Is there an recommended 'exercise' schedule for the disk transport if it is not used on a regular basis? I mainly use the Oppo for playing files, not so much discs or BluRays since I have most of my stuff digitized.
I am assume you have never heard the Primare, have you? Yes, it is a lot more expensive than any Oppo. (It was actually based on the 105) And yes, the video quality is essentially the same. The Primare got raving its reviews solely for the audio performance, that is said to be far superior to both Oppo and Cambridge. Plus, it looks a lot nicer to me than any other multiplayer I have ever seen.
Oppo customer service told me this unit work: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017N6KI8W/ They got back to me in under an hour. I'm going to miss their CS, they were great anytime I had a question or problem.
Funny (or perhaps not) I was expecting delivery of my 203 yesterday. Sitting at work watching my phone alert me via camera when the delivery arrived. Then the plan was to call my neighbor and ask him to retrieve the package until I got home. Fed-X arrives, Oppo in hand, rings the doorbell & and I'm watching through my phone as he walks back to his truck WITH my Oppo!! :-( Didn't say 'sig required' when I ordered it. That was painful not being able to shout-out to the driver.
Excellent customer service as always! I recently had a slight issue and Oppo handled it quickly and with class. I sent a response thanking them for years of outstanding service. They replied that they appreciated it and that they always made the effort to provide the best service possible.
You aren't telling me anything I haven't already aknowledged in my posts which follow the one above. You seem very argumentative.
The one that came in that expensive Rush A Farewell to Kings box? Does that attract Oppos? That would make that set's price more reasonable...
That's what EVERYONE is saying. At work: "Sorry, I'm in the shower. Just go ahead and leave it!" Anyway, arrived today 10 minutes after I got home. This is my 3rd Oppo and every time I'm blown away with the attention to detail. The packaging is so pristine I'm compelled to take pics before removing it from the box. Even the remote and power chord come their own 'designer' box. First class, all the way. (plus a download card for free DSD sampler) The performance of the unit?? That's no mystery.
You must be confused. The Oppo has the parts you would expect from a high volume manufacturer; and the Primare has the parts you would expect from a low volume manufacturer/modifier. Construction in both cases looks fine.
Have you heard the Primare v Oppo 205? Innards appear quite different. The 205 is really good for audio perhaps as good as I've heard at reasonable price levels, surprisingly with CD as well being limited by mastering quality in practice. I don't doubt the Primare will sound better but it is likely to be more incremental rather far better on most discs simply because the mastering won't fully exploit the sound potential of the medium. I would expect it to be smoother and more relaxed sounding if anything - at least that is what I would be looking for at that price level. Oppo can be a bit bright especially on some hi-res discs via PCM. SACD / DSD setting being implemented gives a warmer presentation. I think you need to be more specific here in defining 'far better' especially in terms of 205 rather the 105 that the Primare is based on. Comments on 205 based on fact mine won't be near fully run in yet and no have not been able to hear the Primare (which I assumed had been discontinued since it's based on an old platform).
Frankly, I had never heard of Primare before it was mentioned in this post. I have compared the 205 to my modded Cambridge CXU. I‘m not an audio journalist, so it‘s hard to describe the difference. In comparison, the 205 had a tad of the digital harshness that it entirely gone on the modded CXU. Perfect test records for me are the first two Jacintha albums, Here‘s to Ben and Autumn Leaves. On the Oppo 203, connected through HDMI, they sounded horrible. Much better on the 205, but still a lot nicer on my CXU. The 105 sounded a lot harsher than the 205. From the reviews I have read, Primare has gone a long way in an attempt to take care of that, and they apparently succeeded. Seeing the UK price tag on the Primare, I‘m actually glad I had not found it when I was in the market.
OK. The Primare is pricey which put me off investigating it. Sort of money I would throw at a TT but Vinyl is my main source. Who did the mods to your CXU? - a bit academic since it has now been replaced by a Dac less transport. BTW I think more improvement to come from the 205 - It's certainly not digital sounding compared to most older dedicated CD players. Have yet to compare with my CXC/ Beresford DAC due to decorating but even with CD the sound is surprisingly good. The CXC combo is pretty much free of the annoying digititus that prevented long CD listening sessions in the past. The Oppo is certainly a substantial improvement on my old Denon 2900 which retailed at £900 in 2003 (paid £80 in 2011).
My second world-modded 203 arrived and is sitting at our valet in the building. $800 and, yes, you can say it’s a gamble, but universal playback of everything, beautifully upscaled, combined with SACD and streaming from our server...the first one is so superb that I am willing to “pay ahead” for a backup unit. If the software for 4K doesn’t keep up, so be it, but for BRs, DVDs and streaming it will still look great. The video processing in it is quick and powerful. You only live once, and what we have now (203/LG OLED/Oppo PM-2 phones) has spoiled me to some extent.
SHOCKER - They got the out-of-state unit! I was out of town for a long weekend, so I just picked up my 205 today! Woot!
Looking at your avatar I would say that the 93/95 are the best players for DVD Audio enthusiasts as, I think I'm right in saying, they are the only Oppos that give you full resolution audio over Coaxial and Optical outputs. Making it much easier to to find a good dac if you go down that path in the future.
I don’t think there is much of a market for the 93/95. None of the ones listed on eBay are selling, and the ones I have seen posted in this forum (including mine!) have generated little interest.
