OPPO BDP-103 and BDP-105 Networking Universal 3D Blu-ray Players (part4)

OPPO is a Company I would be quite happy to work for!!!

IMHO their professionalism, dedication, customer support and product quality are almost unrivalled!!!

 

The version released in 2012 offered better video performance, and made adding RAM a much easier task. This is a rather scathing review in parts for why:-

http://www.tekrevue.com/new-mac-mini/

For music, it'll still be fine. Ample power there, but if you want to use it for anything else, check carefully.

 

How many here use the Media Control app? They have made some nice improvements to it lately.

 

I totally agree that Oppo has possibly the best customer service in the A/V industry. I have emailed Oppo at night and on the weekends not expecting a reply and many times I received a reply very quickly. I have also read many accounts of those sending players to Oppo out of warranty and doing the repairs free of charge. That to me is amazing . Some say well the players are expensive which is very true. But you get what you pay for in the product and most definitely with the service provided. The other factor is the high resale of Oppo players. Yes I'm a proud Oppo fan boy !

Bill

 

I'd realized that the entry level iMac didn't allow for upgrades, I wasn't aware that no model of Mini did any longer.

I will say this wouldn't sway me at all if I were looking for a music server, the entry level Mini would still be my choice. In general this move from Apple is kind of an eye-roller of course. All I really need Apple to keep doing is making the best laptops ever made though, and no signs of that slowing down.

 

After years of reading about and drooling over the Opp's, I finally ordered one today. I waited so long cause I have many players over the years and all still work. Maybe I should stop buying so much junk and invest instead in some nice components ?

I ordered the 103. I really wanted to order the 105D (for Analog out Sabre DAC) , but not sure what the gain would be worth the cost in my low end system. I mean the KEF Q900's are decent, but the rest of my system is pretty low end. I would like my CD's to sound better and think the 105 would be a good start.

Do you guys think it is worthy for me to combine a 105 to my Pioneer Elite A-35r Int Amp and KEF Q900 Speakers ? Or wait and upgrade my amp instead ?

I figured the refurbed 103 direct from Oppo was cheap enough to get my feet wet. If I like it then was going to consider the 105 for my two channel system. For now, I have two systems and the 103 will take place in my surround system and replace my old Sony Bluray/SACD player.

Also, anyone try the LPM upgrade from OppoMod and does anyone think it is a worthy upgrade for the 103 ?

 

What did you pay for a refurbished 103?

 

$413

 

Ralph,

I think you made the wise choice by ordering the 103. You can always upgrade to the 105D in the future. The 103 is a very nice sounding player IMO. I had a 95 in my system along with the 103 awhile back. I thought the 103 sounded very close to the 95 when I compared the two. Enjoy !

Bill

 

Well, I have two systems/two different rooms. I figured if I got the urge to upgrade to the 105, the 103 would be a good upgrade for the surround system.

I think my Technics DVD A-10 is a really nice sounding CD player (all the extras shut off), that is all I use it for. It is well built and blows away any of my bluray/SACD players sound wise, not even close. I have had it a long time though and always wondered if the Oppo could beat it. Only one way to find out.

I really wonder how the 105 would sound compared. I hear so many good things about it.

 

Thank you

 

Well, I could tell the Sony DVP-NS975V seemed harsh when playing SACD analog outs. This player suppose to have burr brown DAC. I always thought this, so tried a nice CD I know sounds good (never play CDs on this player, use Technics DVD A-10) and it sound forward and harsh. Maybe I dont like burr brown dac's cause I never liked my Pioneer 563a much and that also has burr brown DACs. Just not relaxed and detailed to me.

So I researched the Sony S370 and find that has wolfson DAC. Now I don't ever recall having a player with this DAC and usually do research to know what I own. I always used this player via HDMI for DSD playback on my surround amp as it accepts DSD signal. Never listened to the analog outs of this player. So, since I am replacing it with the Oppo, I figured i would find out what DAC it has and swap if decent. The sony 975 I never found engaging, but accepted what it was all these years.

