You might be able to apply dynamat to the oppo 95 to reduce the fan noise. This product is used by car audio people often and does help to reduce noise. Easy to apply and not expensive. Good Luck |
I did not know that the Oppo 95 has a fan. Are you sure? Maybe you are hearing the disc drive. Why would a non power output device have a fan? Does anybody know for sure if it has a fan? |
Sorry, just read a review complaining about fan noise |
Is it the fan or resonance of the cabinet created by the fan? Have you tried adding a vibration isolation device? I had a similar issue once and Vibrapods reduced the noise considerably. |
I had a MW Oppo 83 and one of the reasons I moved on from it was the fan noise and heat it generates. If I get a MW Oppo 95 for Blu-ray, will try running it without the cover so fan SHOULD not come on. |
exchange it for a CA 751bd, no fan, very close to an Oppo 95. |
Go to tweakaudio.com. Look under Oppo 95 Mods. Ric Schultz describes how he slightly elevates the top of the Oppo, which allows easier airflow and cooling and keeps the fan from turning on. |
Nice trick is to use the Pure Audio mode as this defeats the video outs and viola 85% less fan in my experience, But I never hear it anyway unless right on top of it changing a disc! |
Thanks, everyone.
I'm surprised no one knows how long the 95 takes to burn-in. |
burn in: 0-1000 hours, depending on your opinions, pre-conceptions, biases and delusions |
Thanks Abind. That link was very helpful.
Has anyone had direct experience with burn-in? Seems someone must have. |
Sure! and with detailed notes, out of the box the 95 is listenable but restrictive, It takes 50-60 hrs to lose the restrictive out the box sound and hints at its spacious nature, many have described this to be a warm sound but this is a premature evaluation.
100-135 hrs bass shows up and your favorite tracks have all the previous goodies but with new and more revealing details and a better since palitability. The next milestone will occur around 300-400 hrs as the overall sound for me became very addictive, this is where the 95 became neutral in my setup not the cool or the warm side but had the ability to resolve complex passages previously unheard regardless of the sources. Having heard different types of dacs I've always wanted some from this one and some from that to get the sound I was after the Ess sabre is clearly the king of dacs at the moment and for good reason. Now comes the 500-700 mark and the 95 gains the elusive "Air" this I must admit I never heard before but its pure magic tonally rich highly detailed with extended powerful bass. The method I used for burn in 12hrs of playtime using sweeps and test tones and music with 30 mins shut off and then back on. I was trying to get as many hours as possible befor the 30 day trail ended. , At 400hrs this thing was not going back. March 12th marked 1 year with 95 and I'm still elated with the way its restored my passion for this hobby.
Hope this helps! post your findings!
Regards Jeff |
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The 95 has lots of fans. When I first saw the picture at the dealer I realised why. Could only barely hear the fan from very close. Should be fine in most environments from that pespective. Great machine. It wont compete with upper end dedicated CD players but i guess it can probably challenge a few lower down. |
It sure will compete with the upper end, in fact it is the upper end!dedicated or not. |
Awesome Jdub39 - extremely helpful...just what I was looking for! I just got the Oppo 95 today (replacing an Oppo 970 which has been one of the absolute best values I've encountered) - was hoping to give my analog some competition (it's not an easy life being the digital front end in my system - just look at my user name)...'listenable but restrictive' describes exactly what I'm hearing now (but I am aware of the importance of 'burn-in').
I think I've set it up for maximum 2-channel audio only performance (basically what it says in the manual) - do you guys have any 'not so obvious setup setting' recommendations here that you've A/B:ed (listening comaparisons)?
