved the player and importantly unlike other online companies (with multi tier ‘signature’ editions of upgrade packages and all that marketing BS) is cost effective.
He does a replacement femto clock upgrade board to the 203 which improves everything downstream, the idea being a more accurate clock the less jitter and better digital sound.
In my experience its Jitter that gives digital its unnatural sounding top end, and if you can fix that...great.

Some numbers, and simplifying a bit:
the stock Oppo has a clock “jitter tolerance” of 300 PPM.
(the number is a measure of deviation from the base frequency, the closer and lower the number the better - and closer to the original sound)

A scope trace from Oppomod, the sine wave should be square but its being affected by jitter.
http://cfile21.uf.tistory.com/image/99D6FC3F5AA745FB201000

A similar scope trace after the upgraded femto clock is fitted.
Jitter wise the upgrade clock board measures better than the stock Oppo clock...300PPM and now 0.01 PPM.

i.e. virtually no jitter.
http://cfile1.uf.tistory.com/image/9943CE3F5AA745FB2AE5BB

Some surface mount soldering required, and beyond my abilities so packing main board up and sending it off to Oppomod to fit.
Pics and some thoughts when it comes back.

What sparked off all these mods was finding out a lot of uber high end digital transports, like my Dacs matching transport from PS Audio, and looking even highter the MSB Reference Transport (STARTING at $18500!!) were based on a stock Oppo transport.
Found out I could improve at a comparativly sensible price all the stock Oppos bits that mattered and thought yup, thats the road to go down.

Biggest punt for me yet, cross your fingers everything goes as planned! :)

struth
25-08-2018, 18:42
sounds like a plan:)

Gazjam
25-08-2018, 20:05
Been looking on the DCS website at their high end digital kit?
Some specs:

DCS Vivaldi CD/SACD Transport - £28,000
https://www.dcsltd.co.uk/products/vivaldi-cdsacd-transport/
Clock accuracy: Better than +/- 10ppm

DCS Vivaldi Master Clock - £11,300
https://www.dcsltd.co.uk/products/vivaldi-clock/specification
Clock accuracy: Better than +/- 1ppm when shipped. Typically +/- 0.1 when shipped and stabilised

Oppomod OCXO module - £325+ shipping
http://www.oppomod.com/
Clock accuracy: 0.01ppm

Crikey! :eek:

I know theres a zillion factors to digital playback, but clock accuracy of your transport is a big one, and given the linear power supply and other mods I’ve done as well the fact the Oppo's feeding a good Dac...I reckon digital's sorted. :thumbsup:

Gazjam
31-08-2018, 14:04
Bit of a twist in the story here...

Turns out the linear PSU I ordered didn't have the additional 4.5V feed from the Toroid I needed to power the OCXO upgraded clock board.
Contacted MR Lee at Oppomod, and he offered to send out a new replacement linear PSU with the additional 4.5V feed AS WELL AS the new Femto clock board...without batting an eyelash he offered me a replacement PSU.

That speaks volumes to me, the man stands behind his work, and having his linear PSU can attest to the quality of it.

While he's sending out a new linear PSU for me, I'm asking him to fit a circuit breaker rather than a fuse holder to the LPS, can use the SR Blue fuse elsewhere in my system.
Circuit breaker Vs. fuse holder...improvement you think?

Pics (as usual) when it all arrives, I'm getting Tirna Electronics here in Scotland (They of Beresford Mods here on AOS years back) to do the surface mount stuff I cant do.
Jimmy Dripps at Tirna did some sterling work for us 7510/7520 Beresford Dac modders back in the day and electronics wise if there's anything I'm not qualified to do its Tirna time.

An 0.01PPM vs 300ppm accurate clock upgrade should be a doozy...think I'm done after this.
(Trying not to think about Stillpoints though..)

Gazjam
04-09-2018, 10:18
crikey...

10,000 views! :eek:

Gazjam
15-09-2018, 09:37
Posties been..
https://i.imgur.com/IRLs0kJ.jpg

OCXO clock upgrade board arrived from Oppomod.
https://i.imgur.com/8OGZsuS.jpg

Along with the replacement linear power supply with circuit breaker (not fuse) and extra wiring for powering the Clock board.
Comparison of old and new
https://i.imgur.com/ia2Krc6.jpg

Interestingly a small redesign(?) with beefier rated caps used.
https://i.imgur.com/mh9TTp3.jpg

Improved sound with new supply, how much down to different caps, how much to removing the fuse and fitting the circuit breaker can't tell.
Doesn't matter really, even though you can tell the power supply needs to run in it sounds better and more to come.
Biggest difference I notice is in video quality, which has taken another step up.
All good.

