3950/3960 Mod Introduction
The Toshiba 3950/3960 DVD players have very good CD analog playback
straight out of the box but they can be significantly enhanced with a
simple mod. This mod makes these inexpensive players vastly better
sounding than they have any right to be.
First a word on safety
You will be opening up the player, inside is a non protected power
supply board. Potentially dangerous voltages are present on this board
when the cord is plugged in. NOTE! the voltages are present whenever
the cord is plugged in, even when the power switch is turned off.
In order to prevent any mishap with the power supply, make SURE you
unplug the cord before taking off the cover.
Its a good idea to not leave the unit unattended when you have the
cover off. We don't want your 7 year old plugging it in and reaching in
to touch the cool parts.
Tools needed
No. 1 Phillips screw driver.
Small flat blade screw driver.
Soldering Iron.
Solder.
Parts Needed
Wire to make 2 twisted pairs about 8-9 inches long. I used 30 gauge
wire
wrap wire. Teflon insulated CAT5 would work well. You could also use a
thin coax. As long as it fits under the board it should be all right.
Two high quality coupling capacitors. The type and brand is up to you.
Each system and person will do best with a different type. This is the
most critical part of the mod so don't use the cheapest part available.
But you don't need the $50 caps either. I used Vitamin Q caps, I like
the sound in my system.
If you are feeding a preamp with a 50k input impedance a 0.47uf cap
works well. If you are feeding a 10k preamp use a 4uf cap. For
in-between input impedances choose a cap somewhere between 4 and 0.47
Two 300pf caps. High quality ceramic, silver mica or film will do.
A pair of good RCA jacks.