While I'm at it I just have to recommend experimenting with some small myrtle wood block supports under the components (I use 3 under each - one middle front and one in each 'back corner') - it always surprises me that it makes such a noticable difference...it's cheap and you might like it too. |
I tried the pure audio "trick" at the start of my listening session today and within 30 min the fan kicked in. I am fortunate that I am far enough away from the unit it does not affect the music. As info there is about 1.5" clearance above the unit and it rests on blocks made of cork & rubber - maybe another 3/4" clearance underneath it... |
I went a couple of rounds with vibration control I tried BD #3 cones with and without there new carbon fiber disc and also Herbies tender feet, in the end I found better results with the stock feet and an upgraded VTI rack asymmetrically filled with 75% stainless steel bb's and 30% sand. I used some of Herbies grunge buster dots between the rack and shelves.I do have a question though are you using xlr or rca's? My first round with the 95 was with the rca's and could have lived with them not knowing any the better. I went balanced outs 3 months ago and it took about another 400 hrs to settle back in and to be honest at first I felt the overall balance was thin in comparison to the wonderful sounding rca's. To be sure there would be a difference in sound quality after adjusting the gain and such, I used the same cables both where AQ Columbia's rca and xlr. Now for awhile there the xlr's where about to go back but cooler heads prevailed and as I type this the beautiful brass from Bruckner's 9th Paavo Jarvi sacd via xlr was well worth the wait and I now use xlr exclusively for 2 channel playback. But back to the myrtle wood blocks I may have to check it out and try again.
Thanks for the tip! |
Hi Go4vinyl,
I'd definitely be sure you use "Pure Audio". I now have 250 hours on mine. It's clearly getting better.
Has anyone compared a stock 95 to a modified one? If so, I'd be very curious what you heard. |
Hi Jdub39, what high end players have you compared it with? |
I imagine jet fuel will work better with burn in than kerosene or plain old auto gasoline...if you have something that can ignite it.
Seriously...I want someone to explain to me in terms of physics...I'm talking p/n junction theory, conduction theory, energy wells, Schrodinger's equation, what is it that you think physically occurs during the first 100 hours of operation of a piece of electronic gear that makes it sound better at the end of that 100 hour period than it did at the start of it?
Mind you said piece of electronics gear is comprised of parts & components that have undergone QC testing to ensure proper tolerances on significant operating parameters and have undergone environmental stress screening to precipitate any infant mortality failure mechanisms. |
You've pretty much answered your own question,The least path of resistance, compression and as you say environmental stress all play a role and I'm sure many more factors we probably haven't dawned on just yet, but adaption to this is key for all life and what we call inanimate objects.It maybe a moment of brief sustained stability but in the end it will transition to what we call failure, ahh! but for a moment we have stability a prime of life and then a slow demise.One need only to look at one's own life!
This is all subjective of course but can still be measured! |
I personal have not directly compared the 95 to any Hi end players save the units I had over the years Sony's, Phillips, Denon 5900 and Pioneer and many others ,but many have done direct comparisons against universal and stand alone units. I have demoed many highend players over the years from Esoteric and the like but that never transitions well when you get it home. My opinions on the unit are based on what I hear from my system and not some one elses ( which is finally the best Iv'e heard in 25 yrs at this) and are not biased in anyway. I took a gamble on the 95 and came away in "shock and awe" for what I had in my possession. only thing I had on hand was a knowledge base of what bad, good and great sound is regardless of price. I posted in another forum a year ago (as obtained one first batches of 95's)It was a "Giant killer" and I still look across the room and can't believe what this unassuming black box is capable of producing. Now that the reviews are in and comparisons have been made I'm not crazy as I thought I was! Do your research don't take my word for it! In the end It doesn't mean much at all. In a game of who will blink first I wouldn't bet against the 95! |
jdub39 - not the answer I was looking for.
ESS does nothing more than precipitate latent defects -- bad solder joints, loose wiring, bad connectors and weak parts by over stressing parts mechanically, thermally and electrically. This is typically well beyond their normal operating envelopes with the objective being to induce failures in weak parts.
"Burn in" as used at the top of this thread presumes that operating new electronic components under normal stress profiles for x hours causes the normal operating parameters of electronic devices to change, always in a way that makes the sound get better. In other words, these are not RANDOM changes, even though the physical inputs are random...they always move in a direction of better sound, not worse sound.
Are you going to tell me you actually believe THAT? This is not the universe I live in.