Talk about blown away! I guess I find Wolfson DAC nice. It is very detailed without being bright. Warm which people online said is was not. Wide sound stage and just down right perfect to my ears. I figured I would test a SACD I played yesterday, that I never found sounded good on the Sony 975. It always sounded cold, forward and soundstage was not wide at all. Now I heard this disc isn't the best sounding, so after hooking up the Sony s370 I popped this disc (Norah Jones Come away with me) in and wow!!!!! A complete difference in sound and the Wolfson DAC sounds so much better.

I guess you really never know what you have. I chalked this player up to being cheap, till I decided to research it. I found people said a lot of good things about this players analog outs playing SACD and redbook.

The only bad (or good) thing is now I have to listen to all my SACD's over again, cause I based all my opinions on that Sony 975 player.

Now I am really wondering how good the Oppo 105 can sound. I am thinking my current amp is just fine and I can't afford to replace both the amp and plkayert right now. I am thinking i would get best bang for my buck buying the 105 at this time.

 

I have the 105 and love it, but you paid only $413 for your refurb 103, while my refurb 105 was $969. For a savings of $556, or 57%, I don't think you can go wrong with the 103.

As for DACs, one word of caution: it's not just the DAC brand, but also the specific model of the chip, plus the implementation of the chip in the larger system of each player, and surrounding circuitry, power supply, and so on, that creates the final sound. So you might in fact prefer Wolfson-based machines to Burr-Brown ones - but a comparison of just one or two units of each isn't enough to know that for sure.

That said, people say the ESS Sabre DAC in the 105 is on the detailed and analytical side, so if that's true, it's possible the 103 might be a better fit for you anyway (although the 105 is pretty darned good IMHO!).

I would be very surprised if you were not happy with your 103.

 

I do realize it is a lot more than the DAC, but we are talking cheap players with a build in the same price range. They are all built with pretty cheap components and I can safely assume the DAC is definitely a preference for me. Different parts I know, but still cheap. Now with better builds in better built players with better DACs, I am guessing it gets harder to figure out when everything is built well.

I do get what your saying though and understand that.

If I could get a 105 refurb for that price, I would be all over it right now. Unfortunately, not any right now.

I do worry maybe I won't like the ESS sabre, I have heard many say very detailed and analytical which could turn out to be very sterile in sound. I have read many people state they like the sound of it, but i want to hear a description of the sound. I have read a lot on this player since researching, but not in depth description on the sound. I know it is system dependent, but still would be nice to hear how people think it sounds in more detail.

The good thing is, Oppo has a 30 day return so nothing lost if I don't prefer it. I do intend on listening to the 103 in my 2 channel setup as well to see how I like it, even if not a highly regarded DAC.

I appreciate your input, how would you describe the sound in detail on your setup ?

 

With either the BDP-103 or the BDP-105, if I were to run HDMI out to my receiver for multi-channel audio from Bluray and also have the analog left/right outputs connected for listening to two channel audio from a CD/hard drive, does Oppo device know what output (HDMI or analog) is active, or would I need to go in to the settings each time and choose?

For example, I watch a Blu-ray disc, finish it, and then decide to put on a CD. Does the player know to use the HDMI output for the Blu-ray, and does it then know to switch to the analog outs for the CD?

 

IIRC, all outputs are active all the time. If you want to use the analog signal for music, you have to change the settings in the AV receiver. Just use two input settings, one for BRDs that uses HDMI and one for CDs that uses analog inputs.

 

I hadn't thought of that aspect - very good point!

As far as I know, the 103 doesn't use the Sabre DAC (that's one of the reasons the 105 costs so much more), so I don't think you have to worry about that.

As for the sound of my 105, I love it - but I prefer a pretty detailed sound, and in particular I want my digital source components to be as accurate and neutral as possible. If I want a particular profile or "voicing" for my sound system, I'd rather have that come from my speakers and my amp.

