Each year, dozens of European journalists gather to select the best electronic products of the year. Awarded by a diverse and impartial jury, the EISA (Expert Imaging and Sound Association) awards recognize exceptional products for their performance, design, or ergonomics.
The Sony UBP-X700, one of the world’s most widely used 4K Blu-ray players, owes much of its success to its Dolby Vision compatibility and a value-for-features ratio that is hard to beat. But its external power supply — a simple 12 V switching power adapter — remains a well-known weak point in the home theater community. The Chassis DIY-X700, designed by French company R_volution (Groupe Archisoft, Paris), aims to address this compromise: a complete brushed aluminum chassis that houses the Sony’s motherboard and optical drive, while supplying them with a linear power supply of significantly higher quality.
The DIY-X700 is not a Blu-ray player. It is an enclosure into which the internals of the Sony UBP-X700 are transplanted: the motherboard and optical drive. The interface, menus, and features (Dolby Vision, HDR10, SACD playback, streaming) remain strictly identical. No Sony component is modified, no firmware is altered. What changes is the power source feeding these circuits — and that is precisely where the improvement lies.
The original switching power supply generates high-frequency noise and jitter that interfere with audio and video signals. Replacing it with a linear power supply aims to reduce these disturbances and deliver a cleaner signal at the HDMI output. R_volution uses the same linear power supply technology here as that integrated into its flagship media player, the PlayerPro 8K TV.
The 81 W toroidal transformer is made from oxygen-free copper (OFC), a classic choice in high-end audio power supplies for its low resistance and conduction properties. Regulation relies on two stages: a Toshiba linear regulator for the main circuit, and a Lintec ultra-low-noise low-dropout (LDO) regulator. This combination delivers stable, filtered current even under variable load during 4K UHD disc playback.
On the capacitor side, R_volution has selected Nichicon and Nippon Chemical models for the audio circuits, and WIMA components for the video circuits. These Japanese and German manufacturers are benchmarks in their respective fields, commonly used in professional audio equipment and high-end amplifiers. The expected result: deeper blacks, more stable color reproduction, improved film grain rendering, and better audio timing on multichannel tracks.
The term DIY (Do It Yourself) may sound daunting, but the process comes down to four steps: open the Sony UBP-X700, unscrew the motherboard and optical drive, install them in the new chassis, then connect the supplied ribbon cables and wiring. No soldering is required. R_volution provides a detailed manual and a video guide to assist with the assembly. Allow one to two hours of work.
Please note: the operation voids the original Sony warranty. However, the DIY-X700 kit comes with its own 2-year warranty, covering the chassis and all supplied components.
The chassis retains the original Sony player’s IR codes. The included remote control (larger than the original, with additional buttons) works immediately out of the box — and more importantly, this IR compatibility allows direct integration into home automation control systems: Crestron, Control4, RTI, Savant, Logitech Harmony, SofaBaton, SwitchBot, Philips Pronto, Elan, and URC are all supported without any specific configuration.
Rack mounting ears are included in the kit. For rack installations, a dedicated ground connector eliminates ground loops that can introduce noise into the signal — a detail that shows R_volution designed this product for professional integrations as much as for home use.
Measuring 43 × 28.23 × 7.17 cm and weighing 5 kg (unboxed), the chassis adopts a standard hi-fi component form factor. It is considerably larger than the compact original Sony enclosure (32 × 4.5 × 21.7 cm, 1.4 kg), reflecting the space occupied by the toroidal transformer and power supply circuits.
The kit includes: the complete chassis with integrated linear power supply, an IR remote control, a 1 m 4K HDMI cable, a rack mounting kit, internal ribbon cables, and four mains power cables (EU, US, UK, AU plugs). The Sony UBP-X700 player is not included and must be purchased separately.
The R_volution Chassis DIY-X700 is an upgrade kit designed to transform the Sony UBP-X700 Blu-ray player into a true audiophile home theater source. Thanks to a premium linear power supply and high-quality electronic components, this chassis significantly improves picture quality and audio performance.
No. The chassis and ribbon cables are designed exclusively for the Sony UBP-X700 motherboard and optical drive. No other model is compatible.
Yes, the Sony player is not included with the kit. R_volution also offers a pre-assembled version (Chassis DIY-X700 + Sony UBP-X700), delivered already built, for those who prefer not to carry out the assembly themselves.
Yes, the motherboard and optical drive can be reinstalled in the original Sony enclosure. No component of the player is permanently modified.
All Sony UBP-X700 features are preserved: 4K UHD Blu-ray playback, Dolby Vision, HDR10, SACD, DVD, streaming (Netflix, etc.), dual HDMI output, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet. The Sony interface and menus remain unchanged.
R_volution provides a 2-year warranty on the chassis and its components. This warranty covers the linear power supply, chassis, cables, and remote control. The Sony warranty on the original player is voided by the disassembly process.
Yes, rack mounting ears are included in the kit. A dedicated ground connector is available on the rear of the chassis to prevent ground loops in rack installations.
The 1 m 4K HDMI cable included in the kit is suitable for most installations. For longer runs, a certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cable (48 Gbps) is recommended to preserve Dolby Vision and HDR10 compatibility without degradation.
Michael
Excellent product with fast delivery to UK (and simple payment of VAT dues). Installation was very easy with clear details. I would say that the drive unit ribbon cable was too tight a fit if installed per the instructions, even running it direct was inelegant, however it worked! Thanks again, HomeCine.
Comment from 24 September 2026 — Experience from 13 September 2026
