Cambridge Audio 752BD Universal Player review or, "how Universal players should be done"

Please don't infer that my comments are ironic. My rationale and purpose for this thread are quite clear. Your Oppo is nice, the fact that I've not heard it, or any other player potentially in scope, does not invalidate my choice.

As Lonson said , I'm fixed. Enjoy your Oppo, but you're deraling this thread. We understand and some of us read the "serious" Hi Fi titles and so are aware of what is written across the board.

Enjoy your Oppo, again. Not the only player. Not the only solution.

 

You pretty much did a comparison then albeit apart I have had situations where if you put a component back in you thought was inferior after replacing it and been surprised at the results-it takes time sometimes just to reassess things.

I would be surprised if your Denon wasn't better than my Oppo 105-I would expect it to be-and at the price you got it it's something of a no brainer-the wider question for me going forward was stated above-but it's the scale of improvement and versatility vs cost that is the issue for me.

 

I had never had a single issue with your rationale or happiness or whatever. I've already stated clearly that it would be ludicrous to say Oppo were the be all and end all.

The thread actually ran into trouble when the comparison was made-which was inevitable and what people want to know-and you got really defensive and made the statement you wouldn't change to an Oppo because there wouldn't be enough difference....that's when I asked if you heard both.

So I'm sorry if you put a post saying owner's pride had lost context or objectivity when you've made that statement and got all precious about comparisons being made-then it is ironic. You've actually jumped to thinking and stating there couldn't be a big enough difference-when you don't know.

My take on the CA was in a wider sense how would people weigh it up against the Oppo and I said it was going to be a struggle. You also need to factor in the discount you got.

My amp and speakers are second hand-so I would need to be careful for example recommending those components if someone was paying full price....because that's a whole other level of expenditure.

Across the board as you put it there are many reviews and testimonies which fly in the face of your "stance" and some that back it.I could easily have posted a variety but chose not to as we would have went round and round in circles-people can google as well as me.

There are all kinds of parameters that matter when comparisons are made-the first thing I look at on here is people's other equipment-as regards the mags you tend to hope they are doing their testing in a way that makes sense to the buying public and means the comparisons are valid.

 

I stand by my comments. I doubt there is a big enough difference and I'm sure as hell not going to box swap.

Certainly not enough need to, as the mags you mention, already say there isn't a huge difference, that there are two completely different approaches at work and as I've found to a tee, not only does the Cambridge give me what I want exactly, but as one magazine put it, it has a knack of disappearing and letting you focus on the music and not the equipment. It doesn't feel the need to remind you of how hifi it is.

My perfect player in other words. You seem to have a problem with this, which sort of goes "except for the Oppo". Well my friend, that includes the Oppo.

So no, I don't think there is a big enough difference between the two. YMMV.

 

You are more than entitled to your stance. I think people can read what you've just written there and arrive at their own conclusion and you did actually quote on this thread Yes. Perspective. An owner's pride is nice. But at the expense of objectivity, not so much.

 

Competent objective old boy, which is more than you've managed.

I've been through several £1000 players now. Denon DVD-3930, Marantz UD7007 and now my 752BD. I think I can draw a rational concision from that. Though, and I should be clear, that's not the sum total of CD/SACD players which go on top and which includes the AVI Lab Series CD player.

So my objectivity is absolutely bang on. The description I've given provides that, several times now and really, you're just irked that your Oppo has been excluded.

But do tell, did you try the Cambridge, Arcam, Onkyo, Yamaha players? I think you had an Ayre, exalted the Oppo and....

In short, yes, I've been very objective. That it doesn't fit your scope of objectivity isn't my problem.

Edit: incidentally, I wasn't being precious. I think you've covered that one off well enough. I have however provided statements and evidenced my rationale well enough to show I didn't just buy this thing on a whim. Which bit of this is difficult?

Ah yes, I didn't buy the Oppo. Yet, by all accounts in "the serious hifi press " there's not much difference. Oh well then...

 

I think again you misunderstood I'm not precious about my Oppo at all I was merely stating that the CA has it's work cut out competing against the 105 due to the almost universal praise and the fact quite clearly a lot of audiophiles see as a serious player in a range of systems. the CA simply doesn't have that kudos and indeed when exploring the purchase of a step up in digital many dealers have told me you simply aren't going to get it without either spending serious cash or playing the second hand market with the notion you are likely to be buying something less versatile.

