Who has a Toshiba 3950 or 3960? [Archive]

jcaut

07-13-2004, 04:01 PM

I bought a 3950 for a total of $49...

Now Chuck's got me wishing I'd gone for the 3960 :)

I really hate to buy something that feels like such a POS, even if it is cheap. At least the 3950 has some metal on it!

Mine is stock for the moment. I didn't really know what to expect from it, since I don't really have a "good" CD player to compare it to. I think it sounds as good as, and possibly better than, any of my other players. I AM planning to mod it, probably along the lines of the "Vinnie" mods. I may have to get one of you guys to help me with the op-amp replacement, if I ever get around to doing it. I don't have one to practice on, and I'd really hate to toast it.

As it turns out, lightning took out my regular Sony DVD last week, so until I figure out if I can fix it, the Tosh is filling in. Other than the cheap feel, I can't find any glaring faults in its video performance, either. It doesn't tick when playing DVD's....

Jason

ezc

07-14-2004, 05:52 AM

madmax,
I have a 3950 & just finished the vinnei mods. All im missing is the digi key # 11199 nd cap. all the rest went in this evening. Started at 7pm & just finished (10:30 pm). Replaced the op amp with burr brown & all the caps as per the vinnie mod. Player is curently running & so far sounds much better. The grain in the highs are gone, bass is solid & the attack on the the low notes are much better. I put a IEC into the rear & used DH Lab power plus pc from the iec to the main board. I put blue tac on the crystal & stil need to add dynamat to the chas. Im very pleased so far & once I get the last cap & have the player burn in Ill take it home & try to compare it to my Njoe Tjoeb 4000 cdp. I have 3 more 3950 comming from amazon & more caps, iec's & cable commingin also! For less than $100 including the player, upgrade parts & a few hrs of work the player is well worth it! I didnt ground the player yet, I have been reading & some friends also said try it without the ground first, beacuse the ground my cause a ground loop problem, But my Tjoeb reccomended with the pc upgrade I ground the chassie. I have alot to learn yet!

ohskigod

07-14-2004, 11:27 AM

i have the 3960 ebing used fr CD use only on my 2 channel system. still can believe the performance for the measly 70 bucks i paid for it.

highs arent as sharp as my onkyo, but overall mid, midbass, bass, is much smoother and detailed.

ezc

07-21-2004, 02:36 AM

Some Pics of my 3950. Relaced caps, op amp, & added IEC. Will replacde Opamp again with drowngog adapter & dual 627's. Futuretech IEC & dh lab powerplus cable to power board! This player sounds very very good! Dampening w/dyanmat will be next , than it should be done for awhile! From stock to moded there was a noticible difference! Well worth the few dollars spent! This player will cost me less than $120 after all mods including player.http://www.ezconnection.org/Design/Assets/images/Tweaks/TOSH%20IECREAR.jpg
http://www.ezconnection.org/Design/Assets/images/Tweaks/TOSH3950TOPOPEN.jpg
http://www.ezconnection.org/Design/Assets/images/Tweaks/tosh%20reap%20power%20open.jpg

madmax

07-21-2004, 07:37 AM

Very nice!
madmax

madmax

07-21-2004, 11:55 AM

Here is a pic from another website of a board with the browndog adaptor and opamps. Really cool!!!

Steve@3dai

07-21-2004, 12:19 PM

Somebody got some direct links to the mods for this player? I'm still on the fence about buying one, but I would like to mod it to sound better, because I like fiddling with stuff. Thanks.

madmax

07-21-2004, 01:21 PM

The mods are all over the place at this point. Just search 3950 mods. Most people are still calling them 3950 mods even if they are working with 3960's. (psst. The 3960 is better).
madmax

Libertyc

07-21-2004, 02:33 PM

Anyone who is looking for a great deal on the Toshiba 3960, Buy.com has it on sale for only $61.35 with free shipping and no sales tax. (you must choose budget shipping fot the free shipping deal).
Then to save an extra $5.00 on electronics click this link.
http://www.buy.com/retail/pro

Unit was deleivered via UPS in only three days even with the free shipping. The total cost was ONLY $56.35 deleivered to my door. Yes it's a cheap player, but it sounds great, and has really good picture quality. For the price of a couple burgers and some beers, you could have a really great soundinf CD/DVD player. Hope this helps somebody save some $$$.

[url]http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90135850&loc=111&sp=1:D

Libertyc

07-21-2004, 02:38 PM

Somehow last my post got all effed up.

