Oppo BDP-105 "Sound Quality" Check Thread for Audiophiles - Page 14

Originally Posted by wse 

I think tubes color the sound making it warmer!

Originally Posted by islandman2020 Excuse me people as I know this has been probably covered earlier, but I have to get to work after reading 4 out of 13 pages in this thread. My questions are only concerning using the BDP-105 as a DAC via USB with a laptop for both stored music and music streaming. I have been struggling with the options of the BDP-103+DAC vs the BDP-105. My questions about the USB on the 105 are:

 YES I would go for the BDP-105, as a matter of fact I did :)
1) Is the USB Asynchronous? YES
2) Is it 24/96, 24/196, etc.?  YES
3) Are there any limitations in using the 105's DACs by an external device such as a computer vs using an outboard DAC? The Oppo rules!
4) Has anyone compared computer audio with an external DAC vs the 105's DAC?  YES, I compared the TEAC A-Ho1 and I like the Oppo better
5) There is a wave of newer DACs that are out and continue coming out with the capability to decode DSD like the Teac UD-501, Mytek Stereo 192 DSD DAC, etc. Will using the 105's USB DAC allow it to decode DSD from a computer? If no, has anyone heard if there are any future firmware updates the will allow this?  Don't know
6) Is jitter control on the 105's USB as good as on most asynchronous DACs?  YES outstanding

Thanks,  You are welcome

Originally Posted by islandman2020 

Excuse me people as I know this has been probably covered earlier, but I have to get to work after reading 4 out of 13 pages in this thread. My questions are only concerning using the BDP-105 as a DAC via USB with a laptop for both stored music and music streaming. I have been struggling with the options of the BDP-103+DAC vs the BDP-105. My questions about the USB on the 105 are:

1) Is the USB Asynchronous?
2) Is it 24/96, 24/196, etc.?
3) Are there any limitations in using the 105's DACs by an external device such as a computer vs using an outboard DAC?
4) Has anyone compared computer audio with an external DAC vs the 105's DAC?
5) There is a wave of newer DACs that are out and continue coming out with the capability to decode DSD like the Teac UD-501, Mytek Stereo 192 DSD DAC, etc. Will using the 105's USB DAC allow it to decode DSD from a computer? If no, has anyone heard if there are any future firmware updates the will allow this?
6) Is jitter control on the 105's USB as good as on most asynchronous DACs?

Thanks,

Devlon

Originally Posted by wse 

See my responses!

Originally Posted by Ettepet  I am no audiophile but have good hearing. My affinity with "warm" sound, or tubes for that matter, is zilch. What I am hearing on a good setup with a fine (simple, not full-range crap) tube amp is stuff I have yet to hear on any solid state amp. My best description for it is reading cartoons your whole life, every surface in the cartoon encircled by black lining no matter how realistic the rest of the imagery, and then seeing a cartoon with just wonderfully painted scenery and - no - black lining. Fortunately I also experienced this at home with a (lend) Melody tube amp, an Arcam cd/dvd player I own and my Danley SM60F's. To return to the topic of this thread, I hope to repeat this with the Oppo 105 and a yet-to-buy amp.

Originally Posted by maxfli 

Hi all,

Great thread and very useful in sorting out the SQ pros and cons of the 105. I am interested in upgrading from my BDP-95 to the 105 and have questions on where to best set up the 105.

Currently, I have the 95 in my eq rack at the back of my HT room. It is connected by HDMI to my Integra DHC-80.3 for movies only and by XLR outs to a McIntosh C-50 pre-amp for 2 channel audio. I use the HT pass through on the Mac from the 80.3 for movies. The Mac pre-amp has long run XLRs (30'+) connected to amps on my stage in a FL/FR bi-amp setup.

I would like to place the 105 on the stage and go directly into the amps with shorter XLRs. This would also allow me to sell the C-50. However, this would require a long HDMI run (30') back to the Integra in order use the 105 for BluRays/DVDs.

A second alternative is to replace the 95 with the 105 in the eq rack with the same setup as the 95 and keep the C-50.

A third alternative is to hookup the 105 at the front of the stage as described above and leave the 95 in the rack attached to the DHC-80.3 for movies.

My priority is 2 channel audio, so I can live with a small drop off in PQ and SQ from the 95 for BluRays and DVDs. Which would be the best setup of the three alternatives above?

Thanks in advance,
Max

Originally Posted by eganz1 

I have owned the oppo BDP-105 for roughly 10 days.
As a Blu-ray player it is incredible.

I've also listened to music through Sennheiser HD-650 headphones, plugged into the headphone jack on the front panel.
Sound quality is excellent, and scales with the source material.

On CD, I notice that the quality is much better when I convert it to Flac, and read it from a USB drive.
For SACDs, I find that the quality is much better in the default PCM mode. When I turn off the HDMI output, and listen to the SACD in direct DSD mode, the music seems harder to listen to - less coherent. (I did this comparison with a modern high quality JS Bach recording by I Barocchisti)
96-24 downloads provide consistently excellent results.

Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau 

I don't follow how you are going to connect the 105 directly to the amps or 2-channel, but ALSO connect the 80.3 to those same amps for multi-channel for movies. It's the same input on the amps, right? At the moment, your C-50 is allowing that, but if you eliminate the C-50, how are you thinking to accomplish this?

