Samsung Hd841 or Toshiba 4960 modifications

How is your mod Samsung Hd841 or Toshiba 4960 ?

OK. Let me post my impression of RAM 4960. I just got my yesterday and I am still running it 24/7. I plan to run it 7 days continually.

Pros:
First, the RAM 4960 has a kind of analog sound. No way it will touch 10K+ highend CDP. But for the money it is very good that you get kind of analog sound.

Second, the reason why you get analog sound. I think this mainly due to "SuperClock3". the high is much smooth than many CDPs. It is very smooth. Superclock greatly reduced Jitter and produced very smooth and enoyable high. Violin,piano and soprano now very listenable and enjoyable. This produced an overall enjoyable listening experience across the whole frequence band.

Cons:
Upper low to mid seems a little congested(I will write an update after 7 days of running to see how much improvements it gets after break in). The sound stage and imaging is not as great as highend players. I think this may due to lack of break in now. But more likely due to lowend DAC used in 4960. More open,clear and analytical in this erea will greatly improve the overall performance of this player.

Overall, it is an great improvement over stock unit. Will it beat and $10K hignend CDP? I will wait to vote after a week.

My RAM mod 4960 is getting better after a few days of break in, but the CD performance in terms of low to mid-low frequence range is still kind of soft compared to the CD player of thousands of dollars. The SACD performance is awesome, I think can be compared to some more expensive machines like someone said 'LINN Unidisk'.

Some important issues regarding 4960,

You must run audio setup first before you use it as CD player. Some may just use it as CDP and "plug and Play', like I did, that is why I got poor bass performance at first, because 4960 is setup for multi channel play. You need to disable other speakers and Sub(FLE) in "speaker setup" so that 4960 will send bass signals to your front speakers(L and R). You also need to select "L and R" speaker as "large". One more tirck, when play in SACD mode, the 4960 alway play in "Multi channel" mode at first, you need press "Audio or 'L & R cursor'" button to change to Stereo mode(In CD mode "Audio" button change play mode in: "R","L","Stereo"). That was why my 4960 sound so bad at first listen(no bass) that I wanted to return it. SACD/DVD-As are widely available and they are the future. I think for $870 you get a great sounding SACD player that also players CD well.

By using the Best CD player NAIM CDS2/XPS as refernece
(Naim CDS2/XPS:
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1201/naimcdsii.htm
LInn Classik:
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0400/classickan.htm )
, I would like to give 4960 scores

CD performance: 85
Pro: Refined sound,sweet high articulate mid and kind of analog sound.
Con: sound stage and bass could be better

SACD performance: 92
Pro: Pro: Refined sound,sweet high articulate mid and kind of analog sound, big 3D sound stage and imaging.
Con: bass could be better

One more point, as many 4960 buyers/users expressed the idea that bass performance(inherited weakness from stock unit) is the area to be improved, a good Modifier should focus and correct this.
For this reason from 1 to 5 star, I would only like to give RAM mod shop 3 Star.

This is a follow up review. After 120 hours of running the RAM mod 4960's performance is getting better, bass is getting stronger. Overall balance has improved quiet a bit. The low to mid0low range has improved so the sound is more balanced. Compared to mid to high range the mid-low to low range can not be said to be great but OK. Also, I am using B&W 704 speakers, you must take into account that it is not a big speaker, if you are using a large speaker the mid-low to low range may sound a lot better than my speakers.

What a shame! As an owner of RAM 4960, what I want to see is people in mod business keep getting better products out door and leave customers to evaluate them. Everyone with an brain can see that without and independant listener , it is unfair ,unprofessional and immoral.

Init2winit ,

First, I am not a crock. Sounds you are.

Second, in the message I wrote today I did not say anything about 4960, it is about RAM's behavior, that upset you every much ?

I suspect you work for RAM, otherwise you won't jump out and get personal attack to me , but not attack what I said in my previous post regarding RAM's unprofessional behavoir.

I did not own any APL product yet. I had kept a eye on APL. I am not bias toward RAM just because I own their product. I am constant,actually, from What I experienced from RAM, I gave their shop 3 stars in my previous post.

"Your post just seem hypocritical to me", yeah! Let's see who is hypocritical ? It is you! First you claimed "Honestly I don't see what's so unfair." Then later claimed yourself "neutral". How can anyone to be "neutral" if he think what RAM did is "not Unfair".
First. RAM's test again APL 3910 is Self claimed.
Second, the APL 3910 machine used is questionable.
Third, it is even more ridicloius to claim their cheapest $700 better their competitor's $5000 machine.

Finally, anyone with an brain ought to know what is a fair test:
a.Independent council buy one of each machine from both company secretly just as an normal buyer so they don't know their machine is going to be test and won't overmod it to sky.
b.The council test A/B test the machine by using well know neutral sound reference gears in the setup, for example ,the Pre-amp& amp, Mark Levinson is well know for it neutrality and quality. For speakers there are chioces.

C, randomly choose an panel of listeners to blind do A/B test.

How can anyone claimed himself "neutral" yet said "Honestly I don't see what RAM did is so unfair." ,
one anwser: that man is HYPOCRITICAL.