Which is probably for the best. Any reasonably-priced de-embedder will be converting to analog on top of the DSD-PCM conversion, vs. just straight DSD out of the decoder to the OPPO analog output. In other words, for SACD, a de-embedder has more chances to foul things up vs. make a noticeable improvement.
The only HDMI de-embedder which I have ever encountered which can output DSD does it via I2S outputs, not via Optical or Coax. There are legality and licensing issues to sending DSD over SP/DIF or Optical from what I understand. And the only product which I have ever seen which is able to do this is a Vanity HD card (which is NOT a de-embedder). And in the extremely unlikely event that you find a de-embedder which can output analog from DSD, the odds that its DACs will be better than your 103 are essentially non-existent.
WRT playing SACD/DSD........Use of any external non HDMI DAC in conjunction with a HDMI de embedder would require the OPPO's output to be set to PCM. This setting results in DSD being internally converted to PCM 88.2 prior to output which you may or may not be happy with. Using the HDMI de embedders' DAC however would guarantee worse SQ than the OPPO....IMHO
Cool, I was unaware of this unit. What was once impossible (playing SACDs natively with an outboard DAC) just keeps getting easier. I can't find any info regarding its price though. How much do these cost?
Yes, it implements a unique solution which avoids violating the licensing restrictions. Very clever, and it works great. I use one of these with a Sony UBP-X800 universal transport and an external DAC/headphone amp.
I'm having issues playing several Blu-ray Audio discs with my 103. Tried playing Eric Clapton's Give Me Strength and The Who's Quadrophenia Blu-rays with no success. The EC disc just spins and will not load. The Who disc appears to load but will not play audio or video. Both discs have to be ejected as no other navigation functions work. I tried the EC disc on my 105 and it wouldn't play as well. Both discs play fine with my 205. The 103 has the latest firmware and I believe the 105 does as well. Is this a known issue with the 103 and 105? Or is it an issue requiring service by Oppo?
I have a 105D. But don’t have those discs. Yet. Lol. So far my 105D is good. Haven’t upgraded the firmware in forever. Maybe I should just in case lol. But these are amazing pieces. Is Oppo still providing any technical support at all ?
Hey Bill, I don't have those particular discs, but I just tried two blu-ray audio discs in my 105, both played fine. My latest blu-ray video disc works fine as well. In my experience when these things happen it's the beginning of the end for the laser drive. You know, some discs just won't be read properly. I know you have a lot of hours on these machines, too. I assume these discs played fine in the past on the 103 and 105, yes?
For what it’s worth, I don’t have the EC but both the Criterion film and Blu-ray audio of Quadrophenia played in my BDP-93 and UDP-205 just now.
Dumb question - but what's the bigger impact on laser life - use or age? We seldom use our 103D but (knock wood) when we do it works fine.
Probably usage and environmental factors such as dust and smoke. Using it once in a while is also a good idea to keep the mechanism lubed.
It's the Blu-ray Audio version. Thanks for all your responses, much appreciated ! Well I should have done the basic of troubleshooting before posting here . I unplugged the 103 for about 10 minutes and sure enough the Quadrophenia Blu-ray plays fine. Before unplugging I tried several other Blu-ray Audio discs and several had issues as well. But all's well here in Oppo World in Maine now ! Thanks again!
Hey Mike, Oppo is still providing service as OT Service. I even contacted Oppo about this and they responded within the hour. Still incredible service, especially for a company no longer selling players! I got back to them and let them know a simple unplugging fixed the issue. Apologized for wasting their time . OPPO Digital - Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Players
Glad to hear, Bill! I was just coming here to write a reply saying that given your description a dying laser mechanism is the most likely source of the problem... except for a transient software glitch, which is even more likely. My old BDP-105 (since replaced with a UDP-205) used to freeze once or twice a year (or at least I think it did - I never had a monitor hooked up as I use my Oppo players for audio only). One time I had to unplug it to get it to unfreeze. One thing that might or might not make a difference in this regard: if memory serves I disabled Quick Start, the setting that makes the unit go to sleep but not actually turn off or go into standby when you press power-off. I can't recall either player ever freezing since I made that change. I don't know if your players are set to Quick Start or not - and a super-infrequent glitch isn't worth worrying about; but it's just a thought. These are after all basically computers, and even a super-reliable computer benefits from a restart once or twice a year.
I was told that universal lasers have a much closer tolerance because the laser needs to read more formats. So, if the laser is just a little our of spec it won't play some discs. CDs were always the last thing to go.
I experienced the same sort of thing with a pair of Sony ES 5-disc SACD changers. With both of them, towards the end, they didn't always read Hybrid SA-CD's. The CD layer is on top and eventually they had trouble reading the bottom, SACD, layer. Single-layer, SACD discs played fine till the ends. Longer, 70+ minute CD's started having trouble playing the last 5 minutes. I had to park the longer lived of the two of 'em about 3 years ago. I miss having an SACD changer. I have plenty of Sack-Dees to change....
