Oppo?
Mon, Apr 5 2010, 10:18PM
Having followed the rise of Oppo products on the web and the rave reviews for their equipment (DVD/Blu-Ray/multi-disc players) from various internet audio-mags, I looked forward to hearing some of their stuff in the UK but according to G the company is not yet entering this market. Can anyone give us an update if they know, on the current plans of this manufacturer. Regards
MyronC
Mon, Apr 5 2010, 10:48PM
#2
RE: Oppo?
(moved)
Tue, Apr 6 2010, 8:29AM
#3
RE: Oppo?
I believe there's still a 'universal' DVD player or two available to UK buyers via the Oppo website, including the DV-981HD. However, the Blu-ray player is still on hold since its European launch was postponed, and we await further news.
Wed, Apr 7 2010, 8:31AM
#4
RE: Home
I took UK delivery of my region-free Oppo BDP83 two weeks ago. Got it from a company called CRT Projectors via the web. I hasten to say I have no connection with them other than as a happy customer.
I am bowled over by the performance playing CDs, SACDs, DVD and Blu-Ray. There is a palpable tight bass firmness to all forms of music which pleasantly complements my Quad 998 and REL woofer set-up. (KEFs at the centre/back.)
Beyond initial intentions, I also attached a hard drive loaded with 320kbps mp3 files and again experience a significant improvement in sound and spatial depth over my wireless Squeezebox set-up. There is a limitation here on how many files the Oppo can handle and queries to CRT resulted in direct correspondence with Oppo in the 'States who were very friendly and helpful. Currently there is a 700 file limit on this option but hopefully this may be resolved in future.
Needless to say video quality is staggering and I can distinguish little real difference between Blu-Ray and 1080i upscaled DVD. You can clearly identify individual audience members in Boulez Mahler 2 and Abbado Verdi Requiem DVDs!
Beware though: buy one of these and, like me, you'll find yourself delightedly re-auditioning all your old favourites into the wee small hours night after night. Must catch up on my sleep!!!
Tue, Apr 6 2010, 6:56PM
#5
RE: Oppo?
I totally agree with Macsp., the Oppo BDP-83SE is amazing - even as an audio only component. I'm currently using this player for all my CD/SACD/HDCD listening and the sound is, (IMO,) spacious and focused, dynamic and subtle, with a very solid bottom end and .....transparent top. Initial reaction from high end American audio magazines like Stereophile and The Absolute Sound is very favorable - comparing the BDP-83SE's "sound quality" to players two and three times the $899.00 price. Oppo's line of "digital electronics" is/are presumably designed in Mountain View, CA and assembled in China. Company information is a bit sketchy as Oppo doesn't appear to have a marketing or sales department at present - relying instead on product reviews, internet sales and basic word of mouth. (And no Mr. E., I don't work for or rep Oppo.) Sorry to read of Oppo's limited availability outside the U.S. Perhaps more can be learned at oppodigital.com. Best, Hal.
Mon, Jun 14 2010, 11:23AM
#6
RE: Oppo? RE: Oppo?
Andrew, is the BDP-83 currently being offered on Amazon at £669 by HD Central a risky purchase? If it is available 'above board' via the Brazilian river, do you think it would be worth investigating over the Cambridge £400 universal player in terms of 5.1 SACD replay? It seems a shame that most reasonably priced SACD players are stereo only, presumably aimed at the Japanese market, and fans of multichannel SACD in the UK are left with a very limited choice. I highly rate the 3-channel RCA Living Stereo reissues from the 1950s that replay on the R, L and Centre speakers only, reflecting the Decca Tree used in the recording studio, CSO/Reiner's Pictures at an Exhibition disc.
Mon, Jun 14 2010, 11:28AM
#7
RE: Oppo? RE: Oppo?
Mon, Jun 14 2010, 11:38AM
#8
RE: Oppo? RE: Oppo?
Looks jolly expensive for a BDP-83 when you can get a Cambridge Audio Azur 650BD, already DVD multiregion, for £400, and make it multiregion for Blu-ray for about £50.
Mon, Jun 14 2010, 2:53PM
#9
RE: Oppo? RE: Oppo?
Thanks for your speedy reply, Andrew. So are you saying that the Oppo does not sound £200 better than the Cambridge on SADC?
Mon, Jun 14 2010, 3:13PM
#10
RE: Oppo? RE: Oppo?
No: IME the Cambridge sounds better than the Oppo BDP-83 when playing SACDs, whether over HDMI or via its analogue outputs.
Wed, Jun 16 2010, 9:20PM
#11
RE: Oppo? RE: Oppo?
IIRC, Cambridge is a re-badged Oppo BD-80. The Oppo under discussion, BDP-83, has a couple of extras that have been taken out of the BD-80/Cambridge to bring it in cheaper. The more notable of these is the Anchor Bay chip for dvd (up)scaling. I am a very satisfied owner of the BDP-83 and recommend it highly as a universal player.
Wed, Jun 16 2010, 10:02PM
#12
RE: Oppo? RE: Oppo?
Unfortunately, YR incorrectly. The Cambridge Audio isn't a rebadged anything, although it may share some common components with some other products on the market or on the way to market.
It's not unusual for manufacturers to buy 'off the shelf' solutions for, say, the disc transport/decoder module, and then build their own hardware around them.
Wed, Jun 16 2010, 11:25PM
#13
RE: Oppo? RE: Oppo?
Perhaps my choice of phrasing was a bit harsh. Cambridge Audio is a reputable company and I am sure will have its own 'stamp' on the player. But you will agree that most of the innards (including the mediatek chip) are sourced from the same company in China as Oppo. The pictures of the internals of both machines are readily available on the net and one can easily see the similarities (and the differences, I hasten to add).
Now that I got you attention, perhaps you will be kind enough to clarify something for me. Is the Cambridge Azure able to pass SACD audio to analogues of an amp using D(irect)S(tream)D(igital) or is it limited to PCM? I know it can do so via HDMI, but I am not sure about analogues.
TIA.
Thu, Jun 17 2010, 8:55AM
#14
RE: Oppo? RE: Oppo?
It decodes the SACDs onboard, performs digital to analogue conversion and then outputs as analogue.
sorry wrong place for this topic....finger slipped! D'oh.