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All,Below are the mods that I have finished on my Toshiba 3950. My review of the resulting sound follows the list. I hope that others will find this information useful and informative. Feel free to contact me for any details that I missed:
TOSHIBA 3950 MODS
POWER SUPPLY PCB MODS
-->Replace the stock 68uF 200V electrolytic cap with a Panasonic FC
150uF 250V type for better filtering and lower ESR
-->Add a Panasonic X2-rated 0.47uF Noise Filter cap in parallel across C801 and one across C802 for better mains filtering
-->Replace C822 and 824 (10V, 680uF) with Panasonic FC 16V, 1000uF caps
-->Replace C827 (16V, 470uF) with Panasonic FC 16V, 680uF
-->Replace C825 (10V, 120uF) with Panasonic FC 16V, 220uF
-->Replace C821 (16V, 120uF) with Panasonic FC 16V, 470uFAUDIO PCB MODS
-->Replace C621, C514, C533, C506, C702, C631, C709, C707, C710,
C705, C902, and C910 (all 16V, 100uF) with
Panasonic FC 16V,120uF
-->Replace C918 and C920 with Black Gate NX-HiQ
Non-Polarized 6.3V, 47uF caps
-->Replace dual-opamp IC with Burr Brown OPA2604
-->Add L and R Cardas RCA jacks for stereo output, wired with twisted CAT5e copper wire*** All soldering done with Kester 60/40 solder
*** All parts obtained from www.digikey.com, except for the Cardas
RCA jacks (www.diycable.com) and the dampening sheets (Home Depot self adhesive vinyl floor tile does the trick nicely!)TRANSPORT AND DAMPENING
-->Loosen the three screws that hold down the transport (rubber spacer coupled) so they are just snug enough to hold the transport down, but not as tight as they are stock. This allows the rubber spacers to dampen vibrations better (which they are designed to do).
-->Add dampening sheets to the inside of the top cover, under each PCB, on the rear panel, and on the transport. Knock on the top of this player and there is no metallic ringing anymore. It's more solid, less resonant.
-->Added those small, clear radio shack rubber feet where the stock feet were. I love these things, so cheap but they are effective.***Overall, this is not really that much tweaking, it's mainly part substitutions. Replacing the opamp may be tricky for those who are new to soldering surface mount devices. If this is you, be sure to practice on junk boards that have surface mount parts before you attempt to do this. If you are not careful, you can easily rip up some pads and make a mess. I use solder wick, tweezers, and a 25W iron.
THE SOUND :)
I am happy to report that I am extremely pleased with how enjoyable and musical this unit sounds now!
The bass is very tight, fast, and clean. Compared to the stock bass, there is more of it (just the right amount IMHO) and the quality of it has improved a lot.
The highs are now very liquid, detailed, and a pleasure to listen to. There is absolutely NO LISTENER FAtiGUE to report here folks, I'm talking about beautiful treble that is very similar to the
ack!dack's. It is not rolled off in any way, and it is a joy to listen to! Much improved over the stock treble (changing to the black gates and removing that crappy JRC dual-opamp and putting in the Burr Brown OPA2604 really did the trick!) As mentioned before by Jon Risch, the OPA2604 is a perfect balance between the tube and solid state sound. I agree 100% on this one.Soundstaging and depth reproduction are superb to me as well. The whole soundstage is push back a bit more than stock (which is what I wanted BTW), and the overall sound is quite 3D. The congestion during complex passages that I noticed with the stock unit is all gone. I think the combination of using lower ESR caps, and using the Black gates and Burr Brown Opamp fixed this problem the most.
As you can tell by now, I am just floored by the sound this weekend. I never thought I'd get so lucky in tweaking this player. I am totally satisfied, and right now have no desire to tweak any further, look any further, etc. I just want to listen and enjoy the music, which I've been doing the last 4 hours. I'm just tearing through my CDs!
I took a few pictures of this tweaked unit that I can send to anyone who is interested. Just email me. They are taken at 2Mb resolution I think, so they are a little big.
I bought another 3950 that I didn't open yet just to have in case I need another transport, but this one seems to be doing fine. Did I mention that it is whisper quiet and does a great job in reading scratched discs? I noticed that it spins faster than a typical player, and must be doing some decent buffering of the data. Last night it read a rented Blockbuster DVD that was in bad condition just fine! I haven't heard this unit skip once yet. The video quality using the S-Video jack to my 27" Sony Wega is brilliant!
Dollar for dollar, this player simply RULES!
-Vinnie
Follow Ups:
Vinnie,I'm looking forward to trying out your mods on the 3950. I'll probably start with the power section and wait to see how the opamp bypass shapes up.
