Reference disc player...UDP 205 or Marantz?

My b.s. detector is always turned on when I read glowing review after glowing review of a product like the Oppo. How can something that is relatively inexpensive do everything so well, to the level of a true high end disc player, like the Marantz? I think people can become influenced by the never ending hype around it, and not think as critically as they normally would.

The marantz is designed to do one thing well, not walk the dog and do the laundry too. And, they've been making great disc players for decades.

Hifiman...BUT the salient question is, can the oppo sound as good as the two channel only marantz? That's the crux of my question. 

Also, to mgattmch, take the blu ray playback out of the equation. I'm sure it's the gold standard for blu ray, but Oppo touts it's player as something that can compete with some of the best audiophile two channel players, like the marantz. My question is, for about half the price, does it?

Liamowen, thanks for that. Does ModWright modify the 205? That might be interesting!

Gdhal...yes, I completely agree. As a matter of fact, it WILL be my bluray player of choice when my current Marantz player finally dies.

Hmm, maybe I'll just get both.

Ps68....I’m so glad you have it like that, to turn your nose up at a 2500.00 player! This commoner can’t do any better, SO YES, it IS reference for me!
I was actually asking for advice, not elitist posturing.

More power to you though.

Shadorne...yeah, its called their REFERENCE line.
I was asking for comparisons and advice. I'm not interested in arrogance. By the way...the Marantz 14s1 is part of their reference line in case you didn't know.

So, what I'm hearing is, that the Marantz and the Oppo are just plain okay, nothing special. Ok then...what IS a reference player? I'm open to suggestions. 

Pokey...when I say"reference player" I don’t mean something costing ten grand, with a high snob factor, even though it certainly could be a player like that. Reference, the way I have always understood it to mean is WHATEVER a person can afford, that they enjoy, that they use as their go-to player to evaluate music, i.e. MY reference. It can be a 300 dollar player or a 30k one. It's that your experience as well?

No offense intended of course. I appreciate the advice.

MY arrogance? Maybe you didn't read some of the responses to my original post. I was asking for advice. I wasn't looking to hear what a load of garbage the players I could afford were. I'm totally chill. Just a couple bad apples are making it a bad experience. 

Actually, I had a couple of very good conversations with you in the past. So no shade thrown your way whatsoever.

Thanks for that cmach. You're the second person to recommend a modwright player. I may look into that because it may be the most cost effective way to get into upper tier players.

I just checked out the modwright website. Holy Christmas! 2495.00 for a mod of either the oppo or the marantz 8005. I'm sure it's awesome, but wow. I don't think I can afford the Oppo mod, because it will end up costing about 3700.00 total, and I can't justify that. But the marantz 8005 could be a possibility. 

You may be right. And I do plan to start streaming sometime soon. Which is another reason why I liked the marantz...it has the dac for streaming. 

I've read some really good reviews on the marantz, AND the Oppo.

Mahler123, so you didn't like the marantz, but you're using the oppo only as a transport. How did it sound using its own dac? They have the top (is it cirrus?) dac made. That wasn't to your liking?
Thanks.

Gdhal...great point. Another reason to avoid! 

If you go on their website, they talk about how clinical the Oppo sounds, and how much their mod makes it a different sounding player. 
A little suspension of belief I think is needed to make the leap of faith to buy it without first listening to it though.

Holy cow!!! Rnrmf...that is a tragedy!! You just talked me out of ANY possibility that I might use them! Thanks very much for your advice, and sorry about your lousy experience! 

I think I'll just buy a stock player, and be happy with it! 

Actually, it's very similar to modifying a car with aftermarket performance parts. It can ruin the driveability of the stock car, and make it feel completely out of synch with what the manufacturer intended. 
I'm a car guy, and I've done just that...ruined a couple of nice cars with mods that looked good on paper, but in practice were a disaster.

Shadorne.....ok cool, thanks for that. Sorry, maybe I was a little defensive in my previous response to you. No offense.

Yes, it doesn't have balanced outs, you're right, but it's still considered part of their reference line. I would have definitely like to have balanced outputs, but, it doesn't stink, does it? It has a great dac for streaming. The next player up has the balanced outs, but doesn't give you a asynchronous dac.

So which is more important?

Shadorne, I also think that it made class A in stereophile because it really does punch WAY above its price. But does that make it a true reference player, or just a really good value? 

