They're going "nuts" over at Audio Asylum >>

Try the SD-4960. It's supposed to be even better than the 3950/60 after mods and you end up with a universal player that will handle SACDs and DVD-As. It can be found for the same price, so why not go for it instead?

- JP
 
well, after some quick research it looks like it comes standard at twice the price of the 3990, and besides, i already own the 3990 :p. anyway, back to the issue at hand, which is _modding_ the darn things. i'll post pics soon.
 
sorenj07 said:
well, after some quick research it looks like it comes standard at twice the price of the 3990, and besides, i already own the 3990 :p. anyway, back to the issue at hand, which is _modding_ the darn things. i'll post pics soon.
I purchased my SC-4960 for $56 with free shipping from H.H. Gregg. Via Google, I've seen new examples for sale down in the low $40s (but with shipping added on). This is for a superior player available for a lower price for the 3960 on Amazon.

As to modding, have a read.

- JP
 
I don't know about that "Op amp" mod, but the rest looks like something I could do. I was thinking, if I really like how this thing sounds, why not build a custom case for it? Might be cool! Nice wood sides and all. But I'm getting ahead of myself. And my wife didn't raise and eyebrow when I told her I bought it. Humm. Something bad comming. I can feel it.

Ed
 
Pics of Toshiba 3990

Well, here are pics as promised of the Toshiba 3990, on my desk with paper over the lamp to diffuse it a bit... seems quite different from the 3950 from what I've seen but the caps look nice and replaceable... for starters, I'm thinking of changing the input connector to be a standard 3-prong mains type and connecting ground to the chassis, and getting rid of that god-awful av plug set you can see in one of my pictures, replacing them with nice gold-plated insulated plugs and twisted hook-up wire :p

one problem i've noticed so far is a 1.5 second or more pause between tracks, the display goes on the fritz when this happens, skipping to the last song on the cd, then back to the next song, then playing. plus, i can't figure out how to get it to repeat the disc :p so i can't burn in at the moment
 

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My 3960 arrived today. I have to say, it does sound good. I don't have any "high end" cd players except for my very old Conrad Johnson SD-1, which doesn't sound great. The Toshiba really does sound better than the Sony DVD player that I have been using. I quite like it! One problem- the used player I got that was advertised as "like new" didn't come with a remote. That kinda sucks, but isn't the end of the world.

Ed

(edit) just heard from the seller. He has the remote and is sending it!
 
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Hey sorenj07, I picked up a 3990 last night, and I figured out how to get it to repeat the disc. just to make sure it's on the normal screen with all settings defaulted, power cycle the unit. then when she's ready, on the remote's cursor keys go right once, down once, then hit enter twice. That should do it.
 
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sweet. i hadn't been running it with a TV and had no clue, and tech support could definitely have told me what you did except... they said "there was nothing i could do"... goes to show you the depth of support from a huge company for a throwaway dvd player. anyway, if you do any mods to it, be sure to let us all know :p. i'll have a more definitive opinion once my crazy receiver is done being built by me...
 
FreaK said:
How much variation can one expect? How much do you expect out of a sample of six? Does it mostly come down to the clock?

I am in total agreement! Qb, how on Earth will you be able tell the difference from one or another? It isn't like we are talking about 20 year old units, each in a different state of decay than the next with components aging differently due to different climates/hours of usage/etc... Your Toshibas may have been produced the same DAY and sent to the warehouse in the same SHIPMENT!

Unless the orignal post was pure sarcasm... :scratch2:
 
either that or there's a lot of variability in how the builds come together - some are DOA, some die very soon, some sound pretty crappy, most sound great, and some sound mindblowing. just because a factory makes them doesn't mean that all the variables that govern these things disappear.
 
listening to my NIB 3990 I picked up at Sears last night...got them to price match and then beat the $36.99 price from BB ($35.94...$39.00 after sales tax)...sounds sweet...compared to my 3950 or Cambridge Azur 640c V1...:)
Bill
 
FreaK said:
How much variation can one expect? How much do you expect out of a sample of six? Does it mostly come down to the clock?


Boy, that's going to be a slow process, they take 100+ hours to break in as mentioned in another post...
 
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