I hate to ask, but I'm having trouble identifying the parts you've mentioned at digikey.com.
Do you happen to still have a packing slip hanging around with part numbers listed on it? Or perhaps an e-mail order confirmation with the same? I'll be happy to amend your write-up with the proper part numbers if you can help me get them straight.
Thanks,
--rt
I see that you're using the Black Gate NP caps on the output. These are better than stock, but still electrolytics (yuck). And any type of poly / film cap would probably be too large. Could a poly / film cap lower in value than the stock be used?What about a polypropelene bypass for each of the NP elelctrolytics? If so, what value would be good? Or does this type of application merit a bypass cap?
Vinnie R--
First off, thanks for posting your 3950 mods--it's safe to say that its been a couple of years since there's been so many smoking soldering irons across the country...Any thoughts on subbing Schottkys or HexFreds for D801-804 (and maybe one or two other locations)?
Also, there seems to be two different transports used in the 3950: A Sept. 2003 model has the transport and mount scheme as you describe whereas a 3950 made in Nov 2003 has a 4-point hardmount with four internal (to the transport) cushioned mounts. One can determine which transport is used by examining the bottom plate from the outside. Electronics appear the same in both, however.
Finally, how small does one have to be to unsolder/solder the dual- opamp?
> > Any thoughts on subbing Schottkys or HexFreds for D801-804 (and maybe one or two other locations)?I'm not sure if this will really make that much of a difference, but it can't hurt to replace the bridge rectifiers with hexfreds.
> > Also, there seems to be two different transports used in the 3950
This is news to me. Thanks for the info, I had no idea. Maybe my other 3950 that I didn't open yet has the other transport? I wonder if one sounds better?
> > Finally, how small does one have to be to unsolder/solder the dual- opamp?
This is pretty delicate work. I removed a few electrolytics that were in the way so I could get better access to the part. It is fragile and requires some practice. I also feel that changing this opamp had a very big influence on the sound.
-Vinnie
i didnt find this because i like you guys-i want some cash-LOL
We cheap buggers buying $60.00 DVD players are not likely to send cash to show our appreciation. How about some warm regards? Oops, gotta go -- I feel a warm regard coming on. ; )
Rosconey,You sure picked a winner at an unbeatable price! Of course if after a few months the transports die, we'll be hunting you down! :)
For now, we thank you for sharing your good find. It's nice to get a good sounding player for a cheaper price than a pair of interconnects.-Vinnie
Or is it just such a good deal that it makes you feel so good playing it that the music sounds better? Hey, if you like it and all these other people do, maybe it is a giant killer!! I would say it is probably priced accordingly to its contents. $20 in parts and rest shares between the varying levels of distribution. Sort of like computer margins. Wait till the high density formats arrive. The likes of Toshiba et al. will more than make up their margins on those units. Ever wonder why and iPod costs like, $300 when you can buy a hard drive, retail for $50? Good margin products like that are hard to come by nowadays.
I compared it to my Marantz DV 8400 and the Toshiba sounds better, more musical and more attention getting on redbook cd. I compared it to my ML37/360S combo and the Toshiba falls short on detail and really seeing or hearing into the music, it's not as 3D or holographic as the ML combo, nor is it as ultimately revealing. The Levinson rig let's you hear things that just aren't there with the Toshiba. Just my opinion.
To my Sony CE775 player I paid $200 for. It is an SACD/CD player that does multichannel playback also. That player had been discussed to great lengths when it was available.The Tosh 3950 is a decent bargain at the price it is being offered. In my opinion however, it is a better CD player than a DVD player. I prefer the picture and sound quality on the Panasonic RV30 I compared it to last night. That player at closeout price was under $100. The 3950 however I much more preferred for CD playback.
Quite interesting your experince versus the Marantz DV-8400, a $1599 price I noted for that player. That product is quite highly rated by TAS. And I quote: "standard CD playback is better than most stand alone CD only players".
I suppose it is going to be dependent on exactly what folks main purposes is for the Tosh 3950. For $60 I decided to give it a go but I doubted it would outperform the CE775 as I mentioned in a thread I posted about 3 or 4 days ago before I bought it. I was right. The statement made on that player in a review in one of the hi-fi magazines was quoted as "grand larceny for the price".
Are you comparing the cd playback sound of the Toshiba and the Sony or are you comparing the cd playback of the Toshiba to the SACD playback of the Sony? Nobody here in Digital Drive is talking about the 3950's video capability. I haven't even put a DVD in the thing.
