[hmoises]

I am looking to purchase components that will produce great audio sound from standard CDs with a standard 2 channel stero setup and an excellent blu-ray player for video and audio. I have read great things about the Oppo BDP 83 and am wondering whether it will serve me well for both. I know the Oppo BDP 83se has a better audio section and I am seriously thinking that that unit might meet both of my needs. On the other hand, some reviewers contend that the 83SE is meant for those with a highly discriminating ear (i.e. the stereophile elite, which I am not) and that I am not likely to notice much difference between the 83 and 83SE. I would appreciate hearing from anyone out there that can comment on the performance of these two components and steer me one way or the other. I have Vienna Acoustic Beethoven speakers and driving them with a 2 channel integrated REGA preamp/amp. I am also considering powering the speakers with a HK AVR7550. Do I really need to spend the big bucks on a separate CD player?

 

[Bill Mac]

I had the BDP-83 for a short while and it is an excellent player for Bluray, DVD, SACD/DVD-A and CDs. I tried using the BDP-83 for CDs and the SQ is very good but the downside for me was the fan noise. I have an open rack and sit about 8' away and the fan noise bothered me when listening to music.


If noise from your components is an issue for you then you might want to consider a CD player instead. But some BDP-83 owners have reported they do not hear the fan.


Bill

 

[Smarty-pants]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Mac /forum/post/18164298


I had the BDP-83 for a short while and it is an excellent player for Bluray, DVD, SACD/DVD-A and CDs. I tried using the BDP-83 for CDs and the SQ is very good but the downside for me was the fan noise. I have an open rack and sit about 8' away and the fan noise bothered me when listening to music.


If noise from your components is an issue for you then you might want to consider a CD player instead. But some BDP-83 owners have reported they do not hear the fan.


Bill

Not just some users Bill, but about 99.9% of -83 owners say they can not hear the fan from the player unless siting very close in a dead quiet room.

It's about as quite as you can get without being fanless.

I highly suspect your unit was out of spec, and should have been replaced.

 

[Smarty-pants]



Quote:
Originally Posted by hmoises /forum/post/18164150


I am looking to purchase components that will produce great audio sound from standard CDs with a standard 2 channel stero setup and an excellent blu-ray player for video and audio. I have read great things about the Oppo BDP 83 and am wondering whether it will serve me well for both. I know the Oppo BDP 83se has a better audio section and I am seriously thinking that that unit might meet both of my needs. On the other hand, some reviewers contend that the 83SE is meant for those with a highly discriminating ear (i.e. the stereophile elite, which I am not) and that I am not likely to notice much difference between the 83 and 83SE. I would appreciate hearing from anyone out there that can comment on the performance of these two components and steer me one way or the other. I have Vienna Acoustic Beethoven speakers and driving them with a 2 channel integrated REGA preamp/amp. I am also considering powering the speakers with a HK AVR7550. Do I really need to spend the big bucks on a separate CD player?

I use the -83SE for 2CH audio and it is wonderful. You simply can not get the sound you get from this unit via analog from any other player for anywhere near the price of the OPPO... and not just by a couple hundred dollars either.


However, if you are not TOO disciminatory of the AQ, the standard -83 does still sound very good from the 2CH output.

Just as well, if you were going to use a digital connection like HDMI for the audio, your money would be wasted on the SE because the improvement from the stock -83 is only in the analog domain.

 

[Bill Mac]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Smarty-pants /forum/post/18164627


Not just some users Bill, but about 99.9% of -83 owners say they can not hear the fan from the player unless siting very close in a dead quiet room.

It's about as quite as you can get without being fanless.

I highly suspect your unit was out of spec, and should have been replaced.

Hey Dave,


When I returned the BDP-83 to Oppo I asked if they would let me know if the fan was in fact defective. I did not hear back right away but when I e-mailed Oppo they said there was no problem with the fan. The other issue was that the fan was on almost all the time. I still think there was an issue with the fan but who knows. I will be getting another BDP-83 in the near future so I will know then if its normal or just me

.


Bill

 

[rick240]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Mac /forum/post/18164773


Hey Dave,


When I returned the BDP-83 to Oppo I asked if they would let me know if the fan was in fact defective. I did not hear back right away but when I e-mailed Oppo they said there was no problem with the fan. The other issue was that the fan was on almost all the time. I still think there was an issue with the fan but who knows. I will be getting another BDP-83 in the near future so I will know then if its normal or just me

.


