Digital Drive

• Any special settings?.... - Story 11:50:03 03/05/04 (5)
  In Reply to: toshiba 3950 on its way to me posted by zman on March 04, 2004 at 16:37:16:

  I just picked up mine from BB, and noticed you have to access special settings via the t.v. monitor screen - as far as using it for cd playback, is there anything to note about the option settings?
  
  
  
  

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  • No, not when playing CDs - Skeptic 06:50:53 03/06/04 (0)
    In Reply to: Any special settings?.... posted by Story on March 05, 2004 at 11:50:03:

    The special settings are for DVD playback, not CD playback.
    
    

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  • Re: Any special settings?.... - jimmyjames 02:12:42 03/06/04 (3)
    In Reply to: Any special settings?.... posted by Story on March 05, 2004 at 11:50:03:

    turn off dynamic range control and down sample off
    
    

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    • Re: Any special settings?.... - Mick Wolfe 07:00:02 03/06/04 (2)
      In Reply to: Re: Any special settings?.... posted by jimmyjames on March 06, 2004 at 02:12:42:

      Any special settings IF using it as a transport only? Thanks in advance.
      
      

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      • Re: Any special settings?.... - jimmyjames 11:32:25 03/06/04 (1)
        In Reply to: Re: Any special settings?.... posted by mick wolfe on March 06, 2004 at 07:00:02:

        PCM Down sampling (off, auto or on depending on the capabilities of your dac or receiver), EAM to normal, Digital Output to Bitstream (if going to dac or receiver capable of multiple sampling frequencies) or to PCM if dac or receiver is only capable of decoding 16/44.1khz, Dynamic Range Control to off (as long as you have full range speakers). All this has to be done with a video connection to TV.
        
        

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        • Re: Any special settings?.... - Mick Wolfe 18:30:44 03/06/04 (0)
          In Reply to: Re: Any special settings?.... posted by jimmyjames on March 06, 2004 at 11:32:25:

          Thanks Jimmy. Tried the 3950 as a stand alone CDP today and found it quite interesting.....and quiet in operation BTW. It produces bigger images than expected and comes across very smooth with decent bass weight /foundation......plus it's fairly musical to boot. In other words, the direct opposite of what you'd expect from a player in this price range ... actually in a player at or below the $500 price point.For anyone looking to spend $500-$600( maybe more) on a new CDP, try this one first. They seem to be disappearing fast though.
          
          

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• First day review - meltdown 11:35:46 03/05/04 (1)
  In Reply to: toshiba 3950 on its way to me posted by zman on March 04, 2004 at 16:37:16:

  Versus a Theta DaViD II, audio only, both with a Theta Gen Va DAC.

  They're CLOSE! I think the 3950 presents it's treble slightly better, less digital sounding. But the DaViD clearly does a better job with soundstaging. Today though, the David is still worth $1,500-$2,200 on the used market. If I can net $1,460 by replacing the DaViD with the 3950, and put the difference in software, I'll be a happy camper. Especially if burn in and tweaks fix the minor imaging issue over time.

  What a STEAL!

  (When these cheapies wear out, are we going to be able to find replacement which are also this awesome? I wonder...)

  meltdown
  
  

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  • Maybe you can sell... - blake 12:54:18 03/05/04 (0)
    In Reply to: First day review posted by meltdown on March 05, 2004 at 11:35:46:

    the DAC too!
    
    

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• SD-3860 (yes you read that right) on the way here... - nathan_klassen 16:48:38 03/04/04 (13)
  In Reply to: toshiba 3950 on its way to me posted by zman on March 04, 2004 at 16:37:16:

  My buddy picked it up tonight FutureShop was out of 3950s and they just got the 3860s in so .... I'll give it a listen and post tonight :)

  - Nathan
  
  

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  • is model# 3960 or 3860 ? <nt> - draggcj 06:32:47 03/05/04 (0)
    In Reply to: SD-3860 (yes you read that right) on the way here... posted by nathan_klassen on March 04, 2004 at 16:48:38:

    .
    