Just the upgraded clock to fit now, wont be doing the work myself but taking it all down to Tirna Electronics here in Scotland, who did a lot of upgrade work for Beresford dac owners back in the day.
Getting there. :)

Ali Tait
15-09-2018, 11:14
Look forward to hearing this sometime mate, you’ve really gone the extra mile.

Gazjam
15-09-2018, 11:27
Just putting the final pieces in place Ali, then I'll have the troops over again.
Been a while mate, too long.

Ali Tait
15-09-2018, 12:34
It has, like to try my otl on the Edingdales too.

Gazjam
16-09-2018, 09:55
Yup, should be an interesting one that.

Ali Tait
16-09-2018, 10:53
I’m having Colin build me a pair of his MLTL’s with the Monacor 10” coaxial driver he discovered, same as he built for Chris (Stratmangler). No room in my wee flat for OB’s, so these will be a good alternative. Nice and sensitive too, 96db for bass/mid and 105db on the teeeter, so should sing with otl’s.

Stratmangler
16-09-2018, 11:06
I’m having Colin build me a pair of his MLTL’s with the Monacor 10” coaxial driver he discovered, same as he built for Chris (Stratmangler). No room in my wee flat for OB’s, so these will be a good alternative. Nice and sensitive too, 96db for bass/mid and 105db on the teeeter, so should sing with otl’s.

I'm delighted with mine :cool:
I've been playing more music in the last few months than I ever have done.
I really appreciate the resolution and coherence they have.
Couple that with the rhythmical ability they have (they start and stop on a sixpence), and you have a long term speaker solution.

Ali Tait
16-09-2018, 11:18
Looking forward to hearing them at home Chris, they sounded great at Colin’s.

Gazjam
04-10-2018, 19:01
OCXO clock uograde going in this weekend...

sq225917
04-10-2018, 23:00
Gaz, 0.01ppm, that pretty much makes that the most accurate audio clock ever made. 100x times better than the New Class D Neutron reference clock; a device so accurate it requires a special export licence. Surely that graph is only telling part of the story?

Gazjam
05-10-2018, 18:53
No doubt Si.

Far more to digital playback than mitigating timing errors as we know.
Stout power supply and all that other relevant stuffs in place I think, this was the cream on the top.

Purely on the jitter side of things though, the things been measured as is...but like all things in hifi, it depends...and I’m taking its overall effect with a pinch of salt.
Spec Sheet PDF on the clock module is here:
http://www.sbtron.co.kr/korean/product/pdfs/ocxo_sboc_25_sine.pdf

It’ll be far better (by whatever metric) than the stock Oppo clock, and if it even gets close to DCS levels of accuracy (on paper it measures a factor of 10 better...but then reality sets in) then I’ll be happy and call it done.

A bigger factor I think is that my PS Audio Directstream dac is pretty input agnostic?
Every input is read as i2s by the FPGA before its low pass filtered through the output transformer - so phase noise, not jitter, is a bigger potential hit.
The phase noise specs of the new clock are extremely good, but not up to the internal clock of the Directstream.
Magnitudes better than the stock Oppo clock though, which is what I was shooting for.
May have a bigger impact on video quality, we shall see.

Anyroadup..
Just want to give the Oppo as much of a fighting chance as it can get, the idea being get it right then be happy and forget it.
All about the bigger picture as always.

highstream
05-10-2018, 21:39
Is there someone(s) on the forum who would be able to identify stock 203 boards - or if they have been modified? I'm dealing with a sticky issue and want to find out if I got ripped off by a modifying service, whether intentionally or unintentionally (if I was, I'll identify them later).

I've attached photos of the three boards from my Oppo 203, to ask if they look like the original boards as they came from Oppo, or if they have look like they have been modified. As far as I can tell, they all look stock except for the one I have labeled "Main Board" (that's the board which sits on the back right as one faces the 203 and has the HDMI ports). That board looks stock except it has the Toslink connector removed and there are two pieces of damping material on the heat sink for the main processor. That aside, do these boards look like the original boards to you? Thanks,


24328

24329

24330

Gazjam
06-10-2018, 07:37
Good images of stock 203 in my thread here and this ones a good reference as well:
http://www.lowbeats.de/site/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Oppo-UDP203-Innen.jpg





My opinion (to be taken just as such...)

