Quote:
Originally Posted by Cigarjohn47 
Talking to the technical department at Oppo and asking if it's worth paying extra for the 105 compared to the 103, they told me that in general, 'NO'! It really depends on your situation. If you don't have a good receiver or pre-amp with the latest audio coding or just don't have a receiver, the 105 would be your best option since it was kind of built to replace a receiver with it's great audio and video processing. Plus it adds 7.1 surround. But in my case, since I own a DHC-80.3 and the video processing isn't too bad but the DHC has a high end audio processor in it, the 103 would be more suited to me according to the Oppo Tech. guy I talked too. He was very helpful and honest and not trying to convince me to purchase the more expensive player. I told him that I have the DHC-80.3 and he said that it was a high end audio pre-amp and the 103 is all that I needed. So I hope this helps you out. Also, you can call Oppo and talk to them and explain what you want to do and what type of equipment you have and they will be able to answer your questions. It's a toll free number.
Also, are you only going to use the Oppo for 2 channel audio? I presume your using it as a CD or music player? The reason I'm asking is if your connecting everything through Analog and you want to watch a DVD or Blu-Ray in 1080p/24, analog won't allow you to do that. I think analog will let you play in 480i only with no upscaling, but I might be mistaken. You will need to use the HDMI cable with Auto Return Channel or use two different HDMI Cables. One cable for the Audio Processing only and one cable to send the video directly to your monitor if you have older audio equipment that doesn't offer ARC. They usually refer to these type of equipment as Legacy Equipment. This is what Oppo told me. And to run 7.1 in analog, you will have to use the PCM function. But if your using it just for CD or SACD music, then the digital coax cable is all you would need.
I hope this helps you out some what. I'm sure others will correct you on my posting which is fine. If I learn something from this posting, than I accomplished everything.
And getting back to my original question about interconnects. Please disregard my past postings. My statements weren't clear enough and I ended up starting a fight which was totally wrong on my part.
Please let me start over again.
In my system, I used both the RCA and Balanced XLR connectors. In my findings, I wasn't able to find any difference in sound quality between the two. Now my cable distances are .5 meters from my Integra DTA-70.1 and DHC-80.3. And my subwoofer XLR is 2 meters away from my DHC. And it's true, for any distance greater than 25 feet, you should use balanced XLR instead of RCA. Now there are many different opinions out there comparing the differences between RCA and Balanced interconnects. For distances less then 6 feet, I really don't think you will be able to tell the difference. And the least amount of distance the signal has to travel, the better the signal will be. But there are many opinions out there on this subject and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm not going to say they are right or wrong. It's best if you try both connections and determine for yourself which is better or worthwhile. I prefer the XLR for two reasons. 1) They include a 3rd pin which is a ground pin. This will help prevent any ground loop noises or hum from your equipment if the electrical outlet or equipment your using isn't grounded properly. 2) I like the connectors on XLR. They seem to fit snugly and lock in place better than RCA. Though I have never encountered any problems with RCA cables. Meaning no corrosion or hum issues. I've even used the cheapest connections from radio shack all the way up to Kimber, Tara, Audioquest and Cardas cables. One cable I was able to test out was a Tara cable called the dragon cable. My friend owns an audio recording studio and let me borrow these crazy, gold $12,000.00 cables that were 1 meter long. $12k for a cable is insane. And comparing it to the cheaper radio shack cable, I can't tell the difference in sound quality. But that was my findings and you have to understand that I can't hear past 16kilo hertz or under 40hertz. So my ears aren't that perfect but what I did hear, sounded fantastic but equal between a $12k cable or a $20 cable. But that's just me. Others would beg the difference or tell me that my vintage tubed McIntosh Mono Audio Amps and my Bi-wired Bower and Wilkin 800 Diamond Speakers were of poor quality and I didn't know what I was doing or know how to connect my equipment up properly. But I'm not going to try to start another argument here and I really don't want to brag on the price of my equipment. There are many good speakers out there between $1K and $100K+ out there. To me, it's all about what your hear from them and the proper placement of them in your room. I've listened to speakers costing over $40k and I felt that my 800 Diamonds which were a little less than half that price sounded much better according to my ears. And I've jumped on a plane and traveled to many different audio stores around the country to test speakers out to see which one's would suit me the best. When spending over $15k+ on speakers, I'm not going to take the advice from a reviewer. I'm going to the manufacturer personally or to a reputable outlet that will allow me to test the speakers in many ampable configurations. But I'm sorry, I'm getting off track with my original posting. That is pretty much why i like the XLR over RCA interconnects. In my opinion neither one is better than the other.
I'm sorry to bore you with all this bs on my system/s. I can afford any type of equipment out there, but personally, I found that the Integra meets my needs the best and their DTA-70.1; for the money under $2k, has incredible, clean sound compared to other equipment costing over $6k but again, that's my opinion and my findings. To me, Integra/Onkyo makes some great products at an affordable price. And I feel that they are moving up in the audio world very quickly. Also they listen to their reviewers and if consistant problems occur with their equipment, they work right away to put out a firmware update and do their best to fix it. Not all audio companies will do that.
Anyway, take care and I wish you luck on your decision.