    

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  • Re: SD-3860 (yes you read that right) on the way here... - Vinnie R. 04:17:21 03/05/04 (5)
    In Reply to: SD-3860 (yes you read that right) on the way here... posted by nathan_klassen on March 04, 2004 at 16:48:38:

    Nathan,

    The 3950 uses the Burr Brown (TI) 1751 dac, and does not have multichannel RCA outputs (only stereo), dvd-a, etc. There is no optical output either.
    If yours has all the extras, then they do not use identical boards, but the topologies may be similar.
    I like the "KISS" approach of the 3950.

    -Vinnie
    
    

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    • Vinnie... - blake 04:41:22 03/05/04 (4)
      In Reply to: Re: SD-3860 (yes you read that right) on the way here... posted by Vinnie R. on March 05, 2004 at 04:17:21:

      Is the Burr Brown T1 1751 DAC marked as such? When you look at it, how can you tell it is that DAC?
      
      

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      • Re: Vinnie... - Vinnie R. 05:42:12 03/05/04 (3)
        In Reply to: Vinnie... posted by blake on March 05, 2004 at 04:41:22:

        Blake,

        Yes, it says BB TI 1751
        
        

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        • BB T1 1751 - blake 07:09:20 03/05/04 (2)
          In Reply to: Re: Vinnie... posted by Vinnie R. on March 05, 2004 at 05:42:12:

          Thanks Vinnie. FWIW the Toshiba SD 430V (also not on the Toshiba Website) and apparently an interim replacement for the 3950 (available at Future Shop in Canada for $119 Cnd.) also has that DAC and the same layout mentioned by John Swenson below (I just popped the top on one I picked up a few days ago). There are slight cosmetic differences, but the only significant difference appears to be that the 430V has both coax and optical outs.

          It is very tight to connect both component video and the analog outs as they are right on top of each other on the rear panel.

          I ran a burn-in disc on my 430 for about 6 hours before doing any critical listening, but I have to say I am quite impressed. The player is very refined and composed (I can't believe how good the highs are-very, very clean and non-digital sounding). With respect to the mini-review in this thread about the bass, I would say that my initial impressions were that the player was somewhat bass shy, but upon further listening what came through to me was that this player is eliminating a lot of bass bloat that my previous player had that was simply muddying things up. Kind of like switching from a crappy RCA to Eichmann bullet plugs. Actually, the Toshiba bass, when it really is there is very deep and defined.

          I'm quite taken with my new purchase.
          
          

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          • So I cracked open my 3860 and found.. - nathan_klassen 14:03:08 03/05/04 (1)
            In Reply to: BB T1 1751 posted by blake on March 05, 2004 at 07:09:20:

            A BB PCM 1742KEG inside.
            http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folders/print/pcm1742.html
            http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/pcm1742.pdf
            Stats on this chip:
            24 bit - SNR(Typ)(dB) 106 - Multilevel Delta-Sigma
            Sampling Rate(Max)(kHz) 192 or 96khz (8x or 4x option)

            Here is the link to the detailed PCM1751 Info:
            http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folders/print/pcm1751.html
            And you'll note that... there is none lol its a PREVIEW status DAC from BB.

            http://focus.ti.com/docs/search/paramsearch.jhtml?tfsection=param_table&templateId=5275&showAssociated=false&familyId=582
            BB's newest DACs (on their listing page) are pushing well over 120DB Signal to Noise Ratio (a few 130s)

            This sounds "better" than my old Pioneer but I'm wondering if I should still try to pickup one of the other Toshiba's instead...
            
            

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            • Re: So I cracked open my 3860 and found.. - rosconey 14:37:05 03/05/04 (0)
              In Reply to: So I cracked open my 3860 and found.. posted by nathan_klassen on March 05, 2004 at 14:03:08:

              must be the chip, in combination with a simple board layout-
              and now discontinued,that sucks.

              i may have to grab another
              
              

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  • Toshiba SD-3860 vs JVC N-44SL vs Pioneer DV353 - nathan_klassen 19:38:42 03/04/04 (5)
    In Reply to: SD-3860 (yes you read that right) on the way here... posted by nathan_klassen on March 04, 2004 at 16:48:38:

    Some initial impressions:

    My Pioneer is my normal unit. The JVC is my friend Jesse's and the Toshiba is new and just opened tonight. The Pioneer & JVC are both well broken in.

