OPPO 980 h dvd mod?

Pedrillo
Just got the Oppo 980h. It sounds incredible.
I don't think I will want to spend more than what this costs, on a player ever again.

My thoughts exactly. I've had CD players for 21 years, including NEC, Kenwood Basic (25 lb. Japanese high end), Audio Alchemy purpose-built transport plus AA and later Soundstream/Krell DAC, CEC, Pioneer Elite, and Philips SACD/CD players, all signficantly more expensive than the Oppo. I've also listened to very expensive rigs from Linn, Classe, and others.

The Oppo DV-980H is so good for so little that $169 has has become my new point of diminishing returns on CD/SACD/DVD-A playback. I suppose I'd hear the improvements with the new DV-983H, but any extra money at this point will probably go into my LP playback rig, where I hear bigger dividends for the money spent.

Awesome, I love Audiogon. I was just thinking about getting a DVD w/Divx playback that I could use as a CD player for my few CDs.... $169 isn't much more than the $70 mass market box I was going to get..

I have a Monarchy M24 Tube DAC preamp.. you think it would be better to use the Monarchy DAC or the Oppo players?

I guess only one way to find out.

03-20-08: Elf73
I have a Monarchy M24 Tube DAC preamp.. you think it would be better to use the Monarchy DAC or the Oppo players?

You can't lose either way. When Wes Philips reviewed the DV-970H, he thought it was a pretty good player, but when he plugged the coax SP/DIF into a good DAC, it turned into a seriously good transport and competed with much more expensive setups.

The 980 is a significant improvement over the 970, so its internal processors probably narrow the gap. I use mine in a 7.1 channel setup, and I slightly like the Oppo's internal surround processors over the one in my Boston Acoustics AVP7 (a 7.1 ch pre/pro based on the Sherwood Newcastle, which is also the basis for the Outlaw 990).

Still, I think you'll have fun comparing and picking.

I recently purchased the Reference Audio Mod Oppo 970. Full mod with digital clock, separate PSU and cyrogenic treatment for $1.6K. Easily the most resolving, transparent and vivid player I have heard at this price level.

I do find a slight tendency towards sounding thin and a subjectly lower output level. The player seems to lacks some tonal colours, but so was some other more expensive players I have heard.

My former SACD player was the $6.5K Musical Fidelity Tri-vista. The MF player was warmer and has a effervescent quality, but sound flat, veiled and diffused in comparison. Not even close in terms of redbook CD performance.

It was only with SACD that the MF player gain scores. SACD advance over redbook is hardly detectable with the Oppo, most likely because the player converts SACD format into PCM.

Sorry, my player is RAM modded Oppo 980 (not 970)