I got my unit back from Rick Schultz at EVS this week. I had the full multichannel mod done. For a couple of evenings I played a bunch of SACDs/DVD-Audios and a couple of movies. Sounded great through my system (Lexicon MC12 analog, ATI amps, Martin Logan Speakers) but it is always hard to remember what it sounded like a few weeks ago when I sent it in. The big test was to go to a good friends who works in the business and has an unmodded unit so that we could A/B. Both him and my wife were extremely skeptical. His system is MC12, Lexicon Amps, Revel Speakers. Since I was in a money back period, this was the test to whether the unit went back and have it replaced by a stock version.
The 3 of us started by listening to Diana Krall, Money from Dark Side of the Moon and Derek and the Dominos on SACDs on the stock unit. Just before switching cables, which took only 2 minutes, we replayed money. The plan was then to listen in the reverse order on my modded unit. It took all of a few seconds for each of us to look at each other and easily conclude the modded sounded significantly better in essentially the ways Ric had described it would. Airy sound with each instrument (or cash register) sounding incredibly clear and distinct with a great soundstage. At that point, the sale was final and skeptics won over. Diana Kralls voice was stunning, every breath noticible. Derek and Dominos had a little less effect but it was still there. We didnt test CDs but I would be surprised if they also dont shine.
We then tested video. My friend and I both have a Samsung SPA800P, the most accurate product available (except for the 900 model which can do better blacks) My friend is one of the best calibrators anywhere Joe Kane uses him at times and finds artifacts in milliseconds. We played some test patterns and a scene for The Rock without sound. The test patterns should no difference and a few seconds of the scene where they break into the rock was replayed dozens of times looking for a small difference. In the end nothing conclusive, both the modded and stock units looked essentially the same. We didnt test a DVD.
If you want better analog sound from the OPPO, the mod will certainly give it to you. After last nights test, I have no doubt and neither did my very skeptical wife or friend. The conclusion was immediate. For video, nothing much changed and the older MC12 does not have an HDMI input to test digital audio.
The 3 of us started by listening to Diana Krall, Money from Dark Side of the Moon and Derek and the Dominos on SACDs on the stock unit. Just before switching cables, which took only 2 minutes, we replayed money. The plan was then to listen in the reverse order on my modded unit. It took all of a few seconds for each of us to look at each other and easily conclude the modded sounded significantly better in essentially the ways Ric had described it would. Airy sound with each instrument (or cash register) sounding incredibly clear and distinct with a great soundstage. At that point, the sale was final and skeptics won over. Diana Kralls voice was stunning, every breath noticible. Derek and Dominos had a little less effect but it was still there. We didnt test CDs but I would be surprised if they also dont shine.
We then tested video. My friend and I both have a Samsung SPA800P, the most accurate product available (except for the 900 model which can do better blacks) My friend is one of the best calibrators anywhere Joe Kane uses him at times and finds artifacts in milliseconds. We played some test patterns and a scene for The Rock without sound. The test patterns should no difference and a few seconds of the scene where they break into the rock was replayed dozens of times looking for a small difference. In the end nothing conclusive, both the modded and stock units looked essentially the same. We didnt test a DVD.
If you want better analog sound from the OPPO, the mod will certainly give it to you. After last nights test, I have no doubt and neither did my very skeptical wife or friend. The conclusion was immediate. For video, nothing much changed and the older MC12 does not have an HDMI input to test digital audio.