Oppo BDP-105 As A Pre-Amp

I am new to this forum but after reading several pages on the 105 and searching other sites, I still cannot find my answer.

Mainly, I am looking to use the 105 as a dac AND a preamp. I have been told that it has a volume control but not sure if this is effective. I would like to go straight into my Ncore amps via the balanced outs on the 105. Do you guys have any experience with this? Is the 105 a better choice for this than something like the Benchmark HDR? I really don't need a new Blu-ray player and mainly want an upgraded dac to stream FLAC files. It would be great to eliminate the Squeezebox touch, my current Panasonic blu-ray and a receiver that is currently used for pre-amp functions.

How good is thie dac in the 105 and how good is the volume control?

Thanks,
James

 

Given your goals and intended usage, you would be better off getting a standalone DAC.

 

It'll certainly work for your situation. But I caution you against giving up your Squeezebox Touch. The LMS server interface is going to be MUCH better for accessing your music collection than the OPPO's. With the BDP-105, you basically have to sort through file structures to find your FLACs, there is no search capability, no interface besides a TV, and no gapless FLAC playback.

 

Slightly off-topic, but it would be great if more DACs with variable output had analogue inputs (at least two, for a SACD player and a phono stage), so that they could fully replace a pre-amp. So far this is limited to a few high end models (such as the AMR-DP777)

@Sam: Do the new Oppos still have no gapless playback (sorry I didn't follow the discussion)? That's an unacceptable limitation for a file player today.

 

Yes, there is still no gapless playback available. You may consider that unacceptable, but there is really no alternative player/renderer (outside a few, very new, exceptions) that support gapless. Devices like a Squeezebox have the decoding done inside a media server, so the gapless capability is handled by the computer, not the player.

 

Can you be more specific? I would still have to get a pre-amp of some sorts as the current receiver does not have balanced outs. What Pre would you suggest? I just worry they do nothing but add another layer in that is not needed.

I thought there is a remote app that works through a smartphone? https://play.google.com/store/apps/...=W251bGwsMSwxLDIxMiwiY29tLm9wcG8ub3JlbW90ZSJd

I definitely do not want to have to turn on my tv to listen to music. If I need to keep the Touch in the system I will. It is just that I thought it was not required. Of course, I am new to any Oppo device. I believe others have said that they run Squeeze Media Server on a computer WITHOUT having a Squeeze device in the system - through something like J. River?

The Benchmark http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/dac/dac1-hdr/photos has analog inputs and does DSD. It just does not have the HDMI connections. Benchmark claims that they have an excellent volume control that does not truncate any bits and does not loose information.

 

Can the 103 also function as a pre-amp?

 

OK, I thought gapless playback was a more common feature today.

It is unacceptable in certain situations. I bought a download of the Rachmaninov "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini", where the main theme and 24 variations are divided into seperate tracks, although performed without interruption. This is unlistenable without gapless playback.

http://www.eclassical.com/conductors/shui-lan/rachmaninov-symphony-no3.html

For that reason alone, I keep many CD rips as image+cue files instead of separate track files. But I hope this will soon no longer be necessary.

 

Not in the traditional sense, as you could only use HDMI and USB as input sources, i.e. no S/PDIF.

I think that this limitation will improve over the next 1-2 generations of hardware.

 

You can control the player with the smartphone app, but you still need a TV on to see where you're navigating within the file collection.

Without a specific example, I'm thinking they're talking about just running LMS on a computer and using Squeezeplay as a software player, i.e. no official hardware.

 

I don't have a monitor in my system. You may use the Oppo without a monitor if you control the player with a Controller application (JRiver or Foobar with the UPnP/DLNA Renderer, Server, Control Point plugin) and use the player as a Renderer to push music it to it over the network via the Controller application. You will need a laptop/netbook or computer running JRiver, Foobar or a similar program. I don't use a smartphone so I don't know whether there is a remote app available to control the Controller application.

Edit: I also understand Whitebear Media Server interfaces with Logitech Media Server and will stream music to the Oppo but I have not used that program.

 

This is all correct, but of course only applies to the BDP-105, as you must use the asynchronous USB input.

 

I'm sorry but that is not correct. I am using my network to stream music to my Oppo via wireless and not via USB. I have my music stored on an XP computer upstairs. In my downstairs listening room I use a wireless laptop running Foobar to queue up music to be played to my Oppo which is likewise connected to my wireless network. I also use a wireless Touch and use the same laptop to run Logitech Media Server to stream files from the upstairs server to my Touch. The only functional difference is the Oppo will not play gaplessly as the Touch does.

