Farewell to OPPO Digital

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by SamS, Apr 2, 2018.

  1. Postercowboy

    Postercowboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nowhereland
    Lon,
    looking back, I wish I had been a dinosaur back in 1992, when I sold my vinyl collection.
     
  2. Postercowboy

    Postercowboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nowhereland
    I had the UHP-H1 for a short while. In direct comparison, the Oppo 103 delivered a considerably better sound. Also the Sony is cheaply built, with a very noisy drive.
     
    The Beave likes this.
  3. Lonson

    Lonson I'm in the kitchen with the Tombstone Blues

    I hear ya. I sold a good chunk of mine in the 'eighties but I still have the bulk of it. I don't have room for vinyl in my system now, I had to take my turntable and preamp out a while back to put in another preamp and a headphone amp, saying to myself "I'll put them back in for listening sessions from time to time." Six months have gone by and I haven't yet! The system sounds so good right now and I don't really miss much that I have only on LP.
     
  4. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    Looking at the Sony x1000ES internals from the YouTube video obviously inferior build quality components and case I would say. Inferior power supplies also. Oppo has a toroidal while 1000EX has either a small frame transformer or switch mode or both. Might explain comments about grainy mid range sound. I'm confident that the 205 sounds better even if by a small amount. Anyway it costs a lot more. Also track records suggest better longevity and reliability. The Sony X800 and X1000ES are already going. Cheaper X700 likely replacement for cheaper machine but will they do another X1000ES given Oppo are pulling out? Thought the UD7007 was also discontinued. BTW Marantz have a new top SACD spinner (A10) that should be great sounding but 4 times the cost of the 205. Of course if you look around all the models mentioned are available from some dealers in UK as well as the Oppo (but the later I guess only for a few weeks at most). Richer Sounds have discontinued the X1000ES as of this week but still have 205. You can't order it online now as I did a week ago.
     
  5. Postercowboy

    Postercowboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nowhereland
    The longer I think about it, the more I refuse to believe that the end of Oppo will be end of the world as we know it.

    For one, the Mediatek platform the Oppos are based on is also used by Cambridge Audio, and could be used by anybody else as well. And while the Oppos can‘t be beat for the price, they have their limitations: As the mods have shown, the SQ can be improved considerably. Also, the 1980s design of the 205 is not everybody‘s cup of tea either.

    Oppo is a global player, and they can only offer their prices because they order massive quantities. For the foreseeable future, it would be hard to offer enough of an improvement to convince 203/205 owners to make yet another upgrade.
    Also, development costs money, and with no real expectation for big quantities, the way out is only consequent.

    While RBCD is declining, the sales for high-res silver discs still seem to be stable. There are constant new releases, and the second hand market for rare discs is thriving as well.

    As a global player, Oppo obviously sees no perspective. On the other hand, this opens a niche for smaller companies. The Mediatek platform is out there, and (as Cambridge has proven) there are other companies able and willing to build a high-end audio section around it.

    Who knows, with Oppo gone, we may well see the return of the analog output to the next Cambridge player.

    We may be dinosaurs, but we are still legion. The longer I think about it, the less I worry. Mark my words, once Oppo is gone, we will see new alternatives in no time.
     
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  6. sunspot42

    sunspot42 Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Francisco
    I question that. I think what's more likely is a proliferation of DACs that work over HDMI and over networks. With those you don't need to worry so much about the transport or decoding the latest Blu-ray DRM or whatever and can concentrate more on audio quality.
     
  7. Lonson

    Lonson I'm in the kitchen with the Tombstone Blues

    No I don't either, and in fact I have a few disc spinners in storage that will do the job. It's the video disc playback with audiophile sound that I think may well be "on the way out, rolling downhill fast."
     
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  8. Postercowboy

    Postercowboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nowhereland
    With the arrival of CD, everybody said the same thing about vinyl: No worries and better SQ.