To be clear, I fully agree such things happen with new speaker suspensions or any mechanical devices. But...the premise set forth by the OP is that the signal quality out of a CD player improves after the first x hours. Again...I ask...explain it in terms of physics. I don't think you can because I think it's a bunch of BS. |
Minus, Many people think that it is the owner's perception that breaks in over the first 100 or 500 hours. That's possible in your world, isn't it? You'll only find frustration if you try to apply physics to human perception and behavior. |
And there you have your answer! you automatically assume a speaker breaks in because you see the drivers moving,I'm almost certain the atoms compressed together at the subatomic level are not just sitting still(but can you see them) we humans trust our eyes first. I'm sorry no one can show you (just yet) why break in occurs I do know nothing in this Universe isn't excluded from the rules, atoms compressed together in any form or state they are in, has a lot of activity going on capacitors, chips solder joints etc.. are all subjected to the laws of physics and will fail.But can and will reach a point of what I call stability and will repeat the desired result for a while( maybe years) until one day no more. Not here to be a professor, just sharing info! |
Thank you again, Jeff. Very helpful. |
I know nothing about the physics. I have, however, compared two identical components, the only difference being that one was new and the other had several hundred hours on it. The one with more time sounded better. I have done this with cables as well.
Maybe Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory could help us? |
Jdub39 and Jfz - I probably have 100 hours on it now and soundwise it clearly follows the 'break-in' schedule you posted...the sound has opened up considerably and inching a good bit closer to the analog rig (naturally I am using the 'Pure Sound' setting)...I'm really looking forward to continuing running this one in. I have two wonderfully sounding integrateds but none has XLR - Creek Destiny and Marantz PM-KI Pearl - so RCA will have to do. Do you think the XLR sounds much better and what type of pre/amp do you have? Also, I have tried BDR cones and other softer vibration dampers but for me the myrtle blocks does the job. |
Guys, sorry, don't mean to come across as disagreeable and I understand everyone's here to exchange ideas and info. This is obviously a pet peeve of mine that occurs often in the audiophile community. If you think your electronics sound better after 500 hours than brand new then more power to you...as someone above said this could very well be caused by your believing it should sound better...the placebo effect. I'm going to stay firmly planted in my universe though. ;-)
I would ask you though to continue to try to explain to yourselves why, if an electronics component "drifts" or settles" physically in some way when new, why it always drifts in the direction of better sound. Even if I thought I heard improvement in sound of a new component, I don't know how I could logically explain it always getting better instead of sometimes getting worse if it was due to random changes in some physical parameters. |
Nice gear!, I use the 2 channel balanced and the 5.1 rca ( using the rca stereo outs with the player set with the FL/FR option) outputs to an Anthem avm20v2 in the analog direct mode for both. I still find the rca's seductive until you hear the xlr's you think it gets no better, the overall difference is the xlr offers a more blacker carved out presentation and a longer decay. At times during the comparison of the two, the rca's seemed more together and harmonically richer (tube or analog like) and why I fell in love with it in the first place but that's until the xlr's reach there full potential. Nothing I would worry about now though and look at it as just something to get around to latter. Now running the Oppo 95 direct to my Halo A21 via rca or xlr is high on my to do list, especially since the recent firmware update includes smaller volume steps! I now have no excuse to try what many say is the uncut version of the 95! |
Jdub39 - many thanks again for relevant info. Firmware upgrade, huh? I'll do that soonest...sure seems like a good idea to connect balanced to power amp directly and look forward for report on that experience ;-)
I know I'll end up there at some point (it always happens for some reason) so might as well check with OPPO 95 owners now so I have some ideas when I get there - any positive experiences with aftermarket power cords? The one that comes with the player seems relatively good, but... |
Aftermarket powercord is ground zero, it all starts at the wall in my book. My initial run with 95 was with a Ps audio AC3 (12awg) I had fantastic results with this low cost entry level cable and I cant recommend it enough! with that being said I did try the AC5 (10awg) but it ended up sounding better with preamp. I recently put an AC10 (10awg) on the 95 and oh boy! its been about two weeks and it definitely takes it up a level or two. treat it like a $5000 + unit and it responds like one. |
Something I forgot you guys may find important! upon removing the plastic caps from the rca connectors on the 95 there is more than a small amount of residue left over. I used Caig pro gold and polished them to a shine, you wont believe the difference in how dull they where, I'm not sure if this contributes to the sound, as I did this on day one, but I'm sure its not helping it either. |