 

It is good you are able to accomplish this via WiFi when used as a renderer. However, there are many reports of people who have not had success due to WiFi/UPnP issues. If you connect via asynchronous USB input on the 105, it is pretty much guaranteed to work. Using the 103/105 as a renderer over WiFi, people commonly run into issues due to permissions or router limitations.

I believe we were discussing this same issue over in the big OPPO BDP-103/105 thread as member stereoptic was having an issue. And I've read about similar issues over at AVS as well. If you can get it to work, that is excellent. But if you have other options to get audio to the player, I would recommend them, first.

 

I agree that there are many people who have difficulties using audio/video equipment via networks. I have also read posts in many forums about network problems totally unrelated to audio and video devices. I understand networks and computers can be daunting and intimidating to many users but that is no reason for me not to use my player as a renderer after Oppo included that feature on their new players.

I don't use the USB input because I do not want to permanently connect my laptop to my audio system. In addition, I have several players in my home and want to keep my server in it's current location near the gateway/router and in my home office. The laptop and wireless networking allows me to have the best of both worlds without having to tether it to my audio system. My system performs flawlessly using Foobar and the Oppo as a Renderer. Fortunately I did not find it difficult to set up and operate and it allows me to use the player without a monitor as I only use it for music playback.

 

These are WiFi issues, not Oppo issues. Using direct CAT6 link or using MOCA link, I have had absolutely no problems using the Oppo 103 or 105 as a renderer.

 

I agree Kal. Some people blame their player when they have computer or network problems. I've read posts on Slim Devices/Logitech and AVS forums criticizing the Squeezebox/Touch and other devices which play audio over a network when the problem lies with the user's computer or network. Glad your CAT6 works well. I would rather use a wired network but I am pleased with my wireless connection which has never had a hiccup.

 

Hi stereoptic. The first time I connected via wireless was when I first set up the player which was then connected to a monitor. In that instance I was using the player as digital media player rather than as a renderer. I entered the network information (SSID, password, static player IP address, etc.) When I navigated to the network I was prompted for a name and password and I entered nothing for both. I connected to LMS and played a couple of songs to verify things were working. After that I entered the OPPO settings I preferred, updated the firmware and then disconnected the player and moved it to my audio room in which there is no monitor.

Since then I have been using the player as a renderer only. I use Foobar as a controller (with the UPnP/DLNA Renderer, Server, Control Point plugin) to queue up music, select the OPPO as the playback device and stream music it to via the wireless network. The music is stored on an external drive connected to the upstairs XP machine. I use a wireless laptop running Win 7 and Foobar to stream music (90+% FLAC with a few mp3 files) to the OPPO as a renderer which is also connected to the network via wireless. Since the original setup I have never been prompted for a password or username when using the OPPO as a renderer. To be honest, I generally use my Touch for streaming rather than the OPPO because I can't do without the ability of the Touch to play gapless music but the OPPO works fine including 24/88.2 and 24/96 FLAC encoded files. My wife thinks the gaps are virtually imperceptible when using the OPPO to play a gapless album, but it still annoys me.

 

Just thought I'd address the 105 as preamp part of the original post. I have two 105s, one with a Sonus Faber 5.0 set up and the other with Linkwitz Orions. In both cases I ditched the separate preamp (B&K and Adcom, respectively) in favor of the 105, with volume control through the OPPO iPhone app.

 

Thanks for the reply as the thread quickly changed and I did not see my question getting answered.

Have you only used the volume through the iPhone and/or does it work the same through the remote that comes standard with the unit?

 

It works just the same through the remote. Two issues you should consider with using it as a preamp: (1) the lowest setting of "1" (on a 1-100 scale) is quiet, but could certainly be quieter; (2) the default volume after a firmware download is 100 -- so you need to remember to bring it down before playing (most of the time I am between 30-60).

 

I'm seeking advice on a media player to use in conjunction with my Oppo BDP-105EU.

I have a large collection of hard drives removed from deceased laptops and desktops.

I've got all manner of image, video and music files thereon, including DTS wav.

I've tried burning them onto data DVDs, but there are some file types that the Oppo cannot handle.

So I am wondering about transferring them to a media player with a built-in hard drive. One that outputs both video and audio to HDMI that can be connected to the HDMI input on the Oppo - thereby using the excellent DACs within the Oppo.

I know absolutely nothing about media players. I was wondering whether the LaCie LaCinema Classic HD 2TB might be suitable - but I can't be certain whether it routes all audio to its HDMI output.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

My Oppo is connected by HDMI to a computer monitor and by analogue 5.1 & 2.0 connections to an AV control amplifier.

 

Can anyone confirm whether or not the volume control truncates bits? It seems that a lot of people regard this to be great as a preamp and many others say it is not a good preamp. I cannot understand why there would be two different sides on this issue.