My most complete improvement for Oppo BDP 105/105D

Coris

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2016
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*** Are you thinking of modifying more Oppo 105s for your friends? :b

Thanks NorthStar for your comprehensive point of view regarding this audio/video universe we face through our live journey. Indeed, without music and films, these Oppo products and my trials to improve it, may not exist anymore...

Actually I do modify (now any of the Oppo models issued so far), for anybody who may need it, want, or ask me to do it. More or less friends... I do not discriminate any of them...:D
There are some main improvements for these devices, which it may be common to all models: replacing the original SMPS with a linear PSU to power the digital board. Improving the clock system, which as original is a very simple and standard approach. Improving the analogue output stage of the device. For 105 models is is also the power system for DAC chip (which is critical for the quality outputted by this advanced DAC inside), as the analogue power system for the analogue stage of the player.
If you may think to some improvements for your 103 device, we can also go into details (PM). I may suggest as principled business rule in this field: buy a used 105 player and then send me the boards to fix it. A little bit technical skils may be necessary from the user side, to dismount and mount again the boards, and connect some connectors (of course all necessary instructions included). Done!:)
 

Coris

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2016
79
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Good morning Coris,

How much? :b

Good evening NorthStar, from me here...
Well, we may discuss about your particular case, what you may need to improve, what would be your expectations after such improvement process, what I could do for your device, and so on. Quite many "variables" to say so...For such discussion in details, I assume there it may not be here (in public) the right place. However, to you make somehow an impression or appreciation, you can find some of my prices here: http://www.xtremeplace.com/yabbse/i...d2d3a582ca8153319b67e0cc977b9c&topic=228542.0
Also, we can adapt both the improvement approach and the final price, to your particular case. Please PM me, and we may go further into details...
 

Folsom

VIP/Donor
Oct 25, 2015
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I would take yours over the Modwright, not hearing either. The regulators probably used throughout the Oppo would have enough PSRR to negate the LPS minor amount of LF. However nothing truly rejects HF noise entirely. It's an uphill battle that almost has no end for a lot of reasons. Maybe Modwright's has some very good attributes for tonality and such, but I'm sensitive to fatigue and output stages can't overcome this alone. However I don't think I'd use an Oppo for the DAC, but rather as a transport to a DAC that's better.

Do you do any sort of this stuff for a living?
 

Coris

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2016
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For sure, Modwright mod it have its particularity, and it bring important improving for sound.
Indeed, the HF noise, especially generated by the SMPS is not possible to remove it. I tried everything to lower their levels, and this is extremely difficult. To remove it completely there is not possible. Well, in the reasonable/acceptable limits of reasonable costs for such task... There is not here about the HF noises generated by the SMPS itself, but about a very complex interfering, and even more very wide spectre noise, generated into the whole system, because the important amount of residual noises particular to the digital processing. Please note that an amount of noise level it still be there into a such digital system, even if is powered by a linear PSU. The overall level of this residual noise is only lowered a lot, as its spectre is modified/reduced very much. It is obvious that the impact of the noise level into a digital system over the data processing itself, it is dramatically reduced by powering the system from a clean/cleaner power source.
At least a such SMPS - digital stage system it works fine enough to be appreciated by the most of the users out there, and it sell good enough for the producer of such powered devices. However, as I mentioned above, one get aware about the issue (high HF noise level into the system), only after have tried another approach, as this linear PSU is. After experienced a digital system powered by a analogue linear PSU, one would not go back to the SMPS power. There is difficult to use words to explain such things, but there is very obvious that everything it works better (smoother), with a linear power in place... Such powering approach is far to be acceptable for a mass production manufacturer. It is too expensive as production costs. Just only imagine what about many thousands quite big toroids/transformers needed for such analogue PSUs for all these Oppo players sold it all over... It does not work! But implementing such powering method for few targeted devices, for a limited amount of users, it works very well, and that user`s reward is quite important...
Properly improved and modified. the DAC stage into the 105/105D models it can stay beside the best external DAC devices. The hardware which is inside the mentioned models, is very good, The issue is a quite poor implementation, and design (mainly caused by the need of lowering at max the mass production costs). As it is, the DAC in Oppo players it is in my opinion, just a joke... This it was actually what it made me to start this improvement process, first as a pure hobby, and then as a little bit more lucrative hobby (to say so...). You know, such improvement process, developing and parts designing is very far from a cheap entreprise... It have to be supported/sustained somehow... however... Else, it just not happen.
To do such things for living is quite demanding as a business, and it have to be made at a enough large scale, to produce profit. Not my case, however... Else, I`m working indeed in this field for lot of years now...
 
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Coris

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2016
79
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Linear power module (LPM) for Oppo BDT 101Ci...
 

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NorthStar

Member
Feb 8, 2011
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Good morning Coris,

Later on this Fall (September-October...or a bit later) Oppo will be be introducing their new UHD Blu-ray players.
I was just wondering if you were into 4K Blu-ray? I'm not sure but they might be called the 113 and 115.
 

Coris

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2016
79
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Norway
Good evening NorthStar

Well, I haven`t been yet into, or to mod a such device. I`m also very interest to know what Oppo will bring to the market as a new model. I do hope they will not change the SMPS approach, so to I be able to sell further mine...:D
For sure they will implement the new improved Sabre DAC chip (called pro version). Quite exciting to see and hear this new model. I think it will be however enough to be improved there too...;) We will see...
 

