Oppo Sonica DAC/Streamer - With ModWright Tube Mods and Power Supply

Description

WHO WE ARE
SkyFi Audio is a small startup business specializing in the purchase, reconditioning, and reselling of high end audio equipment. We only buy equipment that we admire and are passionate about. No mid-fi, no gimmicks, no junk.
Each piece of equipment is cosmetically restored and fully tested in our well-equipped lab by an engineer with 30+ years of experience in the HiFi world. If it does not meet or exceed the original manufactures specifications, it will not be sold. We are very selective about the equipment we purchase, focusing on mostly analog, high-build quality, American, and European built units.
Through our sister company, which is an authorized dealer for McIntosh, Audio Research, Sonus Faber, ClearAudio, Project, and Sony ES, we have access to OEM parts, service, and support.
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In its regular form, the Sonica is a solid performer worthy of just about any audiophile system. Add on the ModWright Tube upgrade, and this becomes an outstanding performer.
This is an excellent sounding and very easy to use DAC from Oppo Digital
. Capable of decoding 24-bit / 192kHz, and featuring the most excellent
ESS ES9038PRO Sabre Pro DAC.
The Sonica is no longer available from Oppo and quickly becoming a collectors piece. This will come to you with it's original manual and original remote, tested and working just like it should.
The Sonica can also be used as a digital preamp.
The ModWright Tube Mod includes:
• Total redesign and replacement of op-amp based stock analog stage with a fully balanced, pure Class A, tube/transformer coupled analog stage (6922 driver tubes).
• External PS 9.0 v. 10 with tube rectifier (5AR4, GZ34, 5R4GYS 5U4, 5V4 and equivalents).
• Truth umbilical of our own design.
• Highest Quality resistors in key signal path applications.
• All MWI M-type capacitors in signal path.
• External supply with optional hole to allow for use of taller, larger diameter tubes other than 5AR4/GZ34.
Dan Wright’s thoughts:
"The Sonica DAC has fabulous technology and connectivity, including all current DSD decoding abilities. In stock form, I found it very revealing, but a bit cold and clinical. With our new fully differential, transformer coupled analog stage (6922 based), I am VERY pleased. It is still revealing and open, but the sound stage is much bigger and the sound is more organic with none of the hard edge or glare of the stock unit. Importantly, I find the Sonica DAC mod to be more resolving and dynamic than our past Oppo mods. I feel the Sonica to be among the best mod sound that we have ever produced."
More from the Oppo website:
HIGH PERFORMANCE AUDIO
Top-of-the-line Digital-to-Analog Performance
With more and more music coming from digital sources, the DAC is one of the most important components for digital audio playback. OPPO Sonica DAC is equipped with an ES9038PRO 32-bit HyperStream DAC chip at its core. The flagship of the ESS SABRE PRO series, ES9038PRO sets a new benchmark for audio excellence.
Clean Power for Clear Music
Sonica DAC’s audio circuitry is supplied with a linear power regulator drawing from a massive toroidal power transformer. A toroidal power transformer offers superior power efficiency and much lower exterior magnetic fields over traditional laminated steel core transformers. The toroidal linear power supply provides a very clean and robust power source to the audio components.
Fully Balanced Design for the Best Signal Quality
Sonica DAC’s audio output path is fully balanced from the DAC chip all the way to the XLR jacks. Even the RCA output signal is converted from the balanced output. The balanced design provides better common-mode noise rejection and improves signal quality. It also provides better channel separation by eliminating the common ground return path.
MUSIC WITHOUT LIMITS
Play and Stream High Resolution Music
Play music files of many formats from USB drives attached to the Sonica DAC, or from home network computers and servers connected via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Stream music from your smartphone and tablet via Wi-Fi using the Sonica app. The Sonica DAC is a high resolution audio player and decoder capable of decoding audio files up to 24-bit / 192 kHz from formats such as FLAC, WAV and Apple Lossless, as well as DSD files at 64x sample rate. (A smartphone or tablet running Android or iOS is required.)
Asynchronous USB DAC for Computer Audio
By bypassing the low fidelity, poor quality DAC of traditional computer soundcards, the Sonica DAC turns any computer into a high performance multi-media source by converting digital audio to analog through the ES9038PRO chip. The asynchronous transfer mode uses the high precision clock inside the Sonica DAC to drive the audio signal, not relying on the clock quality of the computer. The USB DAC input supports PCM up to 768 kHz 32-bit and DSD up to 22.5792 MHz (DSD512).