The total price of the Toshiba with free shipping/no sales tax/ and $5 coupon was only $56.35 ! I will include the link below for the $5.00 savings at Buy,com

Libertyc

07-21-2004, 02:42 PM

I can't seem to post worth a shit today. Again links to Toshiba 3860 are below:

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=90135850&loc=111&sp=1

http://www.buy.com/retail/coupon.asp?prid=85094736&dcaid=1688

madmax

07-21-2004, 04:06 PM

61.35 - 5 = 56.35 total, Right?

Libertyc

07-21-2004, 04:56 PM

Yes...$56.35 delivered to your door. Brand new first quality. Just remember to get free shipping select budget shipping (UPS only 3-4 days). Click on link below for the $5 discount then add the 3960 to your cart. Nice deal.
http://www.buy.com/retail/coupon.asp?prid=85094736&dcaid=1688

ezc

07-21-2004, 06:02 PM

Heres a good link to the tosh mods.
http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=70377
there are about 10 pages full of posts with lots of info.
Madmax the browndog should be here anyday. the 627 opamps are here! Do you have any idea what would happen if I used 2 of the 2604 opamps? I just got the three players I ordered & will mod them all. One is sold to a customer & Ill sell the other two once moded.

madmax

07-21-2004, 06:17 PM

Using two 2604's should sound the same as using one 2604. Just more expensive and you would have to modify both the 2604's and the browndog adaptor. Certainly there is no benifit whatsoever.
madmax

madmax

07-21-2004, 06:20 PM

Here is another one for you. (payback). :)

http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=70377&page=4&pp=25

I would try to get hold of a 3960 to put the browndog adaptor and op amps in. I think you will be happier...

reeltrouble1

07-22-2004, 11:17 AM

Have a 3960, pretty happy with it. Have not done a thing to it. Only use it for music, analog out.

RT1

scottvamp

07-22-2004, 07:37 PM

Madmax - say I buy the 3960, would you do the best modding to it for me and what would you charge? I just might go for it. You can email me if you want. :)

madmax

07-22-2004, 08:06 PM

I did one that Gidrah bought and one that another fellow bought. Yes I would mod one for you. It is easiest if I just buy a player, mod it and then ship it to you.

Now for the ugly parts. :)

Anyone I did one for would have to pay up front because I can't have people change their minds after I spend the coin.

It takes about 8 hours of hassle to put one together and ship it. I enjoy it but it is still a lot of time. On the previous ones I did I did it all in one day so the turn around time isn't bad, maybe 1 to 2 weeks. Remember, I have to burn it in before modding to assure nothing goes wrong with the unit and listen to it after the mods are done to be sure all is right. Then burn it in a little more to make sure the unit doesn't break or something on it's own.

I take the chances of getting a bad unit or messing one up. In any case you get a good one.

Now, the really ugly part:

$250 which includes me buying the unit, all materials, modding and shipping to you. Not really bad considering the amount of work and what you receive. The last one I did I only charged $215 for and when all was said and done I probably could have cut some grass or something and made a lot more. I must admit it was fun though.

I guess if you already had one I would mark about $60 off and you would have to send me yours.

madmax

scottvamp

07-22-2004, 08:46 PM

I trust you MadMax - shoot me an email so I can send you the money. Does that include upgraded power cord?
scottvamp1@yahoo.com

ezc

07-22-2004, 09:10 PM

Madmax,
Got the browndog in & replaced the 2604 with dual 627's, dampened the chassis & top cover w/dynamat, replaced the fuse w/a ceramic fuse, & added heat sinks. Well worth the added time & expense, music is much more detailed. The opamp was the most costly, $18 X 2 for the 627's & $6.95 for the browndog adapter compared to the 2604 which was under $3.00. The added cost was worth the add expense of the dual op amps. Also replaced C905 & C901 w/ P10244-nd Panasonic FC 16v, 120uf caps. Its amazing what a $50 dvd/cd player can sound like with a
few upgrades & a few hrs of work!
http://www.ezconnection.org/Design/Assets/images/Tweaks/toshblackdog.jpg
http://www.ezconnection.org/Design/Assets/images/Tweaks/toshdampgutted.jpg
http://www.ezconnection.org/Design/Assets/images/Tweaks/tosh%20assembled.jpg