Bill

I have never heard my BDP-83 when playing.


I used to (and still do when I play a "red" disc) heard my HD-A3, but even that I think is spinning and not fan - but what do you want for $90?

 

[7ryder]



Quote:
Originally Posted by hmoises /forum/post/18164150


I am looking to purchase components that will produce great audio sound from standard CDs with a standard 2 channel stero setup and an excellent blu-ray player for video and audio. I have read great things about the Oppo BDP 83 and am wondering whether it will serve me well for both. I know the Oppo BDP 83se has a better audio section and I am seriously thinking that that unit might meet both of my needs. On the other hand, some reviewers contend that the 83SE is meant for those with a highly discriminating ear (i.e. the stereophile elite, which I am not) and that I am not likely to notice much difference between the 83 and 83SE. I would appreciate hearing from anyone out there that can comment on the performance of these two components and steer me one way or the other. I have Vienna Acoustic Beethoven speakers and driving them with a 2 channel integrated REGA preamp/amp. I am also considering powering the speakers with a HK AVR7550. Do I really need to spend the big bucks on a separate CD player?

Yes, the BDP 83 is a great player and I own one, but I use it as a transport only into my Classe SSP-800, so I don't use the analog outputs from the Oppo at all and can't tell you how it sounds to me on it's own.


However, in your situation, while I don't know which Rega you have, these are very neutral sounding integrateds and are all analog, so it will probably sound better with analog than most mass-market AVRs like HK, Onkyo, etc. so if you're interested in 2-channel only, keep the Rega.


So that means you're going to want the best sounding Oppo 83 player.


If I were you, I'd order both the 83 and the 83SE...Oppo has a 30 day return policy. Hook them up to two separate analog inputs on your Rega and get a couple copies of the same CD(s) and play them at the same time switching back and forth. If one sounds better to you, keep it and ship the other one back. If you can't tell the difference, keep the cheaper one!


Have fun!

 

[hmoises]

I value your input to my quandry. The endorsement of the Oppo helped a great deal and I will likely go ahead and audition the Oppo 83 and 83SE side by side as suggested in order to decide. Thanks again.

 

[mrlittlejeans]

You could also try a Marantz SA8003. Buy it from AVS and you're likely in the same ball park as the Oppo price wise. I've got an SA8001 and prefer its analog outs to my BDP83 and I can hear my BDP83's fan spinning as well. The downside is that it is two channel only so no good if you're into surround music. The SA8001 was rated a Class A player in Stereophiles recommended components too.

 

[bubbawilly]

I recommend the Pioneer Elite BD-05 for 2 channel audio. It is easily as good for 2 channel as my Rega Apollo. It looks to have a fan port on the rear of the unit, but it has never engaged to my knowledge.


I too am very sensitive to fan noise.

 

[kitchen_space]



Quote:
Originally Posted by mrlittlejeans /forum/post/18170054


You could also try a Marantz SA8003. Buy it from AVS and you're likely in the same ball park as the Oppo price wise. I've got an SA8001 and prefer its analog outs to my BDP83 and I can hear my BDP83's fan spinning as well. The downside is that it is two channel only so no good if you're into surround music. The SA8001 was rated a Class A player in Stereophiles recommended components too.

I have had my Oppo83 since they were first available, and I was going to post on the Oppo82 thread asking if these fans ever came on. I have never heard the fan fire up on my unit.

 

[kitchen_space]



Quote:
Originally Posted by bubbawilly /forum/post/18173359


I recommend the Pioneer Elite BD-05 for 2 channel audio. It is easily as good for 2 channel as my Rega Apollo. It looks to have a fan port on the rear of the unit, but it has never engaged to my knowledge.


I too am very sensitive to fan noise.

I am sensitive to bitchy women and .......... oops, wrong forum, sorry.

 

[Smarty-pants]



Quote:
Originally Posted by kitchen_space /forum/post/18186142


I have had my Oppo83 since they were first available, and I was going to post on the Oppo82 thread asking if these fans ever came on. I have never heard the fan fire up on my unit.

They do come on, but are usually very quiet.

 

[Rutgar]

The hard drive in my DVR makes way more noise than my BDP83 SE. In fact, I had to put ear right next to the fan to make sure it was even on. It was.

 

[glangford]

I've never heard my bpd-83 fan. It has one???


