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Oppo 205 modification

I wanted to reach out to people with the Oppo 205 unit who are considering getting it modified. For the last two years I was looking into a DAC to replace my Sony SCD-XA5400ES. I was going to use my Sony as a transport for the new DAC. We'll in doing a lot of reading on forums and on the Internet I decided to get a modified unit by Ric Schultz of EVS. He raved about the Oppo Sonica with his mods but then production on the Sonica stopped and I was unable to get one. Ric then switched his focus to the Oppo 205 and discovered that it was even better. So I got an Oppo 205 when the the closing of Oppo digital was announced (Ric helped me to get one of the last ones when there was a run on them). 

We'll it's been about a month with my Single Super Single Ended version of the EVS mod plus the optional power supply that Ric makes for the unit. Total cost for the mod plus the optional upgraded power supply was $1300. I am extremely happy with the result. The main attributes I noticed with the stock Oppo 205 was soundstage size, detail retrieval and the openness of the player. With the mod these strengths of the stock unit all get significantly better. The decay of instruments is incredible. The end of a track takes like forever for it to decay into nothing. Timber of vocals and instruments is just so natural and organic sounding. Everything also has a texture and three dimentionality to it. Instruments are very precisely located in the soundstage now. The sound has a very black background where you hear very faint details in the background come out more. Definite increase in the depth of the soundstage as well as heighth and width. Shocking how much information is actually on those Redbook Compact Discs! Though every disc sounds pretty darn good so far, I have tried probably 60 to 80, the soundstage and fidelity on each still varies greatly with the recording. Most discs sound wonderful with a good amount just sounding way what I  ever expected from any disc.... SACD included The sound is just so coherent as everything just fits into place so nicely and cleanly.  I heard a lot of good Dacs and equipment at AXPONA and audio shops througout the years and my system is way above what I thought it could be without buying really expensive components. I always liked the Sound of the Salk Sound speakers,  most recently their model Song 3 Encore speakers at AXPONA the last 2 years,and this sound rivals that sound, maybe betters now, and my speakers are the 15 + YEARS OLD Hales Design Transcendence 5's. Although still pretty good I would bet, I would love to hear those Salk Sound Song3 Encores speakers with this setup.Trust me the sound is so good I am not in a hurry to change speaks for a while though.

When you first put the modded player in your system you will instantly notice that the soundstage is noticably bigger with more detail. Everthing just keeps improving. I only play my system on weekends so yours may break in even faster. The bad side is I used to be content with 2 to 3 hour listening sessions...now it's 3 to 5 hour sessions. Obviously no digital fatigue. In fact you find yourself listening to songs on discs you skipped over in the past because you hear so much more. I listen to all kinds of music. I found the better my system got the more types of music I like. From folk to hard rock and  bluegrass to classical.

  The rest of my system consists of a heavily modified Bada Purer 3.3se Hybrid Integrated amp (165 watts with first 30 in Class A), Core Power Technology 1200 balanced power conditioner, 2 Teo Audio Ultra RCA's run in parallel (see Doug Schroder method thread here in the forum). Silnote Anniversary biwired speakercable, Synergistic Black UEF power cord, Cerious Technologies Extreme Yellow  power cord, Audio Archone Blue powrr cords. OPPO and BADA PURER sit on Starsound Sistrum SP-4 stands.

I would say the stock Oppo 205 is about a 6.5 or 7 and the EVS modified unit I now have has to be close to a 9 on a scale from 0 to 10. Big,  big increase in audio performance over stock. The Oppo 205 stock probably competes well against 2 to 3k Dacs. The EVS mod has to take the Oppo 205 to the 5k and up range (i.e. ... I heard the Denafrips Terminator Dac demonstrated at Axpona this year and it didn't sound this good to me). With the DACs you also have to buy a Transport another power cord and more cabling! Sorry if this got a little long-winded!
tuffy72561
24 responses Add your response
celander's avatar
celander
1,502 posts
 
@tuffy72561, nice summary, including your install of your parallel run of Teo Audio Ultras in your system. 
tuffy72561 OP
181 posts
 
@celander 

   Thank you. I am not the best writer so I do appreciate any encouragement. Lol   I should probably add that I gave the modded Oppo a few weeks to settle in with the cabling and Starsound Systrum stands.  I then waited a few more weeks after I decided to reapply the Total Contact enhancer back on the Teo Ultra's before I compared the sound to the stock Oppo. I wanted to get the system back to the point it was with the stock Oppo before it was sent to Ric Schultz at EVS.

