Gonk,

Had a feeling it was you. I was probably one of the first buyers of the Oppo 970 last year and provided feedback to the Oppo team in Mountain View about the various add-ons I did to their player. From an aftermarket power cord, isolation feet, vibration mat for CD/DVD discs and connecting a Channel Islands Audio VDA-2 external DAC and VAC-1 power supply for 2-channel, the Oppo really sings now. Recently had my brother-in-law compare his Samsung 841 to my Oppo 970 in stock form. No comparison. The Oppo sounded much, much better than his Samsung. He is now looking to buying an Oppo. That new Oppo 980 looks very intriguing but unfortunately he can't display 1080p with his current front projector. I may have to visit the Oppo office and check out their new 980 since their office is only 20 minutes away from me. In the meantime, back to listening to the Outlaw Audio Model 990 as I write this.

Slbenz