Talking to the technical department at Oppo and asking if it's worth paying extra for the 105 compared to the 103, they told me that in general, 'NO'! It really depends on your situation. If you don't have a good receiver or pre-amp with the latest audio coding or just don't have a receiver, the 105 would be your best option since it was kind of built to replace a receiver with it's great audio and video processing. Plus it adds 7.1 surround. But in my case, since I own a DHC-80.3 and the video processing isn't too bad but the DHC has a high end audio processor in it, the 103 would be more suited to me according to the Oppo Tech. guy I talked too. He was very helpful and honest and not trying to convince me to purchase the more expensive player. I told him that I have the DHC-80.3 and he said that it was a high end audio pre-amp and the 103 is all that I needed. So I hope this helps you out. Also, you can call Oppo and talk to them and explain what you want to do and what type of equipment you have and they will be able to answer your questions. It's a toll free number.
Also, are you only going to use the Oppo for 2 channel audio? I presume your using it as a CD or music player? The reason I'm asking is if your connecting everything through Analog and you want to watch a DVD or Blu-Ray in 1080p/24, analog won't allow you to do that. I think analog will let you play in 480i only with no upscaling, but I might be mistaken. You will need to use the HDMI cable with Auto Return Channel or use two different HDMI Cables. One cable for the Audio Processing only and one cable to send the video directly to your monitor if you have older audio equipment that doesn't offer ARC. They usually refer to these type of equipment as Legacy Equipment. This is what Oppo told me. And to run 7.1 in analog, you will have to use the PCM function. But if your using it just for CD or SACD music, then the digital coax cable is all you would need.
I hope this helps you out some what. I'm sure others will correct you on my posting which is fine. If I learn something from this posting, than I accomplished everything.
And getting back to my original question about interconnects. Please disregard my past postings. My statements weren't clear enough and I ended up starting a fight which was totally wrong on my part.
Please let me start over again.
In my system, I used both the RCA and Balanced XLR connectors. In my findings, I wasn't able to find any difference in sound quality between the two. Now my cable distances are .5 meters from my Integra DTA-70.1 and DHC-80.3. And my subwoofer XLR is 2 meters away from my DHC. And it's true, for any distance greater than 25 feet, you should use balanced XLR instead of RCA. Now there are many different opinions out there comparing the differences between RCA and Balanced interconnects. For distances less then 6 feet, I really don't think you will be able to tell the difference. And the least amount of distance the signal has to travel, the better the signal will be. But there are many opinions out there on this subject and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm not going to say they are right or wrong. It's best if you try both connections and determine for yourself which is better or worthwhile. I prefer the XLR for two reasons. 1) They include a 3rd pin which is a ground pin. This will help prevent any ground loop noises or hum from your equipment if the electrical outlet or equipment your using isn't grounded properly. 2) I like the connectors on XLR. They seem to fit snugly and lock in place better than RCA. Though I have never encountered any problems with RCA cables. Meaning no corrosion or hum issues. I've even used the cheapest connections from radio shack all the way up to Kimber, Tara, Audioquest and Cardas cables. One cable I was able to test out was a Tara cable called the dragon cable. My friend owns an audio recording studio and let me borrow these crazy, gold $12,000.00 cables that were 1 meter long. $12k for a cable is insane. And comparing it to the cheaper radio shack cable, I can't tell the difference in sound quality. But that was my findings and you have to understand that I can't hear past 16kilo hertz or under 40hertz. So my ears aren't that perfect but what I did hear, sounded fantastic but equal between a $12k cable or a $20 cable. But that's just me. Others would beg the difference or tell me that my vintage tubed McIntosh Mono Audio Amps and my Bi-wired Bower and Wilkin 800 Diamond Speakers were of poor quality and I didn't know what I was doing or know how to connect my equipment up properly. But I'm not going to try to start another argument here and I really don't want to brag on the price of my equipment. There are many good speakers out there between $1K and $100K+ out there. To me, it's all about what your hear from them and the proper placement of them in your room. I've listened to speakers costing over $40k and I felt that my 800 Diamonds which were a little less than half that price sounded much better according to my ears. And I've jumped on a plane and traveled to many different audio stores around the country to test speakers out to see which one's would suit me the best. When spending over $15k+ on speakers, I'm not going to take the advice from a reviewer. I'm going to the manufacturer personally or to a reputable outlet that will allow me to test the speakers in many ampable configurations. But I'm sorry, I'm getting off track with my original posting. That is pretty much why i like the XLR over RCA interconnects. In my opinion neither one is better than the other.
I'm sorry to bore you with all this bs on my system/s. I can afford any type of equipment out there, but personally, I found that the Integra meets my needs the best and their DTA-70.1; for the money under $2k, has incredible, clean sound compared to other equipment costing over $6k but again, that's my opinion and my findings. To me, Integra/Onkyo makes some great products at an affordable price. And I feel that they are moving up in the audio world very quickly. Also they listen to their reviewers and if consistant problems occur with their equipment, they work right away to put out a firmware update and do their best to fix it. Not all audio companies will do that.
Anyway, take care and I wish you luck on your decision.
Thanks for your reply CigarJohn47. I am using the oppo BDP-103 with HDMI for movies. Very happy with performance especially Blu-ray. My amp is the monster ADA MPA-501 which is THX certified. Thanks for sharing the info about the OPPO BDP-105.I know what you meant in regards to balanced and unbalanced cables. Thank You!
Obviously there's virtually no 4K content, but it would be nice to not have to replace the preamp once 4k comes. I was so dead set on an 80.4, but with it nowhere in sight and the 70.4 still having no 4k pass through, I might need to look elsewhere. Bummer!
