Topic: Oade modSBM-1 discussion

[Ray76]

No, I think that one is what folks refer to as the "24 Bit mod" over on oade...I dont know much about it though. The one I have is the line stage rebuild and coax mod, which, to my knowledge , dont require messing with the ADC at all. Details from Doug were sketchy at best...But when I asked him what could be done to SBM1s , he said he could partially mod units(line stage upgrade and coax) but that the full gamut couldnt be done due to the inavailability of the ADC chip he used......Mine is only a wmod/ signal path upgrade..
If someone has clarification, id be glad to hear it...

We've been through this before.  The "24-bit" mod IS the line stage mod.  Just a misnomer due to the labelling of the box.  See this thread and note the absence of any indication that Doug mods the ADC chip in his cached pages describing his SBM-1 mods.

Im quoting the man himself when I make references to the mod and what he had to say about it. I see the thread, but what I heard from Doug was most certainly in reference to the ADC and the lack of availability for the chip he used to replace it...And apparently seperate from anything mentioned on this site or oade...Who knows..

He did indeed say that the mod done to my SBM1 was a line stage rebuild. So I dont know what other mod he is talking about.
Ah well....Doesnt matter.

[Brian Skalinder]

Im quoting the man himself when I make references to the mod and what he had to say about it. I see the thread, but what I heard from Doug was most certainly in reference to the ADC and the lack of availability for the chip he used to replace it...And apparently seperate from anything mentioned on this site or oade...Who knows..

He did indeed say that the mod done to my SBM1 was a line stage rebuild. So I dont know what other mod he is talking about.
Ah well....Doesnt matter.

Ah...but it does matter, especially if incorrect or unsubstantiated info is passed on.  For example...

The oades DID a mod that allowed an output of 20 bits, which of course was truncated down by the DATS to 16. However, the A/D chip that Doug used to do the actual mod is no longer on the Market, neither in SONY America Or Europe.

This suggests an ADC mod is/was available.  I don't know of a single modSBM-1  in the taper community that outputs 20- or 24-bits.  Do you?

Oade called their line stage mod a "24 bit mod", but it doesn't transmit 24 bits. It produces a 24 bit signal, then dithers down to 20 bit, which DAT decks then take further down to 16.

This is just plain incorrect.  See my follow-up posts that quote the SBM-1 manual and a quote from a Sony rep for how the SBM-1 takes the 24-bit signal and outputs 16-bits (not 20 as you note above).

A couple of folks on the oade site talk about having 24 bit SBM1s....

I'm curious to see what these folks have to say - please provide links to the discussions?

[dmonterisi]

I am betting that the chips that Doug was referring to as currently unavailable are the specific opamps that he used to modify the line stage...

[neutrino]

Sorry to pull this thread further off discussion, but I do have to say that I personally own two Oade modded SBM-1's and both of them have had the ADC chip replaced. I don't know what the replacement ADC was due to the Oades scratching off the markings on the top of the chip.
dB-

[Return of Blowhole]

I am betting that the chips that Doug was referring to as currently unavailable are the specific opamps that he used to modify the line stage...

And I am betting that Ray is just a freaking retard.

[Brian Skalinder]

Sorry to pull this thread further off discussion, but I do have to say that I personally own two Oade modded SBM-1's and both of them have had the ADC chip replaced. I don't know what the replacement ADC was due to the Oades scratching off the markings on the top of the chip.

Very interesting.  Sure it's not the op amps?  Any chance you're willing / able to post pics?  This would be the first I've seen or heard of Doug modifying the ADC chip (aside from Ray's aforementioned posts, of course).  Interesting!

[Ray76]

Ah...but it does matter, especially if incorrect or unsubstantiated info is passed on.  For example...

That was indeed, incorrect. My apologies.

This suggests an ADC mod is/was available.  I don't know of a single modSBM-1  in the taper community that outputs 20- or 24-bits.  Do you?

I do not.

Oade called their line stage mod a "24 bit mod", but it doesn't transmit 24 bits. It produces a 24 bit signal, then dithers down to 20 bit, which DAT decks then take further down to 16.

