OPPO 980 h dvd mod?

Hi Storyboy,

The firms that modify and provide new modified players for the oppo units provide full warrantys on the entire unit top to bottom. So in case a transport laser goes out or something happens, the entire unit (including labor) is under warranty by the modification company instead of oppo, so there is still peace of mind like with the stock warranty.

The reasoning of modifying a $169-399 player is to take it much much further sonically than the $1950 stock player (obviously) but more so take it further or equal to players costing 5-10 times the price of the modified oppo. Basically if you want the best bang for the buck and have a swiss army knife, buy the modified oppo from your firm of choice.

However, if you want prestige of owning a something that might make your friends jealous to look at or know that you own, then buy that flashy stock player.

Same thing goes for cars. Want prestige and speed, buy that BMW or Benz. Dont care about prestige but only care about performance, then buy a used dodge neon and throw a turbo and some other parts on it and blow right past the BMW down the road. Its all in want you want.

Different strokes for different folks!

I hope this answered your question.

I'm getting one tomorrow.. $169 CDN.. can't lose. Do coaxial cables matter? Any suggestions?

Note: I'm not paying anymore than $100 new or used for such cable... actually $20 would be nice.... this hobby has other priorities right now..

As well, does isolating this unit from vibration matter?

Thanks.

Has anyone compared the oppo to the expensive stuff out there? Any comments out of curiousity.

"Same thing goes for cars. Want prestige and speed, buy that BMW or Benz. Dont care about prestige but only care about performance, then buy a used dodge neon and throw a turbo and some other parts on it and blow right past the BMW down the road. Its all in want you want." I hate car analogies because they can be twisted so easily. I want speed and comfort and reliability, so I'd choose a BMW or Benz. If I was less concerned about these other aspects or couldn't afford to be, I might consider fixing up a street racer. Entirely different experiences.

As for the 980, it is a more than decent player but is even more competitive when used via the HDMI outputs (or, in my case, by a 3xS/PDIF mod output) into a high quality external DAC/processor. I would not bother playing with its DACs or analog stages when there's so much better for that already out there.

Kal

Pedrillo-

In my May column, I compare the 980 with the 983 and the BelCanto, but mostly on SACD multichannel, if that's an issue for you.

Kal Rubinson
www.stereophile.com/musicintheround