I am in complete agreement with Hhop. I have an EVS-modified Oppo 105 (the plain one, not the D version), and before that I had a 95 also modified by Ric. The 95 was already very very good, but the 105 is on a different level. I have done all the modifications listed on Ric's site, including the linear power supply and balanced jfet output buffers. The balanced outputs go straight into a Bryston amp driving Gallo Strada II speakers; volume control is done in the Oppo.
The modified 105 has more of everything. Tonal accuracy of instruments is very important for me: with this player you can tell different types of violins, and piano sounds (almost) like a real piano. Detail is also excellent: you can count the frequency of vibratos on string instruments, and appreciate different bowing styles and attacking techniques on the strings. It is very easy to tell apart the different players in chamber music. But what the player does really well is orchestral music. It keeps its poise in noisy tutti passages, with the players distinct in their correct positions.
Ric doesn't seem to promote himself as much as other modders, but he definitely knows what he's doing, and the sound of his modified Oppos is there to prove it.
The modified 105 has more of everything. Tonal accuracy of instruments is very important for me: with this player you can tell different types of violins, and piano sounds (almost) like a real piano. Detail is also excellent: you can count the frequency of vibratos on string instruments, and appreciate different bowing styles and attacking techniques on the strings. It is very easy to tell apart the different players in chamber music. But what the player does really well is orchestral music. It keeps its poise in noisy tutti passages, with the players distinct in their correct positions.
Ric doesn't seem to promote himself as much as other modders, but he definitely knows what he's doing, and the sound of his modified Oppos is there to prove it.