At any rate, I have the 105 going into an equalizer (for room-correction issues), and then straight into an Adcom MOSFET power amp, and B&W CDM 1SE speakers. No preamp - I basically use the Oppo as a preamp. The 105 sounds noticeably better than my 1990s Sony ES CD changer, more detailed but also smoother and more refined. (Not the best comparison I know, but it's all I have on hand, and it is a quite respectable, if not exceptional, unit.) Being British-style monitors, the B&Ws might be described by some as slightly "polite," but they are not especially warm, and they have good high-end extension. Similarly, MOSFET amps have a reputation for being slightly "dark," but this is still solid-state gear so it's not going to give tube-style warmth; and to my ears it's pretty precise and revealing.

My point is that my equipment chain, while certainly not high-end, has nothing in it that would "warm up" or "mellow out" the Oppo if its sound were harsh or too etched. So that leads me to believe that the Sabre DAC, as implemented in the 105, produces a detailed but neutral, not overly bright or harsh sound.

YMMV of course.

 

That's what I was looking for. Good to hear as I was worried it might be a sterile sound, from what many have said.

So in the end, I still need to buy one to see how good it matches my system. Then, I need to upgrade my amp, but for now I think a player is more important than a amp. I don't think my amp sounds terrible, even if on the low end of the equipment chain.

I am glad Oppo has a 30 day return in case I don't prefer it.

Oh ya, I realize that 103 has the cirrus logic DAC and not the ESS Sabre. So I never expected much from it. I hope I am pleasantly surprised though.

I am more insterested in that player for my surround setup, since it will only be used to push DSD over HDMI and playing movies bluray and streaming.

 

So I got my Oppo 103 today. Been playing with it all day and bummed my wife finally took me away from it.

I am totally blown away by this player. When it arrived, I didn't expect it to weigh so much. I went to pick up then box quickly and turn around and almost dropped it.

Oppo doesn't mess around, everything about it is top notch from packing to the items and player. Really impressive, I felt like Ralphies father when he won then leg lamp!

Impressive build quality. The casing is built like a tank. I think I am sold on buying a 105 when I figure out a new audio stand for my 2 channel setup as it won't fit in it.

It is nice to have a player that does just about everything and with ease. The CL DAC actually sounds pretty good. Other than the vocals a but forward and the soundstage a tad closed in, it has warmth and great detail. SACDs were better over HDMI than the analogs outs, but found redbook quite good on the 103's analog outs.

I felt like I was in a playground all day today playing with it. I have heard some people say they can't tell a difference between the Oppo and a low end Sony bluray player. I was glad I had a much different experience. There is a clear difference! The picture is clear, smooth and very detailed with quite a bit of depth. Something I never seen on my Sony BDP-350, which was quite good for an old player.

I won't be buying anything but Oppo now. I waited a long time to buy one and wish I didn't. I feel like I got more worth than I paid for this player, I think it is that good. I don't remember the last time I had that much fun in one day with a piece of equipment.

Now to save up for the 105 and figure out a new audio stand.

 

Ralph,

Great post . I'm glad to hear you are happy with the 103 as I thought you would be. Enjoy!

My 105D arrived today but I'll have to wait till tomorrow to set it up. I gave the 105D a quick once over and it looks like new even though it's a refurbished unit. Work getting in the way again but there's always tomorrow .

Bill

 

That's too bad. Have fun tomorrow then.

 

Geoff,

Thanks! I'm looking forward to setting up the new "toy" . After tonight I have off till Wednesday and with the snow coming I'll be listening to a lot of music .

Bill

 

I agree, my unit does not look refurbished at all. No indication.

It isn't marked refurbished anywhere. Never seen that on a refurb before.

Can't wait to hear your opinion of the 105.

After doing a lot of listening. I have to take back saying the vocals were forward and soundstage a bit closed in. I am not sure if I am getting use to it or it took a while to warm up. It actually sounds quite nice.

I can't wait to hear the 105. The 103 is some piece of equipment.

 

Congrats.

Not a lot of gear can quite cover ALL the bases like an OPPO does!!

Well built
Great Support
Plays everything and plays it well.

......all for a good price!!!

Enjoy your 103 and if/when the time comes........enjoy your 105D even more!!!

 

I see the 105 doesn't play DSD files ? I wonder if they are going to add that function in a few update if possible ?