This is just plain incorrect.  See my follow-up posts that quote the SBM-1 manual and a quote from a Sony rep for how the SBM-1 takes the 24-bit signal and outputs 16-bits (not 20 as you note above).

not my quote, but a quote of a quote.

I'm curious to see what these folks have to say - please provide links to the discussions?

looking for it. I couldve sworn it was on Oade..Maybe Dat Heads...Saw at least two references to this "24 Bit" Mod SBM1...at any rate, ill keep looking.

Teddy

[neutrino]

It's not the opamps. I do have the schematic for the SBM-1 and I know the location of the opamps and the ADC which are located on seperate circuit boards. I can post a pic of the boards tomorrow.
dB-

[Ray76]

It's not the opamps. I do have the schematic for the SBM-1 and I know the location of the opamps and the ADC which are located on seperate circuit boards. I can post a pic of the boards tomorrow.
dB-

cool man, thanks.

[willndmb]

there are many a/d converters that are capable of 24 bit, although none as small as the SBM-1.

Just for clarity's sake, since one could interpret this as indicating the SBM-1 outputs 24-bits:  the SBM-1 does not output 24-bits.

thats how i read it
even though i know nothing about the smb1

since we are on the tpoic kinda--if a product is made for taping such as the smb1, why does it need to be modded?
i understand why the ua-5 did but some of the other oade mods i haave rean about i don't know what the difference is

[macdaddy]

afaik - all references to a 24bitoademodsbm1 are innacurate. i think it started when people were trying to differentiate between the third and fourth mod. the former adresses the brickwall issue, and the latter is a rebuild of  the linestage path, replacing the opamps, rca female jacks (i think) and some other stuff in that chain...

but it was never a 24 bit mod. i understood that the electronics in the unit itself did not allow for 20 or 24bit output, and that is why a simple chip swap didnt do the trick...

neutrino's sbm1's are the first ones i have heard of actually having a different chip...

i have seen talk, however, of "toddmod" sbm1 units (several years ago), but know nothing about what those mods entail...


_____

there are many a/d converters that are capable of 24 bit, although none as small as the SBM-1.

Just for clarity's sake, since one could interpret this as indicating the SBM-1 outputs 24-bits:  the SBM-1 does not output 24-bits.

thats how i read it
even though i know nothing about the smb1

since we are on the tpoic kinda--if a product is made for taping such as the smb1, why does it need to be modded?
i understand why the ua-5 did but some of the other oade mods i haave rean about i don't know what the difference is

mainly to improve the quality of the components used...

[nickgregory]

the fact that they were called 24 bit mods were imo mainly because of the way Oade labeled the boxes...I dont think there is anymore to it...and I have not ever seen anything documented that Doug changes anything but the opamps in the analog signal path

[macdaddy]

aha!

i had mine modded later (the mod wasnt called that), and i didnt get a new box. hell, my unit doesnt even have a sticker/badge on it...

[Tim]

since we are on the tpoic kinda--if a product is made for taping such as the smb1, why does it need to be modded?
i understand why the ua-5 did but some of the other oade mods i haave rean about i don't know what the difference is

the sbm-1 wasn't "made for taping"... it was an accesory to Sony's walkman sized DAT recorders... the target audience being ENG and film production, not tapers - though there is some corssover in the markets

the line stage mod warmed up the sound of the sbm1 in a way that many found pleasing, it also adds more depth and width to the soundstage

the coax mod allowed the sbm1 to be used with a non-sony walkman DAT, like the dap1 or hhb


I'm with the group that says Doug was not changing the ADC in these units... maybe he was but it would certainly be news to me as he never advertised that service. the line stage mod that got the misnomer 24bit mod rebuilt the analog side of the sbm1

[leegeddy]

fwiw, i've opened up few Oade sbm in the past and ALL of them had the adc chip replaced.  i spoke to doug while back and he said those Sony chips were no longer available thus simply changing out opamps and/or capacitors would not be the same "Oade" mod.

marc