    Same set of interconnects - same volume levels - Each of the DVD players appear to output the same voltage and volume matching wasn't required.

    Impressions:

    Pioneer DV353: Muddy bass, Painful highs, there was not realistic decay in the bass it just kind of lingered artificially.

    Toshiba SD-3860: Right out of the box - Silky highs, very detailed, bass decayed well but seemed very weak in comparison to the other two - however it isn't broken in yet so I will post an update on that in a week or so :)

    JVC N-44SL: Very detailed - good bass good highs - highs not as good as the Toshiba and not quite as detailed but the bass was very quick and accurate.

    Conclusions:
    Jesse: Likes the JVC more due to the bass and well he owns it.
    Nathan: The Toshiba is better than my Pioneer but didn't appear to be anything earthshattering like it is being heralded in the forums. However I will let it break in and see how it is.

    Note: We both think that the remote on the Toshiba is UTTER SH!T. JVC remote is far better (Jesse like's JVC most - I like the Pioneer remote better).

    Does anyone know if the guts of the 3860 are the same as the 3950? Or is there a chip or somethign inside i can examine to determine if the same components are used within? Please let me know and I'll crack open my 3860.

    If you have any specific questions let me know!

    Nathan
    
    

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    • did they change it - rosconey 04:39:44 03/05/04 (3)
      In Reply to: Toshiba SD-3860 vs JVC N-44SL vs Pioneer DV353 posted by nathan_klassen on March 04, 2004 at 19:38:42:

      havent found a 3860 yet-heck it's not even on the toshiba web page yet.
      i wonder if its changed in name only or guts also-that would be a shame-

      i cashed in the change jar and grabbed a 3950 from bb yesterday-
      now i have one for modding-hehe-

      keep me posted vinny-i'll be ready in a few weeks for some work
      
      
      

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      • Re: did they change it - Vinnie R. 05:48:33 03/05/04 (2)
        In Reply to: did they change it posted by rosconey on March 05, 2004 at 04:39:44:

        I am having great success modding the 3950 so far!!!
        The sound keeps getting better and better. I have already
        changed 17 caps to Panasonic FCs, installed two black gates
        non-polar caps for the output decoupling, improved filtering
        on the AC side of the power supply, etc. This player is making
        beautiful sound, I LOVE IT! Very engauging, very airy, very clean and tight!

        I'll be away from a computer until tonight. I'll write a post
        about it tonight or tomorrow. I still have a few things that
        I want to try, but so far I am blow away by how easy it is to
        make this player sound like a > $1,000 player. The design and layout is really good to beging with, they just skimped on some of the parts (mainly the caps).

        I'll write more soon,

        Vinnie
        
        

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        • Ya they changed it but - nathan_klassen 14:10:25 03/05/04 (1)
          In Reply to: Re: did they change it posted by Vinnie R. on March 05, 2004 at 05:48:33:

          I don't have the annoying display troubles that you guys were complaining about on the 3950. 3860 has a shitty universal remote - Toslink & Digital coax etc. So probably a different topology and it for sure is a different DAC.

          I'm going to try to grab a SD-430V which uses the same DAC/roughly same layout as the 3950 and then do a comparison :)

          - Nathan
          
          

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          • Review Comparison Update - nathan_klassen 15:35:56 03/05/04 (0)
            In Reply to: Ya they changed it but posted by nathan_klassen on March 05, 2004 at 14:10:25:

            Well the bass showed up today :) So now there really is no contest between the Pioneer/JVC and the Toshiba - the Toshiba I have is quite enjoyable to listen too but I'm still going to begin a CD player comparison in my quest for source replacement so we'll see :)

            
            
            

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    • hey thanks for the revue, will let you know my impressions [nt] - zman 20:14:00 03/04/04 (0)
      In Reply to: Toshiba SD-3860 vs JVC N-44SL vs Pioneer DV353 posted by nathan_klassen on March 04, 2004 at 19:38:42:

      nt
      
      

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