SACD and 5.1 future, with Marantz and Oppo opting out?

One difference appears to be a lack of dvd-audio support in the Yamaha, at least as far as I could tell skimming its specs online.

 

No DVD-Audio.

 

If that is its only flaw, it would be fine by me, as I don't own any DVD-As.

 

Looking closer at the Yamaha BD A1060 it doesn't play UHD or DVD-Audio discs. So it really wouldn't be a suitable replacement for current Oppo players. If one doesn't need UHD disc playback looking for a used 103 or 105 would be a better choice IMO.

 

While I too like Oppos, I think that unless one actually cares about UHD and DVD-A disks, that it is a better idea to support the current suppliers than it is to continue recommending a manufacturer who has already bowed-out of this market.

Also, as much as I love the Oppos, and think that these used to be a killer value, and ultra-reliable and very good sounding players; the fact is that these have never been the very best sounding players available. The better SACD players by Marantz, Sony, and Yamaha, as well as universal players by Cambridge have often been claimed by many to sound superior. So I would not assume that this Yamaha is necessarily sonically inferior to an Oppo unless you have some personal experience to back-up such an assumption.

 

Oppo had a long history of praise for the sound of their players, especially when used using their 2 or 5.1 channel analog out rca connectors. Not many still have this legacy item from before the Hdmi days especially for Multi-Channel playback.

FYI, the Cambridge is basically an Oppo.

People can disagree on what the "BEST" is, and it may be easy to say oh well if you like Oppo "your a fan boy", but Oppo has many admirers and that speaks for itself.

 

Don't take my post to be critical of Oppos! I think that they are excellent players, and I own several models, and could be called a bit of a fanboy myself. But I know from personal experience that these do not have "the best" sound that can be had, even though their sound is still great, and they were a killer value for what they are/were.

And the picture of the inside of a Cambridge player, which I saw not too long ago posted on this forum, clearly showed different boards. They merely featured a very similar layout, and what possibly might have been the same transport. And different boards usually means that two players are in fact NOT the same.

 

I just stated my opinion on an earlier post as far as was the Yamaha BD A1060 a replacement for Oppo players. I feel that it isn't if one is looking for a universal player. If one doesn't need UHD or DVD-A playback then I'm sure the A1060 would be a fine choice. As far as "to continue recommending" a brand that is "bowed out" of the market is more about my personal experience with Oppo players than anything else. I'll continue to recommend Oppo players over some players especially those from Sony. Even with Sony still in business their service support is terrible. Cambridge Audio will be out as well. So you wouldn't recommend Cambridge Audio players as well?

Where did I ever say anything about sound quality? Of course Oppo players are not the "best sounding players available". Who's said that in this thread? I've read quite a few posts from some that prefer the SQ of Marantz, Sony, Yamaha and Cambridge Audio players to that of Oppo players. But I've also read quite a few that said they preferred the SQ of Oppo players. It's all subjective as is using the word "superior" .

My "assumption" was one based on features and not on sound quality. Never did I state that the Yamaha A1060 would be "sonically inferior" to the Oppo. Haven't the slightest idea where you got that from.

 

Oppo Shock: Popular AV Brand Announces That 'It's Time To Say Goodbye' [UPDATED]

The Oppo/Cambridge thing has been known for years.........

 

TEAC/Esoteric to introduce new CD/SACD transport mechanism and DAC in early 2019

Below link with Google translation from Japanese to English:

次世代SACD/CDメカ「VRDS ATLAS」登場。エソテリックが新メカ&DACを披露

 

Seems to me multi-channel SACD is now more likely to have a second chance. Here's why: many new BD Players will play multi-channel SACD and output DSD or PCM via HDMI to an AVR or pre/pro having an HDMI input. This means the common home theatre set-up will now play stereo, as well as multi-channel SACDs at no additional cost to the user except for media. And, that media library is expanding now that there's is a home theater market for SACDs, that's to say, home theater enthusiasts are indeed now buying SACDs as a sidebar to their movie interests. Looking at the first three pages of SACD offerings from Amazon proves it. There are 32 2017/2018 multi-channel SACD releases, a sure indicator that there is a big enough market for SACDs to produce them. The bottom-line, folks are buying SACDs, some for the first time, I'm sure. At any rate, what is very clear, the defacto component for stereo and multi-channel SACD pleasure today is the Universal Disc Player. These can be bought for about $150 so, it's no surprise that stand alone SACD players are not selling well. What is a surprise however is premium SACD Statement Players do not accomodate multi-channel SACD play, since it's multi-channel SACD which today explains the best reason for SACD.

 

I do believe multi-channel offerings are what will keep SACD alive as a format going forward. The online streaming and download services aren't servicing the surround market and continue to ignore it. The major labels keep pushing Blu-ray for surround releases but I don't think that is making the audiophile community happy.

 

Acoustic Sounds sells multi-channel FLAC and DSD downloads. A few months ago I decided to go $30 in debt to try it out. I downloaded The Firebird performed by the Seattle Symphony. They have many multi-channel works available from Acoustic Sounds. At any rate, I discovered I had no means to listen to the FLAC file in multi-channel, that's to say, I could not play the file from computer to home theatre system. I then copied the file to a thumb drive, which I inserted in my OPPO Player. This worked; and, it played the file gaplessly too, essential for The Firebird. I'll tell you this, it was worth the effort, what a magnificent performance; but, it was still a lot of hoops to go through to enjoy the music. I contacted the Seattle Symphony to suggest that they consider putting out their performances on SACD; but, their response, as I recall, alluded to it being too expensive.

 

Given that MoFi now does turntables, maybe it would behoove them to also have someone build a player for them to brand and market.

 

Why do that when MoFi can license Oppo's existing designs (both the 203 and the 205) and market them as "new MoFi Uni Players"?

MoFi's brand is well-known and marketing cost would not be that much. Just think, instead of just pictures of Beatles members on the next Music Direct catalog, it will be them along with the photo of the new MoFi uni-players....and the announcement of the Beatles catalog to be released on SACD.

 

To veer off in a different direction, is anyone following what the UDP-205 and BDP-95 are selling for? I need to unload one of each and am not sure what to ask or what platform to sell on. I'm leaning toward eBay but not sure.

 

There may be major technical hurdles to overcome before 5.1 surround can be streamed ...

 

It's easy to download though. Acoustic Sounds sells 5.1 FLAC and DSD. I bought the Seattle Symphony's The Firebird 5.1 FLAC file recently; and, I downloaded it to a thumb drive, which, when inserted to the front usb port on my OPPO gets me gapless multi-channel pleasure.

 

Yamaha made the BD-A1040 also which started to go out of stock at the usual places when the 1060 came out. The 1040 does offer SACD and DVD-A playback. Can be purchased at HiFi Heaven and a few other places for under $400. I have not heard it but looked long and hard at it before I bought a Marantz. No analog multichannel and some of the other bells and whistles of the Oppo but seemed like a good piece of gear to me.

 

Look on ebay. I would suggest letting people on the Oppo-205 thread here know that you have one for sale.
I think you'd have no problem selling it.

 

Last I checked, 205 auctions still usually see fierce bidding well into the 2000s.

 

New companies like Vocalion are pressing SACDs. It's a niche, but Mobile Fidelity was always a niche. Who spends 4x what the normal LP costs? I think things will be ok for a while. But find a way to rip all your SACDs, like somebody said there is already hardware for everything else. The only thing we don't have is SACD drives for PCs.

 

Just go to the site and click on downloads which is on the header>click FLAC downloads>click multi-channel 24/96 FLAC downloads.