Any other universal Blu-Ray players like the Oppo UDP-205?

As my collection of Blu-Ray audio discs has grown, I am thinking of upgrading to a nice universal player. I have not kept up with developments in this area in recent years, but it seems there is not much competition now for the Oppo UDP-205. This I guess is not so surprising given the popularity of streaming.

The Oppo '205 runs about $1300, and reviews I've read are largely positive (audio and video). It seems that Denon no longer makes universal Blu-Ray players, and the current Sony ES and Yamaha models do not look like a competitor for the '205.

Are there any other universal Blu-Ray players in the realm of the '205 (e.g., price, performance, build quality)?

Thanks!

 

Cambridge Audio CXU Blu Ray is a universal player. Price is around the Oppo 205.

 

Thanks for the tip!

 

The CXU isn’t 4K, the 205 is. If that matters to you.
The CXU is also discontinued so finding one may be tough.
Their new model is a transport only, no internal DACs.

I recently bought a CXU, so far I’m happy with it

 

Music Direct is selling them for $799.99

 

I have one of these and so far have been very happy with it.
I doubt it has the build quality of an Oppo ..... but it's not priced like an Oppo either.
Plays everything I want and it also decodes HDCD ..... which isn't listed in the specs on the site but is listed in the manual and is confirmed in the display when you load a disc.

CD Mode is a nice playback feature ....... it basically shuts down everything in the player not needed for CD Playback.

BD-S681 - Overview - Yamaha - United States

 

They have the model listed as "no longer available".

 

A couple of recent reviews

• http://www.soundstageaccess.com/inde...rsal-bd-player

• http://everythingaudionetwork.blogsp...p-udp-205.html

Also in the latest edition of Stereophile (not yet available online, but it will be in the next few weeks) Kal Rubinson (a member here, of course) gives a very positive review of this unit as an audio disc player and network DAC.

 

Cambridge Audio has just launched a new player CXUHD that is 4K it supports UHD discs, HDR and Dolby Vision

I am thinking of buying it; but haven’t done so. I think it should be very good given their history.

Bear in mind the cxuhd does not have a DAC so you will need a AVR or similar for taking in digital sound. I do have the CXR200 AVR. Incredible sound quality - in line with their musical heritage. My 2c is they have made a smart move by salving money on the dac as most people. Using a kit this price will probably have a AVR.

 

Do you mean........apart from the obvious OPPO UDP-203...

OPPO Digital - Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Players - Buy Direct from the Manufacturer

 

Best value ,but no analogue outs is the Sony X800

 

You can download November 2017 Stereophile, Free pdf , not suprisingly Kal says the 205 sounds best with the expensive exaSound e 32 Dac only $3499

 

Cambridge 752BD / CXU (see if you can find NOS for either)
Yamaha BD-A1060 (or earlier 1040)

Don't think there are any other manufacturers currently doing all the "main" physical disc formats, including HDCD. And even that's going!

 

I am also looking for a new player. Don’t know what to get. The Sony X1000 has dropped in price to the same price as the Oppo 203.

 

Marantz UD7007. $1200. Between similar Oppo and Marantz models, I went with the Marantz because I found the audio a bit more natural. That being said, Oppo does video a tad better, IMO. I listen more than I view, but love my Marantz for both audio and video.

 

I'll caveat this by saying, having owned the 7007 for a year that it isn't - IMO - Marantz finest hour. A very sluggish interface, slow load times and reasonable but not exceptional build and a sound that while very good, didn't for me make up for the operational issues.

My 2c only and these aren't going to be issues for everyone. Enough for me to ship it out for the (also IMO, better) Cambridge ultimately.

 

Really?

 

I have both the Oppo 203 and 205. You'd be surprised how good the sound is from the analogs. It doesn't have the full resolution of the 205 but it comes uncomfortably close when you consider the price difference. It can easily be set up for stereo. I probably wouldn't recommend the 205 unless you use the balanced in/outs.
The Cambridge players are effectively Oppos with electronic upgrading done by Cambridge. The newer player mentioned above does not have analog outs, unfortunately.

I also had a chance to compare the Oppo 203 to the Sony X1000es for about a week. The Oppo had a lot more detail and soundstaging on CD's than the Sony, but the Sony was exceptional on SACD's. It had a fuller, deeper bass and more detailed highs than the Oppo. If the remote didn't suck so much, I would have considered getting one. The front display on the Sony was also fairly useless.

Unfortunately, between the popularity of the Oppos, and streaming, the market for upscale players is drying up in this price range.

 

See the post above.

 

It is probably more accurate to say that Cambridge and Oppo use the same Mediatek decoding platform as the basis for their machines. The CXU used the MTK8580. The similarities, I think maybe the menus aside, end there.

 

Is there a player (or transport) like the Oppo, with network capability, that would allow dsd files pass thru for use with separate dac? Can Cambridge CXUHD do dsd files?

 

Well ...... I guess you can count it out if you need DVD-A.
Good luck with the search.