OPPO BDP-103 and BDP-105 Networking Universal 3D Blu-ray Players (part2)

I am happy with the sound quality I currently have using the 83 and yes, I do use Audessy. Just as many others, I was just trying to find out if there was something better.

 

Unless you want the added features of the 103 I would think the 83 will be just fine. Seeing that you are using Audyssey the SQ improvements of the analog outputs of the 105 would be negated.

Bill

 

It depends on what sub-$200 player you're talking about and the rest of your system.
I personally would not spend the money on a 103 or 105 for video only.
My pre-pro has a processor so I use the Oppo-80 for BD.
If you're looking for a cheap, good BD player, I have a Panasonic 220.
For $80 you can't beat it, imo.

http://www.hometheater.com/content/panasonic-dmp-bdt220-blu-ray-3d-player

 

Just curious Bill, why\how would Audyssey "negate" the SQ of the 105's analog outputs?

While I'm not using Audyssey, I plan on calibrating my 2-channel system with Anthem ARC this weekend and I use the XLR outs on my 105.
I'm counting on a nice improvement in SQ.

 

Thanks a lot for the tip and review. Though it seems this player lacks SACD support, which is one of the reasons why I'm leaning toward a Sony now. I was almost ready to pull the trigger on a 103, but my tax return this year wasn't what I expected so I'll have to settle.

 

This one maybe?
Looks like the MSRP listing in the review is pretty much what you're going to pay for this

http://www.hometheater.com/content/sony-bdp-s790-blu-ray-3d-player

 

The analog signal from the 105 when sent to a processor to ultilize room correction is I believe run through a A/D conversion. So you are negating the upgraded DACs in the 105 by using those in your processor. I'm not familiar with Anthem prepros or ARC but I tend to doubt ARC is processed in the analog domain.

Bill

 

Yeah, that's on my short list. I did a lot of reading and compared the s790 to the 103, and from what I gathered what you're paying for in the leap to the 103 is better build and service, and much better audio. My speakers are pretty low end at the moment, so going with the 103 was going to be a long term investment that I could build around. Oppos seem to hold their value over time, as well. And I'm assuming that updates are easy.

Though, I feel like what you gain with a s790 over a s590 are features that I don't think I'll be using such as 4k upscaling. And I'm doubting if the duel core processor would be worth the extra coin, as well. I may go with the s590, but man I think the design is kinda ugly!

 

I agree Bill, if one is going to be using the player to feed a receiver using room correction software such as ARC or Audyssey, etc. then the analog audio section of the Oppo does not come into play. The audio benefit, if it is noticeable depending upon the user's room/speaker situation, particularly the 105, is the analog output stage using the dedicated left-right analog out jacks.

 

In thinking about it for split second after reading your reply, yeah duh.
It digitizes the signal. I'll have to do an A\B on the 2 methods. ARC does have a manual sweep mode so at the least I can see how the lower frequencies are doing and use it help position the speakers.
No sub or surround.

 

Oppo 103 review, interesting comments on the video end.

http://www.whathifi.com/review/oppo-bdp-103eu

 

I just read that "review" and it seems a bit limited with no details on testing process at all. I looked for the reviewers name but I did not see one listed. I have read a number of online reviews of the 103 from sites and reviewers I am familiar with. All of those reviews gave the 103 high marks on all aspects of audio and video performance. I have a feeling that review is not even a professional review.

Here are a few reviews and thoughts on the 103. They differ greatly from the "review" from whathifi ,

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/blu-...yers-reviews/oppo-bdp-103-blu-ray-player.html
http://www.hometheater.com/content/2012-top-picks-year
http://www.hometheater.com/content/oppo-bdp-103-blu-ray-3d-player
http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/oppo-bdp-103-201212052427.htm
http://hometheaterreview.com/oppo-bdp-103-universal-network-3d-blu-ray-player-reviewed/

Bill

 

I dont have either player but have read through this and the AVS Foum thread researching these players and my understanding is that there is no difference in video playback. The extra investment in the 105 is entirely in the analog audio output circuits, separated power supplies, output stages, bypass caps, etc.

 

Again, I dont have the player but yes audio is live in both the analog outputs and the hdmi. That said, hdmi may convert sacd to LPCM if the digital end cant decode SACD or bass mgmt is employed. It is somewhat unclear to me if all SACD processing is converted to LPCM if hdmi is connected to a non-Sacd converter without turning off the audio on hdmi first.

To clarify, you may need to turn off hdmi audio in order to play pure sacd when an hdmi cable is connected to a device that cannot natively decode sacd, ex hdmi connected to a tv with audio turned on in the digital connection.

So my understanding is yes, it is possible that you are seeing tags displayed while listening to analog outs.