IMAGE 1
Power supply board is stock, compared directly with my own board and looks identical.
Cant tell if the cheap caps have been swapped out, but from your photo they look the same as stock.
*Check branding on them, what does it say on the caps?

IMAGE 2
Again, looks identical to stock board.
Cant tell about the caps.

IMAGE 3
Aside the dampening strips on heat sink and removal of Toslink input, board looks identical to stock.
No caps this time, so I'm pretty sure of this.

Gazjam
06-10-2018, 07:38
Gene,
Hi there, thought I'd recognized the name. :)
we spoke over on the PS Audio forum about the Oppo mods, good to see you here.





Is there someone(s) on the forum who would be able to identify stock 203 boards - or if they have been modified? I'm dealing with a sticky issue and want to find out if I got ripped off by a modifying service, whether intentionally or unintentionally (if I was, I'll identify them later).

I've attached photos of the three boards from my Oppo 203, to ask if they look like the original boards as they came from Oppo, or if they have look like they have been modified. As far as I can tell, they all look stock except for the one I have labeled "Main Board" (that's the board which sits on the back right as one faces the 203 and has the HDMI ports). That board looks stock except it has the Toslink connector removed and there are two pieces of damping material on the heat sink for the main processor. That aside, do these boards look like the original boards to you? Thanks,


24328

24329

24330

sq225917
06-10-2018, 08:43
Check the cap models, but yup they look identical to stock.

highstream
07-10-2018, 10:16
On the power supply board - first image on this site - all the larger caps are ACON. In the second image, the analog board, the big caps on the left are ACON x 2 up front and ELNA the six behind. On that board, the two small caps front left center are ELNA and ACON, while I think all the rest of the little ones are ELNA. Since the mod is described as cap focused, it's good to be sure about those (not that changing a few caps should cost $395).

Gazjam
07-10-2018, 11:11
Physically checking my power board...its not being used so checking caps.
Any Elna caps have been swapped out I think.
https://i.imgur.com/0y32Pww.jpg



On the power supply board - first image on this site - all the larger caps are ACON. In the second image, the analog board, the big caps on the left are ACON x 2 up front and ELNA the six behind. On that board, the two small caps front left center are ELNA and ACON, while I think all the rest of the little ones are ELNA. Since the mod is described as cap focused, it's good to be sure about those (not that changing a few caps should cost $395).

highstream
07-10-2018, 15:12
Our original power boards look identical.

Gazjam
08-10-2018, 12:26
OCXO femto clock upgrade done last night over at Tirna Electronics.
Quick listen this morning before work at very low volume.
Immediately different sounding...the clock upgrade has changed things significantly.
Good stuff. :)

Follow up installation pics and further impressions when I have a few days with it.

Firebottle
08-10-2018, 16:08
Physically checking my power board...its not being used so checking caps.
Any Elna caps have been swapped out I think.
https://i.imgur.com/0y32Pww.jpg

All the 'smaller caps covered in rubber' are in fact inductors used in the filtering. Clue in the designation - L not C.

As you were .......

highstream
08-10-2018, 20:31
From what I'm told, the OCXO is actually not a femto, and it is not presented as such on Oppomod's site. A femto is a chip that puts out different clock frequencies to a clock. The OCXO is just a type of oscillating clock with its own frequency.

Gazjam
08-10-2018, 20:41
Uhm...ok?

Femto, as well as being a brand name, is a unit of measure...nano...pico...femto...relating (in this case) to clock accuracy measured in ppm.
Whether oven controlled or temperature controlled clocks, it doesnt matter in this case.
The Oppomod clock board generates both 25 and 27 Mhz by the way.

struth
08-10-2018, 20:48
Femto...sounds like a fizzy drink

highstream
08-10-2018, 22:46
Turns out the folks (Stereo Dave's) that did the earlier 203 mod use a generator of some kind to subject the unit (or boards) to a strong field for 24 hours, then do a little burnin. That's why no evidence of change on the boards. Theoretically, that can improve sound, and they've been tweaking it for a number of years. Since there's little involved in terms of labor and probably equipment, why they charge $395 for something like that, vs. maybe $50-$100, is another matter.

Gazjam
09-10-2018, 04:34
Turns out the folks (Stereo Dave's) that did the earlier 203 mod use a generator of some kind to subject the unit (or boards) to a strong field for 24 hours, then do a little burnin. That's why no evidence of change on the boards. Theoretically, that can improve sound, and they've been tweaking it for a number of years. Since there's little involved in terms of labor and probably equipment, why they charge $395 for something like that, vs. maybe $50-$100, is another matter.

