Official OPPO BDP-105 Owner's Thread - Page 9

Originally Posted by zoomin 


In my case I'd like to get the AV Receiver/Processor out of the mix entirely - the 105 is allowing me to do that.
HDMI from my cable box goes into the HDMI input on the back of the 105.
My old processor (Arcam AVP700) was nice sonically but didn't do any upscaling of video - it just had HDMI switching/passthrough capabilites.
To play records I might shim an analog pre-amp with Hometheatre passthrough into the mix at some point.

Originally Posted by sac8d4 

I know many of you are still wanting feedback on the BDP-105 vs BDP-95, as with every other OPPO i have owned in the past ( DV-981HD to DV-983H, BDP- 83 to BDP-83 SE Nuforce Edition, BDP-95 to BDP-105), Oppo has found away to make improve upon their previous players. Only referring to (analog) audio quality,the margin of improvement is less and less with each Oppo product. Now on to the specific audio qualities of the BDP-105....As various others have reported, the bass does appear to be improved over the BDP-105. To my ears the bass could be described as less "boomy", which makes it seem that that Oppo was able to dig down and reproduce a few octaves lower compared to previous Oppo products. Additionally, the upper octaves seem to have more energy on top. I know many will read this and will think, Bdp-105 is "bright" sounding, but that is an inaccurate description. For those of you that are concerned with the lack of DAC stacking in the design of the BDP-105, this isn't something you will even notice sonically. In fact, I would say that the improved analog path has helped with the sound of this machine. Conservatively, I would quantify the amount as 0%-5% increase in sound over the BDP-95. (I am only referring to the discrete stereo connections, XLR and RCA) Those of you that are on the fence and simply want to purchase a universal player that sounds leaps and bounds better than the previous flagship Oppo player, this may not be the player for you. However, this the best sounding Oppo player to date and has so many important features on the audio side of the house(such as the use of this player as a DMP and USB Asynchronous DAC), that is what sets this player apart from other universal players on the market as well as other Oppo players.

Originally Posted by thorix 

I had the chance to compare the 95 with a few players.
I would rate the Linn Akurate DS best with a 10. 2nd and very close was an Audionet CD player (german high end brand) with a9.5; 3rd Linn Majik DS 8pts; 4th Naim Nd5 XS 7pts; 5th Oppo 95 with 5pts; 6th Marantz 7001KI 3 pts; 7th Marantz Sr9600 DAC 2pts. Overall all tested equipment was very good and I believe that if you do not directly compare; it is hard to find out what is what. I would be very interested where the 105 fits into this list. Hopefully it closes the gap to the Linn DS'S

Originally Posted by djkiwi 

If people can't notice the difference between the BDP 105 and the Panasonic 500 then two things are going on:
1. Their sensory perceptions are incapable of differentiation.
This isn't meant as an insult. I've had friends and family members who haven't noticed any differences at all between components whereas some say the difference is "night and day". Lucky for the people that can't notice the difference as they can be happy with a ghetto blaster and save a ton of cash.
2. Their system is incapable of differentiation.
This could be due to a number issues. There are a lot of components between the source and the final sound heard by the listener and any can degrade the sound considerably.
The most common I've found is overly complex passive crossover networks which "filter" and degrade the sound sometimes rendering a very high quality source such as the Oppo to just "average". For example I have two systems. One is capable of taking full advantage of a very high quality source such as the Oppo 105 and the other is not. On the secondary system, the Oppo does sound a little better than some of the inferior dacs. On the main system, the differences are like "night and day". Also price has a sparse relationship to sound quality. I've heard a pair of $4000 single driver speakers sound much more "refined" than a pair of $180,000 speakers. So if you can't hear much difference between the Oppo and another DAC/squeezebox etc then don't blame the Oppo look elsewhere within the system...
Over the next few weeks, I'm going to do the following:
1. compare the Oppo to a variety of pre-amps in the $150-$15k range and decide whether the Oppo sounds better standalone or with a preamp.
2. Compare the Oppo to a variety of external DACs in the $500-$15k range to determine where the Oppo fits with differing priced dacs.
3. Compare a variety of amps with differing input impedance to determine whether it is a "true preamp". Despite the "theory" it should work, this needs real life testing as I've had mixed results in the past.
I hope other people post their comparisons on the above items as well so we can get a feel of where the 105 ranks in the grand scheme of things.
I've also found this unit needs quite a bit of burn in time. I've been burning this in 24/7 since I got it and it took a long time to settle down. Plugging it in on arrival and then firing off a review after an hour or so is doing this unit a disservice in my opinion.....

Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau 

Nah. They'll sell just fine. Look at the alternatives.
Besides, the potential market for the 105 is way bigger than the current installed base of 95 players.
Heck, there are all those 83SE owners. Not to mention those rare individuals out there who have never even heard of OPPO.
--Bob

Originally Posted by Neuromancer 

Release date: November 20, 2012
Category: Latest Public Beta Release
Main Version: BDP10X-37-1114B
Loader Version: 6U0900 (BDP-103), 7B0600 (BDP-105)
Sub Version: MCU103-05-0916 (BDP-103), MCU105-04-1113 (BDP-105)
1. Added support for "Rhapsody" online music and "CinemaNow" movie/TV streaming services.
2. Added the "Blank HDMI 2" option in the Setup Menu -> Video Setup -> 3D Setting. This allows the player to force HDMI 2 to output a 2D blank screen when HDMI 1 outputs 3D video. Some customers reported that during 3D movie playback, when HDMI 1 was connected to a 3D display and HDMI 2 was connected to a non-3D receiver which in turn is connected to the same 3D display, there was no audio coming from the receiver. This issue has been resolved.
3. Resolved the incorrect aspect ratio (AR) during some user-created media. In the previous firmware the player may have unnecessarily pillarboxed or stretched the video of some user-created media files. This issue has been resolved.
4. Resolved an incompatibility with older Digital Coaxial or Optical receivers where streaming services (such as Netflix, YouTube) produced no audio.
5. Improved the user experience in the HOME menu and the Media Center (Photo, Music, or Movie) e.g., Added Thumbnail View mode for Movie and Music, and the customer can press RED COLOR button to quickly switch between File List mode and Thumbnail View mode.
6. Added "Sleep Timer" option in the Setup Menu -> Device Setup. This allows the player to turn itself off after a specific amount of time.
7. Added support for converting Side-by-Side and Top-Bottom formatted MKV into 3D. During the playback of a compatible MKV, press the 3D button on the remote once to turn on the "2D->3D" conversion then press the 3D button again to display the "3D Setting" menu. Select "Side-by-Side" or "Top-Bottom" to match the source to convert the image to 3D.
8. Added "CD Program Play" function for CD/SACD playback. During the disc playback, press the YELLOW COLOR button to bring the “Program Play” interface. Here you can use the LEFT/RIGHT ARROW button to set a desired playlist.
9. General disc compatibility improvement based on recent and upcoming Blu-ray releases as well as user-submitted disc samples.
Special notices:

Originally Posted by Torqdog 

In all seriousness, those who purchased the 105 to replace the 95 in their arsenal have been strangely silent. "Burn in" time should have just about ended by now and it's about time that we hear some first impressions folks. Or are y'all sooooo blown away that you haven't been able to leave your listening chair?

Originally Posted by adeo 

Hi ALL Thinkin about the new 105... I have the BDP-83SE and have two Questions:
1:) What about the sound of the 105 compared to the 83SE, is it a worthy and mentionable difference?

Originally Posted by bsauvage 

I am the happy owner since its release of a BDP-83, then upgraded into 83SE. I eagerly consider the purchase of BDP-105 to add streaming capability lacking in 83SE (very limited file compatibility). But I'm really curious about the quality of stereo sound (through balanced XLR) compared to that of the 83SE, any comments?
As I look at some pretty upscale audio equipment and consider Lynn Akurate DS plugged into an external DAC like Berkeley Alpha DAC 2.
I wonder if using the oppo as a streamer connected to the Berkeley DAC would give the same sound quality as with the Lynn? (or whether the oppo by itself is soulding close enough?)
And can anybody comment on the audible difference between the 105 and the combination 103 + a very high quality DAC?
FYI I use Belcanto Prepro preamp, amp Belcanto evo6, speakers piega P4MKII, and Nordost red dawn cables in between.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

Originally Posted by OtherSongs 

"BDP-105EU is well suited to being directly connected to a power amp or active speakers. The players level (volume) control uses the dual Sabre32 DAC's which have patented 32 bit level control which is claimed to perform as well as all but the most advanced analogue volume controls."
Directly stating that OPPO's digital volume control is not as good...
...but close to that of "the most advanced analogue volume controls"
We're in rarefied air here at this point!!

