SACD/CD player update

@lak  "As audiophiles we should realize that one always drops a hugh chunk of change for a marginal return."  WOW!  I'm sorry to find that to be your audiophile reality.  But gee, speak for yourself , not the rest of us. In no way do I feel that my investments in improving my gear have yielded "marginal" results.

Examples:  I took an $1800 line stage and over a series of modifications, have for a total expenditure of $4000 have a superb, reference quality preamp.

As previously mentioned, the Modwright transformation of my Marantz SACD player has enabled it to provide fantastically musical sound from silver discs.

Most recently, I sent my previously modified McCormack DNA-1 power amplifier to Steve McCormack at SMc Audio. This "20th Anniversary Upgrade" as I like to call it included a new Furutech IEC inlet, new Cardas RCA jacks, new speaker binding posts, new soft recovery diodes, an entirely new input board and all new heavy gauge wiring.  All of this for $1300!!  As I was warned by Steve, it took about a month to really sing, but sing it surely does.

In summary, IMHO, buying well designed, well built equipment that you can, over time improve upon with carefully selected modifications, can yield an amazingly musical system with money well spent, minimizing the "law of diminishing returns".

One caveat... If you do go this route, you must vet the modifiers very carefully. Have several extended conversations, listening carefully to how the prospective modifier discusses working on your equipment.  The top notch modifiers will talk more about you, your system and what your goals are for the sound of your system.  If the conversation is mostly about them, especially if it includes bashing others in the industry, you are probably best to look elsewhere.

@Hifiman5, while I don't disagree with your comments what percentage of improvements would you say your upgardes (which I agree with) provided?

Agree Lak +1, I respect your choices Hihiman5, Mod is good, I have Dan mod my Sony 9000es, it was really good, we did shootout it really did stand out, Will I advise Cygnus to modify his Oppo 105 ? Big no, my advise is get a Good Dac like the Gumby MB , Onyx, Ares Denafrips , or if buy Yaggy or Terminator if he has extra cash

@lak  Fair question, tough to accurately answer.  The modifications to the preamp and amplifier took place over years.  The SACD mod. was once and done.  The notes of the music were always there.  What the modifications accomplished was providing a much more transparent sonic window to draw me into performances allowing for an emotional  connection to those performances.  Taking all of the mods into account, I would estimate a 25% overall improvement to the sonic satisfaction my system now provides.  I'm sure that I paid more than that, but my previous post mentioned that I worked to minimize the law of diminishing returns, not eliminate it.

One last comment.  There are those on A'gon who believe that everything we experience as we listen has some measurement attached to it.  That is not experiential.  There are so many intangibles involved in the listening experience.  So what intangibles have I noticed the more improvements I make to my gear?  I find myself on my laptop or reading at the beginning of many a listening session only to find myself putting that stuff down and even turning off the lights allowing me to become immersed in the music.  At least for me, that's what all of this modding and tweaking over the years is about.

I also have an Oppo 105 and would never consider a mod. First of all, if you mod you will never get anywhere near your money back if you sell. And what is the life expectancy of a disk player anyway? Modwright mods begin at $2500. (Apparently Ric Schultz is no longer doing the 105s.) There is absolutely no reason that you cannot do as well, and IMO better, with that money on a separate DAC. For a reasonable price there is a universe of options out there competing for your money. At a minimum, your Oppo can output to the spdif of a fine DAC. No reason IMO to get a new player.

But in the long run, what you might consider doing, in addition to buying a separate DAC, is lifting your audio quality by ripping your CDs (and with the help of your Oppo, your SACDs) and not playing them as disks, but as files. They will sound better. Hearing my ripped DSD files through a really good DAC is a particular audio pleasure.

I still use my Oppo to play video, but with the sound through the separate DAC, but my audio goes straight from a hard disk through a lap-top to the DAC. I also use my Oppo to preview disks, but if I like them they are ripped right away and all digital music controlled from a phone.