Oppo BDP-105 "Sound Quality" Check Thread for Audiophiles

I am using Oppo BDP-105 straight into my Emotiva XPA-2 power amp using balanced XLR cables with -20dB audiophile grade attenuators.

After about 1 week of burn-in I am so pleased with the SQ, that I am going to sell my Audiolab M-DAC ($899) dedicated DAC.

The sound stage got bigger and you can clearly hear more ambient and air.

My system is primary used for classical music and vocals (male & female), and now also ... for movies
I've decided to combine my audio and video systems - Oppo now is also acting as an HDMI receiver :-)

Had to send my Marantz UD9004 in for repairs so I thought I would try the 105 in the interim. I am hard pressed to say which I prefer, which is amazing considering that the UD9004 cost $5900 new. Given the superior ergonomics of the Oppo (not to mention Netflix and the usable DAC), I just might keep the Oppo and perhaps have it modded.

Thanks for launching this thread. Direct connect to an Anthem Statement P5. Ive had the 105 for about three weeks..Just last night it seems like a veil was lifted in that the brightness was leveled out and there is substantially more headroom.
Dialog is more upfront. Im curious when others noticed varying levels of improvement....over 1-3 weeks or a month?

I am running my BDP-105 into a Classe SSP-800 processor using both XLR cables and HDMI for playback. The SSP-800 feeds via all XLR cables into Mark Levinson ML335 and ML 433 amplifiers. The speakers are Wilson WP/7's, Watch center channel, and Sophia rear channels. I needed a player that could excel at analog CD playback and HDMI for Hi Res music and Blu-ray movies.The BDP-105 fits that category. I am selling my Ayre CX-7e since the sound quality of the 105 is exactly what I was hoping for when listening to music. I was very fortunate to be able to use the same power cord and XLR cable which narrowed it down to the differences between the players themselves.
Edited by Sharp1080 - 1/14/13 at 2:06pm

BDP-105 XLR outputs -> Mark Levinson No. 38s XLR main outputs -> Krell KMA160 monoblocks -> B&W 804

BDP-105 *replaces* Benchmark DAC-1. Sounds better, has USB input.

I tried to use the 105 direct to the amps but I didn't like the sound much. Possibly the 105 is not so good at driving a long XLR? The KMA160 has a high-impedance FET input so it should be easy to drive, but whatever. I also find the operation of the volume control on the Oppo to be a bit irritating. Much better to have a knob and real buttons, and a mute feature that works. Other reason for having a pre-amp: some analog sources (reel-to-reel, phonograph, etc) still in use.

Other nits about the SQ: whether the display is on or off seems to affect the analog outputs, and the sound stops for several seconds when the TV turns off, even if you were just listening to a CD or digital input. There is also a sound glitch if you hit the display button or the info button while listening to the DIR. Weird, yes. I also don't like that the unit does not resume playback from the last-used source when it's turned on. It defaults to disc or home screen. One must fiddle with one's universal remote to make it do the right thing at turn-on time.

Summary: the sound quality when Oppo is on their game is stupefying. There are some glitches that interfere with complete enjoyment.

Jeff it sounds like the sound interruption is just an HDMI handshake issue. I have had them in the past with certain components especially using a projector.I don't have any of the above mentioned "sound glitches" using either the display or info buttons that you are experiencing.

Thanks for starting this thread dedicated to audio of the 105.
I've had mine for a little over 2 weeks. Strictly 2-channel; rca's to a Vincent SV236MKII integrated amp with Paradigm Studio 60's.
The 105 replaced a BDP-95.
I've had mine in use for probably 100 hrs now or so and think it sounds fantastic, and seems to be getting better. The dynamics on the old Warner cd of "Graceland" by Paul Simon had me jumping out of my chair the other night! Wow.

was using my 105 directly into my emo xpa-200 amp but liked it enough that I traded it in for an xpa-5.

When you first implemented your 95 into your system, do you remember having a similar sonic nirvana reaction?

Did you just swap out the 95 for the 105? Meaning, is everything else in the audio path unchanged? If so, do you find the sound markedly better, somewhat better or somewhat similar between the 95 and the 105?

Many of us 95 owners are still sitting on the fence waiting for definitive reviews comparing the two. I've seen some say anywhere from a 5 to 20% improvement and then there was one that said they were very similar and to stick with the 95 if the connection and upgrade features don't appeal and are uneccessary.