madmax

07-22-2004, 09:48 PM

Looks good! One thing about the 3950 is that the opamp has the gain pushed up further than the 3960. That makes the difference between opamps even more noticeable. I'm going to break down and try them anyway on a 3960 one day when I have an extra $50 to blow. One question about the dynamat. Is there enough room under the boards to guarantee it won't touch the bottom of the boards? Just wondering, I was a little hesitant to put it on the inside of mine. Just a thought, you might consider grounding the foil side so it doesn't carry noise from one part of the circuit to another. Are you going to dynamat the drive? I noticed mine was quieter (from the drive, not the speakers) after I did it.
madmax

ezc

07-22-2004, 10:54 PM

Madmax,
Thanks for the tips! There is enough room under the boards so it wont touch the foil of the dyanmat. On the power board I even added layer of VB2 dampening material over the foil just to be safe but after reassembeling the player there was still room. I trimmed the long cap legs from both boards also. I dont know if Ill dampen the drive just yet, that may be a tweak down the line! I want to try a 3960 after the 3950's. Ill keep the player I have running now & sell the other two. That will help me pay for my player & purchase a 3960. Got enough caps to do more players, digikey is cheeper if you buy by 10 so thats what I did. Just got the 3950 from Amazon & have all 3 of them runnning on repeat, Ill keep them running for a couple of days than hook them up one by one & listen before modding. Did you see the pic of the copper shield that was made to go over the power supply board? Damm now thats hard core! I dont think Ill go that far. Im just amazed how these players sound!

madmax

07-23-2004, 12:08 AM

The performance to price ratio is awesome! The more parts you add the better they seem to get! I have never seen another piece of audio equipment that responded so well to tweaking except maybe my turntable. It sounds better if you smile at it. :)
I put heat sinks and a few vent holes on mine to make the reliability better. What I did was to lift the back of the tops a 1/2 inch to let all that heat out while I was burning them in. (before I put the sinks on them).
I saw the RFI shield that guy made. That is a good way to do it. The only thing is, and I keep wondering about this, why didn't he just put a strip of copper tape from the front to the back of the unit. It is all metal and if you run the strip of tape from front to back it does the same thing. It certainly doesn't look as cool as that pre-formed box he made though. Maybe I'll try it on my next one. He said he couldn't determine a benifit from it which I couldn't determine as well when I did Gidrahs. I left it in place anyway.

I could go on forever on these things but it's late and I need to start thinking about completing my next one. You know, work more, type less...

madmax

gidrah

07-23-2004, 01:26 AM

Originally posted by madmax
(psst. The 3960 is better).
madmax

Now you tell me (again). ;) I'm just glad that mine sounds great and I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Hooked it up to the Mac today. :eek: And to think, this thing even plays DVDs.

I was at the local pawn-o-matic the othr day and they had a couple of each. If I were to mod one, this is where I'd probably start. If you're gonna void the warranty anyways you might as well save a few bucks. Then again if I wasn't going to mod it I'd probably go pawn.

madmax

07-23-2004, 02:02 AM

Originally posted by gidrah
Now you tell me (again). ;)

Truth in advertising... I've never been one to hold back an opinion whatever the consequences. So how are you liking it? For me the bass and lower midrange was awesome and really took me by surprise. Of course the midrange was special as well. Far better than any of my other under 3 grand players. I hope you are digging it. At least you got yours at cost. :D

One CD that really made it strut was No Doubt "Rock Steady". Another was CSN&Y. Actually I guess I could name off the rest of my CD collection.

madmax

gidrah

07-23-2004, 03:36 AM

I've only listened to it on the Mac for a few minute to make sure everything was connected and working correctly. The one track I listened to (suite from Godzilla vs. Destroyah) sounded GREAT! It's heavy on the bass tones. It's kinda hard to get a grasp on what is doing what. The Altecs had great bass above 50hz or so, but the Mac seems to have a mid-bass bloom about it that really seems to work well. Before I had this player on a tubed amp/pre combo that worked well too. Not quite the bass, but the separation was wonderful. Maybe I'll play those separation tracks tomorrow, but I've been moving around alot of gear and have been drinking like a fish.

I plan on doing a full report when things calm down, but right now, I'd have to say that this player is deffinately not a limiting factor in anything that I've paired it with. :D

madmax

07-24-2004, 11:41 PM

I picked up another 3960 to modify for Scottvamp. I also picked up Starsky and Hutch. Both are awesome! S&H is a great movie! Makes burning in a lot more fun. :D

Tomorrow is going to be a great day. I am going to do the mechanical mods and get the electrical parts on order.

