Is the Oppo-105 with Modwright modifications

Tbg, I too have compared the stock 95 to the 105 and to me there really is no comparison. The 105 is clearly improved over the 95, very obvious to me in any case. I owned a stock 95 for almost 2 years so it wasn't an antedotal comparison under unknown conditions. I have heard the system of the gentleman who also owned both many times. However we both preferred my modded 95 to his stock 105. I currently own a modded Modwright 95 so can't compare to the modded 105 which I haven't but by every account from those who have heard or owned both it seems the 105 is much improved, lessons learned in both cases I suppose.

Knghifi, no, I've only heard an Exemplar moded 95 and now the Exemplar moded 105. The 105 does just about everything and with the Exemplar tube output stage, the use as a dac for my music server sounds outstanding.

Does a modification interfere with the ability to perform a firmware update? I would hate to upgrade my 105 only to find out that it will no longer successfully take a firmware update.

I don't know, but this would be a good question for Oppo : )

I would assume the 105 is like my 95... I have no problems updating the firmware on my Modwright 95...

No problem with the updates thus far. I've had my modded 105 for several months and just did the latest update rom Oppo with no issues .

$2300 will never come back if you sell. Consider that amount spent on other upgrades. More to follow.

That may be true. But if resell drives your purchase decisions, surely this limits the choices you make.
I tend to buy for the long term , so it wasn't a consideration. Those who constantly trade in search of the next big thing also see their money lost.
I guess it's an individual choice we all must make.
I still have a GNS modded Resolution Audio Opus 21 , that I now will sell, and it was a $1500 mod fee. But over the many years it's really a small amount.
I think as long as you are comfortable with the choices you make, do it.

Okay,

I went with the Ric Schultz mods on my Oppo 105 and am quite pleased with the result.

I have had the opportunity to critically listen for only about ten hours and can tell you that Ric's mods have added a lot more detail and weight in my system. I suspect that the better detail in the bass helps to flesh things out and add the weight.

One telling sign of a good player is that when I play the music at low volume, it is all there. I seemed to want to play the stock Oppo 105 louder trying to hear more. That is no longer necessary with the Ric Schultz mods.

The modded 105 is as good, if not better, that the Esoteric SA-50 that I tried in an in house audition.

I figure that I am about $3,000 ahead going the modded Oppo 105 route.

I would suggest auditioniong an Oracle AC 2 power cord by MIT. Players will change but AC power is more likely to deteriorate rather than improve; your power improvement will be permanent.

Dsper, I have heard Rick's unit and had not realize that I was hearing an Oppo 105. I will have to take my Exemplar/Oppo 105 up next time to compare.

Dsper, once again I forgot there are two Rick Schultz. I heard the Rick of High Fidelity Cables system.

Like Dsper, I recently purchased a fully modified OPPO-105D from Ric Schultz. It's easily the best sounding player that I've had in my 2-channel system for the past 22 years.

I no longer have need for a cd player, but I did finally have the opportunity to compare the Modwright versus the Exemplar moded Oppo 105s. I thought my Exemplar eXpo 105 was clearly more dynamic and detailed.

Tbg,
I am interested in more detailed response to the comparison between Modwright and Exemplar mods. I have Modrwright 105 and wonder how these two mods differ... just different sounding or one sounding better than other and by how much and in what ways? Which has better bass control? Are they tonally different? Which is more fuller and richer? Appreciate your response. Thanks.

Sstalwar, there are a number of things that I think explain the sonic differences between the Modwright and Exemplar mods of the Oppo. Foremost I think is the tube used in the amplifier output. The Modwright uses the 6SN7 tube and the Exemplar a Soviet tube derived from the 6922 family of tubes that is quite better than anything I heard in earlier versions of the Exemplar and clearly superior to the old 6SN7. This accounts for the tubier fat sound of the Modwright.

Second is the tube power supply of the Modwright versus the solid state ps of the Exemplar. This too adds to the slowness of the Modwright.