Anyone else who has made the switch from the 95 to the 105, please share your comparisons, sonically speaking.

Using the 105 via HDMI and XLRs into an Anthem AVM 50v then via XLRs to an Emotiva XPA5 then out to Paradigm Studio 100v5 FL/FR. I use the HDMI for BluRay movies and the XLRs for Analog DIR (bypassing all processing and using the Oppo's DACs) for CD and Music Server listening.

HDMI out via bitstream sounds incredible with ARC engaged. Going AnalogDIR, I definitely get the "presence" increase my room exhibits around 8-12khz... on great recordings it's not a problem, but on compressed recordings (ie most new rock/pop recordings). On well recorded music (downloaded the free HDTracks sampler) the soundstage is HUGE, and the dynamics are impressive. Bass is tight and well defined. I haven't done anything to treat my room yet (that's next), so vocals can sound a little edgy when not tamed by ARC. Other than that, I'm very happy with the sound on Analog and over HDMI.

I switch back and forth between HDMI and AnalogDIR (XLR) all the time for two channel music. See post above.
Edited by boyce89976 - 1/14/13 at 9:01pm

I believe that would depend on a number of things......... which unit (105 or the processor) has better DACs and the corresponding topology in the audio circuitry. Also, if you go analog out from the oppo and then run your ARC in the pre-pro, you are adding more steps to the audio path than what are deemed "good". In essence, you would be running the signal through the DACs in the 105 only to again have the signal converted back to digital in the pre-pro for the ARC function and then have the pre-pro re-convert the signal back to analog. Too many steps in the chain and if ARC is something that is really important to you, you should just run HDMI to your pre-pro avoiding that extra DAC conversion.

Just my 2 centavos amigo

I've owned Oppo's for quite awhile; 83>83SE>95>105.
Each of those was a step up. To me the 105 is a big improvement in sq to the 95, in my system and to my ears. The high freq's are "silkier", the lower freq's more solid and tighter, perhaps somewhat deeper as well, it sounds that way to me but perhaps it seems deeper because of less bloat or muddiness? I don't know. There's a solidity to the sound quality that wasn't there before, just seems more dynamic and open. Sorry that I can't really give more insight than this as I'm not very good at verbally expressing sound!
I think it's a "less grainy" sound, if that makes sense?

It's impossible to answer your question without making a bunch of assumptions that might be wrong. For scenario 1, would you be using a $400 receiver as your PrePro or a flagship unit such as the Denon AVP-A1HDCI or Anthem D2v? For scenario 1, would you be using room correction? Is your room a dedicated room with acoustic treatments or is it just a typical room that will really benefit from room correction? What do you have for speakers?

I've got a BDP-105, use a Denon AVP-A1HDCI as my pre-pro, have Focal Electra 1000 series speakers, and have a room that doesn't have acoustic panels to improve the acoustics. I almost always use HDMI for audio and have Audyssey XT32 turned on and feel the result is better than using the analog outputs on the Oppo.

Didnt realize that this thread was so new. I lurked in the 103 thread where the 105 discussion was there previous to the 105 official release and was convinced to try a 105.

I've had mine since 12/20, but it is in my house in the mountains (Grass Valley CA), so it probably has 30 hours of non-critical listening on it. It replaced a cheapo Samsung I bought while another player was in for repair years ago (old Sony DVP900ES).

The Oppo resides in a system with an Classe CAP-80 integrated an a pair of Audio Physics Tempo III speakers. Currently it's connected by a modest StraightWire RCA and the speaker cables are Vampire Wire (very old--think double runs of the original Monster Cable).

Initial Impression

Right out of the box the low end was extended and detailed. The midrange was clear, controlled, and smooth. The highs were extended and a little raged. Maybe the cable, maybe the newness. I played SACDs (Dylan's Blood on the Tracks, Miles Relaxin', Bill Evans Explorations), Redbook (Patti Smith Banga, Sun Kil Moon April, GD Dicks Picks 5) I'm not into "audiophile music." In general, I was impressed with the overall sound and presentation.

Since Then

Again, still in non-critical mode, I think things have smoothed out a bit in the upper mids and high-end. I'm working on the cabling--I've ordered a Morrow MA2 XLR cable (25% off!). My Classe has a balanced input, but I've never had another component that had an XLR output, so I have no idea how to evaluate. I'm also in the market for new speaker cable.

