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I picked up a Toshiba 3950 DVD player for less than $40 Monday. This unit has been getting rave reviews by many audio enthusiasts for its Redbook CD playback. I must say this player is pretty damn good for the money. It's not the last word in digital playblack, but it CANNOT be beat for the price. I have less than 20 hours on the unit so far, so things should improve somewhat. There are two web sites dedicated to modifying this player. The mods look pretty easy, with the exception of swapping out the delicate little opamp. Not hard, just tricky. I cannot wait to get the new parts and my soldering iron heated up. I already lined the case with self-adhesive vinyl floor tile to make it less resonate. I loosened the screws that hold down the transport, too. The screws are too tight on the rubber spacers in the stock unit to reduce vibration. I placed the unit on Gak Spat balls I cut in half, too. Gak Spat balls are great for reducing vibration, and your kids will love them. I built a cheap little CD press for the player that I found on the TNT-audio web site. Here's the link to the CD press if you are interested: www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/press_e.html Also, the links for the mods on the 3950/3960 can be found at both: http://home.nc.rr.com/keihin/toshiba3950/vinniemods.htm and http://johnswenson1.home.comcast.net/3950_mod/Toshiba_3950_3960_mods.html
I ment gaksplat balls in my post above. It's gaksplat - with a l. http://www.kbtoys.com/genProduct.html?PID=1503439&ctid=17&ls=toys
I bought one too, after reading the hype, for $60. I burned it in for 20 hours, then put it in my system. I didn;t like it....and returned it. Too digital sounding for me, not layered enough. It would be interesting to compar eit to other players in the same range, that have similar measurements. My guess is they will be as good or better. I was going to try the swenson mod, but i am so happy with my current source, that i figured why waste $60, instead save up to get my current source upgraded. IMHO, this player may be suitable for a cheap rig. However, I would NOT compare it to most $700+ players. Just my 2 cents -akhilesh
I have two Tosh DVD players, an SD4800 and an SD3900. Out of curiosity I tried them both for CD audio playback. Now, I won't let them anywhere near my sound system. Great for DVD movies though.
I'm using a 3950 with the Swenson mod and it sounds too good to be a $48 player. It replaces a Phillips SACD 1000 that died three months out of warranty. You gotta love this hobby. See the picture at http://wardsweb.org/LSB/05_15_04/A33.html Mine is the one with the black feet. John Swenson's 3960 is the one with the cheap floor tile glued to the top of the cover.