Not sure thats one I’d have done myself to be honest...
What matters is what you think, did your Oppo sound better after it?

Gazjam
09-10-2018, 05:11
All the 'smaller caps covered in rubber' are in fact inductors used in the filtering. Clue in the designation - L not C.

As you were .......

Ah ha!
Every days a schoolday Alan. :)

Found out about earth planes in PCBs yesterday too, had no idea.
Never too old to learn.

brian2957
09-10-2018, 06:02
Did you go down to Tirna mate .

Stratmangler
09-10-2018, 10:12
Femto...sounds like a fizzy drink

There's a bit of a ring to that.
A bit like that other drink where the name is an anagram of Vomit.

Gazjam
09-10-2018, 13:00
Did you go down to Tirna mate .

Yeah mate, drove down to see Mr Dripps at Tirna.

Monolith
29-10-2018, 16:52
OCXO femto clock upgrade done last night over at Tirna Electronics.
Quick listen this morning before work at very low volume.
Immediately different sounding...the clock upgrade has changed things significantly.
Good stuff. :)

Follow up installation pics and further impressions when I have a few days with it.

Did you hook up both the 27MHz clock (master clock / OCXO) and the 25MHz (BD drive clock / TCXO) or just the 27MHz clock from the Oppomod clock module?

struth
29-10-2018, 21:01
How did this turn out Gary. Not Seen your report

Gazjam
01-11-2018, 19:58
Did you hook up both the 27MHz clock (master clock / OCXO) and the 25MHz (BD drive clock / TCXO) or just the 27MHz clock from the Oppomod clock module?

I did both JD,
video and audio substantially imoroved, well worth the expense and trouble.

Grant,
its terrific, all Id hoped for.
With that and i2s hookup to the dac its pretty special sounding.

Not been on the forum of late and not checkied in on this thread, will do a proper update.
Took photos at the time, will post em here as an update to the “Saga” :)

struth
01-11-2018, 21:06
Great news mate. Always enjoy your updates. Still use my oppo a lot. Great gadget [emoji3]
Hoping when new car etc comes I will get out and about for more meets

Gazjam
02-11-2018, 12:17
Your first on the list mate when I next get the troops over. :)

struth
02-11-2018, 12:19
First on teh list mate when I next get the troops over. :)

great... look forward to it.

Getgaff
26-12-2018, 12:11
My Oppo 203 was given the Oppomod.com treatment on Monday. Took around an hour to install but only because the Furutech FI-06 R IEC had to be modified to fit through the rear panel.

The before internal picture, BD-ROM stabiliser and silver power cables had been installed a few weeks ago:

https://i.imgur.com/4CmIAc6.jpg


Original PSU out, MR/MZ internal chip and Arctic 50x50x1mm thermal pad fitted:

https://i.imgur.com/mBfQQoq.jpg


Oppomod 203 SE LPM with circuit breaker installed:

https://i.imgur.com/GEBSiW7.jpg


The all-important lit yellow LED showing power reaching the circuits:

https://i.imgur.com/0NndsjK.jpg


Furutech IEC and JCM Audio AC Line Purifier fitted. Took a punt on the JCM device having read about it on a French AV forum. For the money it seemed worth doing (the HongKongBasket Furutech IEC with silver cabling would have cost more)

https://i.imgur.com/xp0J5e7.jpg


Very pleased with the end result, a much cleaner picture for starters. Not cheap though, total outlay has been around £700 including the OCXO clock module still to be fitted (struggling to find someone to do the SMD reworking), but this player is a keeper. No need to change to anything else for the foreseeable future.

struth
26-12-2018, 12:22
great stuff. thats a big tx in there now

Monolith
26-12-2018, 16:24
The before internal picture, BD-ROM stabiliser and silver power cables had been installed a few weeks ago:

What effect did the silver-plated copper wires have?

Getgaff
28-12-2018, 17:35
What effect did the silver-plated copper wires have?
Darker blacks, brighter whites, sublime colours with a greater depth of vision...

Seriously, fcuk all difference (probably).

Gazjam
28-12-2018, 18:30
Darker blacks, brighter whites, sublime colours with a greater depth of vision...

Seriously, fcuk all difference (probably).

I respectfully disagree, but appreciate the humour. :)

Picked up the silver plated 8 pin cable this afternoon from the sorting office fitted it and just sat down to watch a movie.
Switched the player on after fitting the cable, leaving the player on for 10 mins or so to get some scran and for the OCXO clock to get to temperature.

