Official OPPO BDP-95 Owner's Thread - Page 13

Originally Posted by yuppi

As BDP-95 using a 32 bit DAC, does anyone know that 95 will requantizing 16 bit PCM or 20 bit compressed audio signal s or 24 bit compressed/lossless audio signals to 32 bit before the DAC? If 95 just using a 32 bit DAC to convert a 24/20/16 bit signal, 32 bit DAC is meaningless.

Originally Posted by mmus77

First impressions...



Audio: it is just so hard to describe what we hear. It's just so subjective. But here goes my feeble attempt. I think the human voice is the most difficult instrument to reproduce well. So I started with 'a cappella' performances, including an SACD called 'Music for Compline' by a group called stile antico, an ensemble of 13 British singers performing music from the 16th and 17th century. The best I can describe my impression while listening to this SACD was 'pure' and 'clean'. NOTHING got in the way of the music. I loved this SACD before, but now, it's beyond gorgeous.

Next I pulled out an old warhorse, Handel's Messiah, on SACD from harmonia mundi, directed by Rene Jacobs. The clarity was astounding. I've heard the overture more times than I can count, but never like this. Every instrument was present and accounted for. Instrumentals, solos, and choral selections were all gorgeous.

Next was Camille Saint-Saens Symphony no. 3 ("Organ"). Again, very clear, even all the crazy piano runs that often get overshadowed by the rest of the orchestra. If you're looking for something to rattle the rafters, the "Maestoso" movement, where the organ really kicks in, is a good one. I confess I did not crank it up as loud as I would have liked... my husband was trying to work in his office down the hall, poor guy...

Then for something completely different, I tried some selections from Bonnie Raitt, a studio recording (not a live performance). I felt like I was right there in the studio.

When I tried an older CD, I found it unlistenable (is that a word?)... I was hearing stuff I did not want to hear.... is the Oppo TOO GOOD, highlighting all the noise, etc. on that old CD? (insert winking smiley face here) Hopefully only that one disc was awful... I'll try some others tomorrow. I'm not saying the Oppo was doing anything wrong; I'm just saying I heard garbage that had been on that disk for who knows how long, maybe forever, but I had not noticed it before.

I don't have any DVD-Audio disks so I can't comment on that medium.

If you are looking for a fat, fluffy sound that wraps you in a blanket, the Oppo 95 may not be for you. But if you're looking for clean, clear, precise, pure audio and video, you might just love it. So far, I'm thrilled.

...

And now, back to the 95!

Originally Posted by mmus77

First impressions...

It was so easy to setup and connect the 95. I liked that the user interface was so similar to my 83, so it was easy to navigate through all the setup options and configure everything very quickly. I started with basically the same setup options I used for the 83. I was able to connect to the internet (wired connection to my router); a check for firmware upgrades was super quick, and, as expected, showed that my Oppo was up to date.

For movies, I'm running from HDMI 1 to my projector, and from HDMI 2 to my receiver for audio. For SACD listening, I'm using the 'audio out' 5.1 connections. Yeah, I know this may not be the most appropriate technical terminology like you guys would use, but it's the level of detail I understand!

I've had the 95 running for about 6 hours now and here are my initial impressions.

Picture quality: wow. Mind-boggling. I thought the 83 was really good (and it was) but the 95 is far better. I guess I'll attribute it mostly to the video processor, although hopefully the dedicated video connection to the projector adds value. But whatever the reason, I can tell a big difference from the 83. I sampled scenes from Monsters Inc, Up, Star Trek (2009), X-Men, and a few other movies (all blu-ray). The level of detail was astounding, especially with the Pixar movies. I'm incredibly happy with the PQ. Tomorrow I'll have to watch Avatar again; it's bound to look wonderful.

I have not tried any standard DVDs yet. I'm not interested in 3D, nor do I have any other 3D-compatible components, so I won't be testing that. And I don't plan to stream movies from Netflix or anywhere else.

Audio: it is just so hard to describe what we hear. It's just so subjective. But here goes my feeble attempt. I think the human voice is the most difficult instrument to reproduce well. So I started with 'a cappella' performances, including an SACD called 'Music for Compline' by a group called stile antico, an ensemble of 13 British singers performing music from the 16th and 17th century. The best I can describe my impression while listening to this SACD was 'pure' and 'clean'. NOTHING got in the way of the music. I loved this SACD before, but now, it's beyond gorgeous.

Next I pulled out an old warhorse, Handel's Messiah, on SACD from harmonia mundi, directed by Rene Jacobs. The clarity was astounding. I've heard the overture more times than I can count, but never like this. Every instrument was present and accounted for. Instrumentals, solos, and choral selections were all gorgeous.

