Buconero117...i don't know where you got your information from but that is absolutely false. I don't own any Ayre products nor am I affilated with the company in any way shape or form but your statement is clearly either uninformed or deliberately misleading. The Ayre DX-5 is not a stock Oppo 83SE with $50 in extra parts. The only thing the Ayre unit uses from the Oppo is the transport and the video board, everything else related to the audio section of the player from the DAC (which is based on the DAC in the QB-9 but this one will be able to support 24/192 through asynchronous USB input), as well as the analog output stage is completely redone. I don't know where you get your "$50 in extra parts" from but just look at this link for a complete description and you will realize that is clearly off base. So please if you are going to talk about a product with seeming authority, get your facts straight. Here is a decription of the Ayre DX-5 and what is different from the base Oppo BDP-83 SE: http://www.soundstage.com/editrl/edit131.htm. By the way, the Ayre unit could very well be just a minor step up from the Oppo (as Mitch2 describes), I have no idea as I have not heard it but lets at least describe it accurately.
Showing 6 responses by cmalak
Jfz...I own the Oppo BDP-83 SE as well as an ARC Ref CD7, clearly at opposite ends of the pricing spectrum. The Oppo is a great unit for the price and I would say it holds its own against units in the $2K range as a general statement (I am sure you can find many in that range that better it and many that are materially worse) but in my system on CD playback (which is what the ARC CD 7 supports), there is no comparison. The ARC CD7 clearly betters it on any aspect of audio reproduction you wish to analyze. When I compare hi-rez SACDs on the Oppo vs the CD counterpart on the ARC, the gap narrows a smidgeon but not by much. The ARC is still clearly superior. |
Buconero117...you may have been thinking about the Lexicon BD-30, which indeed is a stock Oppo BDP-83 with a fancier chassis but with a $3K price tag. Here's a blog from Chris Martens on the Lexicon BD-30 and the subsequent controversy on this which you can read about in the responses to the blog: http://www.avguide.com/blog/first-listen-lexicon-bd-30-universal-blu-ray-player. Audioholics.com broke the story about the Lexicon BD-30. All the best. |
Mitch2...sorry i misquoted you. it was in fact Buconero117 that he had heard the DX-5 and thought it was only a "step up" from the BDP-83 SE. I somehow doubt that as you say :-). Whether the DX-5 is worth $10K is a different question and can only be answered by each individual considering to purchase it within the context of his system and budget. Apologize for the misquote. |
Mitch2...when Dan Modwright came out with his first iteration of mods for the Oppo BDP-83, I emailed him and asked him if he was going to have a tube-based mod for the output stage and he said he was still working on it and wanted to meet the then current demand for his first iteration mods. I am glad to hear that this is getting closer because I will definitely pull the trigger when he comes out with the tube mods for my BDP-83 SE. Thanks for the heads up. |
I own the Oppo BDP-83 SE as well as an ARC Ref CD7, clearly at opposite ends of the pricing spectrum. The Oppo is a great unit for the price and I would say it holds its own against units in the $2K range as a general statement (I am sure you can find many in that range that better it and many that are materially worse) but in my system on CD playback (which is what the ARC CD 7 supports), there is no comparison. The ARC CD7 clearly betters it on any aspect of audio reproduction you wish to analyze. I thought I did that with my comment above. Not even close. The Oppo BDP-83 SE is nice for the price but it is not a SOTA player in any shape or form. |