SPECIFICATIONS:
General
Dimensions (W x H x D)
10.0 x 3.0 x 14.2 inches, 254 x 76 x 360 mm
Weight
10.4 lbs, 4.7 kg
Power Supply
AC 110-120 V ~ / 220-240 V ~ 50/60 Hz
Power Consumption
30 W (operation), 0.5 W (standby)
Trigger Input
3.5 V - 15 V, 10 mA minimum
Trigger Output
12V, 100 mA maximum
Operating Temperature
41°F - 95°F, 5°C - 35°C
Operating Humidity
15% - 75% No condensation
USB Audio Input (USB B Type)
Input Format
Stereo PCM, Stereo DSD (DoP v1.1 or native)
PCM Sampling Frequencies
44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz, 352.8 kHz, 384 kHz, 705.6 kHz, 768 kHz
PCM Word Length
16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit
DSD Sampling Frequencies
2.8224 MHz (DSD64), 5.6448 MHz (DSD128), 11.2896 MHz (DSD256), 22.5792 MHz (DSD512, native mode only)
Profile
USB 2.0, USB Audio 2.0
Coaxial and Optical Digital Audio Inputs
Input Format
Stereo PCM, Stereo DSD (DoP v1.1 or native)
Sampling Frequencies
44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz, 192 kHz
Word Length
16-bit, 24-bit
DSD Sampling Frequencies
2.8224 MHz (DSD64)
AUX Audio Input
Input Impedance
10k Ohm
Maximum Input Level
2 Vrms
USB Ports (Type A)
Profile
USB 2.0, mass storage only
Audio Format Support
AAC, AIF, AIFC, AIFF, APE, FLAC, M4A, M4A (Apple Lossless) ALAC, OGG, WAV, WMA, DSF, DFF
Maximum Sampling Rate
PCM up to 192 kHz / 24-bit, DSD up to 2.8224 MHz (DSD64)
Wireless Standard
Wi-Fi
802.11.a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 4.1
DAC Performance Specifications
Specification
XLR Output
RCA Output
Output Level
4±0.4 Vrms
2±0.2 Vrms
Frequency Response
20 Hz - 160 kHz (+0/-2.4 dB)
20 Hz - 20 kHz (+0/-0.04 dB)
20 Hz - 160 kHz (+0/-2.4 dB)
20 Hz - 20 kHz (+0/-0.04 dB)
THD+N at 1 kHz (A Weight, 20 Hz- 20 kHz)
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Channel Separation
> 120 dB
> 120 dB
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
(A Weight, 20 Hz- 20 kHz)
> 120 dB
> 120 dB
Dynamic Range
(1 kHz -60 dBFS, A Weight, 20 Hz- 20 kHz)
> 120 dB
> 120 dB
Item
Included
Original Box
No
Manual
Yes
Remote
Yes
Cables
Yes - Power
Physical Condition
8
Working Condition
10
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PURCHASING GUIDELINES:
We do not accept or review any offers that do not go through the official eBay system. We have too many items for sale and it’s nearly impossible to keep track of offers outside of the official system. Please don’t message, email, or text any offers.
TRADE IN POLICY:
We accept trade-ins of equal or lesser value under certain conditions. Please visit our website to submit your gear for full consideration. We will only consider high-end equipment from mainstream manufacturers such as McIntosh, Mark Levinson, Audio Research, Krell, etc. and will typically pass on displays, projectors, receivers, dated surround processors, and mid-fi equipment of any type. We will offer a fair value for your equipment, but keep in mind we’re running a business and will need to be able to resell the equipment at a profit after investing a great deal of time and resources in testing, certifying, repairing, cleaning, and packaging the incoming equipment. If you’re looking for top dollar, we suggest selling direct on your own.
SELL US YOUR GEAR (Working or Broken):
We’ll also purchase your used or broken gear and arrange pickup if you’re in our local market. Simply visit our website to submit your gear for full consideration.
SCHEDULING AN APPOINTMENT:
We are currently operating from our shop inside our dedicated building in Glen Rock, NJ. You’re welcome to make an appointment if there’s a piece of equipment you’d like to see in operation before or after purchase. We have several well-equipped and dedicated listening areas, plus a dedicated listening studio with tons of equipment of all makes and models. We’re not a store, so please don’t make an appointment if you’re just curious as to how a speaker or piece of equipment sounds. In essence - no tire kickers please.
You can message us here on eBay with any questions or to schedule an appointment. We can also arrange to install, calibrate, and tune your newly purchased gear in your listening room if you’re local to our area. This is super useful when purchasing large speakers or heavy amplifiers. It’s also great for ensuring your new turntable is setup correctly in its final resting place.
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