If anyone else wanted one now would be a good time to let me know...

madmax

madmax

07-26-2004, 12:15 AM

I got started on the mechanical mods to SV's 3960 today. Since I still want to make another one or two I decided to make templates for the dynamat. It took extra time but sure made life a lot easier than trying to cut out without one. I ran out of the dynamat I had and had to buy another box. $95 for 1.1 square meters, whew! Here is a pic:

scottvamp

07-26-2004, 12:58 AM

Looking good!:)

ezc

07-26-2004, 05:03 PM

Nice Job!

madmax

07-28-2004, 10:31 PM

A quick update on Scottvamps unit. Received the Op-Amp today, the digikey stuff is due Friday or Monday and the Blackgate caps should show up around Wednesday. The Mechanical mods are pretty much done. Those little opamps are getting hard to find! I had to order directly from the manufacturer as Digikey and everyone else is out of them. Turns out I got them quicker than if I ordered from digikey. I found a replacement for the opamp used in Vinnies mods as well if anyone else is looking for one. I got one just to try out. From the specs it looks like it may be even better but I have to try it out to be sure. I'll post some more pics if I do anything exciting.
madmax

madmax

08-01-2004, 07:36 PM

I thought some of you might be interested how you work with these small surface mount parts. Here is SV's audio board under construction. When you do the work under a microscope like this with the proper soldering station it turns into childs play. :)

Notice the static safe work area as well. This insures there will not be problems which could have been prevented later on.

madmax

08-01-2004, 09:27 PM

I find this a really good place to install the IEC connector.

scottvamp

08-01-2004, 09:51 PM

MadMax Customs!!!!:cool:

madmax

08-01-2004, 09:55 PM

After doing several and playing with afterwards I've found this is the best place to put the vents. With the disc spinning it changes the air flow from how I originally thought it would be.

scottvamp

08-01-2004, 10:30 PM

I found a huge thread on the Toshiba modding craze!!!!
Tosh 3560 mod threads (http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=70377)

madmax

08-01-2004, 11:16 PM

That is a good thread! I've been following it as well. What I've been doing is reading everything I can find, pick and choose between all the things people are doing and adding some of my own stuff I've learned over the years. The threads are endless if you look around. I've been trying to soak in as much as I can.

So far I have one folder full of about 200 sheets of mods and another one full of data sheets, templates, electrical conventions and such. It sounds a little silly but even the simple things require a lot of work and thought. Take for example the power connector. Sounds pretty easy, all you do is cut a hole and wire it in. Well, first of all you have to find out how wall sockets are wired. Which is hot and which is neutral. Then, on the power cords you have white, black and green on one style and blue, brown and green with a yellow stripe. After figuring out all that and playing with an ohm meter for a while you can write down all the conventions so you know what they are. Then you go to mount the plug and you have to look at other equipment to figure out the typical orientation (ground lug goes towards the top). After all that you got this green ground wire and you have to think through a lot of stuff to figure out where to attach it to. For example, one place could give you a hum if you have a ground loop going through the audio connectors while another place could be an inlet for noise if the AC signal is too noisy. Other positions could be downright dangerous although it is unlikely someone could get hurt so long as you have the hot and neutral in the right place. Oh yea, and what if someone plugs it into a wall plug which was wired improperly. The ground could cause some real problems if you did something silly like hooking it to the neutral or something. Luckily the AC power is one of the more simple things...

Man, I'm having a blast with this stuff! The payoff is hooking it up to my system and actually hearing something very special that wasn't there before I did my thing. It would be even better if I had come up with everything myself but I didn't. Reading the Vinnie Rossi mods is what got me started and of course I am thankful that he took the time to write it up and post it. Others seem to be willing to provide everything they learn along the way as well. Hopefully my posting all this stuff will help someone else in the same way, at least that is my goal. Another benifit is doing more than one of them. Each one I've done I've tried (and learned) new things and each time I have gotten better at soldering, working with the metal and plastic, have become more in tune with the circuitry and in general have become much better at modifying stuff. The first few were downright scary as I looked at the possibility of messing them up and having to replace them and add another 8 hours of work. That would really suck. :)

madmax

BTW,
Those holes in the lid look like crap in the pic. They don't look like that in person...

jcaut

08-02-2004, 12:26 PM

Chuck,

Post or PM me some more info on the replacement op-amp you found, and/or some more sources for the one Vinnie used. I'm going to get started on my 3950 soon.

