Anyone still using a TRL modded Sony?

Hooper,

Can you comment on the Oppo Blu-Ray player modified by Paul and Brian? Does it meet your expectations? How does it compare to your past units?

I got my Oppo BDP83 modified by Modwright and I'm very happy with the results. Curious how they compare ...

They are really good guys and when I get some money together soon, I will try again to send my malfunctioning unit back for repairs.I tried recently but it got send back because I declared a $1000 value and now with any electonics $1000 or over I needed to appoint a POA plus post a bond to get it across the border .The airfreight shipping fees would come to over $100 and I just lost my $45 I paid FedEx to send it there initially.I now have a usuable piece of junk that has cost me over $2000 CND which hurts when one is on a fixed pension.I am thinking on sending it airfrieght this time at a value of $500(which is the used value anyway of a unmodded one) since this is supposed to bypass the customs hassles and the full retail tax they charged me last time upon returning it to Canada.I am open to suggestions on the shipping from any Canadians that may have experienced border hassles with sending equipment (either way) across the border.I am finished with this project as my cost overruns are going to be in the $600 range by the time I am through....if I am lucky enough to get it there and back.Just my luck to get the only bad one they ever modded.I can only hope to get it back there and then home again without these horrendous complications.

Bill

My TRL’d Marantz 8001 continues to amaze me. It’s beaten some mega-dollar contenders in my system, including those from Meitner and Esoteric. I just had an Oppo Blu-Ray player modified by Paul and Brian, and that’s going to replace the 8001 simply because I need to simplify my rig with a universal player—but that said, the Weitzel’s work on my 8001 was extraordinary. It sounds scarily close to analog tape; that’s how good it is. Add in the fact that Paul and Brian are two of the nicest and most sincere guys you could ever hope to meet in this hobby, and for me, it’s a no-brainer: they’ll continue to have my business for a long time.

I have a TRL modded Marantz SA8001 however after it broke in it began to sound edgy bright,sibilant and glassy.In fact my Panasonic Blue Ray player sounds better in most areas.Paul Weitzel says he may need to fix something in the midrange however I cannot afford to send it back again as I am on a tight budget.Great guys to deal with though..I probably just got a lemon.I live in Canada abd get hit with PST and GST everytime I bring something across the border even though I put in to have the amount refunded because this usually goes under warranty-repair.

I've had my TRL modded Sony 900 for over a year. I kept it for 4 months before sending it back for the battery box upgrade. The battery box is a substantial improvement. I've never had digital playback that hasn't fatigued me after a half hour or so until now.

Just received my TRL modded sacd Sony ce-595 player. I live in Israel and this would have been an impossible mission if not for the never ending support of Paul Weitzel at TRL. It took a while for the snowstorms to stop so that it could be shipped. His expertise never failed for a moment when it didn't work at first, and he walked me through each step of checking the transformer (220 volts over here) until he advised me to use a 20 A fuse to allow for the original kick in. And so it did – it kicked in and has been working for three days now.
Yes, it is still a very young machine and yet straight out of the box, I count the minutes every day until I can go home to sit down and listen to music - classical or jazz, and some good Van Morrison. What can I say, the smile has never left my face.
I went to bed the first night just thinking of what I just heard and the smile stayed plastered to my face. I am no audio expert so I can't explain the sound in a very professional fashion, but to me it is so clear and deep, and rich, and detailed, that I am just having a lot of fun and good concentrated listening.
Even the wife, when she heard it for the first time, said 'Hey that sounds good', and if you knew her, then you would know that something revolutionary has happened to the sound of music in our house with this new deck.
I will let it burn in for the next few weeks, and will be back to let you know more.
Thanks Paul and Brian at TRL for a great sacd player, and exceptional customer service on a very personal level.
Can't recommend it enough!!
Joel

I started with TRL modded Sony 2000 which relaced my Arcam CD 192. Then I moved to TRL NV900 (which I currently own). I am now moving to battery modded TRL NV900. Actually I have slowly updated most of my system to TRL components. I am more than pleased :)

Cheers

I'm still using my TRL battery Sony 900 and it has trounced some very high dollar players, ... well known high dollar players in my system.

for what it is worth, they've done well over 1000 digital player mods and you don't see any for sale.

Add me to the list. I have a modded DVP-NS900V and still love it. It has beat some more costly contenders in my system. I usually just don't think about replacing the thing, just listen to the music. Yes it's plain and ugly and won't get any oohs and aahhhs from your audiophile buddies, but do you care?

Oz

I still have the TRL modded Sony DVP-NS900V and have no plans to change digital sources. In fact, I bought a second (unmodified) unit for spare parts in case something breaks.

I've got a Sony 2000ES changer mod from TRL. This has to be one of the most satisfying audio purchases I've ever made. I won't go into all the audiophile superlatives like transparency, micro dynamics, PRAT (excuse me), etc. This player just flat sounds fantastic. With the proper recording, I find myself engrossed in the music. It's sometimes like listening to a performance, as opposed to hearing a recording of a performance. BTW, if you get the mod, Paul/Brian Weitzel usually send along several of their test CD's. These are extremely well recorded ... producing sound that rivals well made SACD quality.