The Schroeder Method on Teo Ultra's is really special. I would sure like to try a double double run of Ultra's by Teo, if they ever make them, like the Game Changer double double Jr recently produced by Teo. I will have to call Taras at Teo to see if this is in the plans for the future.
mahler123
3,060 posts
 
Well, the demise of Oppo will probably limit the generalizability of your experience.  
I own a Bryston DAC 3, which has 4 HDMI inputs.  Currently I’m using2 of them for an Oppo 203 and the Sony 5400.  Both sound great as transports, particularly with SACD
Post removed 
ricevs
1,475 posts
 

Oppo will be supporting this player for years. They built their company on great customer service. The parts will be available for years down the road. The latest Oppo models are super reliable, as well.

People have said the 205 has a slightly better picture than the 203 (probably due to the heavier dual chassis bottom and the low jitter HDMI out that only the 205 has).....and with the power supply mod and transport mods the 205 has an even better picture. The better HDMI output would make the HDMI audio out better too.

There really is nothing like a modded 205.......there is no "better product" that I know of. It has great 2 channel sound for all forms of music (CD, DVD, DVD-A, SACD, Music Videos, DSD512 and 24/192 via usb DAC input, usb inputs to play usb sticks or usb drives, etc. It has a great headphone amp, it has multichannel outs, and it plays all video with better picture than most anything. And you have only one machine with one power cord.

There is one person who said his stock LKS DAC was better than the Dave DAC......well, my modded LKS DAC is even better and when playing CDs.....the modded 205 is even better than that. I was using a modded Oppo 103D (with $1300 mod) as transport with my own custom digital cable and a heavily modded IFI Spdif Ipurifier into the modded LKS or modded Sonica DAC. I thought I was in heaven. Then the 205 came in and I was shocked. Even stock it did a couple things better than my reference combo. Once I did the mods to the 205 the DACs were now history for playing discs. Now it could be that one of those modded DACs might sound better via usb in than the 205....but that is not how I am currently listening. What I do know is this is the best these discs have ever sounded.

Have you seen the prices used and new Oppo 205s are selling for?  Has there ever been anything like this ever happening?  The 205s are really good stock.  If you are fortunate to own one or are on the Oppo waiting list you have or will have soon a really nice machine.
chazzzy007
540 posts
 
I have a Modwright 205 and I am extremely happy with it. I rolled in some NOS 6922'3 and rectifier and it is amazing.
mahler123
3,060 posts
 
I read in Hi Fi News that shortly after Oppo announced that they would support their products in the long term, they retracted that promise
chayro
2,931 posts
 
From my experience with Naim equipment several years ago, I can tell you that you cannot imagine the improvement a better power supply makes to a CD player, even with nothing else changed.  Same thing with a preamp.  It is not just a little better, it is a totally different animal. I'm not saying that EVS or Modwright mods to the unit don't make a difference because I don't know, but I'm wondering just how much of the improvement you hear come from the power supply alone. In any case, $1300 is nothing to spend for the degree of improvement you are describing.  Enjoy. 
Post removed 
ricevs
1,475 posts
 
If all you care about is having the latest video codec then you have a point.  However, the modded 205 can play so many things and do them so well that most people will not feel like it has become a boat anchor in even 5 years.  How many more new codecs and formats do we now need?  We are talking about a player that has incredible 2 channel sound (with mods) and plays tons of stuff.  It costs very little for what you get.  You are not buying a $20,000 DAC that will outdated in a year.  You will be using this thing for years and years.  The 205 is a serious 2 channel audio machine.......that is the main point of modding it.  What other $2500-$3000 machine can play CDs, DVDs, DVD-As, SACDs, has a DSD512 capable DAC, can play usb sticks and usb drives, etc, with this level of sound?  Nothing!  Heck, what CD player, SACD player or DAC at this price is even as good?  Probably nothing.  And you get a fantastic 4K video machine, great headphone amp, multichannel outs thrown in for free!  Have you ever watched any of these high res (both audio and video) music videos?  Wow, are they fun!  You get it all with this thing.
Post removed 
samh
14 posts
 
I am the owner of an EVS all out balanced modified OPPO 205.,  It is used in my theater system rather than my regular 2 channel system.  I mostly watch concert blurays and dvds along with the occasional movie.  The 205 was very good out of the box, but after Ric's mods there was a very noticeable audible improvement.  All upper midrange glare was gone, and detail increased with improved dynamics.  Unusually, with the increased detail, there was also increased richness.  With old favorites like Steely Dan and Fleetwood Mac drums and electric bass were awesome.  With acoustic music like Diana Krall,  piano was lifelike, and acoustic bass was full, deep, and fast. I am now thinking about getting a bigger TV because the soundstage has gotten wider to the point that I need more picture to keep up.   With recordings that I thought were mediocre, there was a drastic improvement, and became much more fun.  Also in my system is a Primare sp-31.7 preamp-processor, an Audire Parlando amp, and my DIY Audio Technology and Morel speakers augmented by a JL Audio 12in. subwoofer.  The only reason I don't use the OPPO in my 2 channel system is that I already have an EVS modded LKS-004 DAC that sounds amazing.  