Ps68.....you are absolutely right...but my definition of a reference player is probably a little different than yours. If a person has a very limited budget, and all they can afford is a 300 dollar player, then that is their reference. Mine, is in the 2k to 3k range. That's where I my budget is...my reference player. That's all I meant. I always thought that was the definition.

Plus, I was really interested in what people thought about oppo as a reference player.

Maybe I should have asked for people's opinions on the best players in the two to three thousand range. 

My apologies if I misunderstood you. 

Mahler123...
Thanks. I always thought the 105 played DSD, but I’m sure the 205 does at least.

Many options here, but it seems that most that have the oppo really love it. And it's amazing the level of animus, or love for that matter, that a few on here have for marantz. 

Firstgrowth...That's at the center of my question. Does oppo really live up to its hype, and can you really find a world beating disc player for such a low price?
Or is marantz still the better choice?

Gcp...you own the marantz 14s1?

Sounds like the only way to do it, apart from getting opinions on here. 
Post something to let me know what you think. I may go the other way, and just get a pure sacd cd player because I already have a very good bluray player.

Who is doing your mods?

Ok....my mistake, thanks for letting me down easy and not letting me look too foolish. So, the cost of the mods are considerably more reasonable then for a ModWright mod.

Sounds tempting, as well as a little confusing. But I'm interested.

Highstream, I was actually considering the marantz 14s1 or the Oppo, but i understand your point.

A good buddy of mine, whose opinion I respect, highly recommends the Oppo, just on its specs alone. I'm thinking about getting off the pot, and just buying it. And if I don't like I can return it. 

Yeah, but I just can't get over the fact that it's a mid-fi priced disc player, and that it plays video too. It's almost a mantra that you can't get true reference two channel from a player that does video as well, so reasonably priced. Something doesn't seem right.

@tomcarr, boneman, and pokey....

Interesting. Good comments, thanks for that. I like a warm sound, good midrange, but not rolled off highs. The Oppo sound might appeal to me after all, especially with my speakers. 

What the heck? I can always return it! I will report back, but I think I will take the plunge.

Hey there jafant,
I must confess, and I hang my head in shame! I haven't gotten anything yet!
Although all the responses were excellent and informative, I think I became partially paralyzed with indecision. 
Plus, I've always been a really slow guy when it comes to discretionary purchases like this. 
So, I'm still looking, but I completely intend to buy something.
One thing, I think I've ruled out the oppo, just because I can't imagine it being as good as a dedicated player, like the Marantz.-even though my good buddy thinks I'm crazy and completely disagrees!

As far is I know, it functions like any other multi format/channel player--like my marantz UD7007. It allows me to adjust, on the fly, to either the multi channel or stereo layer. It will also keep the last choice you made as your default choice. If the last layer you listened to was stereo, than it will default to that the next time you play any disc. There is also a downmix option in the menu, but I don't enable that function. 

I would imagine the Oppo functions in much the same way. It certainly depends on whether our not the disc has more than one layer-stereo, multi, or cd.

There MUST be a button, either on the remote or on the front of the player that allows you to do that on the fly. I can not imagine that you would have to go in the menu to find it, and then pick only ONE layer. How cumbersome. Sorry, it makes no sense, at least from a purely logical perspective. 

I'll go out on a limb and say I'm not simplifying it.

Vahes,
It may be called something like "layer", which is how it's designated on my Marantz. I'm sure it could be called something else as well. Maybe in the oppo's case, it's something a bit more esoteric. I'm sure it's there.

Whitestix, I think we've pretty much brought that one to it's conclusion, but I'll say it again: one man's reference is another man's crap. It's all about what you can afford, baby.

1graber2, bobheinatz,
Exactly my fears in a nutshell, and why I started this thread. I guess I should have just bought the damn thing like everyone else that was curious, and then return it when I discover the truth. Again, I’m certain its a very good sounding player, and many people will enjoy the heck out of it, but I’m looking for something more. And I need multi format compatibility.

Jafant

Nothing yet.... although I just test-drove the marantz. It was just ok for me. I wasn’t as bowled over as I expected.

Although, I also JUST received my tax return. Dangerous.

FAR better? For half the price? Sorry, but I doubt it. I haven't been able to demo one, but calling the Oppo far better than an established electronics manufacturer is a stretch. 
That said, I still would love to hear one.