NorthStar

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Coris

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2016
79
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Norway
The Oppo BDT-101CI (Blu-ray Disc Transport) you mentioned earlier this morning sports some AKM DACs.
Do you know which ones...series model number?

https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdt-101CI/blu-ray-BDT-101CI-Features.aspx

EDIT:

In Stereo: AKM 4490 DAC – the best in the business
7.1 channel card uses the AKM AK4458 DAC


http://peteswrite.blogspot.ca/2015/12/oppo-bdt-101ci-review.html

Indeed, there is about AKM 4490. When about "the best in the business", it is only advertising... This chip is priced at Digikey for 5$ each... If one buy 100 there is even cheaper... Sabre it cost 60$ each... At least for a mass production, Sabre`s price it can not go very low either... However, there is a quite different DAC approach in between these two chips, and Sabre is far better.
AKM 4490 it sounds good, but there is a lack of dynamics and some other fine details, comparing with Sabre DAC. I have these comments for the improved devices.
 

tommygun

New Member
Dec 6, 2010
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Indeed, there is about AKM 4490. When about "the best in the business", it is only advertising... This chip is priced at Digikey for 5$ each... If one buy 100 there is even cheaper... Sabre it cost 60$ each... At least for a mass production, Sabre`s price it can not go very low either... However, there is a quite different DAC approach in between these two chips, and Sabre is far better.
AKM 4490 it sounds good, but there is a lack of dynamics and some other fine details, comparing with Sabre DAC. I have these comments for the improved devices.

The ESS9018 is 8-channel dac, this is the reason why it cost 60$, and not because of the quality.
The AKM4490 is the latest and greatest DAC chip available on the market capable of every format, bit rate and sample rate plus it's capable of much higher sample rates than the ESS9018, not that it matters.
Also many people say, that there is mo "musicality" playing on Sabre. Its great for the movie.
 

Coris

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May 27, 2016
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Well, someone like the mother, someone like the daughter...
ESS9018 is a little bit older now, and very soon it will come out on marked the successor of it, ESS9038Pro, which for sure, and by far it will subclass the AKM4490. Of course the price of the chip is a very raw appreciation when to compare these two DACs, or whatever devices. However it may be something there, that one it is priced for 5$ each (for 100 pcs the price is even lower), and another chip is to be found on marked quite difficult, not to find it at biggest components retailers either, and for a price 10 times higher (each), at only few authorised retailers. For a mass production the Sabre chip it may cost much lower, but I seriously doubt it may come down to the same price as for AKM4490.
Else, a little bit more serious appreciation is to have a look at the way of these DACs are designed. Ess9018 it include actually (if I remember well) 128 individual DAC circuits, as the base for the DAC chip concept. Then are many other stages inside that chip (in between the jitter correction circuits, advanced digital volume), as also unknown stages, which it make this DAC as the most complex designed so far. AKM4490 is for sure not so elaborated as the Sabre, and this is enough obvious reflected in its production price. However, ESS9018 it have higher dynamic figures than AKM4490. ESS9038Pro it have (as stated so far) 140dB dynamic range, which is indeed exceptional and not to be found to other DAC producers.
When about the "musicality" of one or another DAC chip, this it is in very close relation with the additional components around the DAC chip itself, which are crucial for the musical signature of the whole system. Peoples compare the "musicality" of one or another chip, in the systems they are included/implemented, and this is far from the right way to do a right appreciation of a DAC chip capabilities. If one audio device manufacturer add in his DAC design a cap more than another designer, in a special place in the analogue signal path, or it treat the digital signals in a particular way, then the resulting products it will sound quite different, even thought with the same DAC inside. This way of appreciating "musicality" is far from the right way to judge a DAC chip or another. The same audio system it should have different DAC chips to make in principle possible a comparative appreciation of a DAC chip "musicality". But such approach is almost impossible, as two different DAC chips, it need around different components/designs to sounds right... So, to conclude, the assertion: "one DAC chip is more or less "musical " than another", is a very wrong comparative idea. The musicality of an audio device is decided by the rest of the components used together with the DAC chip.
I have experimented a lot with PCM 1793/4, and I corrected at maximum the adjacent approaches used together with this old DAC chip. The result is that a DAC system based on PCM1793/4 it sound as better (perceptual appreciation) as an ESS9018 based one, while PCM1794 is an old and simple design, and ESS9018 is the most advanced one. So, please belive me, the "musicality" is not the right criteria to appreciate which of the DAC chips it may be the best/better one, but only a way to overall appreciate the device that DAC chip is implemented into....
 
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jororaitchev

Well-Known Member
Jan 5, 2017
69
21
115
Bulgaria-Sofia
Hello,
few simple questions as for simple people ...

Own "OPPO105" D nearly two years. I have made so that the best player plays all formats / ISO ... /. I have remarks about sound. Your explanations are mainly about power block, it is clear, but why then they will offer their services demand from "potential customers" to send you require a significant amount, why people should be deprived of the player you to expect your intervention. It is right to send your ready motherboards without requirement of parts.
Anyway, I do not require the player to crack it.
Regards,
Joro
 

rsqt

New Member
Mar 10, 2021
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Hello Coris,
is your tuning for the 105 still available?
The last post in this thread is quite a longer time ago.

Regards
Ralf
 

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