Originally Posted by jimshowalter 

I've owned the 83SE, 95, and now the 105.
From the SE to the 95, there was a definite improvement. This has been noted on various forums so often that despite being anecdotal/subjective, it should probably be believed. (Plus, there are analyzer scans online showing much better specs on the 95 compared to the SE).

Between the 95 and 105, there will be a lot of argument on this thread, which is usually a good indication that differences are minor/negligible/nonexistent. I don't hear a difference between the 95 and 105, and that's running in a system with large speakers and pure analog out from the Oppo. And picture quality seems to be the same (of course, the 95 can't upscale to 4k).
But for other reasons (no fan, faster operation, better transport), etc., I much prefer the 105 to the 95. It's the Oppo I wish I could have bought at the time when upgrading from the SE. You are lucky to be able to do that in one shot.

Originally Posted by Torqdog 


In all seriousness, those who purchased the 105 to replace the 95 in their arsenal have been strangely silent. "Burn in" time should have just about ended by now and it's about time that we hear some first impressions folks. Or are y'all sooooo blown away that you haven't been able to leave your listening chair?

Originally Posted by jimshowalter 


To summarize, I highly recommend the 105 over the 95 if:
1 The 95's fan bugs you, and/or
2 The 95's heat bugs you, and/or
3 You want a built-in headphone amp, and/or
4 You want to decode external digital sources through the 105's DAC, and/or
5 You want faster startup and transitions
Otherwise you could probably just stick with the 95.

Originally Posted by djkiwi 

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to do the following:
1. compare the Oppo to a variety of pre-amps in the $150-$15k range and decide whether the Oppo sounds better standalone or with a preamp.
2. Compare the Oppo to a variety of external DACs in the $500-$15k range to determine where the Oppo fits with differing priced dacs.
3. Compare a variety of amps with differing input impedance to determine whether it is a "true preamp". Despite the "theory" it should work, this needs real life testing as I've had mixed results in the past.
I hope other people post their comparisons on the above items as well so we can get a feel of where the 105 ranks in the grand scheme of things.

Originally Posted by Torqdog 

Your 83SE to the 95 experience seems to match mine. Dedicated stereo outputs were slightly better but in my case, the multi-channel analog outs were a day and night improvement over the SE. I do listen to allot of SACDs and blu-ray concerts so this factor alone was worth moving up.

Originally Posted by Regnad 

I have found that streaming music such as Pandora sounds better when I use a Mac mini as the source into the BD-105 USB rather than the built-in BD-105 services.
Perhaps this is because the streaming services often send higher bit-rates to computers rather than "devices".

Originally Posted by jimshowalter 

Found one of the reviews comparing actual specs:
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/oppo-bdp-93/oppo-bdp-93-bdp-95-on-the-bench

Originally Posted by dmusoke 

Never thought of your scenario Luis, thanks. But what were you using before the 105? Component video / RCA audio from your cable box to your receiver?

Originally Posted by Brian-HD 

83se?

Originally Posted by JonStatt 

I have a high-end system including Kef reference 4.2 speakers and have both the 95 and 105 connected and they do not sound exactly the same. I already mentioned In an earlier post and 2 other posters with a 95 agreed that the 105 has a more defined and detailed treble. Bass may be marginally tighter as well but it was the high end that was most apparent. I would say the 105 is 15% better....so not huge but more than the other poster suggested in my humble opinion.

Originally Posted by jimshowalter 

It would be nice if reviewers still knew how to operate a spectrum analyzer, so they could report on the objective differences between the 95 and the 105.

Originally Posted by bsauvage 

For this head over to www.hdfever.fr (in french, but google autotranslate helps), where tester Nicolas Becuwe does that to all units that go through his hands.
Very detailed spectral analysis for the 103, and work in progress for the 105 with his initial comments.

In any case, the BDP-105EU looks superb dedicated stereo output! I watched a movie in stereo with the Pioneer A70 105EU connected to the cow! Spatialization Superb, very immersive, powerful, dynamic, musical, fast, tight bass, lots of details (well, this is the amp or drive or probably two that offer this report, but it is explosive and beautiful! )

Originally Posted by audiofan1 

Do you mean to tell me that there are 2 dac's for the headphone:eek: at a minimum I would have settled for the rca's having 2 with the balanced being my first choice, maybe a future firmware will allow some kind of re assignment ?