[fewtch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbirkett My comment was more an observation about this forum, and how somebody buys something, says its AMAZING, lots of people join in and agree, and then, x weeks / months later, when people have calmed down, the truth tends to come out. I have seen it time and time again, and these comments smack of that type of hype.

Agreed... particularly when the enthusiastic talk of tweaking begins

. Usually there are two to three people who tweak out (insert unit here) heavily, reporting in between tweaks how (insert unit here) is sounding more and more incredible with every tweak. Then a month or so later, it's all up for sale in the Gear FS forum.

Edit -- noticing this trend has sure saved me a bundle of money...

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gort This guys are modifying 3950s.

Wow, those mods cost four times the cost of the unit? At $350 it's starting to get expensive, but the big question is how does it sound? I'm sure some power supply mods would make a rather large difference alone, but wonder if the rest are worth it.

 

[xtreme4099]

im gonna mod my own when i get some cash ....but a really quick mod to the audio pcb would be to replace that pesky jrc4580 opamp with something like an ad8620 ...

 

[zoot2boot]

Wow, those asi guys are quite illiterate. the c37 lacquer mod that they offer is good for a laugh: http://www.ennemoser.com/c37theory.html Think id rather train up a monkey to do it.

 

[rsaavedra]

Just as a note, for those thinking all these Toshibas should sound alike, here's one guy's opinion (audioasylum) about the sound of the 4900.

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/dig...ges/85289.html

EDIT: That guy's impression was based on the 4900's DVD-Audio playback however, not CD playback.

 

[DarkAngel]

Toshiba 3950 vs 4900 Comparison
OK I have both of these units and have had them running for 2-3 days. When I intially listened to stock units I thought there was noticeable difference, the 3950 had warmer tone and 4900 more nuetral tone. After a few days now the tone seems the same now have evened out, both players sound the same to me having a slight warm tone which is helpful for many CD recordings.

I have done back and forth comparisons with both players and am very hard pressed to come up with any "real" difference in CD sound quality, both are very good. If you insist I make some distinction then the 3950 has softer more rounded rendering of fine detail, 4900 has just very slightly increased focus allowing very very slight edge in fine detail retrieval. It really is essentially same sound quality for CD playback, I am really stretching to make some distinction.

I did not try DVD-A playback of 4900, only CD play of both units.

There are real differences in DVD features, LED display, remote etc that favor 4900.......so I would recommend to get the 4900 if the price is close to same as 3950. Both units have the faint tick/click sound when playing disc, but this is no big deal for me.

BTW.......can't tell from AA link above if user is referring to DVD-A or CD playback with 4900, if he is referring to CD then I am hearing different things from my unit.

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel Toshiba 3950 vs 4900 Comparison If you insist I make some distinction then the 3950 has softer more rounded rendering of fine detail, 4900 has just very slightly increased focus allowing very very slight edge in fine detail retreaval.

Your comparison is certainly a reference since it was done post break-in, and you are listening to both units. Thanks a lot for that DarkAngel. I decided to stick to the 3950 before the outcome of your comparison, given that I was liking the sound a lot anyway, and was eager to start modding it.

Also, your comparison of detail retrieval somewhat matches the way I would try to describe the detail retrieval of the 3950 compared to the sacdmodded Sony. The Toshiba has "softer more rounded rendering of fine detail", while the Sony has a slight edge in focus. Another way to say it could be, the modded Sony to me sounds more "Clinical".

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel Toshiba 3950 vs 4900 Comparison BTW.......can't tell from AA link above if user is referring to DVD-A or CD playback with 4900, if he is referring to CD then I am hearing different things from my unit.

Ah good point, will pose the question so that he can clarify.

 

[rsaavedra]

It was DVDA, not redbook:http://www.audioasylum.com/scripts/t...igital&m=85289
His impression therefore had nothing to do with suggesting these Toshiba models sound different enough on redbook CD, which is what I originally guessed.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

A quick comparison of DVD-A vs. Redbook using Steely Dan's Gaucho disc easily shows that even this little $64 CDP can bring out the advantages of DVD-A over Redbook. The highs are definitely better and benefit a lot from the much higher bit and sampling rate. I still can't believe this thin runs a mere $64. It is a real shocker at this price point.

 

[soundboy]

Last week, I was looking at a stack of brand-new SD-4900 at my local Best Buy, comtemplating whether I should get one. Took the weekend off. Last night, when I return, nothing....nada...no more...gone....geez!!

 

[ServinginEcuador]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soundboy Last week, I was looking at a stack of brand-new SD-4900 at my local Best Buy, comtemplating whether I should get one. Took the weekend off. Last night, when I return, nothing....nada...no more...gone....geez!!

Did you have them check around the other stores to see if they could get you one? If not, try that. They'll have one sent to their store at no extra charge if they can find one at another store.

 

[acs236]

FYI -- I saw the 4900 at Target this weekend, but it was $89.

 

[soundboy]

I didn't have my local Best Buy check for availability at another store. In some ways, I don't mind because I kind of have my eyes on the Panasonic F87 DVD-A changer with HDCD decoding for $130.00. I am currently tearing my hair out trying to decide which way to go.

 

[xtreme4099]

well i tossed that jrc4580 opamp and put in the ad8620 ... its burning it right now but much more controlled and defined already, anyways fulling fewtch's stereotype here and just chiming in.

now to replace the necessary caps with non-polar blackgates ... and what not ...