Using Oppo BDP-105D Asynchronous USB DAC Port

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by thedudeabidz, Mar 28, 2015.

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  1. thedudeabidz

    thedudeabidz Stepping sharply from the rank and file Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bahstun, MA USA
    Hi. Terribly sorry if this has already been covered, but I finally bought myself an Oppo BDP-105D, and while I could probably get by for the rest of my life without using the USB DAC port on the back of the machine, I was really hoping to directly connect my media computer into it to get the benefits to the audio coming out of my computer and into the stereo through the Oppo's superior DAC.

    I tried using the directions on the Oppo Wiki page, but despite following the directions, my computer cannot find the Oppo when trying to install the software. Is anyone else having this problem? Does anyone know the solution? My computer is running Windows Vista. Which could be part of the problem.

    Thank you in advance.
     
    Parkertown likes this.
  2. Isaac McHelicopter

    Isaac McHelicopter Possession is a clue but not the game.

    Location:
    Cumbria, UK
    Do you see the Oppo listed in Device Manager?
     
  3. madrushian

    madrushian Active Member

    Location:
    The Big MO
    you may need to open the sound link in control panel and located the dac. If you are running windows 7
     
  4. kfringe

    kfringe Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    Feel free to keep trying, but you won't be missing much. The usb input on that thing is utterly wretched.
     
    Metralla likes this.
  5. gloomrider

    gloomrider Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA, USA
    To the OP: please ignore the anti-Oppo trolls.

    Did you try power cycling both the PC and the Oppo after you installed the driver?
     
    Andy Boyd and Brother_Rael like this.
  6. thedudeabidz

    thedudeabidz Stepping sharply from the rank and file Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bahstun, MA USA
    First of all, thanks for the replies, people!

    Second of all, I think that the BDP-105D is one of the best electronics purchases of my life. It's taken my modest system to a whole new level and has me excited about buying media again. By the way, gloomrider, I love your deep reference Star Trek avatar of M5.

    Thirdly, I have cycled everything. I'm running Vista, which might be part of the problem. I can't even get the software installed on my computer because it keeps quitting the install after it can't find the Oppo, so I never even get to see it in the Device Manager.
     
  7. Metralla

    Metralla Joined Jan 13, 2002

    Location:
    San Jose, CA
    Great.
     
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  8. roboss38

    roboss38 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Clovis, CA U.S.A.
    I've compared the asynch USB of a Modwright 105D to a Berkeley Reference DAC, PS Audio DirectStream, and Lumin S1 streamer, and the Modwright 105D more than held its own against those three competitors. I would assume you've spent 100's of hours listening to 105D to make such a statement, but I'm guessing no. Is the 105D the best DAC in the world, hell no. But it does produce playback sound quality well beyond its price point.
     
    thedudeabidz likes this.
  9. kfringe

    kfringe Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    You're guessing wrong.

    The 105D's usb dac implementation is barely good enough to be iffy. You'd be better off using its s/pdif input, its UPnP functionality, a usb hard drive, or even spinning a disc. Even toslink sounds better. It's not like Oppo can't make a good usb dac if they want to, mind. The HA-1's usb input is probably its best input. On the 105D, though, usb is just the worst. You're not going to get half the sound quality that player is capable of out of it if you listen to it as a usb dac.

    Go give the other inputs a try. If you like the usb input sound, you're going to absolutely love the other options.
     
  10. Isaac McHelicopter

    Isaac McHelicopter Possession is a clue but not the game.

    Location:
    Cumbria, UK
    Let's have a go at getting it working first, then the debate over its quality can continue.
    :)

    Disconnect the Oppo from the PC, then open Device Manager. Watch Device Manager whilst reconnecting the Oppo. You should see 'OPPO USB AUDIO 2.0 DAC' appear under 'Other devices' and Windows will search online for a driver for a minute or so. It will fail to find the driver, briefly disappear, then reappear under 'Sound, video and game controllers', with a yellow exclamation mark to its left.

    If this doesn't happen, there's a problem with the PC, or the Oppo, or the USB cable. Try a different cable and different USB ports. Then try plugging another USB device (a USB flash drive, for example) into the PC to see if that's recognised. If it's not, you have a USB port problem, which I can help fix.

    Have you tried plugging the Oppo into a different PC? That will help the diagnosis.
     
    thedudeabidz likes this.
  11. thedudeabidz

    thedudeabidz Stepping sharply from the rank and file Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bahstun, MA USA
    Thanks, Isaac. I will try your solution and let you know how it goes.
     
  12. thedudeabidz

    thedudeabidz Stepping sharply from the rank and file Thread Starter

    Location:
    Bahstun, MA USA
    Isaac, thanks so much for the help. I followed your directions, and my computer found the Oppo. Downloaded the drivers, they installed no problem and it's working fine as we speak! Sounds great.

    Comparing the Oppo DAC to the Audio Engine D1 that it replaced, I have to say that the Oppo sounds better, so in addition to the 105D's other features, I am really happy.
     
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  13. Isaac McHelicopter

    Isaac McHelicopter Possession is a clue but not the game.

    Location:
    Cumbria, UK
    Happy to help. Enjoy the Oppo (I love mine!)
     