This may be the last great Bluray player that anyone produces, so get one while you can, get it modded and join in the fun.

Mas
highstream
204 posts
 
Thank you for this thread. It’s timely for me, as I came across a barely used 205 for a very good price this past week (my gosh, is the 203/5 market inflated!). I’ve been using a 203 modified by Stereo Dave’s, which has a nice warm, liquid sound, along with other good sonic qualities (203 not listed on their website). With the 203, I alternate between the s/pdif output and using an external HDMI/I2S card to a Directstream dac, with a separate HDMI cable going to an HDTV. The speakers are ATC SCM19A actives with balanced cables, but I have a pair of JL Audio e-110’s to hook up once everything gets sorted, and so the dac-to-speakers run will soon be single ended (using an adapter subs to . The media I use is USB flash drives (audio, video), along with CDs, BluRay discs and of course TV.

With a 205 coming and thinking about modifications, I have some questions relevant to this thread:

- If I’m using an external dac, along with a TV, what modifications are of benefit to the 205? That’s something I’ve not really understood with the 203, although the mod improved the sound quality quite substantially.

- To what degree does the EVS mod have a naturally warm sound (like acoustic instruments)? I am not a fan of what’s commonly referred to as "neutral," which to me exudes a coolness that takes the life out of recorded sound (in favor of other sonic virtues).

- Thinking of the EVS mod with balanced outputs vs. the I2S I’m using now - or getting OppoMod’s internal I2S card, and assuming good cabling, which output type would like provide better sound - balanced or I2S? Are DSF recordings playable via the the EVS mod’s balanced outputs? The Directstream has both inputs. Thanks,

Gene


highstream
204 posts
 
I didn’t describe my full system because it doesn’t seem immediately relevant to my questions. But to give a more complete picture, there’s a PS Audio power base and P15 regenerator, their AC-12 power cords and I2S-12 HDMI cables, and MG Audio Design AG2 S2 balanced interconnects, with a pair of their RCA’s and Cardas adapters waiting in the wings for the subs. The dac, P15 and speakers have Audio Magic ultimate beeswax fuses.

Oh, and among the media is of course DVD’s but no SACD’s.
tuffy72561 OP
181 posts
 
@highstream,

     Accoustic instruments sound wonderful. Let's just say Clapton's Unplugged is now a revelation.  I just got a chance to listen to my system this morning and evening, after a car show this afternoon in the heat here around Chicago area,  and the sound just keeps improving.  For many many years I dreamed of a really nice full sounding
, warm detailed system and this player has put it above what I ever expected. 

ricevs
1,475 posts
 

The mods that effect the HDMI/spdif out are the removing of the toslink connector, the damping of the heatsink on the main processor, the transport mods (when playing discs) and especially the linear power supply.

Yes, I think my mods have always been warm/natural.

Analog balanced out versus HDMI/I2S into another DAC?  That would be hard to say, you would have to A/B them.  The modified DAC and custom output stage I use give some pretty great sound.

The modded 205 plays whatever files it naturally plays.  My mods do not effect what it plays.  I believe the regular usb inputs can play single speed DSD.  The DAC input can do up to DSD512.

caphill
665 posts
 
@ricevs

Hi Ric,
I have the Oppo 205 that I use strictly for only 4k uhd & bluray movie disc playbacks in my dedicated HT room. I run both HDMI outputs, HDMI audio only out to my Classe SSP 800 processor and the other HDMI video only out directly to my 4k display. I don’t use this setup for listening to stereo music or any music playbacks at all. I have a separate dedicated stereo setup and system in a separate dedicated two-channel listening room which consists of completely different gears.
So my Oppo 205 is strictly used for only 4k uhd & bluray movie discs playbacks only and my Oppo 205 is only connected via both HDMI outputs only. The other remaining outputs are never used.