Jason

madmax

08-02-2004, 03:18 PM

The digikey part number for the replacement is OPA2134UA-ND. They are in stock now. I would try for the one Vinney used if they have it in stock when you are ready to order. I couldn't find them anywhere except directly from TI last week when I was looking.
madmax

madmax

08-03-2004, 09:59 PM

Pics of the completed boards.

madmax

08-03-2004, 10:00 PM

and more...

scottvamp

08-03-2004, 11:32 PM

Very clean work!!!

madmax

08-03-2004, 11:56 PM

See the yellow glob? That is Handi-Tak around the crystal. I've read that putting a little mass on it helps jitter. A little would have been fine. I guess I went a little overboard before I realized how much I put on it. :D
madmax

scottvamp

08-04-2004, 01:37 AM

I thought it was bubble gum.....:D

madmax

08-22-2004, 06:06 PM

It took a few weeks to get the BlackGate Capacitors but here is the finished product!

madmax

08-22-2004, 06:10 PM

I'm starting a new one for me with all the SV mods. Here is a cool looking vent design. I hope it doesn't keep things too cool. I wish I would have thought of this before doing Scotts. I may put some blue LED's inside to give off a blue glow while the unit is playing.

Zero

08-22-2004, 10:02 PM

I gotta have you mod one for me one day Madmax..... I completely effed mine up - and just no time to fix it..

Of course, you will be compinsated for your efforts. heh

madmax

08-23-2004, 12:50 AM

I don't know why but I've really enjoyed the ones I've done so far. I guess because they get better and better because I keep going a few steps further each time. Funny thing is "I" don't have one yet. :)

If you decide you want one let me know. Burn in is the real hassle. I mean, how many freakin hours can you listen to music. Each one I've done has at least 100 hours on it before sending it out. Add that to the burn in of my new amplifier tubes, preamp tubes, new cables and new tweeters and you have two solid months of non-stop music... Life has been tough lately.

madmax

dorokusai

08-23-2004, 01:30 AM

I checked one out in BB today, thought I picked up a piece of paper by accident, realized it was in the box too :eek:

Talk about potential...I'm down with a purchase at that price, why the hell not.

madmax

08-23-2004, 01:43 AM

Doro,
Are you saying you bought one?
madmax

Zero

08-23-2004, 01:44 AM

Mark is weak - he'd give in sooner or later. Jesse will be a tad tougher to convince, though typically it is difficult convincing a man who owns a source that costs more than my entire system, to walk into Best Buy to try out a player. ;)

Max, you got a PM.

madmax

08-23-2004, 02:44 AM

Actually,
Maybe I'll take one with me to Jesse's house and get his audio opinion on it. That would be fun. I'm sure his unit will be superior but it would be fun to see how close these are. :D
madmax

F1nut

08-23-2004, 03:15 AM

Geez, cut me some slack will ya Sean. It's not that I don't believe you guys when you say it's a good, even great with mods, CDP. I've only got so much room around here and a plan of sorts for what I want.

Madmax,

Yes, please bring one with you. I'd love to hear it and see what you've done with the mods.

Zero

08-23-2004, 03:35 AM

And let you get off easy Jesse - surely you know I would never do such a thing.. :)

madmax

08-23-2004, 08:42 AM

I take it we have two Seans on here who like the 3960's now. "ATC" Sean is the one who turned me on to (read that as got me into) this mess. :)
madmax

TroyD

08-23-2004, 01:39 PM

I'm looking forward to hearing F1's opinion, actually.

Not that I don't believe anyone else, I do. However, I've heard Jesse's rig, I know what he listens to and so forth so I have an idea when he says something how that would apply to me and how I hear things.

That said, I ordered one from Amazon.com about a month ago to play with when I get home....