Next was Camille Saint-Saens Symphony no. 3 ("Organ"). Again, very clear, even all the crazy piano runs that often get overshadowed by the rest of the orchestra. If you're looking for something to rattle the rafters, the "Maestoso" movement, where the organ really kicks in, is a good one. I confess I did not crank it up as loud as I would have liked... my husband was trying to work in his office down the hall, poor guy...

Then for something completely different, I tried some selections from Bonnie Raitt, a studio recording (not a live performance). I felt like I was right there in the studio.

When I tried an older CD, I found it unlistenable (is that a word?)... I was hearing stuff I did not want to hear.... is the Oppo TOO GOOD, highlighting all the noise, etc. on that old CD? (insert winking smiley face here) Hopefully only that one disc was awful... I'll try some others tomorrow. I'm not saying the Oppo was doing anything wrong; I'm just saying I heard garbage that had been on that disk for who knows how long, maybe forever, but I had not noticed it before.

I don't have any DVD-Audio disks so I can't comment on that medium.

If you are looking for a fat, fluffy sound that wraps you in a blanket, the Oppo 95 may not be for you. But if you're looking for clean, clear, precise, pure audio and video, you might just love it. So far, I'm thrilled.

If I can get the camera set up tomorrow, I'll try to get some good screen shots showing the impressive level of detail in scenes from Monsters Inc or Up.

And now, back to the 95!

Originally Posted by z06gal

I received my Oppo 95 this past Wed after upgrading from the 83 and I am simply stunned is all I know to say. I have a Cary Slp-03 tube preamp and use the stereo xlr's for 2 channel listening and I am blown away at the warmth, resonance, and clarity of this unit right out of the box. I put in Cowboy Junkies Trinity Sessions and could hear the slightest change in her breath let alone every breath she takes really. It is absolutely crystal clear pure audio with so much fullness. My speakers are Wilson Watt Puppy 5.1's which were a bit bright with the 83 but not with this unit. Prior to this, I have not had the equipment to go xlr throughout and that could play a part here but Oppo has hit it out of the park with this player. I have not watched a movie yet but I expect I will be very pleased with video as well. I have heard 10k transports that did not sound as good as this and I only have about 15 hrs on it at this point. It really is a remarkable player and I am happy to have taken gotten one.

Robin

Originally Posted by sillysally

Something is not right in your setup, I ran 3 BD's last night 1 DTS HD MA, Ture HD and Dolby Digital all where 5.1.
All speakers set to large, bass on, crossover 80, downmix set to 7.1.
Using 7.1 analog RCA connectors.

I am not ready to comment on my BD-95 yet but I find it hard to believe there is a problem as you are describing with bass over shadowing speech.

ss

Originally Posted by Roger Mathus

I prefer the 95 on some discs. It seems to sound warmer and any hint of edgy highs seems to have disappeared. There must be a burn in effect? the OPPO seems particularly good at resolution of low level d....it sounds very nice indeed on 2 ch analog.
In any event, my impression of the OPPO 95 has vastly improved. I think now that it will stand tall when compared to some higher priced players on analog 2 ch.

Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau

Nope. Something is wrong. Sounds like the Denon is not properly handling the HDCD decode on some discs. But it may be something else.

Does your pre-amp do HDCD decoding itself? If so, then you want to turn HDCD decoding in the Oppo OFF. It should be done in the pre-amp.

If your pre-amp does *NOT* offer HDCD decoding then compare the output from the Oppo with HDCD Decoding ON vs. OFF. The output should be 6dB down for ON in every case, if you are actually playing an HDCD disc.
--Bob

Originally Posted by kellybob

HDCD Process Decoder
Gain Scale Application Note


INTRODUCTION

A key feature of the HDCD process is Peak Extend. Peak Extend increases the dynamic range of
Redbook CDs by 6dB. The Peak Extend feature is selectable on the Model 1 (or Model 2) HDCD
encoder - the recording or mastering engineer has the ability to set Peak Extend ON or OFF on
the Model 1 HDCD encoder. So it is possible to have HDCD recordings with, or without Peak Extend.
Because Peak Extend adds 6dB of dynamic range to the top end, the average decoded
signal level will be 6dB lower than an HDCD recording without Peak Extend, or a non-HDCD
recording. Un-less the decoded level of Peak Extended and non-Peak Extended recordings are
matched using Gain Scaling, Peak Extended Recordings will be 6dB quieter than non-Peak
Extended recordings and this is not acceptable. All HDCD decoders must either 1) lower the gain
of non-HDCD recordings and HDCD recordings without Peak Extend by 6dB, or 2) raise the gain
of the Peak Extended recording 6dB. This is a requirement of the HDCD license agreement. This
gain matching can be done in either the digital domain or the analog domain, as explained later in
this application note.


