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  1. W

    Conclusive "Proof" that higher resolution audio sounds different

    Since you're in a strangely combative mood for some reason, I'll bite. Ashihari et al made a simple but serious mistake in their experiment - do you know what it is? Its so simple, but I've not seen anyone spot it. The damage it has done has set HiFi back years by people arguing that high...
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    Conclusive "Proof" that higher resolution audio sounds different

    :) Actually our first encounter was at PJ HiFi in Guildford, Surrey, UK, when you were on the HDDVD World Tour. I'm afraid I was a Blu man even then (very simple decision), but we've had much more in common since. I remember the thread in question (Advanced Concepts in Audio..?) which talked...
  3. W

    Conclusive "Proof" that higher resolution audio sounds different

    Hey Amir, I've been avoiding this for a while because of the noise, but here goes. Not just a positive DBT result, but an ABX DBT, no less. That's exactly what's been lacking all these years, and nobody has ever done it before IIRC (and I'm as guilty as anyone). And ABX tests are very good at...
  4. W

    Vibration isolation question

    Ho Hum. I usually find myself more open-minded than most other folks about what can affect SQ and what can't affect it. Most audio manufacturers will tell us about the importance of microphony, and the things they do to avoid it. Things like turntables and tubes are obviously microphonic...
  5. W

    The Upgrade Company

    There are various issues with TUC, which I understand, but the secrecy seems to have bugged lots of people. I really don't get that. Other modmen are keen to list all their mods in exhaustive detail, which is fine (if you think that YOU can judge which mods are worthwhile and which are not)...
  6. W

    The Upgrade Company

    Me too. I need to go put my car back together, but I will just reply to one point: Tweak Audio think the Oppo 95 sounds better with the lid off: http://www.tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/Oppo_95_mods.html BTW, I have been subjected to a blind, level-matched test between stock and TUC modified gear...
  7. W

    The Upgrade Company

    Oh, I think there's plenty of science to what TUC does, and its not down to showmanship or marketing. In many ways they go about it all wrong - making enemies on every internet forum, threatening legal action, refusing to send loan units to reviewers, etc. Think how effective they would be if...
  8. W

    The Upgrade Company

    I agree that the true test is the double blind test (though in truth I'm happy with a single blind test - I know all the arguments for DBT, but I've always been left completely in the dark with every single blind test I've done). ABX testing isn't just DBT testing though, its something...
  9. W

    The Upgrade Company

    You said yourself that everyone could tell the difference between the stock and modded units with sighted comparisons. Are you saying that counts for nothing, and the negative ABX test result is the only one that counts? Notwithstanding Amir's recent result, its very difficult for untrained...
  10. W

    The Upgrade Company

    I broke the seals on mine a long time ago. I'm impressed if you might be able to measure jitter well enough to distinguish between different high-quality players. Setting aside the audible differences for a moment, an improvement there would help vindicate the mod approach. TUC seemed to be...
  11. W

    The Upgrade Company

    I still have my TUC Oppo 95. What can you measure? Nick
  12. W

    The Upgrade Company

    I have 19 posts in this thread, 28 posts in your AVS thread of 2011, and owned 6 TUC players and processors over 5 years, so I think I'm qualified to comment. I'm also very well aware of what you did in 2012, and I don't think it changes much - tells us more about ABX testing than it does...
  13. W

    The Upgrade Company

    Sooooo..... you're saying that someone with a different opinion to your own should be run off the forum? Nick
  14. W

    Oppo BDP-103 & BDP-105 Universal Blu-ray Players :: Reviews & Opinions.

    I own a 93 & 95, and most folks say the 103 & 105 have similar respective sounds. I spent a lot of time comparing them before I modded my 93,and became very familiar with them. IMO the 95 is hugely better than the 93 - better at everything. I do prefer using the 93 as a digital source, but...
  15. W

    Oppo BDP-103 & BDP-105 Universal Blu-ray Players :: Reviews & Opinions.