BDT

ezc

08-23-2004, 06:34 PM

Madmax
Have you moded a 3960 with a browndog & dual 627's. Im curious how much better it would make the 3960. The 3950 with dual opamps mada a noticable improvement on both our systems. The 3960 with a single 2604 sounds very good & Im figuering that with dual 627's it should get a fews notches better.

madmax

08-23-2004, 08:43 PM

My friend and I both ordered the parts for the browndog mod but I'm not going to do it until I get my ultimate unit done. (separate case, linear power supplies etc.)
madmax

ezc

08-23-2004, 09:19 PM

Madmax,
Your going to have a Killer 3960! Sonds like you will only be using the audio pcb & drive from the stock 3960 & having seperate outbaord power supplys. Youll end up with a Mad Super 60 cdp when done! Keep me posted when done, & post some pics!

madmax

08-25-2004, 08:09 PM

The one for SV is done so I'm working on my own semi-stock 3960. It is a sleeper model in it's original case except for drilling holes in the top cover. I'm going nuts on this one to see if extreme damping and shielding does anything. Don't laugh, here is a pic of the drive.

madmax

08-25-2004, 08:11 PM

Here it is in the case.

dorokusai

08-25-2004, 08:58 PM

Thank goodness you had pants on :D

madmax

08-25-2004, 09:59 PM

Luckily I had just put them back on after listening to Scotts unit. I feel, well, so satisfied after listening to these things. :)
madmax

scottvamp

08-25-2004, 11:23 PM

So how's my unit sounding??? Compared to previous mods - Burn in going well!!!

madmax

08-26-2004, 12:18 AM

All is great! I've been burning it in for almost 3 days and tonite I've watched 3 movies on it and done some A-B comparisons with my reference deck. The sound is in every way equal to my Theta. I like to make sure all is going to last for awhile as well. Like all the other 3960's this one messes up every now and then. For example, if you set it to repeat and leave if for 24 hours you normally end up with "err" or "E55" on the display. This is normal both before and after the mods. The sound is awesome and the pic looks like it should! At first I had a problem that the sound was not what I expected. I quickly found that the dynamic range limiter was on. I just like to make sure all is right before shipping out because obviously the warranty won't cover anything after the mods. My plan is to package it up and mail out Friday morning assuming it doesn't act abnormally. I think you will be VERY pleased! Please email me with your address again.
Thanks!
madmax

scottvamp

08-26-2004, 12:44 AM

Cool - can't wait to hear it!!!:)

Oldwriter

08-26-2004, 03:03 AM

Madmax et al - I read with great interest your accounts of "modding" the Toshiba 3950-60 DVD decks - and I hope you can answer a couple of my questions, please!
First - I am "not" an electronics expert. I don't "tweak" anything except the tone controls (grin) With that in mind - please explain to me how you can take what appears to be an el-cheapo player and turn it into, well, a Denon or Marantz? I'm serious here, not challenging you - really asking for help.
I've got (bad choice!) a new JVC XV-N55SL DVD/CD player that I'd love to take an axe to - it is shrill, shallow and generally awful. Am waiting for something new and wonderful - maybe Denon 2910 or even Samsung 941 - to come along with SACD capability.
Sigh - will you be "modding" any of the new SACD players - and if so, which ones? Heck - at this point I'd get a 3960 if it had SACD capability! Thanks for helping an ole scribe understand.
Respectfully, Larry R.

ezc

08-26-2004, 03:53 AM

Damm thats some dampening madmax! Does the unit sound better with the drive fully dampened? I have dampened my drive but not fully like yours. I have no dampening on the tray, just on the top & supports. The drive must have gotten more quiet. Great job! The yellow tack looks cool! Scottvamp is going to have one killer player!

madmax

08-26-2004, 07:07 AM

About the damping, I'm not sure because it hasn't burned in yet. (on mine). I did quite a bit on SV's unit and am happy with the quietness of the drive. I think the key is to provide enough to keep resonances away. I just went nuts on mine to see what the effect is. (pure silliness and a lack of anything better to do) More is not necessarily better.

The 3960 is just a very special unit. It is cheap and all but everything just works together to give a very good sound. All the planets must have been in alignment when the engineer picked his component placement and such. I too have a JVC. Mine was $400+ a few years ago and is shrill and nasty sounding. I guess you get a lemon every now and then. I've been considering playing with the pioneer 563 (I think) but have not commited the $150 base price yet.
madmax

Oldwriter

08-26-2004, 10:46 AM

. . .what you could do with one of the new Samsung 941s, or even a Denon 2910 - both to come out the end of September. If what you say is applicable to a "low-end" unit such as the Toshiba, think of what you could do with a "mid-level" unit!
But perhaps your mods wouldn't make that much difference in a higher-end player?
I'll be purchasing a new SACD/DVD player - probably in October, so will be interested to see if you chaps determine that there are new hurdles for you to conquer with the latest generation of players. Will Toshiba have a successor to the 3960?
Thanks - LR