Key point being non-HDCD and without peak extend should be lowered 6 db. Peak extend should not be lowered. The 980H did not do HDCD properly. This was discussed at length in the 980H thread, and I communicated with Oppo about it. It appears the problem was not corrected. I do not think the software does any filter switching either, which hardware does.

Window Media Player does not seem to filter switch and also simply drops all levels by 6dB, which is not correct. My research indicated Microsoft bought the technology to help with software pirating. Point being, I think things got corrupted when they took it over.


Link to the 980H thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15864078

Originally Posted by dart383

Looking for a review of the 83SE vs 95 using 5.1 or 7.1.
Also is the Marvell video processor better than the Anchor Bay?
Oppo says the processors each have their advantages.
I ordered a 95 and have an 83SE.
Is it worth the $ ?

Originally Posted by Sa_M

In reference to the 2-channel analog OPPO 95, my experience is that, after 100 hours of usage, 90% of the edginess that I experienced in the first couple of hours has gone. So my suggestion is, not to do any serious evaluation or comparison until after a weeks' worth of usage.
Sa

Originally Posted by rebop

Well, if the bass is 4dB or so hot on a [articular Blu-ray, one turns the volume down so as not to be literally blown away. At that point, speech is 4dB below expected volume level and one has to listen intently to hear.

The re is nothing wrong with my setup. Speakers have been in place and tuned for the last 7 years. Perhaps the Oppo setting could use something, but not in the rest of the system

As mentioned, bass seems balanced for all other material I have played which is maybe 20 discs and movies now. This has been the only one that had me reach for the volume control almost instantly.

My current suspicion, though it may be all wet, is that the other discs were Dolby and this is DTS and the bass is hotter. If I'm lucky, it is just Inception. But if this is a Dolby vs DTS bass level issue, then it would be nice if the 95 had the facility to set separate bass levels for the difference in level in these formats.

I am unsure if I have any other Blu-rays with DTS and not Dolby. Will have to look tomorrow. After the Superbowl

Originally Posted by petetherock

Well, my pals and I are planning an Audio based shootout between:

83
83 NE
95
Emotive Cd player
Shan ling Tube CD - mod version
and maybe a Marantz CD player for good measure...

Will do it once I get my hands on a 95...

Cheers.

Originally Posted by ny10522df

The good:
CD and SACD playback are superb. My first CD was "Jazz at the Pawnshop" and the Oppo captured low level detail I have not heard before. Sound was smooth and quite captivating, better than the Quad CDP2 CD player I have previously used.
Video playback is excellent both for regular DVDs and the one Blue Ray DVD tested after boosting brightness.
Netflix streaming via Network cable was smooth with no stuttering. Video quality seems superior to the Roku box.
The bad:
I am disappointed that I see no way to boost speech and/or turn down the volume of music and special effects in DVD. Yes, I have Dynamic Range Compression turned on and I´m sure that is helping but I still need a significant boost in speech over special effects. I have also made the center speaker "small" in settings. While playing the Blue Ray disc "Inception", I was constantly turning up the volume to hear dialog and then quickly turning it down again to avoid being blasted by effects. Doing this some 30 or 40 times during a movie is very tiring! I tried a few regular DVDs and the problem persisted but was not as bad as with the Inception soundtrack. My previous Sony player has a control to boost speech. The Roku Netflix box has a control to turn down special effects. My Lexicon processor also has the ability to boost speech. Why is there no direct control for a speech boost (other than Dynamic Range Compression) on the Oppo, or am I missing something here?

Originally Posted by Neuromancer

Don't really know. I use dBPower Amp (it uses FLAC reference libFLAC 1.2.1) when converting my CD-Audio media and have not experienced any issues with FLAC file playback.

Originally Posted by Neuromancer

ABT VRS is better for DVD-Video de-interlacing and scaling due to more accurate and faster response to cadence breaks.
The Marvell QDEO is better at enhancing your picture by adding Contrast or Color Enhancements or by removing block noise artifacts.
The primary benefit for the BDP-95 will be the enhanced analog audio performance and the ability to playback more media formats (APE, FLAC, and WAV being most relevant).

Originally Posted by welwynnick

I don't believe video processing attributes can always be conveniently pidgeon-holed, but you sound very sure of yourself. Do you have some evidence that you can share for these assertions?

Thanks, Nick

Originally Posted by wmcclain

He has summarized the well-known selling points for each product. If you go to the web sites of each video processor I believe they will emphasize those features.
ABT VRS has nearly unbreakable cadence detection and Qdeo doesn't. You can test this yourself with calibration and test discs.
Qdeo has noise reduction and sharpness controls that ABT VRS doesn't.
-Bill