The Oppo screensaver had kicked in when I sat down to put the film and and I was struck by how sharper and brighter the moving logo was.
(Yes...I know how that sounds lol)
It looked pixelated at its edges, never was before and I wasn’t looking for it obviously.
Just grabbed my attention... I could just see it.

I’m not mad btw, my calibrated 65” OLED shows pretty much whatever it’s fed as good as it can feed it and it honestly was a ‘whoa’ moment.
The cable is the link between the power supply (the Oppomod SE is a good one, the guy who fitted my OCXO clock board was curious and hooked it up to a scope and looked at the traces) and the Oppo’s main board...so it’s important.

A reasonable theory might be the OCXO board is now able to really do its stuff with a better power feed with the silver plated cable from the psu.

Everything matters in this game, Gareth get that clock board fitted mate.

Oh, the screensaver was good and drew my attention - the movie..crikey. :eek:

Gazjam
28-12-2018, 18:40
Interested in that line purifier btw, could you tell me a little about it Gareth please?

Getgaff
28-12-2018, 19:00
There’s not too much info on the AC Purifier, but run these through Google translate:

https://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/lecteurs-uhd-blu-ray/tuto-de-johnhwman-installation-d-un-filtre-secteur-sur-oppo-t30083232.html
http://www.cinetson.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=39919&start=45

Hope to have the OCXO board fitted w/c 07.01.19

Gazjam
28-12-2018, 19:36
There’s not too much info on the AC Purifier, but run these through Google translate:

https://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/lecteurs-uhd-blu-ray/tuto-de-johnhwman-installation-d-un-filtre-secteur-sur-oppo-t30083232.html
http://www.cinetson.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=39919&start=45

Hope to have the OCXO board fitted w/c 07.01.19

Good stuff Gareth, thanks for the links.
:thumbsup:

The OCXO board is a significant upgrade on both audio and video. It’ll improve things again.
The Oppo 203 is a bit special and worth all the mods.

It was when I found out PS Audio and even MSB based their mega bucks streamers on the 203’s internals that I got interested.
Even if I get a little of the bit towards those guys over the standard Oppo...I’ll be happy.
Runs great into my dac over i2s.

Whats your take on disk playback from the Oppo after the mods you’ve done?

Getgaff
28-12-2018, 20:28
A noticeable improvement for sure.

When I first spun a blu-ray in the 203 after selling my 205 it was uuurrrggghhh, what the hell? Picture quality was pretty disappointing but now it’s looking darn good following the mods. Hoping the OCXO mod will improve the HDMI output even further.

Gazjam
29-12-2018, 10:32
A noticeable improvement for sure.

When I first spun a blu-ray in the 203 after selling my 205 it was uuurrrggghhh, what the hell? Picture quality was pretty disappointing but now it’s looking darn good following the mods. Hoping the OCXO mod will improve the HDMI output even further.

Good stuff, found the same thing playing CDs.

Wonder if you found this when doing the mods?
Fitting the Silver power cable I had to loosen the 4 sprung screws holding the drive in place to make space to fit the cable underneath it.
I found, even with the stabiliser plate kit fitted that noise from the drive varied according to how tightly you clamped the 4 screws down.
First time I fitted it all back together I’d torqued them down till they were tight, but the drive was quite noisy, especially with 4k discs.

Backing them off half a turn quietened the noise down, which makes sense given ‘full clamp’ effectively disregards the benefit of the springs.
Did you find this, and if so did you find a sweet spot for the tightness of the screws?

Thanks.

Getgaff
29-12-2018, 11:42
If truth be known, I’ve not been that impressed with the BD-ROM stabiliser and only use the aluminium lid with the original Oppo spinny-thing. The Oppomod spinning widget introduced far too much noise and vibration, BUT I hadn’t considered adjusting the drive clamps.

I’ll try that next time I have the lid off.

Gazjam
31-12-2018, 16:11
Try it Gareth, it takes a bit of trial and error, but theres a sweet spot there where its whisper quiet with the stabiliser rotor in.

Getgaff
31-12-2018, 16:23
Try it Gareth, it takes a bit of trial and error, but theres a sweet spot there where its whisper quiet with the stabiliser rotor in.
Ok, will do. And a Happy New Year to you :thumbsup:

Gazjam
31-12-2018, 16:32
To you too mate. :thumbsup:

Gazjam
31-12-2018, 19:13
Ok, so an update to my 203 mod thread:

Done two things to it since the last post before I tightened the case screws for the final time.
Been a bit of a journey, but the final results make it more than worth it, so much better over a stock Oppo.
Anyway,
Two further mods:
OCXO femto clock upgrade and silver plated copper 8-pin power cable from linear PSU to the players main board.
Both took things up a few notches, so well worth it.