    I'm not surprised at all that the TUC Oppo 83 sounded better on SPDIF than the stock 95. I've owned lots of modified equipment, players and processors, where the mods have improved the digital outputs. This includes: TUC modified Denon 3800 TUC Pioneer BDP-09 TUC Oppo NuForce 83 TUC...
  16. W

    Upgrade for Oppo 93

    I have a very good sounding TUC-modded 95. Maybe I should get the Lee supply for that? Nick
  17. W

    Upgrade for Oppo 93

    I've been following Dan Wright's work for some time, and nearly bought one of his players recently. He seems to concentrate on the analogue board, and I THINK he still uses the SMPS for his Oppo 95 supply to the main board. The reasoning is this line from the Oppo 95 page on his website...
  18. W

    Upgrade for Oppo 93

    Yeah - it does, there are two Lee supplies, one for the 93 (supplies both boards) and one for the 95 (digital board only). Nick
  19. W

    Upgrade for Oppo 93

    I think that anyone going for broke with the Oppo 95 ought to consider Jae Hong Lee's linear supply. "Wait a minute" I hear you cry - "I thought Lee's PSU was for the 93, and the 95 already had a linear supply?" Well, the 95 has a linear supply for the audio board, and an SMPS for the main...
  20. W

    Upgrade for Oppo 93

    OK, so here's my Oppo with both the linear power supply and the NuForce analogue audio board: This was one of the cheapest and easiest upgrades I've found. I had to remove the power connector to get the NuForce board in, but otherwise its just two connectors and a few screws. The linear...
  21. W

    Upgrade for Oppo 93

    My NuForce Edition audio board has just arrived. It looks like a very simple swap-out, so I'll be giving that a good listening this weekend. The components look good - same Cirrus Logic DAC, but OPA2134 op-amps and Wima caps. This one is the low-cost version, without the sophisticated...
  22. W

    Upgrade for Oppo 93

    I did some more listening last night, as I wanted to hear what effect the linear PSU had on digital audio quality. Before the mod, my TUC modified 95 sounded rather better than the stock 93, when hooked into my Sony DA9000 via spdif. It wasn't a huge difference (unlike the analogue out) but it...
  23. W

    Upgrade for Oppo 93

    It’s been a source of frustration that many high-end disc players use linear power supplies for their audio boards, but switching supplies for everything else. These players include the Denon A1XV, A1UD, Pioneer DV-989 and Oppo 95, all of which I own. So I was pleased to hear about the Ayre...
  24. W

    Upgrade for Oppo 93

    OK, now that's interesting. I'm also a Meridian user, and an Oppo 93 with an LPS and the vanity board sounds like the closest thing to the Meridian Blu-ray player that they never made. An all-digital Blu-ray system, where the audio never goes anywhere near HDMI. I like the sound of that...
  25. W

    Upgrade for Oppo 93

    I haven't looked at PQ yet, I'll try to get it hooked up with the PJ this weekend. Of course everyone who knows best says that this sort of thing can't improve PQ over HDMI, but I'm going to keep an open mind (and I do still have a 95 to compare it with). Going by the improvement in SQ over...
  26. W

    Upgrade for Oppo 93

    Hi Guys, I mentioned I was modding my Oppo 93. Rather like I've done with several Meridian processors, I replaced the switching power supply with Lee Jaehong's linear supply. Its been a long time in the pipline, but I finished the first part of the work this week, and I took a few pictures...
  27. W

    What are your current reference speakers?

    Room 1: Meridian DSP 6000. More than car. Room 2: Final 700 electrostatics. Less than car.
  28. W

    Adele: Live at Royal Albert Hall

    I haven't got the Blu-ray yet, but the concert was on SkyHD yesterday here in the UK. The whole family were transfixed. That's a wonderful venue, a career high for ANY performer, and she seemed so confident. What I really enjoyed was it was much better recorded than the CD - which is tragic...
  29. W

    USB Cables with isolated power leads-

    This sounds like a great idea - no need to spend loads of money. However some DACs & convertors need the power line return to be connected - just leaving the supply line disconnected. Otherwise the source doesn't recognise the sink. Nick
  30. W

    Upgrade for Oppo 93

    I'm confident about what this will do for audio quality, but video quality is another thing, and I noticed how adamant Lee was that his PSU improved PQ over HDMI. Its not difficult to see how analogue video can be improved, but digital video? That's a big ask, and I think you're about to get...

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