If you got it for half price no need to return it. You can easily sell it at a profit on audiogon.
---- Very true that.
I don't know from whom you bought it, but Oppo's customer service and policies are outstanding.
There are quite a few companies out there modding 95's, at anywhere from about $300 on up to over $2000 (not including the unit itself). Given what you have invested in the rest of your system, it would seem logical to upgrade the 95 if you are unhappy with it. It has better audio and video processing than the 83, so you'd be starting from an inherently better platform.
---- From what I've read, Dan from Modwright is the much better choice.
And yes, much much better than the 83 modded from
The Upgrade Company.
Modwright is more expensive, but check at
AudioCircle and
diyAudio to see what people who did it have to say.
____________________
Lloyd, right now, you have an excellent machine (the Oppo BDP-95), and you got it for an amazing deal; just don't give up, think clearly, and do what you have to do.
BUT! Remember this; it all depends of your own use in your own system.
The 95 is a first class BD and DVD player, picture (Marvell Qdeo) & sound (DTS-HD MA & Dolby TrueHD) wise, period.
And the sound quality from CDs, SACDs, DVD-Audios, and HDCDs is also very very good.
...From both its multichannel analog out, and its RCA and its XLR balanced outs.
- DSD stream direct, or LPCM; your choice.
The video processor is first rate.
The DACs are first rate.
And both the picture and audio from its digital (HDMI, Coax. & Opt.) and analog (multich., single-ended and balanced) outputs are unprecedent for the money.
Plus the build quality eclipses all other Universal Blu-ray players, except for perhaps the
Ayre Acoustics DX-5 "Universal A/V Engine". ...But that one costs $9,950 so it is twenty times more money than what you paid for your 95.
And the next best Blu-ray player for the masses is the Sony BDP-S790 which also plays SACDs (Hybrid multich. & stereo), and with a dual-core video processor (very fast), 4K upscaling, 3D, 2D-to-3D conversion, Skype support, over 50 streaming services including all the usual suspects, dual HDMI outputs (v. 1.4), digital Coax. & Opt. outputs, soft-touch buttons that light up (on top), two USB ports, ... and that you can get for only $179, or less (watch for Boxing day). ...It also looks very classy. The picture quality for Blu-ray and DVD discs is the same as the 93, 95, 103, and 105 Oppo players. The DVD upscaling performance is equivalent, and it does 24p with DVDs as well, and very good at that too.
The BDP-S790 weights 3.2 pounds, and is less than two inches high. And I love the XMB (XrossMediaBar) user's interface from Sony. Plus it gives you constant separate bit rate for both the video and audio (it's cool anyway).
Some of the biggest movie directors in Hollywood have the Sony BDP-S790 in their ultra high-end Home Theater Cinema system as their primary source! ...And it's a fact.
The Oppo BDP-93 and BDP-95 are already two years old, and their replacement; the BDP-103 and BDP-105 are better, today. ...In several aspects; much faster loader (dual-core video processing), and a better audio quality improvement (smoother and warmer without losing the air, the transparency, the ambiance, the micro details).
...Better analog implementation in both of them.
And they have much more features now with three USB ports, two HDMI inputs, and the 105 has also a digital Coax. and Opt. inputs, plus a headphone amp and preamp. ...And the 105 has an asynchronous USB input; less jitter. ...The 105 you can use as a dedicated preamp with its digital volume control. ...And as an excellent DAC. Wow, that is a lot what the 105 has and can do!
I can keep on and on, but I'm tired now. :b