Modify Oppo 980 or add External DAC?

Ben,

Before I bought the mod'd Oppo I would have agreed with you completely. However, after having owned the EVS level 2 mod'd Oppo 970 I've changed my way of thinking.

It is a shockingly good cd player. I have a well regarded non-OS DAC in the house, and I can say without a doubt that the mod'd Oppo is better when using it's internal DAC than it is when used as a transport with my external DAC.

Honestly, I'm frugal to a fault (ask my wife!). I typically only buy equipment when I know I can resell it for little/no loss. I took a chance on the mod'd Oppo and couldn't be happier. Absolutely no buyers remorse.

Enjoy,

TIC

In most cases, adding an external DAC box is redundant, and introduces more noises, cabling, connectors, circuitry etc.. You will get ALOT more performance with the mods to the players internal DAC/Analog output section versus adding an external DAC box with stock circuitry. Plus you need to spend extra money on power and digital cabling, for what? a small improvment in sound? The mods bring a ton more improvement across the board (and minialize circuitry as well) for considerably less money spent.

Thank you all very much for the suggestions. I was inclining toward Celtic66's argument but Ruebent's enthusiastic endorsement has intrigued me into exploring the EVS mods.

Jgacalo,

If you are near Cincinnati you are welcome to stop by for a listen. Otherwise, Ric does provide a money back policy if you send him a new unit for modding.

Ric is located near San Jose, Ca. He may be able to hook you up with someone in your area for a listen. He seems like a really nice guy, so it couldn't hurt to ask.

I do want to caution you that it is a consumer grade product as stated by Celtic. But if you are OK with that knowledge, it's a very good sounding player. If that concerns you, then buying an external DAC or dedicated CD player may make you more comfortable.

Enjoy,

TIC

I spoke with Ric at EVS a while back after buying his DAC 1, which I still use, and at that point he was discontinuing his own DAC in favor of modding players because he thought he got better results (in line with what Flye said above). So there's that for what it's worth.

I'm also considering modding my Oppo 970 that I'm currently using as a transport only, but I can't get any of my interconnects to fit in the narrow space provided by the RCA input jacks -- a major limitation. Also, about a month after I had the unit the drawer stopped working and I had to send the unit to get fixed (the unit has worked fine since by the way). Great customer service and turnaround time, but I'd hesitate to send a new unit to Ric since modding probably voids the warranty. Just a thought and best of luck...