 

My post that you quoted is discussing DTS 24/96 on Donald Fagen's Morph the Cat MVI disc not an SACD. I'm aware that both the analog and HDMI inputs on the 103 are active as I have the 103. If the 103 is set to DSD output and the processor does not decode DSD the signal is converted to PCM. No need to turn off HDMI audio.

Bill

 

WhatHIFI explains testing process. Posting a negative sounding Oppo review here sadly is like taking my life in my own hands.
http://www.whathifi.com/how-we-test

 

I'd like to see/hear an Oppo - Cambridge shootout too.

The CA appeals to me because I've always liked players using Wolfson DACs, they tend to sound a bit warmer (though maybe that's due to other factors in the design...who knows).
But what really concerns me is the Anagram Technologies upsampler it uses.
If I understand correctly it converts DSD to PCM, no matter what, when using analog outputs (from the 752 OM):
SACD Output: PCM (the internal DACs need to use PCM created from the SACDs DSD
stream to achieve SACD playback)

Maybe that doesn't matter in the long run but I'd be happier with one less conversion.
DSD remains DSD through HDMI if desired.
What's interesting though, it appears you can disable HDCD.

 

You can disable HDCD on the OPPO players, too.

 

Yes they explain their testing process in that link. I have no issue with the 103 review as far as the the negative points mentioned. But the fact that the reviewer (whose name is not listed) does not go into any detail at all on how he came to his conclusions.

Here are a few quotes from the whathifi review:

Oppo BDP-103EU: Picture qualityWhether you’re watching in 2D or 3D, images are easy on the eye. The Oppo does a good job of giving London town depth during Guy Ritchie’s take on Sherlock Holmes. Edges of buildings are sharply drawn, as are the smart suits worn by Watson and Holmes. Textures look believable and motion is handled as smoothly as the content allows. Subtleties and fine detail are handled well, but we wouldn’t consider it a huge step up from the current budget class-leaders such as the Pioneer BDP-450

I'm assuming the reveiwer is talking about the Sherlock Holmes bluray. What does the reviewer expect when comparing a bluray? There should be no obvious differences when viewing blurays on quality BR players at just about any budget. No mention of any of the settings that were used on the 103 during the testing.

Oppo BDP-103EU: Sound qualitySonically, the Oppo favours a hefty, powerful sound. It handles the action-packed moments of the Sherlock Holmes excellently, delivering weight in spades. Bangs and crashes don’t sound bright or hard and there’s a good balance to the sound.

However, faced with a more musical test, such as Led Zepplin’s Celebration Day Blu-ray and Emeli Sandé’s Our Version Of Events CD, the 103EU’s talent starts to unravel. Over the player’s analogue output, timing sounds off and music doesn’t knit together especially well.

I find it interesting that the reviewer finds the 103 handles the Sherlock Holmes soundtrack excellently but not the Led Zep BR or the Our Version Of Events CD . What would be the cause of that when the timing for SH soundtrack is fine but not so with music? The reviewer mentions the analog output being used for music but not what output was used for listening to the SH soundtrack. Was the HDMI or the analog output used? If HDMI was used when listening to the SH soundtrack and analog for music what type of comparison is that? What were the settings in the 103 were used when listening to the 5/7.1 analog output? Maybe the timing sounds off and music doesn’t knit together especially well issues were due to the reviewer not setting up the 103 properly.

All in all I found the whathifi review not to be very well done regardless of the negative points mentioned. The fact that the reviewers name is not listed (that I could find) and the lack of details regarding how the review was done does not give the review very much credibility IMO. It almost seems like it was written by an average AV fan and not a professional reviewer.

Bill

 

I have some HDTracks files on a USB stick; how do I read the liner notes from the Oppo? I can read them on my computer, but not the Oppo?

 

You can't. The liner notes are probably in PDF? The OPPO won't support that.

 

I misunderstood what you were asking. I thought you were asking why you were able to see the information while using analog outputs.

I'm glad you are ok with translating DSD to PCM before decoding. Others may not and that was a secondary point of my post, a footnote to the main point, to point out that trans coding is going on if the receiving end of the hdmi cable cannot handle DSD while hdmi audio is turned on, even when using the analog output.

 

BDP-105 review from Audioholics: http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/...yers-hd-dvd-blu-ray/oppo-bdp-105/oppo-bdp-105

 

Sam,

Thanks for posting the audioholics review . I just read the review and it is what I would call a professional review. Not like the review for the 103 that was posted earlier from whathifi.com. If anyone takes the time to read both reviews they will see the difference between the two reviews. One is very well written and backed up with details and measurements. The other one was not on all accounts .

Bill

 

Audioholics (and Gene DellaSala particularly) always do a thorough job with both measuring and audio/video testing. Some of their reviews can top 10 pages! As someone who has done a few professional reviews, I can appreciate all the efforts that they put into their reviews. It is real work!