If you favor the Tosh 3950 over the Marantz you own for CD playback, I suppose it makes no sense whatsoever for me to try the Marantz given I favor the Sony CE775 over the 3950.I'm hunting for a universal player and CD playback would definitely be a factor in which I choose.
really make this hobby interesting. I have not heard the Sony CE775, but, in "reading between the lines" have come to the conclusion, perhaps erroneously, that many of Sony's offerings have a sonic character that favors detail and information retrieval at the expense of "musicality", which can be a bit hard to define. I've thus shyed away from the Sony products, perhaps to my own detriment. In any event, personal taste is what it's all about in this hobby. For me, the Toshiba, like any product, is probably going to have its shortcomings, but I can honestly say I'm happy to live with those shortcomings and trade off the last degree of detail. I can see where others may well want to go in the other direction, though. I have decent turntable, and if I could still buy new vinyl without a major hassle, I would; to me the Toshiba has some very analogue like qualities.How would you describe the sound of the 775 compared to the Toshiba?
thanks for the input. Toshiba is gonna wonder where all the stock is going with this model!!
I suppose I need to ask if it was such a good player, why weren't store shelves bear before now at slightly higher prices? That did cross my mind when I decided to try it thinking "just maybe".I'm glad it has worked out for some. I do admit I had fun throwing jazz and classical recoridngs at it when I first bought it though. I'm unsure how this unit is replacing CDPs others have unless the Sony CE775 is truly the "giant killer".
You got a name stamped on a nice Canadian brew that I've got sitting around in the fridge. Maudit from my home province of Quebec. I'll save it along with the block of cheese in my freezer. ;)
Regards,
Dave
if you want give a buck or two to a food bank -my local grocery stores have cupons for a 1.50 donation-
...I usually volunteer to clean up our city on an annual basis. A whole afternoon of garbage picking in a community park or common area for the neighborhoods and you wouldn't believe the crap I have to hold...some of the stuff is toxic that I'm afraid the rubber gloves might melt away!!!
Regards,
Dave
I was stocking up on consumables at the big box store yesterday and saw a Toshiba player that I first mistook for a 3950; but saw it was called a SD-K730. It looked identical and was only $55, so I thought what the heck. Got it home and opened it up...same BB 1751 chip and the boards have "3950" printed on them. I put a disc in, put it on repeat, and let it play for 24 hours before listening to it.I have not yet owned a nice CDP, but was planning to get a Jolida JD-100. The problem is that money is just not there for a Jolida this year! So the Toshiba looked like a nice bridge player. My take?
The sound is quite good. My equipment is mid-fi - Denon 3802 in "Direct" mode as a preamp, Parasound HCA-1205A amp, and Tannoy S8 speakers - but I do not hear any obvious wrong-doings on the Toshiba's part. Bass is tight, treble is clean and extended, and the midrange is involving enough. All in all, a nice balanced sound and certainly good enough to make me forget about the Jolida for a while! ;-)
I won an eBay auction a few days ago for (2) working 3950's that had issues - one a disc door that did not close, the other had a non-working LCD. Not too bad for $51 shipped. I'm going to have to try Vinnie's mods on one of them and see how much better the 3950 can get!
Aaron
Anyone consider a clock for this unit? What crystal is installed in this DVD player?
27 MHzI have an LClock X02 27MHz lying around. Don't tempt me!
Your killing me! Post your results on the clock if you decide to do so
Hi Vinnie - I've been modding mine too, different, more later, but I've been tracing out the circuit off the dac and are you sure it's c902 and not c912? It looks to these bad eyes like 910 & 912 are the 2 audio outs...
C918 and C920 are in the signal path (in series). There are two other caps (not electrolytics) that are low pass filters to ground. I don't have the locations handy, but maybe these are the ones you are referring to?
the circuit is so damn tiny and my eyes are not what they used to be, but it looks to me that the DAC is cap coupled to the opamp through c910 & 912 - they are l&r at input pins 2 & 6 on opamp.?
All,Thanks for all your complements and feedback.
Regarding the price of all the parts I put in, the
total was right around $45.00 USD.That brings the grand total to $60 (player) + $45 (parts) =
$105. The rest was just the labor. I never got such
great sound out of $105 in my life!!! ;)-Vinnie
Good listening to you. Glad things worked out for you.I'm sure this player is going to be a case by case issue for all those who have taken the plunge and how far they decide to go with it. Dependent on add'l costs, the bargain price paid initially may be worth it in itself. It is contingent upon what this player is ultimately their solution for!
nt
Now if only someone in Canada starts doing the mods we're in business. I'm modding challanged or inept, I envy you modding gurus....cheers
...enjoy doing the mod's but, being rural, I have to order every cap, resistor and chip online, usually from various sources each having a minimum shipping charge. I'd gladly pay a premium to have someone buy good quality parts in bulk and create the mod package. There is a bunch of those packages available for the more mainstream rebuilds like Scott, Fisher, McIntosh, Dynaco, etc. I bought all the key parts fot a rebuild of my Scott 299c that way. Might be a small business opportunity in here for someone.