Thanks - I do use Kontak that I like, so did that (I do have a bottle of Caig Deoxit Gold as well, I tried it once way back and stopped using it as it's 'oily' and affected the sound negatively in my opinion...maybe I'm just using it the wrong way)...burn-in continues and the Oppo sounds really sweet now (I can no longer have it playing in the background and ignore it - I didn't expect CD's to sound this good), my only complaint being the fan noise (it really doesn't matter)...I've upgraded the firmware and set FL/FR as advised...right now I have a Nordost Shiva on the CDP which sounds good...I've even found a few other threads that discusses power cords and such... |
Go4vinyl,
Are you using the Oppo connected to a preamp via
regular RCA's as a stand alone cdp, or are you using a separate DAC with a digital cable?? |
Yeah the Caig can be oily, I use a separate cloth( some use alcohol) to remove any excess I find that after a week or two the sound character of the Caig wears off and all cables settle back in! |
I have a fan here that may be lower noise. I will be trying it very soon. I will let you know if it works and where to get it if it does. As it states on my website you can remove the cover and not only will it sound better but the fan will only come on when you are playing Blue Rays. |
A friend of mine got the Oppo 95 and told me it would blow away my $5,000.00 Mcintosh 871. Needless to say I was not a believer. After begging him to bring it over (he only had it 2 weeks so not much break in) I threw everything at it in the pure analog mode and I now have my Mac in audiogon and expect my delivery of the Oppo tomorrow. I tried the XLR out to my C2200 preamp and it was WAY better than the same brand RCA. As a side note I too cannot explain cable and electronic gear break in but I have experienced it and even my wife who really does not care that much agrees. I guess we are both crazy..... I hope this unit has a long life reliability as that is the only thing that has yet to be determined. Hopefully 400 hours from now I continue to be a believer. |
I stand by my comment. It will not compete with the upper eschelon players, and why should it at its price? It is a fabulous machine offering tremendous value and probably competitive well above its price range. |
Send it to Dan and get the Modright tube mod of the 95 and you will beat most players out there at any cost. |
Jwm - Can you tell us specifically what differences you have heard between the stock and Modwright-modded 95? I ask because I have read several places that the modded version is significantly better; and, based on experience with my modified Denon, I believe it. The problem I am having is understanding what those improvements or differences are - specifically.
Thanks! |
"I stand by my comment. It will not compete with the upper eschelon players"
Keep standing and I can keep listening, the 95 has earned its place as a giant killer in "mild mannered stock form" I could only imagine what a fully modded one would do. Price is just what it is, price it has no correlation to performance. But of course your dollars are yours to spend however you wish, its good to know that sometimes and I do mean sometimes you can get so much for so little! |
More refined sound. More natural warmth in the midrange, much less of that digital sound. This is only through the analog balanced output stage. This player beat the Playback Designs CD player I had that sold for 15,000.00. |
Owned the Oppo 95 as well as many competetive players along with several High End players and found the Oppo 95 to be uniquely unlistenable to me. I am a 2 channel guy and I must say it had a very strong signature DSP style sound that overlayed everything I played on it. Sounded artificially expanded and spacious on all recordings, robbing them of their individual acoustic characteristics. The fan was also quite aggravating after only a few days. |
Thank you, Jwm. I don't have a balanced preamp. Could you tell me what you hear via the unbalanced outputs?
Thanks! |
Jdub39, I agree nothing special in standard Oppo, but modified by Modright it beat every player I had in house, including the 15,000 Playback Designs CD player. Jfz same thing applies to the unbalanced outputs. |
Thanks Jwm! It sounded like you were saying the Oppo sounds much better using the balanced outputs. |
I own the stock Oppo 95 and as many have said, it's a very good player "for the money". I bought mine specifically for video but I do enjoy it for casual listening. On the other hand, I couldn't live with it for everyday use and despite what some may think, there's no way it competes with the true high-end stuff, which unfortunately, is usually priced accordingly.
For serious listening, I have a Modwright Sony 5400 with a few upgrades, including NOS tubes. It absolutely stomps the stock version the same way the Modwright Oppo stomps it's stock version; no contest, none! I've heard JWM's modified Oppo enough times to know what I'm talking about.
As for balanced vs unbalanced, I've listened both ways through my Atma-Sphere gear, and the differences are mostly sutble. If you're running single-ended amp/preamp, I wouldn't worry about it. |
Jdub, I am not commenting from complete ignorance --- I have an Oppo95 in my system. I have also had many higher end players in my system including Ayre, Gamut, dCS, and models from Esoteric including my current K01. The Oppo is outstanding value but I think it is misleading to say it can take on the really high end players. However I would highly recommend it to anyone in and above its price point. |