The low end continues to amaze. It's a very musical player.

Issues

When a CD is playing, and I turn on the TV and Sat receiver, the Oppo pauses or stops CD playback. I guess this is the normal "handshake." Pretty annoying.

Also when there's a CD in the 105, and it's not playing, the Oppo's display goes into a horizontal scrolling screen saver. What screen is it saving? My TV--just cause it knows it's connected? I usually just turn the display off, but I'd rather it not do this.

Up Next

Hooking up the wireless FLAC streaming from my laptop. I guess I need Oppo-approved player software for my Win 7 PC. Any of you have recs on players based on sound and ease-of-use? I know I'll be complaining about the inability to play FLACs without a pause between tracks. Are there no fans of live music at Oppo? This is a serious design flaw. They need to hire some Heads down there in MtView.

Anyway, I'm glad to get in on the ground floor of this thread. Looking fwd to talking with you.
Edited by bgunn - 1/15/13 at 4:57pm

Eliminating your pre-pro will also have the effect of eliminating any ability to utilize room correction.
Oh boy!........... new toy time! Have fun!
Edited by Torqdog - 1/15/13 at 6:31pm

Thanks decooney for starting this thread. I have been looking for a forum to post. I had the 105 for several weeks but haven't used extensively.
While the SQ is excellent in bass definition and extension and in overall transparency and clarity, I found the treble (with cymbals) very
hash and sharp. I was suspecting the CD's were not upsampled which could have smoothed the sound. Does anyone have the same
experience? Is there a way to enable/disable upsampling? I'm listening through Musical Fidelity A5 and Monitor Audio GX300.

Well said - "The highs were extended and a little ragged"! This is exactly my impression after two weeks (although one week it sat idle while I was travelling). I'm really hoping the highs smooth out a little, though I'm not convinced that some of the "detail" is inherent in my Paradigm's, as ARC tames some of this when using HDMI (ARC correction extended to 10khz).

I recently replaced a 10 year old Sony SCD 222ES SACD player with the OPPO BDP 95. There is no comparison. The OPPO is far superior.

I know it's been less than a day, but I left the player on playing music for several hours yesterday, and again this morning... at the same time, I adjusted some input volume settings on my AVM 50v. The result is treble that is significantly smoother while still being detailed. One of my favorite reference tracks is Taylor Swift's "Mean"... it's mixed with a lot of presence that can take your head off if not controlled, and be quite ragged and harsh sounding. With the changes I mentioned, the beginning of that track retains it's presence and "air" without any of the raggedness and harshness it can, and did, have two days ago. (Music is FLAC being streamed over USB to the Asynch input on the Oppo using Pure Music/iTunes as the music server - Highly recommend Pure Music if you're a MAC user... big improvement in sonics over iTunes alone).

Not sure if the 105's DACs are mellowing, but others have reported differences in sound, seemingly "overnight" with more play time... I hope that's the case, as I'm very happy with the way it sounds today. Cymbals and acoustic guitars have a distinctive, crisp, "attack" and a lifelike decay. While vocals are realistic and "out front" with less raggedness in the treble registers. Bass also seems to be more in balance with the mids and highs, though that could be the result of less harshness in the treble region. Overall, I would say the sound is more balanced. It was good before, but today I would say, is the best my system has ever sounded.

I'm glad to see this thread because I've got my eyes on a 105 specifically for audio replay and to replace an Ayre CX-7 .....I have mentioned on the 103 thread today that What Hi-fi magazine was less than ecstatic about the player.

I have to say....and I don't know why....probably following audio forums (specifically Audiogon) over the years and finding sometimes my experience is at odds with products (mainly cables to be fair) that have had almost universal praise. There is something telling me don't sell the Ayre until you've tried the 105 in my system (Ayre AX-7 and Proac 2.5's)....I'm not sure the 28 day return works in the UK does it?

Anyway I'm really keen to hear specific audio experiences with the 105. And I'm sorry but I don't think I have ever heard burn in with any product....and I have tried believe me. I really do believe your brain adjusts...

I am not a believer in burn it either, but the sound of mine through the XLR outputs changed dramatically today, due at least in part, if not in whole, to some tweaking of analog input levels in my AVM 50v.

I had the same initial impression, but the sound definitely mellowed out over time. I've had my BDP-105 for about a month now and I'm extremely impressed with the sound quality over my BDP-83E. Hope to put together a more detailed review in the next few days.