    Coricama, thedudeabidz and timztunz like this.
  14. timztunz

    timztunz Audioista

    Location:
    Texas
    Very cool thread! Problem described, limited amount of troll thread crapping, solution suggested, initiated and issue resolved. All is good in the world. If only everything could work like this!
     
  15. BossCo

    BossCo Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Surf City, CA USA
    I absolutely love this place. I'm a new Oppo 105D owners as well and this thread (as have many I've read since joining) was a great help. FWIW - I'm very pleased with the front USB performance. I have several 128gb thumb drives each suited for a mood or ocassion and it's wonderfully convenient. With quality questions raised above perhaps I'll try a bit of comparative listening analysis when I can get some free time.
     
  16. Diskhound

    Diskhound Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    The USB port sounds fine on my system. Fill out your equipment profile.
     
  17. kfringe

    kfringe Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    I deleted my equipment profile on purpose. Things change too often around here for me to remember to update it. I'd suggest assuming that I'm deaf as a post, listen to a bluetooth boombox, never bathe, and only listen to vintage Menudo albums. That's probably close enough to reality to be a safe assumption.

    I did write a bit about a modified Oppo recently. You can read it if you have a high tolerance for long-winded wanking. There are software issues in the 105 that make the USB input inferior to the other choices. I'd call it a dated engineering choice if I were feeling charitable. The 105 has, after all, been on the shelf for a while. It pays to remember that audiophiles weren't terribly accepting of the whole USB thing when it was released. It really does seem like USB was given a low priority in the design stage. I can't, in good conscience, recommend it as more than a utility-grade input. It has never sounded anything like "fine" to me -- but then, of course, I might be an unclean, stone deaf, boombox playing, Menudo fan. The first grain of salt is my treat.

    If the usb input sounds good to you, don't worry about what some internet jackass (that would be me) thinks about it. You and I are both Tannerds. We're used to telling people with taste to go scratch.

    If you haven't tried the other inputs on your 105, though, you really should. It's an entirely different beast with a decent s/pdif source.
     
  18. Jack Flannery

    Jack Flannery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    I feed a Mac mini into mine via Ethernet but I have never had a problem with usb devices. Can you select it from the Input Src menu?

    Edit: I see the op solved his problem. Have fun and enjoy.
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2015
  19. Linger63

    Linger63 Forum Resident

    Location:
    AUSTRALIA

    Hi,


    I just read (and enjoyed) your article about the modded OPPO.

    Am I right in assuming your strongly worded negative opinion (warnings LOL) relates solely to the asynchronous USB input?

    Reason being that my friends and I listen to .WAV's on a USB stick and prefer the SQ compared to the RBCD!!!

    Maybe it's partly due to the combination of being a more direct route to the DAC whilst removing laser reading and transport spinning from the equation??

    Anyway, I am also assuming that you have only heard the modded OPPO and NOT the stock one.

    Is it possible that, maybe as a result of some of the mods themselves, there has been some sort of detrimental effect on the asynchronous USB DAC input?

    BTW.......if my first assumption was correct........I would be interested in your thoughts on the REGULAR USB inputs re SQ?


    Cheers
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2015
  20. Raylinds

    Raylinds Resident Lake Surfer

    I would have to agree with kfringe on the 105D's USB implementation. I could never keep it working reliably and the sound was not as good as the other inputs in my system in my room. YMMV. I probably could have eventually got it working, but didn't bother because with the other inputs, it sounds wonderful.
     
  21. kfringe

    kfringe Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    The USB input is the only one I really dislike, yes, but only using it as a USB dac. A thumbdrive sounds pretty good, really, if not quite as good to my ears as pcm through the s/pdif input.

    I'm sorry! I should have been more clear. I have, indeed, heard the stock Oppo repeatedly. I had the same issues with it. The biggest difference was that the sound out of the Exemplar package was much better, so the difference between "excellent" and "awful" was noticeably wider.
     
    Linger63 likes this.
  22. Linger63

    Linger63 Forum Resident

    Location:
    AUSTRALIA

    So is it your opinion then that for optimum SQ the best way to listen to my OPPO 105 would be to either....


    A....Just insert a disc

    or

    B...Use an outboard transport and connect at Coax input.


    Cheers
     
  23. kfringe

    kfringe Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Oregon Coast
    Yup. That's exactly right. I also find "C - don't care" to be pretty effective. I'm only willing to be just so anal before I pour a beer and enjoy the music. Nitpicking aside, the Oppo is a pretty darn good source for the money.

    But spin a disc and see what you think. It's an easy test.

    Honestly, I wouldn't go back to spinning discs for love or money. There's no way that the increase in sound quality is big enough to make up for the increase in inconvenience. Network shares and USB drives get you most of the way there.
     
    Linger63 likes this.
  24. Coricama

    Coricama Classic Rocker

    Location:
    Marietta, GA
    The Dude, if you spin multichannel SACD/Blu-ray discs, definitely take advantage of the 7.1 RCA analogue outs if you're connecting to a multichannel AVR with 'Ext. In' inputs. Big improvement over sending the multichannel signal to the AVR via HDMI and letting the AVR sort it out. It was for me anyway.
     
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