Finally the Exemplar costs $4750 versus $3695 for the Modwright if you buy an Oppo at the cheapest price I've seen. This allows for the more expensive tube, better caps, and FineMet beads to significantly lower the noise level on the Exemplar

If you have further questions, just look up Norm on audioasylum and ask.

I had been using an EVS modded Oppo 83SE for a few years, and was very pleased with the sound. I recently got upgraditis (of a sort), and bought an Oppo 105D. I set aside the 83SE and used the 105 for awhile. I generally enjoyed the sound, finding it neutral, detailed and dynamic; but on some music the treble was harsh, bright and glaring.

I had the 83 in my workplace system, which is significantly more humble than my home stereo, so the sound improved, but was nothing special. Soon after I got the 105, I upgraded my amplification and speakers. So the 105 has been in two different systems in my home.

I just sent my 105D to The Upgrade Company for his SE mods. I thought I'd try a different flavour. So I returned the 83SE to my home system in the interim. To my delight, the 83SE sounded better than the stock 105D in every area of sonic reproduction. In some cases, a lot better. This is a helluva nice-sounding player. I will be very happy if the Upgrade Company 105D is superior to the EVS-modded 83SE.

The long-winded point that I am attempting to make here is that, in my case, a Ric Shultz modified early Oppo player sounds way better than their stock newest creation.

I like TUC's work...I can definitely say his modd'd 83 is far better than the 95 I now own. (the only reason I got it is because after a number of years the modd'd 83 broke and I was concerned that shipping it, fixing it, etc with TUC) would end up being a waste if the darn thing broke again. So I got a demo 95 stock locally for a huge discount (less than shipping/repairs of the 83).

Compared to 83 TUC...well, for me, the 95 did not compare well. Fortunately, i use the Oppo 95 for video only...and even on video, i use the digital out to my DAC.

Melville,

Good luck with your mods...please post when your unit comes back...i bet its amazing!

I have played a few different CDs and SACDs on the TUC upgraded 105, and it does sound better, and certainly different than what I remember of the stock unit. At this point, however, it does not sound better than my EVS modded
Oppo 83. In all fairness, the 83 is fully burned-in (a couple of years of play). The TUC 105 is specified to improve all the way up to 600 hours. I will keep you posted.

Hi Melville,

In a way, I am not [entirely] surprised by that...the modded 83 I had was excellent and killed my current stock 95...but the 83 stopped functioning and I was honestly afraid of paying big labor costs to fix it only to have it break again.

Since I only use 95 for video and use the digital out to my DAC, I am fine with this. But that modd'd 83 was REMARKABLE...and I felt did a ton to the original stock 83 sound...much more than it seems a 95 vs 83 upgrade makes. Nevertheless, the 105 is supposed to be fundamentally superior platform so in any event you've got the 'best' of the Oppo series and the mods. Hopefully it gets better over the next few hundred hours...but if not, you've still got amazing sound no doubt. Enjoy!

I considered TUC when I got my 105D, but I couldn't get a handle on precisely what they did. They sounded kind of vague with band-aid type mods versus gut changes by EVS. Ric explained exactly what he would do and it made sense to me at that time.With over 500 hours on my player,I know that I made the right choice.

My TUC-modded 105D is now about 500 hours into full burn-in, and I have a hard time imagining it sounding any better. This is the real deal! I have a friend with the four-box Wadia 9, and I do not enjoy listening to it in his much more expensive system than the 105D in mine.

OPPO Digital Announces Decision to Gradually Stop Manufacturing New Products.....April 3 2018, 09:00......😪

It could well have been an April's Fool story, but unfortunately it was released on April 2nd... In a message of farewell, OPPO Digital has confirmed it will gradually stop manufacturing new products, causing a shockwave across home theater and audio enthusiasts all over the world. A decision which is hard to understand given the success stories of the brand's range of Blu-ray Disc players, planar magnetic headphones and the recent entry in the wireless speaker segment. Meanwhile, OPPO Digital confirmed they are open to proposals regarding the IP related to their product design.

http://www.audioxpress.com/news/oppo-digital-announces-decision-to-gradually-stop-manufacturing-new-...