You know what for all I know your CA could sound better in my system I have never stated anything else.

The one difference I would have made if I had bought the CA and was praising it would be to take in the wide range of reviews/testimonies on it many of them stating the Oppo is better-your statement on the serious press doesn't stack up. In short if it matters the 105 has won multiple awards and the CA hasn't.

This is your issue you are filtering out the negative reviews/testimony on the CA which Google shows you in seconds. I understand the criticism of the Oppo in a wider sense and the fact that some people have compared the two players and prefer your machine-I strongly suspect that is their honest appraisal as is the other viewpoint.
I don't know why you got so defensive and started making comparisons and making conclusions the way you did.

Happy listening-seriously.

 

I honestly doubt my mind would be at all changed, the difference clearly was in a direction I prefer. The additional functions or so of the Oppo would mean nothing to me, I'm not a file listening person, nor intend to become one. And my initial reason for speaking of the Denon was in response to the query about the SACD sound, which I feel is the best I've heard, and even now the unit can be had for less than 2000 (accessories4less has it refurbished). So it fits perfectly in answer to Josh's query.

Many love Oppos. I never was that jazzed about the models I've heard, but system synergy and other factors certainly come into play. They're a bargain component feature/dollar, no question.

 

Please don't twist my words. I'm not interested in the elements you are bringing up. You're more interested in kudos, awards,etc. You're completely focused on the Oppo and though all of your points have been addressed, you're now trying to make it my issue? Behave.

I'm sure you can use Google well enough to see that is not quite as cut and dried as you think. But I'll leave you to that futility. I've no issues with comparisons. I did if course compare, but you are expecting me to compare against how many models in how many different configurations? Did you think I bought without awareness? Yet again, wrong. Compared to the Marantz, Denon, AVI and an HK990. That's more than enough. Oh, there wasn't an Oppo. Oops.

 

The entry level players mentioned here aren't going to make or brake an entry level system (amp/speakers). As the speakers and amplification become more capable, then the front end will make a shocking, astonishing difference- so much so that familiar speakers will produce unfamiliar sound. It isn't everyone's goal to achieve exceptional sound quality. The effort is not without cost and sacrifice.

As for Oppo, there are those who prefer the similar priced Sony for two channel. There's also a very good reason why BOTH of those players are commonly modded.

 

And we aren't discussing entry level players here. Different thread.

 

That's very true Josh, it's surprising how important the source is when you have a wonderfully paired amplifier and speakers capable of showing transparency or lack of same. That is in part why I wish I hadn't gone down the rabbit hole of digital playback decades ago--I find it far less costly to achieve great transparent, relaxing sound from vinyl now. My digital journey was software driven, music driven--so much was coming out on CD that I had always wanted to hear--living in Texas finding jazz LPs was very very difficult in comparison to the jazz reissues on cd. I became obsessively a collector of discs and as I had married and stopped playing music in bands was trying to get from digital the exciting sound of music performed that I had given up. Well it took thousands and hours and hours and I've found great digital sound. . . . But I also have so many recordings I really need never buy another and will honestly not revisit many several more times in my lifetime, as life (even retired life!) has meant less and less time to listen. I might have been better served with a fantastic turntable, the fantastic phono preamp I have, and a collection of records, even if growing slowly due to difficulty. Live and learn, and I have both worlds now, but still limited time.

Those who trumpet that speakers are the most important link. . . well they're correct, but so are those who trumpet the same for amplifier and source. . . at a certain level EVERYTHING is important. The hardest part is finding musical playback, and that can depend on your source material. If you only seek out great recordings (something I've never done but can see the appeal) then it's an easier task. If you want to enjoy a wide range of recordings in different formats and of varying quality. . .that is a far harder task, and one that can take you far and wide in listening experience and often THE VERY BEST is not your friend, it's more finding synergy with great components which can be an arduous trial and error journey. And when you get there, it's even harder to stand pat. (Or sit or dance pat!) I'm trying to learn that lesson now.

 

You've nailed an important factor there in terms of the overall system. I have had both the experience of starting at entry level and hearing a friends system when he decided he wanted a stand alone CD player for music rather than use the DVD player he had-a piece of folly. I made the point away back in the thread that on Audiogon an audiophile with a truly world class system held up well when his front end was replaced with a 105 for a trial. I have my own opinions having travelled the route through various equipment and that's why I look at the amp/speakers of those giving opinions.

