2. home-theater
  3. 1396642147

Should I upgrade my Blu-ray player now?

I kept the title generic since the question could easily apply to anyone who has an older model Blu-ray player. As for me, I have the Oppo 83. My long-hoped for Home Theater still hasn't come together completely so I've kept it in the system.

I use it for movies (80%) and music. The DAC in the 83 is just OK as everyone knows. The DAC in the Oppo 105 is very good.

At this stage of the game, is it worth upgrading to the 105 now? How close do you think we are to the end of its development cycle (or is that life cycle)? Make that for both Oppo 105 and Blu-ray as a format and as a piece of equipment.

I don't like streaming. I don't know what 4K will ultimately mean for me - certainly won't be an early adopter - but will it be the death knell for Blu-ray? I like the idea of the Kaleidascape server/service concept or something similar although the Kaleidascape Cinema One itself is too expensive.

I could buy the 105 or the 105D and be happy of years to come but is that (substitute your own favorite brand) the best investment/direction to go now?
finsup

Showing 7 responses by dbphd

Ag insider logo xs@2x
dbphd
1,616 posts
 
Bob seems to be hanging his hat of acoustic room correction, because if there is one component likely to become obsolete it's the processor as technology changes. So Bob, are you recommending something like a Marantz 8801, a Classe SSP 800, or a Bryston SP3? Risk is relative. Upgrading the DAC in an Oppo is much less risky.

OTOH, worrying about obsolesce can lead to inaction and missing the goodies available in the present.

db
Ag insider logo xs@2x
dbphd
1,616 posts
 
So I ask you again, Bob, are you thinking of the sonics of a $3.5K, $8K, or $10K processor? My reading suggests not everyone is pleased with ARC.

db
Ag insider logo xs@2x
dbphd
1,616 posts
 
Caveat re my previous post: I use acoustic room correction (ARC) via Velodyne SMS-1s for my subs, but otherwise have no experience with the technology. ARC is one of the functions that doesn't work properly in the Cirrus chip of the Cary Cinema 11a, the only processor I own that has ARC. From what I read, the efficacy of ARC is a debatable matter. I use a Parasound Halo JC-2, an analog preamp, for stereo with surrounds going directly to amps, and, perhaps in my ignorance, am very pleased with the sound.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
dbphd
1,616 posts
 
Marty,

I discovered that I could compare the Oppo 105 direct to the amps or through the preamp by connecting one to the XLR and the other to the SE inputs of the amps, and switching between them. I left that arrangement connected so I can choose either. It occurred to me that I could do the same with a processor that had functional ARC if I could find one cheap enough to try. A used Marantz or Integra might do. Output from the 105 and 5400ES could be HDMI to the processor and analog to the preamp. I wouldn't want to digitize analog from the phono stage, so it would go only to the preamp.

Thanks for implanting the idea. Now to find an inexpensive processor.

db
Ag insider logo xs@2x
dbphd
1,616 posts
 
What does price have to do with it, Bob? The reviews I've read suggest a Marantz AV7005 does not have the same quality of sound a Bryston SP3 is capable of delivering. I decided to go analog rather than climb the slippery slope up the processor ladder from the Cary 11a, a sonically very good processor with digital bugs,, a slope that changes too frequently. Thus, I use analog from the Oppo 105 and Sony XA5400ES to the Parasound JC-2. As an alternative, the 105 can send all its channels directly to the amps.

I do agree with you that audiophiles are a superstitious lot, grabbing onto popular myths as they come along. I also agree that the transduction process, converting acoustic energy into electrical and electrical back to acoustic, is the source of most distortion.

Isn't there a saying that ignorance is bliss? Maybe I'm there.

db
Ag insider logo xs@2x
dbphd
1,616 posts
 
Bob, a look at the versions of used Meridian pre/pros is revealing of the upgrades that have occurred along the way. I have a Proceed PAV/PDSD pair, and the idea Madrigal had was that the PDSD would be essentially a card cage into which the latest and greatest technology could be inserted. Of course, that died with Madrigal. The technology of analog preamps seem much more stable so that's where I hang my hat.

Funny thing is that I didn't notice much a difference when I moved the Oppo 105 from the Cary 11a to the Parasound JC-2, but for the Sony XA5400ES it was as though a veil had been lifted.

db
Ag insider logo xs@2x
dbphd
1,616 posts
 
Would a used Anthem AVM50 with ARC be suitable for implementation of acoustic room correction?

Shortly after the Cary Cinema 11a came out, an AVS thread was full of raves about its sound quality and hisses about the buggy implementation and inaccuracies of its acoustic room correction.

db
More to discover