OCXO CLOCK UPGRADE
This required surface mount desoldering/soldering so outside my paygrade.
Took my 203 down to Tirna Electronics, who some of us might remember did upgrades to our Beresford Dacs back in the Day.
Basically it required removing the 25 MHz clock for the drive mechanism laser as well as the 27MHz main clock from the underside of the Oppo's motherboard.
Then, the upgrade board is installed and soldered connections are made from the upgrade board to the solder pads where the stock clocks used to be.
Finally, the board is connected to the linear PSU and job's a good'un.

A thread over on a French AV forum detailed the process, and was great help to Jimmy Dripps (Mr Tirna) in doing the work.

First up: Disassemble the Oppo, allowing access to the clocks for desoldering, replacement.
So all the boards inside had to come out.
Main board:
https://i.imgur.com/cA82f9S.jpg?1

Dac Board:
https://i.imgur.com/OBLOQGj.jpg

i2s Board:
https://i.imgur.com/sbz7iex.jpg

Then, the two existing stock clocks had to be removed...scary stuff!
First one, the main 27MHz system clock had to be removed, on the underside of the main board.

https://i.imgur.com/k3DZkvg.jpg

The components to be removed are TINY, I'm talking 0.4mm x 0.2mm!
http://johnhwman.free.fr/Tweak%20UDP-203/IMG_5035.JPG

When removed and residue cleaned off your left with empty solder pads ready for new connection to the OCXO board.
http://johnhwman.free.fr/Tweak%20UDP-203/IMG_5038.JPG

Soldering the wires to ground and the clock solder pad:
http://johnhwman.free.fr/Tweak%20UDP-203/IMG_5039.JPG

Tape the wire down to the board (it sits on the underside remember?), making sure it doesn't cover the boards mounting hole.
http://johnhwman.free.fr/Tweak%20UDP-203/IMG_5042.JPG

At this point we mouonted the Clock upgrade board on the motherboard:
https://i.imgur.com/mAJukf5.jpg

Then, soldered the 27MHz main clock connection points from the desoldered and reconnected pads on the mainboard to the corresponding pins on the Clock upgrade board:
https://i.imgur.com/XCiKh9K.jpg

Oh boy, one more down one to go.
This wasn't quite so hairy, as the solder points were more accessible.
The same desolder/clean up procedure, this time with a diffrent set of surface mount components elsewhere on the main board.
https://i.imgur.com/h7qX8fn.jpg
http://johnhwman.free.fr/Tweak%20UDP-203/IMG_5609.JPG

OCXO board/ resoldered clock wiring done
http://johnhwman.free.fr/Tweak%20UDP-203/IMG_5624.JPG
http://johnhwman.free.fr/Tweak%20UDP-203/IMG_5627.JPG

AND...this wiring connected to the corresponding solder pads on the clock upgrade board (Showing both connections here):
https://i.imgur.com/jLAOz9x.jpg

FINALLY...
Now both the stock clocks have been removed and new wired connections established between the clock upgrade board and the mainboard, last to do is connect the upgrade board to the power supply.
(The Yellow wires)
https://i.imgur.com/CWQdFFI.jpg

Jobs a good 'un! :)

From getting the 203 home and plugging it in it was a big step up in both video and audio.
(I'd been using the Oppo 203 as a Roon endpoint into my dac over it's i2s connection for a few weeks at that point (the Dacs best sounding input) and was very familiar with how it sounded.
With the Clock upgrade, even fresh out the packet it was a "whoa" moment.
Big upgrade.


.

Gazjam
31-12-2018, 19:27
Next up...the replacement main 8-pin power cable swap out.
Basic 0.00000000 (and then some extra zero's) pence stock cable, with an aftermarket silver plated high purity copper one.
Its the main link between the power supply and the Oppo's main board, so a pretty important electrical connection.

Looks like this:
https://i.imgur.com/I0G7v4b.jpg


Here's the stock cable:
https://i.imgur.com/C2WmPe7.jpg

Comparison:
https://i.imgur.com/mGrsMEU.jpg

And the new one fitted:
https://i.imgur.com/1rjHx1n.jpg


Ok...so job done, but what's it done for my 203?
This...was a big one.