I use my BDP-83 exclusively in a two channel system with a Denon AVR and pardigm studio 10 speakers. A very nice musical set up. As far as SE vs the 83, I use the Denon DACs and just connect the Oppo to the denon via hdmi, so the SE would be a waste for me. I tried a comparison of using hte 83 analogs vs the Denon DACs and couldn't really discriminate a big difference.

 

[shane55]

Add my name to the list of those who have never heard the fan on the Oppo-83.


In comparisons with my Pio Elite SC-07, the DAC's of the Oppo were nearly indistinguishable from the Pio. I think that the vast majority of individuals would never notice any difference whatsoever.

 

[rhcorolla]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Mac /forum/post/18164298


I had the BDP-83 for a short while and it is an excellent player for Bluray, DVD, SACD/DVD-A and CDs. I tried using the BDP-83 for CDs and the SQ is very good but the downside for me was the fan noise. I have an open rack and sit about 8' away and the fan noise bothered me when listening to music


If noise from your components is an issue for you then you might want to consider a CD player instead. But some BDP-83 owners have reported they do not hear the fan.


Bill

I had an Oppo BDP-83, replaced it w/ another & had it upgraded to a BDP-83SE. In all 3 cases, I (& my wife) clearly hear the fan when it kicks on. It's not a show-stopper for me personally (great unit for the money on so many levels), but it still can be heard & is not whisper-quiet in my environment. I posted about it in Oppo BDP-83 thread (post #14237):


"Re: new BDP-83 replacement unit... I updated unit w/ latest firmware via USB flash drive. Drive transport is quieter than original BDP-83 esp. for Disney blu-ray disks that were very noisy prior. I played beginnings of Disney blu-ray (Bolt) & Benjamin Button blu-ray, & Napoleopn Dynamite SD. New BDP-83 drive transport/ laser sounded much quieter.


Sadly, fan noise is no different. As previous unit, fan kicks on after 2 hrs.- 15 min. of playing time & can be heard from 25 ft. away (wife confirmed this distance as well). BDP-83 chassis does not feel nearly as hot on back panel as prior unit did. Radio Shack SPL meter readings w/ BDP-83 fan on: 2" from fan: 64 dBC & 2" from unit front: 52 dBC.


Previous e-mail submitted to you shows I modified stand to where BDP-83 is on bottom shelf & Denon AVR-1909 is on middle shelf & center channel spkr. @ top of stand.


2 points of reference sound-wise in our home:

Dell laptop fan on @ 2" away: 58 dBC & front of laptop: below 50 dBC

Fridge fan on @ 2" away: 69 dBC & front of fridge: 55 dBC


I will experiment further w/ BDP-83 on open shelf, etc.. At this point I will live w/ fan noise if necessary."

 

[rhcorolla]

OP, Sorry for adding to the thread hijack re: fan. To make amends ...

83 vs 83SE...


I don't have them side-by-side to compare, but ...


When I orginally A/B'd BDP-83 HDMI w/ Audyssey calibration (thru my modest Denon avr-1909) vs. BDP-83 multi-channel analog & 2 ch analog: my preference was HDMI cause of Audyssey MultiEQ improvements for my problematic room.


I have since added room treatments, & rugs on wood floors. When comparing BDP-83SE HDMI Audyssey vs. 2 ch analog: I prefer the 2 ch analog as it is much smoother, less bright w/ more detail. It's more enjoyable to listen to.

 

[glangford]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rhcorolla /forum/post/18191503


OP, Sorry for adding to the thread hijack re: fan. To make amends ...

83 vs 83SE...


I don't have them side-by-side to compare, but ...


When I orginally A/B'd BDP-83 HDMI w/ Audyssey calibration (thru my modest Denon avr-1909) vs. BDP-83 multi-channel analog & 2 ch analog: my preference was HDMI cause of Audyssey MultiEQ improvements for my problematic room.


I have since added room treatments, & rugs on wood floors. When comparing BDP-83SE HDMI Audyssey vs. 2 ch analog: I prefer the 2 ch analog as it is much smoother, less bright w/ more detail. It's more enjoyable to listen to.

I have basically the same reciever the 789 version (nearly the same as 1909 I believe). I didn't notice much difference with 2 channel, but i coiuld imagine there would be with the SE. I chose not to upgrade to the SE.

 

[glangford]

If fan noise is a concern and you are using HDMI, I'd give strong consideration to the BDP-80. No fan.