How much will it cost to have both HDMI outputs modded? Does your mod affect both HDMI outputs? I don’t need the mods for the analog audio outs, just both HDMI outputs only. I’m aware that your basic mods include disc transport mods when playing discs? That will be very helpful since I use my Oppo 205 for 4k uhd & bluray discs playbacks only.

I would really appreciate if you could let me know. Thanks you.
ricevs
1,475 posts
 
If you need info about mods, etc. then please contact me through phone or email via my tweakaudio.com website.
bar81
791 posts
 
@caphill
I’m using my 203 for only movie playback - I only use the primary HDMI and audio is SPDIF out to my DAC.
The improvements that made a difference (in the order magnitude of improvement):
  1. Digital only power supply (meaning the whole analog board is disconnected and only the digital board is powered) ~$200
  2. Suspension of the player - I replaced the feet with 4x HRS Nimbus footers ~$240 (prices have doubled for these if you buy them new today)
  3. Upgrading the IEC and internal wiring of the player ~$140
The only other improvement that made sense was an upgraded clock but given the substantial price for the best clock and the fact that this requires soldering (I’d have to send it off to someone) I’ve avoided doing that one.

None of these mods change the sound of the unit. What they do is substantially lower the noise floor of the player and significantly improve detail retrieval.
caphill
665 posts
 
@bar81

Thanks for the recommendations.
I’m only interested in modded HDMI outputs (both HDMI outputs) of my Oppo 205. That’s the only outputs I’m using to my AV processor in my dedicated HT room. I’m only using my Oppo 205 strictly for 4k UHD & bluray disc playbacks mostly for movies and some bluray/4k UHD musical films or movies and some bluray concert films. So, basically it is strictly for HT (surrounds). I don’t listen to stereo music through my Oppo 205. This is a dedicated HT room. I do have a separate dedicated stereo setup and system in a separate room.

As for my Oppo 205, which is in my dedicated HT room, I’m using a Shunyata Research Sigma power cable for the Oppo 205 and my Classe SSP 800 AV processor, which will be replaced by a Lyngdorf MP-50 very soon. I have ordered the MP-50 and still waiting for its arrival.
I have custom made footers for the Oppo 205 and the AV processor.
bar81
791 posts
 
That was exactly my point. For movie playback, those are the mods that will make the most difference. I’m not quite clear what you are referring to - you keep talking about modding an HDMI output. There are no mods for the HDMI output itself - the mods are to the digital components of the player (the power supply, the digital board and the transport) that in turn produce a cleaner digital video and audio output from the player’s digital board - which encompasses the HDMI outputs and the SPDIF output I was discussing above - they all improve together.

The two most effective mods as I understand them are a linear power supply swap and a clock mod. As I said, for the linear power supply, in conjunction, I would disconnect the analog audio board from the analog power supply to avoid interference on the digital. For the clock mod, there are several options but they all involve precise modding of the board and are quite expensive when you get up there with femto clocks and then there’s install charges and shipping them to a modder. Then there are various other mods that have varying additional degrees of improvement - suspension/damping of the transport/entire unit and swapping out internal wiring.
caphill
665 posts
 
What I meant was the mods for digital outputs which includes HDMI, spdif & Toslink. But I only use the HDMI outs.
melm
1,057 posts
 
Sorry to be a party-pooper, but I think these kinds of mods (and the $1300 or more spent on them) are not a good way to find better performance.  Much better IMO is to find a good performing separate DAC and let the Oppo feed it by spdif.  That way you keep the Swiss Army Knife qualities of the Oppo and improve the sound considerably.  The money spent on the mods will get you  a very good DAC, easily better than the modified Oppo. Of course doing that, the 203 is about as good as the 205.

If you should later decide to sell I think you will do better, proportionally, with a factory Oppo than a modified one.  Also a  DAC will have several inputs and you can build a more flexible system.  Finally, digital technology both regarding input to a DAC and the DAC itself is running very fast.  With a separate DAC you will be able to upgrade at will.

Just my $.02 after having considered a mod of my own Oppo.
caphill
665 posts
 
Thanks for the input. I only use my Oppo 205 for 4k uhd & bluray disc playbacks only connected using both HDMI outs to my AV preamp surround processor in my dedicated HT room. I don't use this setup for two-channel listening to music at all. I do have a separate stereo setup and system in a separate dedicated two-channel listening room which consists of completely different gears. So my Oppo 205 is strictly used for HT or movies only. I also have great collections of 4k uhd & bluray musical films as well as concert discs, but agin these are also considered surround sound movies or HT.  

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