    Right now, we see a comeback of tape machines in the audiophile world. If you have ever operated one of them, you will agree with that audiophiles apparently LOVE to worry. :nauga:
     
    mongo likes this.
  9. Postercowboy

    Postercowboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Nowhereland
    So the next generation of high-end disc players won‘t be able to decode BR-A? I somewhat doubt that.

    Not everybody wants to donate an entire room to their AV equipment, and having everything you need combined in a single unit is very attractive. The mass market days may be over, but I believe the special market is yet to come.
     
  10. Richard Austen

    Richard Austen Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hong Kong
    After further reading of the manuals of one of the Sony players it claims to play SACD but then in the manual it says (CD part only). So be careful of this BS fakery on the cheapo machines. The BDP 6700 for example.

    Considering Sony came out with this damn technology it's ridiculous that they imply their machine is an SACD reader when it only reads the CD portion of the disc. So strikeout for Sony.

    FWIW their manual. Be careful. https://docs.sony.com/release/specs/BDPS6700_mksp.pdf
     
    SandAndGlass and scobb like this.
  11. Simon_LDT

    Simon_LDT Forum Resident

    Location:
    England, UK
    I'm amazed there aren't any Hdmi DACs out there for multichannel (that I know of anyway) or more processors with decent DACs in. Saying that, I know some recievers are starting to implement Sabre DACs. I guess the licensing costs make it not so viable but I would have thought it's an untapped market.
     
  12. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    Problem there are few hdmi Dacs for stereo. Certainly none at a relatively affordable price. AV receivers aren't optimal for best quality stereo and even multi channel. Hence a demand for analogue out on these players that is no longer provided by Cambridge and now Oppo, plus doubtful in future by Sony. Denon went down the hdmi out only route some time ago.

    BTW I am reading that Oppo UK is closing in summer with support moving to a 'European hub'. Repairs and service is to be contracted out. Let's hope someone like Richer / Cambridge will take this up in UK. It's possible there will be plenty spares initially given the abrupt ending of production and the apparently good reliability record. Thinking of ordering a spare remote through RS as they are only £14.
     
    Last edited: Apr 14, 2018
  13. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I recently broke out my close to 40 year old Yamaha P-300 turntable and vinyl from the 70's. The vinyl isn't in the best of shape so I bought some new vinyl and hit some used vinyl shops as well. What I found was that even with the new vinyl there is surface noise and an occasional pop. I'm sure if I invested in a new turntable and cartridge the surface noise could be lessened somewhat. But that surface noise or occasional pop most likely would still be there.

    After playing CDs, SACDs and DVD-As for so many years the convenience of playback (no LP flipping, track searching and last track memory) and the lack of noise makes digital disc playback the easy choice for me. I don't have a high end system but a decent one and the ability to play discs with no noise is far more satisfying than playing vinyl. Right now I'm playing Blue Mitchell's Blue's Mood XRCD and it sounds excellent on the 205 with the XLR outputs. Could a mint copy of Blue's Mood sound better on a high end vinyl system? It very well could but I'm enjoying the XRCD that plays from start to finish without getting out of the LazBoy :righton:!
     
  14. ben_wood

    ben_wood A traveler of both time and space

    I feel fortunate that I ordered and received (and have been enjoying) my 203 back in February. My trusty 93 has been moved to 2 channel duty on my modest stereo system. OPPO is a class act and it is such a shame that another great audio company has hit hard economic times. My thoughts are with the company and it's employees.
     
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  15. johnny q

    johnny q Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bergen County, NJ
    I don't own an Oppo, but recently considered getting one as a platform for my Hi Rez Flac files, SACD's, DVD audio etc. Honestly, the real reason is that I need something to play the Flac files I have on drives, "gapless." My Yammy BD player is great, plays most formats and supports up to 24/192, but the gap between tracks is a deal breaker. Springing for one of the Oppo machines at those price points may be a bit of overkill. so Oppo's announcement that the end is nigh, has me concerned that there may be nothing in the future available to support that type of playback. I am sure there will be "universal" style machines available (as there are now) but the gapless playback support is what concerns me. Perhaps it is time to get my PC Audio configured to work with my main system. Use Foobar - problem solved.

