OPPO BDP-95 Audiophile Universal Blu-ray/SACD/DVD-A player (part 2)

My OPPO 95 just developed the oddest glitch this evening: when I pushed play with a disc in the open tray, instead of closing and starting to play, the front panel showed a percentage number countdown and then count up -- I think it was something like "down mix %" and it may have been the left channel counting down to 0 and the right channel counting up to 100. In any event, since then, the right channel signal plays out of both L and R outputs and the left channel source signal cannot be heard. This is true in both analog and HDMI playback. What's more, the test tone does not sound on the left speaker. Manipulating the speaker configuration settings doesn't help. Restoring factory settings doesn't help. The firmware was updated earlier today.

Anyone ever experience this or have any suggestions?

 

Sounds bizarre, let us know how this will get resolved - haven't done any firmware updates on mine yet.

 

That sounds like a firmware update was running. It would say "download %". I recommend unplugging from the wall for 10 seconds, do a Restore to Factory Defaults, then unplug again.

 

I thought I saw the word "downmix" rather than "download", and saw a percentage countdown before a percentage countup, which isn't what a firmware upgrade would show. Also, I had just done a firmware upgrade earlier. Anyway, I tried unplug/factory setting restore/unplug. No different. Here are the three current modes:

1. HDMI puts out a signal to the right channel only.
2. Analog stereo out outputs the right channel to both the left and right outputs.
3. Digital out puts out both left and right channels properly.

So, at the moment, the unit is functioning as a transport only.

 

Final update: As Sam suspected, what I saw on the front display panel was the firmware updating, and I had accidently interrupted it, causing the left channel to drop out and the right channel to double itself onto the left channel of the stereo analog output circuit (as well as the front left and right of the multichannel analog circuits). (The HDMI glitch, which was a similar doubling of one channel, was simply an improper setting on my TV, to which my HDMI out connects directly.) The firmware update was done without interruption a few minutes later, but the problem persisted, even after repeatedly unplugging the unit for 2 minutes and replugging it in. What finally got the reset to work tonight was leaving it unplugged for 20 minutes. So the lessons learned are don't interrupt a firmware upgrade, and if you do so by accident, do a factory default settings restoration and then make sure you leave the unit unplugged (not just turned off) for a sufficient interval, which evidently isn't 2 minutes.

 

So everything is working, as expected?

 

Glad to hear all is back to normal.

 

Yep. Factory default resetting followed by 20 minute unplug was the trick. Thanks for the help and encouragement.

 

Great to hear! Now go listen to some tunes

 

I'm curious; for strictly redbook cd playback, I wonder how much it would cost to better the 95? Has anyone done much comparison with higher end type cd players?

 

Well, the McIntosh media player which has the same 32bit DAC sells for $10,000, so there's a start.

 

I just joined the club. Only have a handful of hours on the thing, but I'm completely blown away. I don't even have any Blu-Ray discs to check out--but DVDs look better than ever! 'm just overjoyed to hear my Grateful Dead HDCDs properly decoded!

 

Glad you're enjoying it. If you need any SACD or Blu-ray recommendations, you know where you can get 'em!

 

Is there a way to play WMV files on the 95? Or do I need to burn them to a disc?

 

I am wondering what people think of red book as well. I have owned my 95 for about two months now, and am a little disappointed in red-book performance. My question is, am I finally hearing the limitations of red-book on my system? For 2 channel, I have McIntosh mono-blocks, a Mc tube pre and B&W N801s. The 95 replaced a cheap Panasonic blu and 2003 Esoteric DV-50 CD/SACD/DVD-A player.

High res sounds wonderful. Just a little graininess in cd playback. Hmmm....

 

Run the digital out of the Oppo into a good $1500+ DAC and I think you'll hear better Redbook (and hi-res PCM) sound.

 

Quick question about my Oppo BDP-95:

If I enable HDMI Audio Output, the "PCM" light is on when playing SACD.

It seems only natural that is converts DSD to PCM before sending out the HDMI cable to my TV set (I'm not running HDMI through a reeiver).

The problem is that when doing this, I believe it is also using the "DSD converted to PCM" to feed the XLR output...

Basically, it appears that having the HDMI Audio Output enabled makes it impossible to use the DSD Audio feature of the Oppo.

Is this true?

Or... does it always play the same thing (DSD), processed in exactly the same way, when using the XLR output, regardless of whatever is being processed and output through HDMI or any other output? I'm not sure it would be even possible for the Oppo to do both things at the same time...

 

The basic rule I beleive is true is that SACD's native DSD digital bit stream will only be transmitted to another device over HDMI. HDMI will also handle PCM if that is how you have the Oppo configured. Regardless of how you have the Oppo set up for HDMI output you will not get the DSD bit stream out of any other outputs. This is true for any SACD player.

If you are employing other outputs from your Oppo the SACD's DSD stream will have been converted from DSD to PCM by Oppo's internal Sabre ES9018 DAC.

 

I use both HDMIs from the 95, #1 for video to my TV. #2 for audio, to my receiver, through the DVD input.

I get DSD, multi-channel or stereo, with #2 HDMI, through the DVD out on my receiver.

To get stereo DSD through the XLR outs I do need to shut the HDMI Audio Output off and switch to the outs the XLR are connected to on my receiver, the CD outs.


I have the 7.1 analogue connected from the 95 to the 7.1 input on my receiver.
I get 7.1 DSD on that setting.

 

So even though on my TV screen, when using the XLRs, a SACD DSD track is indicated, it's being converted by the Oppo?

 

Thanks for your reply, but I don't want DSD stream.

I want to make sure I get "DSD-to-Analog" output from the XLR balanced out, and not "DSD-to-PCM-to-Analog".

If HDMI Audio is enabled, the PCM light goes on which should mean that the audio is "DSD-to-PCM-to-Analog". To avoid this, everytime I play a SACD I need to manually disable HDMI Audio.

I'm trying to confirm if this is expected behavior and if indeed the Oppo is unable to output "DSD-Analog" from the XLR outs when HDMI Audio is enabled.

 

There is no such thing as "DSD-Analog". If you are listening to a SA-CD then you are listening to DSD converted to analog by a DAC.
Either directly converted to analog (XLR, analog outs) or converted to PCM (HDMI or other digital outs).

Read page 62 of the Oppo manual!

ALL SACDs are DSD

If it isn't being transmitted over HDMI then the SACD DSD bit stream has been converted to PCM or analog by the Sabre ES9018 DAC. FULL STOP.

 

The Oppo 95 always converts to PCM before converting to analog?

 

No. There is a menu setting for this behavior.

 

OK Thanks.

Same disc, same song, hybrid stereo SACD, Donovan, Storyteller.

With HDMI off, using XLR output, monitor reads, track type: SACD DSD

With HDMI on, using XLR output, monitor reads, track type: PCM

?