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EVS modified Oppo 105D

I sent my Oppo 105D to Ric Schultz of EVS for his all out mod including his basic mod package, new low jitter clocks, an Audio Magic Pulse Gen ZX installed on AC input, J-fet buffer output stages installed on balanced and single ended stereo outputs and center channel out and new linear power supply.

The unit was well broken in before sending it to Ric. The modified player I received back is much improved in all areas including sound stage, detail, separation of instruments, etc. Blu ray video is sharper with better color saturation and depth.

I play 2 channel and multichannel SACD and DVD audio disks, red book disks, blu ray audio only and blu ray video. All are improved. I am hearing details in some disks for the first time - fingers sliding on guitar strings, very faint bells and cymbals, etc.

I feed my Epson 8700ub projector directly from the Oppo. Analog audio is fed from the Oppo to the single ended multi channel analog inputs of my modified Onkyo 5508 prepro. All processing is done in the Oppo as the prepro is used only as a multichannel analog preamp. Other digital sources are fed directly to the Oppo through its two HDMI inputs.

I use Dunlavy IVs for left and right front channels with a Dunlavy IVA for the center. All three Dunlavys are driven by Odyssey stratos glass ceiling monoblocks. I consider the Dunlavys to be the weakest link in my audio chain.

Check out Ric's web site at tweakaudio.com or just search for EVS Audio. He is very easy and interesting to talk with. He does custom modifications of Oppo players and other equipment and is developing a line of open baffle planar magnetic speaker kits.
hhop
boukman
13 posts
 
Ric Schultz has been modding digital players for me for well over a decade. I have had my EVS 105D with the all-out two channel mods for about two and a half months now, and am absolutely delighted with the results. Going through many dozens of my favorite cds, I continue to be amazed by the plethora of ambient cues/microdetails, transparency, and air and spaciousness of this player, and how real the instruments sound in my system. Down the road I will exploit the video capabilities of this player (I have only a small monitor at this time and my collections of dvd and blu ray concert discs is not large), but I had these mods done mainly to get the best possible two-channel sound from my cd collection. Ric’s mods provide me with a terrific one-box source, and what I consider a great bang-for-the-buck price.

I know this is audiophile heresy, but--as is the case with my Zu Def4 speakers and ASR Emitter Exclusive Version Blue amp--even if I won the lottery I doubt I would feel compelled to seek out a better digital player than the one I am now enjoying.
rfrye's avatar
rfrye
1 posts
 
Ric Schultz (EVS) modified my Oppo 103 to use the digital HDMI out only. I use it as a player for Blu-ray 5 channel surround sound with video & 2 channel Stereo . He change the switching power supply to a linear power supply, modify the transport, remove the toslink connector, install a super low jitter clock on the main processor and install a AudioMagic Pulse Gen ZX. I must say that I am still amazed at the improvements this made. The sound is so real & believable. Nuances of sound appear everywhere. Separation of instruments, air, articulation is better than anything I have ever heard. There is no harshness. The bass is very well defined with good impact. The bass just seems right & takes it place in the orchestra with out distorting or coloring the other instruments. The top is elegant & the midrange is just glorious! I know you are not interested in video but the video takes on similar characteristics. The video looks 3D but it is not a 3D-TV. The images are sharp & blacks are as black as I have seen. The pictures are so real which is the same characteristic I would give for the sound. I think you would be impressed & happy with Ric’s work.
papaned
17 posts
 
I too have a fully modified OPPO-105D by EVS for the past two months. I use it strictly for CD/SACD 2-channel audio with balanced IC's. Took a few hundred hours to fully mature and is now the best sounding player I've had in my system over the last 20 years.
I took Ric's advice and removed the steel cover and replaced it with one of his [last ?] MDF covers that just sits on top. I noticed the improvement in a more open sound. The original cover is easily removed with a small Phillips screwdriver and is well worth the effort.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I also have an EVS modded 103 with all the bells & whistles. I also have the top cover removed and replaced it with a clear lucite cover. Highly convenient and just the ticket for being able to frequently access the innards for adding WA Chips, upgraded fuse, 3M AB5100S, what have you.
papaned
17 posts
 
Boffellid:
The jfet outputs only 1 volt. How do you maintain dynamics without a preamp unless your speakers have a very high sensitivity ?
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