    Unless of course, someone knows of a universal player that supports gapless, aside from the Oppo machines :)
     
  16. detroit muscle

    detroit muscle MIA

    Location:
    UK
    Just connected up my new UDP-203 and trying a few CD s to begin with. :goodie:
     
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  17. The Beave

    The Beave My Wife Is My Life! And don’t I forget it!

    The UHP-H1 is going for only $125 for a factory refurbished unit!! Killer deal.
    Sony UHP-H1 4K Upscaling 3D Blu-Ray Disc / DVD Player Wi-Fi Premium Audio Black | eBay
    With Chinese electronics i prefer to buy refurbs, usually at a great price and the units go through servicing, unlike coming from the factory. And most of the ones I have bought literally were like brand new condktikn.
    Beave

    Beave
     
  18. The Beave

    The Beave My Wife Is My Life! And don’t I forget it!

    I totally agree!!
    Beave
     
  19. The Beave

    The Beave My Wife Is My Life! And don’t I forget it!

    And I've had players that SAY they played SACD'S BUT they didn't DECODE the dsd stream, they down converter the dsd stream to pcm and THAT'S what you heard. Total bs imho.
    He careful indeed.
    Good advice!I

    And remember, there are some good deals on used Oppo's out there, got my 83 for $160.00
    And it looks and plays like it is brand new!
    Beave
     
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  20. Oppo Digital is (was) an extremely small company, not a “global player.” BBK is a “global player” but they did not design or market the Blu-ray players, although BBK plants probably manufactured the units for Oppo Digital.
     
  21. mongo

    mongo Senior Member

    Wanna buy it?
    Still have the box , owner's manual & remote.
     
    tmtomh likes this.
  22. Claus LH

    Claus LH Forum Resident

    In thinking about this (as the second all-region 203 is on its way), my own needs are these:

    Reliability
    High quality audio and video
    International playback/upscaling of BRs/DVDs plus streaming from a server.
    4K playback.

    I like the construction of the 203. I like the picture and sound. Two scores.
    I am a silent-film buff, in addition to buying Criterion and the other niche labels' offerings, so a lot of my stuff is British (BFI and Eureka, others).The Oppo loves my WD server as well, so two more scores.

    Will 4K discs be more than an attempt? No one knows but the odds say 'no'. Ok, give me the 'big ones' like "Lawrence" and other worthy films in the format and I'll be happy. I don't care about superhero films beyond the first "Batman" by Burton or the original "Superman" so no market for me for most newer offerings.

    Finally, the intangibles: elegance, a sense of quality, the self-lit remote...the little things, which the Oppo has in spades. The combo of the LG OLED 65-inch set and the built-in scaler and processor in the Oppo make for glorious images, and the speed and precision of the player add to the pleasure.

    For my needs, the player is perfect. I don't want to wait for the day to come where my silent collection is no longer playable because of a lack of international conversion (in good quality) from a quality unit.

    And that's why I'm now plotting how to get a second 203 past my wife....:hide:
     
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  23. Stack it on the other and if she asks tell her it’s a power supply ?
     
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  24. John D.

    John D. Senior Member

    That's what I'm currently doing with my BDP-93 sitting on top of the new UDP-203. I have four Oppo's in the house and 3 in service.
    I will start moving players around, with oldest (DV-970 HD ) moved out. I'm still on the waiting list for a UDP-205 but these players
    are starting to stack up around the house and still not sure about getting that one. :shrug:
     
    Claus LH, The Beave and Mazzy like this.
  25. Bananas&blow

    Bananas&blow It's just that demon life has got me in its sway

    Location:
    Pacific Beach, CA
    Yeah I probably fit this description. I signed up for the 205 information link to support another round of 205's to be built. However I have a 105 and use it 99% of the time as a CD/SACD player. And I don't have a 4k TV. So the 205 would only be used as a backup when the 105 dies.
     

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