I think the whole modded factor is a different issue personally I think it relates to the psychology of retaining the functionality of what you have and getting an improvement on sound sometimes vision. I have serious issues with this approach for a variety of reasons but it is a very specific approach that ties into the audiophile's mindset. I don't consider £2000 of mods for a £1000 machine to be sensible.

Oppo clearly focused the 105 on the stereo capability it has surprised me considering they "support" the mods that they haven't went and produced another model covering these mods and making it a special edition or whatever-these clearly a market for it.

 

Again I think this a very relevant posting-I think we've all probably been in the boat where we don't think things can get much better and then we hear how they can. The opposite is true as well though I replaced a pair of Proac 2.5's with Proac D40R's this year and quite clearly my amp a Luxman L505U was not up to the job-I then picked the wrong amp and then got to hear a few before settling on my Esoteric A-100- those types of experiences are crucial on learning the balance on a system works. You also realise there are different styles of presentation and it's what your preference is.

Despite the silliness on this thread my only likely change in the future is on the front end as the Oppo is clearly the weak link in my system but when you mention musical even with that player in my system it produces if I say so magical sounds.

 

Sure, and again synergy is important, in my system the 105 had a certain sound that I just did not prefer, a sort of edge to the upper midrange is the best way I can describe it. Possibly just not the best mix with my amplification and speakers; the PS Audio and the Denon just seem to be free of that and more musical especially with less than ideal recordings. So I've chosen those to stay in the system. My last item purchased, a PS Audio PerfectWave P5 Power Plant, has just pulled it all together for me and I no longer lust for an audio component. WHEW.

It's up to each of us how far along this journey we go. I've probably gone too far, but I'm glad I did, I've learned a lot. I've put together systems for two persons the last year and I think I nailed just what they wanted and they're very happy. Twenty, ten years ago I could not have done this so successfully. It's nice to see a benefit outside my own musical world to all the time, effort and money I've invested in the "hobby" (obsession is more accurate!)

 

Back to entry level, the OP will wring more out of current gear with a Shunyata Defender. The price is right. Plug it in. Wow.

 

Silliness of your own creation. The 105 is very good clearly, but not the be all and end all. Particularly when a number of commentators feel the 752 betters it on musical playback. Different strokes.

Lonson hit the nail on the head with synergy. There are too many, frankly, options out there for the regular Joe to go through.

I went through several, all of which were excellent but none until none totally satisfied.

How sure can one be? In this case for the factors I deemed requirements, the 752 outstripped the lot.

 

This is just a ridiculous post. Please refrain from "entry level" comments. Aye, whatever...

Clearly, a £50 player can be deemed entry level. In Blu-ray player land, £500 and North gets you some serious capability.

 

Brother, the Defender is not a cable.

http://shunyata.com/index.php/distr...-ven-series/93-venom-defender#!defender_angle

 

Ha! Festive oops! My bad. Just assumed it was a frivolous overpriced accessory. Oh hang on... ;-)


Edit: Sorry, couldn't resist. Power isn't too big an issue in the UK. Regular stable supply for most of us and can't think when I last had a power cut at home that wasn't due to planned work. I appreciate that the USA is different in places in this regard.

 

Overpriced is in the eye of the beholder to a certain extent. I wouldn't consider this a frivolous accessory myself.

 

No worries. Ref my Edit above...

 

Well, I find that even when there's not a "problem" with power, power treatment yields improvement in tonal balance, detail and dynamics. I really really really wish it didn't, but I've been in places with bad power and good power and power treatment has been an important improvement to my system.

But as I said, we all decide how far along the journey we go.

 

Entry level on a music reproduction site-is highly subjective and arguably controversial there are clearly no rules but I would consider anything £500 and less entry level imho there is no genuine magic there-the level of presentation you are getting is limited and of course it's horses for courses especially in the modern era but imho you probably need to get into the £500+ per component before you start to understand what is capable in audio after that there are ceilings you go through where you hear what you can really get.

My system opened up to my ears when I got my first serious speakers which were £1500 in their day-£750 to me ex-dem-Proac Studio 150's not to be confused with later models.....

For me as well my preference is stereo only in a room with air to breathe in others prefer headphones and 5.1 and whatever. That's not for everybody unlike an Oppo

 

Neither, thank God, is an Oppo. Always railed against the sheep mindset that says "this is the only one to have at a certain price " - stilted thinking IMO.

So many options in audio today, there's no one true way, no matter what anyone thinks. One man's meat, etc...