I'm convinced now the better power supply (with the silver played OFC cable) to the clock upgrade board is letting me now see what its capable of.
Noticed the improvement at second one...the Oppo logo screensaver...it had jagged edges and it looked a lot brighter?

Not the kind of improvement benchmark you look for, but it was obvious without even looking for it.
The fact it stuck out so much...was relevant.
Long story short, the screensaver looks better but holy hell stream Netflix or put a 4K bluray in??

Yup, its a worthwhile upgrade. :)
Think now I'm seeing what the benefits of the linear PSU and the OCXO digital clock upgrade board in their entirety now.

Streamed YouTube, Roon music through the 203 to the dac...whatever...anything you put through the player is so much better than the stock Oppo 203 now.
Wow.

And then all mods were done, and I just enjoyed what it did. :)
Time well spent.
Happy not to ever have to unscrew the top plate off ever again, (I'd actually named the individual screws I'd gotten that familiar with them!)

struth
31-12-2018, 19:38
Good to hear you got a major improvement Mate. Be a player for life now.... just stockpile a laser or 2 in case...

Wakefield Turntables
31-12-2018, 20:01
Fantastic thread.

Monolith
18-01-2019, 20:22
- Is anyone else waiting for OppoMod's firmware update for the HDMI board to correct the L/R channels output? I'm using the HDMI output into an LKS DAC.


- Received the silver power cables from China and had some issues trying to insert the short cable (way harder than it should have been). Upon closer inspection, I noticed some of the wires at the connection point had not been properly trimmed. I removed and trimmed the ends of about 5 of the connections. Some photos to help out anyone doing this in the future.


Inspect from the top down and look for wire ends that block the pin insertion. In this photo, two of the six have excess wire leads.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7907/46792222961_5ee6562b63_b.jpg



Here is a photo of the excess wire end that needs to be trimmed off. I used electronic cutters.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4826/46792230081_4bdf47188b_b.jpg

Gazjam
18-01-2019, 21:44
Oppomod firmware update for i2s board?

tell me more?

Monolith
18-01-2019, 21:54
Oppomod firmware update for i2s board?

tell me more?

I installed my I2S HDMI card back in November 2018. The output for both PCM and DSD had the L and R channels swapped for what my LKS DAC was expecting. I contacted OppoMod and was told that they were working on a firmware update to correct the L/R channel output. However, the firmware update cannot be user installed and will require a new I2S HDMI board. I'm still waiting for updates from OppoMod. Some people have had L/R channel issues and some have not. I was hoping that I would get a later revision board without the channel swapping being an issue for my DAC. I'm running with my left and right DAC output cables swapped to correct the channels.

Gazjam
19-01-2019, 04:49
I installed my I2S HDMI card back in November 2018. The output for both PCM and DSD had the L and R channels swapped for what my LKS DAC was expecting. I contacted OppoMod and was told that they were working on a firmware update to correct the L/R channel output. However, the firmware update cannot be user installed and will require a new I2S HDMI board. I'm still waiting for updates from OppoMod. Some people have had L/R channel issues and some have not. I was hoping that I would get a later revision board without the channel swapping being an issue for my DAC. I'm running with my left and right DAC output cables swapped to correct the channels.

Ah right...
Channels sound ok into my Directstream dac, so maybe have a later board...or I’ve swapped the interconnects around without realising! :)

I know with some 3rd party i2s output boards, despite sticking with PS Audio specs the channels can be reversed when playing DSD.
I’d heard Jaehong had addressed this, but hadn’t known he’d looked at a firmware fix over hardware.

With the silver power cable, suspect you’ve just been unlucky...which is never a nice thing.
No problems here, but thanks for passing on what you’ve worked out.

Gazjam
05-03-2019, 20:14
All the stuff has had time to burn in now, and big improvement over how it was initially.
Wow.

Roon endpoint, CD player, SACD/DVD audio player, 1080p upscaler, 4K Netflix Dolby Digital/ YouTube/ native 4K disc player...WOW.
Mods cost more than the player (just!) but took it to a completely different level.

Put in the research, time and spondoolies to never worry about a disc player again?
It does all that...and (along with an Nvidia Shield via the Oppo’s HDMI input) everything else network streaming related better than than anything you could possibly need, or I’ve seen in my system.
Example: Well recorded YouTube live music via the Oppo/Nvidia can be as good quality than my vinyl setup.
(hint: my record player isn’t an HMV usb record spinner, it’s actually pretty good)

Marvellous piece of kit, sadly no longer made by Oppo.
R.I.P.