If you were thinking to run XLR to the fronts even for multi-channel (set to Stereo Signal FRONT LEFT/RIGHT), and HDMI through the 80.3 and thence to the amps for your other speakers, I think I'd be worried about relative signal timing (phase). It will be impossible to make that work, for example, if the 80.3 "helpfully" adds audio delay to match its *VIDEO* processing time, as that audio delay won't be present on the XLR output pair to your fronts.

Purely for the 2-channel part of the problem, another solution would be to run long XLR from the 105 in your rack to your amps in the front of the room. Sufficient quality XLR interconnects of that length won't be cheap of course, but you've already got a pair of those that may suffice.
--Bob

Originally Posted by maxfli 

Hi Bob,

Thanks for your response.

To keep the post from getting too complicated, I left out part of the setup but ended up confusing anyway. Sorry.

I will have a one set of FL/FR speakers (same model as the Center channel and less expensive) that are fed by the DHC-80.3 and it's amp for 7.1 movies, TV, etc. The source for these will be the 105 HDMI, satelitte box HDMI, etc from the eq rack. There is a slight mis-timing on these as the cables are 25' to the LF, 30' to the C, and 35' to the RF. I am willing to live with this for movies, TV, etc.

The Oppo's XLR outs and stage amps will feed a second set of FR/FL (higher quality and cost) for 2 channel audio only.

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks,
Max

Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau 

OK so you have TWO pair of front speakers and front amps -- one pair for part of your multi-channel set and the other pair for 2-channel. Sure, that works.

By the way, your speaker cable length differences are a non-issue. The electrical signal on the cable travels at the speed of light, so you'd need way WAY more than a 10 foot cable length difference before you could detect a timing issue. Think miles.

Right now, I think your best solution is to put the 105 in the rack (i.e., where you have the 95 now) and use your existing set of long XLR runs from the 105 to that separate 2-channel amp which I gather you will have at the front of the theater. One of the main reasons to use XLR is that it works well for long runs. Use Stereo Signal > DOWN MIX STEREO for the 2-channel XLR outs.
--Bob

Originally Posted by eganz1 

...
I've also listened to music through Sennheiser HD-650 headphones, plugged into the headphone jack on the front panel.
Sound quality is excellent, and scales with the source material.

On CD, I notice that the quality is much better when I convert it to Flac, and read it from a USB drive.
For SACDs, I find that the quality is much better in the default PCM mode. When I turn off the HDMI output, and listen to the SACD in direct DSD mode, the music seems harder to listen to - less coherent. (I did this comparison with a modern high quality JS Bach recording by I Barocchisti)
96-24 downloads provide consistently excellent results.

Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau 

Keep in mind that when you enable DSD-Direct-to-Analog Conversion for SACD playback you are bypassing all audio processing. So, for example, any settings you may have made for Crossover processing, Speaker Distance adjustments, Down-mix processing if you don't have a full complement of speakers, and speaker volume trim will be bypassed. DSD to Analog output works as if you have all speakers wired, Large, equidistant, and at 0dB trim.
--Bob

Originally Posted by eganz1 

Bob, thank you for the response. I should've made clear that my observations about direct DSD were using the headphone output in 2 ch mode. I was surprised that changing to direct DSD significantly reduced the cohesiveness and quality of the playback.
Using the SACD-PCM setting resulted in a wonderful musical quality for audiophile SACDs

Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau 

Is this with 5.1 SACD tracks? If so, when you engage DSD, the down-mix to 2.0 for the Headphones can't happen.
--Bob

Originally Posted by dbphd 

If one uses balanced stereo and unbalanced 7.1 analog outputs from an Oppo 105 with a processor thats inputs are set to bypass, is the audio quality of the processor important. I suppose it can be argued that audio quality was a design consideration for any processor that has balanced inputs.

db

Originally Posted by eganz1 

These discs have both 2 channel and 5.1 channel tracks. I am selecting and listening to the two channel track in this case.

Originally Posted by dbphd If one uses balanced stereo and unbalanced 7.1 analog outputs from an Oppo 105 with a processor thats inputs are set to bypass, is the audio quality of the processor important. I suppose it can be argued that audio quality was a design consideration for any processor that has balanced inputs. db

Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau * it's déjà vu all over again *
--Bob

Originally Posted by Bob Pariseau Seeing the same question posted twice in the same thread, 4 hours apart.
--Bob

Originally Posted by Sinistre1 

This is getting scary. I've been sitting on the sidelines with 13 $100 bills wadded up in my clenched fist waiting to buy this "Godsend" but I keep hearing things that keep me from making that commitment. I LOVE all of the rave reviews of the sound and video it can put out, but I have to be honest... The growing problem/ concerns list is offputting at best... and I WANT to buy!!!! I built a set of statement monitors and am completing OS MTM's for surround duty and between the last post and the reset at full volume, i'm terrified of what COULD happen. That plus the idea of constantly playing around with the darn thing. I really wish/ hope they can get this thing straightened out and flying right (aka mostly trouble free) cause I have shelf space waiting.

Originally Posted by maxfli 

KP,

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with the BDP-105. I am in the process of purchasing a set of VR-33's myself to match with a new 105. I haven't ordered either yet, but am interested to hear others' response to your question before ordering the 105. The VR-33s are all but a done deal for me!

Good luck resolving this problem. I am sure your anger is a result of losing a very sweet sounding speaker. At least that's what I'd expect from what I've heard and expect from the VR-33.

Max