Toshiba 3950 for 9.99

B

Burke

Active Member
I'm looking for a Toshiba 3950, plan to mod according to plans hre (and elsewhere -- some grat instrucitons with pics).

There's one on eBay for $9.99 (shipping a little steep - $12.95) but ad says in big capital letters, not tested, as is, no return. Is that a warning sign? Should I get it?

Burke
 
prsonally i'd get a new 3990 for 50 bucks. if the ebay is broke you're just out the cash. at least new you get a warranty...
 
Not tested almost always means broken. Who's to lazy to hook up a dvd player they're trying to sell? I'd steer clear. There are always several 3950s and 3960s on e bay. I'd find one that is said to be working.

Take care,

Ed
 
Don't do it burke!!

The Toshiba DVD players SOUND great, but they are CRAP quality wise. NEVER buy a used one!

Also, check out these posts:

"The 3990 has "got the fever" and then some...even above modded units."

"This year's 3990 model is quieter, plays more video formats, and I think it sounds better, stock, than a Swenson modded 3950..."

From this thread:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=59364&page=3
 
Burke I've been told that Toshiba actually changed the 3950's innards over the length of the production run. If my information is correct, the later models have a cheaper chipset, and a different transport. There's probably some info online that would let you know which 3950 production run a particular example belongs to.

I've also heard great things about the Oppo Digital Upsampling DVD players, and the price is right on their products. Their biggest baddest unit runs a little over $200 brand new, and they have models for about half that price as well. I know that several AK members have Oppo units, perhaps they'll chime in here with their first-hand experiences?
 
The 3990 is on sale right now at BB for $39.99. Sold out on line, check your local store for availablity....
 
I got an SD-3990 at Sears a couple days ago. I used the Best Buy Sunday paper ad to prove the sale and Sears matched the $40 price. Haven't had a chance to hook it up yet, unfortunately.
 
got mine today at the zoo called best buy. paid 34 bucks total for the floor model, the last one, and so far, three bill evans cd's, it sounds great! i must have a tin ear...
 
http://gnu.295.ca/~peak/audio/transport.html#3990_rel

found this here:

This Toshiba player (3990) has not enjoyed the wide spread crazed popularity of it's predecessors (3950,3960). It may be due to the quality control issues of the the earlier unit (3980) but based upon recent listening comments of a few ears that I trust, this unit promises potentially better sound than the 3950/3960 (even modded units) and there are relatively few reports about the units dying unexpectedly.
 
I can vouch for the sound of the 3990 - best one I've had. Who knows how long it will last but for $50 (or less) it's the best value out there.
 
While I've got an extra 3960 laying around I could let go cheap, I agree if you can get a 3990 new for $34 as above, I'd go that route. It's incredible at the (relative) quality you can now get for the cost of a dvd. The new oppo universal dvd player is supposed to be a killer at around $150 and received a nice review in this months Absolute Sound.
 
roseskunk said:
prsonally i'd get a new 3990 for 50 bucks. if the ebay is broke you're just out the cash. at least new you get a warranty...
Click to expand...

If you plan on playing CDs, I'd avoid the 3990. It adds a 2 second pause between tracks... especially bad if it's in a continous piece of music (pop or classical). :thumbsdn:

I was listening to a fast-paced string quartet last night, when all of a sudden the musicians stopped playing practically in mid-note...a one and a two...and then were at full speed again.
 
3990 2 second pause...

I agree completely... Although the 3990 sounds damn good, the 2 second pause sucks to no end! Forget about listing to Electric Ladyland, The Mothers, most any Pink Floyd and a slew of many other classic pieces without wanting to throw it out the window!

Pissed me off so bad one night that I started re-burning a bunch of my old favorites without any track markers just so I could actually sit back and enjoy the whole recordings the way they were intended to be heard (without the obnoxious interruptions!)

But then again... It was cheap.

My 2 cents on the 2 second pause...
MD
 
roseskunk said:
interesting...didn't...notice...the...two...second...pause...:sigh:
Click to expand...

My 3980 doesn't do it. Just the 3990. The 3980 will soon go back into the office system, and the 3990 into the HT set-up.
 
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