Mr Underhill
25-05-2019, 14:26
Hi Gazjam,

Thanks for this, and interesting journey.

I use an Oppo 105D and use it for background when I am working and it is very good, as long as I use Kazoo and NOT the Oppo app. That said it is not as good as my Linn Klimax/EAR868, but them look at the cost disparity. Your mods are tempting!

M

Gazjam
26-05-2019, 12:26
The mods have taken the stock Oppo 203 to a different level, and it was no slouch to begin with!
Lifes too short...go for it!

:)

joolz
12-10-2019, 15:33
Hi Gaz,
Good reading, thanks for all the info.
Which I2S cables did you try, what were the differences and what did you settle on ?
Apologies if you have posted this elsewhere.
Kind regards,
Julian

Gazjam
12-10-2019, 15:54
Hi Gaz,
Good reading, thanks for all the info.
Which I2S cables did you try, what were the differences and what did you settle on ?
Apologies if you have posted this elsewhere.
Kind regards,
Julian

Hey Julian, how you doing?

As is my wont with this stuff, I’ve posted another thread on my HDMI journey. :)
See it here:

https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?60018-More-HDMI-schennanigans

joolz
12-10-2019, 17:51
Thanks Gaz,
all good here, thanks for the info, any more observations now that things have settled in ?

Best,
Julian

Gazjam
12-10-2019, 18:32
Uhm..

All the mods I did took a few weeks to bed in, the hdmi cable too.
All sounding great, as good as I’d ever need it to be really.
Audio and video are pretty special, really happy,

When trying out the red flat Apollo Av cable, my current one, I tried it against a very spendy Wireworld silver cable, and I felt I wasn’t missing much with the Apollo.
Its a great cable for i2s use.

Use the Oppo as a Roon endpoint as well, it’s great but can’t do native DSD, and I have a lot of SACD rips I’m not getting the benefit of.
May change the digital music source in the future, but as an up to 24/192 streamer the Oppo’s pretty great.

Gazjam
20-01-2022, 17:01
And...

60K views later,
time for an update.

Been modding my Oppo 203 a wee bit recently.

Gazjam
20-01-2022, 17:09
After "Much success" with looking into RFI/EMI suppression with my PS Audio Dac,

to the extent, (of being a wee bit blown away by it) I thought how can I apply this stuff to my Oppo?

Ironically,
It was success modding the Oppo (which from its HDMI INPUT and i2s OUTPUT acts as a "hub" for all things digital in my System) which made me think about modding my other Gear.

Basically,
Have cracked open the case of the Oppo 203 again and applied RFI/EMI suppression treatment I used with my Dac.

Holy Shit! :eek:
This Stillpoints ERS fabric stuff WORKS.

https://i.imgur.com/sWTqTAu.jpg

(More Photos n stuff to come)

struth
20-01-2022, 17:22
youve broke it mate:ner:
is that the whitish stuff?

Gazjam
20-01-2022, 17:36
That's the Stillpoints ERS fabric Grant.

Look it up,
its fascinating stuff.

Many reports online about folk applying it everywhere, basically blootering the whole bit of kit with it and it sucking the life out the music?
Was aware of that,
And put a little bit on at a time..better?
OK,
apply some more.

Know where its worth applying,
and its lifted the Oppo (and therefore anything thats plugged into it) a few steps up the ladder.

Time well spent.
(Ballache though, having to disconnect the Oppo everytime I had to take it out the rack and do more work on it. A full Evening of back n forth, glad I did though.)

Gazjam
20-01-2022, 17:37
Same stuff I used in my Dac...

https://i.imgur.com/2xJFDxh.jpg

Gazjam
26-01-2022, 18:16
Surpassed Audiolab 6000 CDT for CD playback after mods…
Expected/unexpected.

Is what it is.
Better transport, better bits to the Dac.

struth
26-01-2022, 18:27
oppo wins :eek: mine is still going fine, bar the occasional brainstorm. mechs are pretty good

Gazjam
26-01-2022, 21:39
oppo wins :eek: mine is still going fine, bar the occasional brainstorm. mechs are pretty good

YES. :)

brian2957
26-01-2022, 21:53
Have you tried these mods on the Audiolab mate ? You never know :)

Gazjam
26-01-2022, 21:54
Fair question Brian.

Yes.

A few different combinations of a bit of this and a bit of that.
Oppo wins.

Considering pennies spent not disappointed.
But is what is is.

brian2957
26-01-2022, 21:55
Good when a plan comes together :)