Special, get both for a grand.
M
Default Signature Line
nt
Dear Mr. Vinnie,Thank you very much for your great work and for disclosing your valuable findings with us.
Unfortunately here in Italy the 3950 is not available.
There is instead a SD-530e model that looks identical to the american SD-4900. Do you think that the 3950 and 4900 share the same circuits and sonic qualities ? I am looking for a cheap dvd player good also with CDs.
Anyway congratulations and thank you very much again.
Kind regards,
Giuseppe
Italy
Hi Giuseppe,Do you think that the 3950 and 4900 share the same circuits and sonic qualities ? I am looking for a cheap dvd player good also with CDs.
I think they are similar, but the 4900 has extras like DVD-A (I think), multichannel RCA outs, a optical out, etc. I'm pretty sure that there are a few people on this forum that have the 4900, so if you post the question someone should know for sure.
If you decide to tweak a player sold in Italy, do not use the 250V 150uF cap that I put in. Use something that is rated for 350V or higher voltage to be safe. Remember, this cap sees a AC voltage of approx. 1.41 x the AC input voltage. If Italy uses 240V, then that voltage is 338 DC! PLEASE BE CAREFUL EVERYONE!
Good luck with your search,
Vinnie
Thank you very much indeed Mr. Vinnie for your great technical suggestion.
I don't think I have the skills needed to mod a unit.
Nevertheless from your great reviews I know that also a stock Toshiba could be what I am looking for now.Thank you very much again.
Regards,
Giuseppe
Giuseppe: Looks like the model #'s here in Canada are similar to those in Italy. My guess is the SD-430V is closer to the 3950 (I have one and it definitely has the same DAC and appears to have the same very simple signal path) while the 4900 and SD-530 should be the same, having DVD audio capability. I have no experience with the 530 so can't comment on whether it is better, worse or similar to the 430 in terms of its parts, topology or redbook performance. If you don't require DVD-A, I can tell you that I am quite impressed with the SD-430 and thrilled with its performance.
Dear Mr. Blake,Thank you very much for your kind reply.
Unfortunately no sd-430 here in Italy (from toshiba italy site).
I will wait for someone with experience of the 4900.Thank you anyway.
Kind regards,
Giuseppe
Hi Giuseppe: The 430 and the 530 don't show up on the Canadian website either, but I'm assuming the 430 is going to be available in Italy as well. Just check around. The 530 (replacing the 4900) is going to have 6 channel analogue outs that the 430 won't as well as having a chip that can handle DVD audio so it may be an entirely different animal.Roma looked good today, but I still think Milan may win everything this year: Serie A and Champions League.
Regards
Blake
Dear Mr. Blake,Thank you for your valuable help and suggestions.
I will be looking for a 430, I really don't need much more than two good stereo channels.
Just a question about the imaging ability of the 430.
Can you get some depth of image from it ?
That is my dream. To get some depth of sound and not the usual flat, undynamic and boring sound.
From what I read this is very difficult to achieve with digital.
What is you point of view?Thank you again
Giuseppe
P.S. I live in Torino, the city of Fiat and Juventus but I don't love either.
Giuseppe: I think the 430 images quite well. It offers quite a wide soundstage and offers very good depth as well. It is less forward than what I was using previously-I'd describe it as kind of a "mid-hall" presentation, which is what I like and is very smooth and musical. Very good digital at a pretty unbelievable price.
Dear Mr. Blake,that "mid-hall" presentation is just what I am looking for.
I don't stand a too forward sonic landscape.
If you find any site that shows the model in detail I pray you to let me know.
I don't want to buy a wrong model with so many around.
In the next days I will be hunting the 430 down.
Thank you very much indeed.Kind regards,
Giuseppe
Your welcome Giuseppe. If I see anything on any websites I will let you know. If you could, e-mail me with your e-mail address either through here at the audioasylum (I accept e-mail from registered inmates). If you're not registered here, you can go to www.audiogon.com and do a member search for member HDM (that is me) and e-mail me through that website.I may have a small favor to ask of you regarding a Juventus jersey that I'm trying to buy for my youngest son (it is impossible to get kid's sizes here in North America). Right now I have an e-mail in to the Juve online store and am hoping that will work out.
Regards
Blake
Any idea how much you spent on the parts? How would you rate the changes without doing the op-amp? Meaning, what do you think the sonic changes would be without doing that one bit?Thanks
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