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I currently use a Denon 3910 w/ Level 1 and 2 PCX Mods. It sounds very, very good (better than my PCX-modded SFCD-1). I recently purchased a Panasonic BDP 60 Blu Ray player. I was also looking at the Oppo 83 and 83SE.
I have not unboxed the Panasonic and I am fretting about whether or not I should have bought the Oppo, get it modded, and retire the Denon. The Denon is currently not loading most CDs but, oddly, everything else. I have been told that it would not be worth my while to replace the laser assembly in the Denon (it has been cleaned and continues to have problems with CDs). As the Denon has had about $1500 of mods, I am not so sure that retiring it is sensible.
If I decide to retire the Denon, what level of mods would I need on the Oppo to get comparable sound quality? I know that this is one of those 'apples and oranges' things, but I would like any informed opinions.
Follow Ups:
Thanks for your responses.
Just to clarify, I would only be interested in the 83 for video. I am interested in the SE because of the Sabre32 DACs in the 2-channel audio section. They are being used in a couple of high-end products, so I am curious about Oppo's implementation.
From what I have read---try the "Lampizator" website---the Sabre is a really great DAC. How it sounds is going to depend on the implementation, ie. the type of opamp and cap used in the ouput stage. But, I am willing to bet that it will sound better than a stock BP83 but it will still not be up to audiophile standards. The SACD play back on the Oppo is better but not really that great. The standard for good digital sound has come a long way since SACD has come on the scene. There are allot of Red Book players on the market that sound as good as SACD. Oppo is just not a audiophile specific company---video is their forte. Accept that fact and as I have said before---buy a out board DAC. Most of the out board DACS are high quality audio specific. Combine a good DAC with the excellent video of the Oppo and you will have a great combination. This can all be done for under a $1000.00 if you look at Cambridge and some of the other offerings from overseas, such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, etc. I have seen some of the older PS Audio Digital Link's for about $500. The Dac Magic from Cambridge for under $500.00. I personally went for a Keces DA131 MK2 for about $400 delivered. It will do every thing except SACD. It sounds really good. If you put some Burson opamps in, it will sound REALLY great !!
When you compare these qualitys to a Denon--the prices have really come down this past year so you might be able to get one of the higher quality Denon Blu-Ray players that will have good audio quality along with a good upscaler for about $1000. Denon has always made some good sounding players and their video quality has improved as well. So, if your looking for a universal player their higher priced products are all good. But, I still think that the Oppo for video is still hard to beat you will just have to either modify the audio section or buy an out board DAC to get audiophile audio quality.
I have a stock Oppo BP83 and there is no better video machine made today. However, the audio is not that great. IMHO-the audio borders on being pretty bad. It sounds hard,cold and bright---just like what people complain about digital as opposed to analog. Any modded Denon will absolutely blow away the audio in an Oppo. But the Oppo is absolutely incredible on video. For what it will cost to modify the Oppo you can buy an outboard DAC for around $500-600 and then it will sound decent. There are allot of very good out board DACs out there. I have a Keces 131 MK2 and it sounds really good---if you install a set of Burson opamps then it will sound amazing !! A moddifed Oppo later will not have any resale value that's why I like an outboard DAC because if you change video machines later you can use the out board DAC.
I, too, found the Oppo BDP-83's audio to sound "hard, cold and bright," on both CDs and SACDs. Used in a system with Quad's 909 power amp and 99 preamp, and warmish Polk LSi25 loudspeakers, the Oppo's analog output began to hurt my ears after about 10 minutes. This was after a lengthy break-in period.
The Oppo's sonics were not as good overall as our five-year-old, $160, Sony DVD/SACD/CD changer--the cheap Sony avoids the Oppo's aggressiveness and hardness in the upper mids and lower treble. Finally, our Sony 999ES DVD/SACD/CD player proved far, far smoother and more musical, though it should at twice the retail price.
The Oppo's Blu-ray video performance, on the other hand, was not a disappointment--it is excellent.
...playing my hi-rez discs and using the 6-channel analog outputs, just as my Denon 3930 does.
I'm fantasizing about having the 2- or 3-channel-analog output stages upgraded, but probably I'll be too lazy and cheap to do so.
Meanwhile, I have a fine-sounding all-but-HDDVD-discs player to use.
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Tin-eared audiofool and terrible competitive-pistol shootist.
http://community.webshots.com/user/jeffreybehr
With that much invested, why not have the laser replaced?
-Wendell
Hard to be informed on the myriad of "mods" out there but the current unmodded Oppo BDP-83SE will trounce the unmodded Denon. In fact, the original BDP-83 does so, too. Why not just buy a player that sounds good unmodded and retain factory warranty and resale value?
Kal
Kal, are you saying that the original Oppo BDP-83 has better sound quality than an unmodified Denon 3910? And are you talking about analog or digital outputs? On CD's, SACDS's, or movies?
Analog stereo. With digital, there are preferences but, imho, no tranport "trounces" any other.
Kal
Thanks for responding, Kal.
I want a good upscaling Blu Ray player that sounds good. The base Oppo 83, by all accounts (and yours), accomplishes this. The DACs in the SE have an excellent reputation, and there is a power supply upgrade, though to what degree is not clear. I don't need to get all the way to the sound that I am getting with the Denon, but I have a pretty good system (see in Member Systems), and enjoy what I hear now. I guess that I am, perhaps unrealistically, looking for confirmation that this will not be compromised very much by the Oppo SE.
Something that I was unclear about was that, even if I get the Denon fixed, the Oppo 83 (base model) will replace the Panasonic. So I am wondering if the SE mods are worth the extra cost for improved sound, vis-a-vis the Denon, for 2-channel audio. I don't want to get the base model, then have to send it back to Oppo for the SE mods.
And one last question: The Oppo, it appears, is a good platform for modding, so how good is the ESS DAC?
I just got my Oppo SE back and it does sound better than the stock Oppo. I only have 10 hours on it so not enough for a full comment.
Cannot comment on the SE as review is in press.
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