First Listen: Oppo BDP-83SE “Special Edition” Universal Blu-ray Player
The BDP-83SE, however, is a whole different animal, so that when you listen to it you may find, as I have, that you unconsciously shift from thinking of it as a “very good” player to thinking of it as either a “great” or as a “near-great” player. What changes? In two words, the answers are resolution and refinement; the BDP-83SE takes readily noticeable and in fact quite sizeable steps forward in both areas. How big are the differences we’re talking about? Well, if you’re listening through a relatively decent (though not necessarily hideously expensive) stereo or surround sound system, let’s just say that you won’t have to work very hard to hear them.
So here’s how things shake out. Though the BDP-83 is steal at its price, its sound quality can be topped by that of players selling for under $2k. The BDP-83SE, however, sounds enough better that it can go hunting for much bigger game (think in terms of players in the $4k range and up). While I suspect the BDP-83SE can perhaps be edged out by at least some higher-tier players (for example, players along the lines of the $6000 Marantz universal Blu-ray player my colleague Alan Taffel has recently reviewed), the fact is that the Special Edition Oppo has elevated its level of play to a point where even finicky listeners may be apt to ask whether it is worth the time or money required in order to obtain something that is truly better. This is a roundabout way of saying that, for audiophiles, the “Special Edition” Oppo may be an even more compelling bargain than the standard BDP-83 already is.
Caveat Emptor—or “Why I haven’t published my BDP-83SE review yet.”
My first sample of the BDP-83SE sounded great, but it had a subtle problem, which was that—every once in a great while (that is, perhaps only two or maybe three times per album)—it would exhibit about a 0.5 second dropout in audio output and then resume playing beautifully as if nothing had ever happened. I contacted Oppo about the problem and they advised me that they had a firmware update that addressed the problem. I installed the update and found that, while it increased to time interval between audio dropouts, it did not completely eliminate them. When I advised Oppo of this, they immediately arranged to send me an alternate review sample to correct the problem.
Though Oppo’s turnaround time was admirably quick and I now have a second sample in hand, the fact is that a few other review products showed up in the interim, so that the BDP-83SE’s position in The Perfect Vision review queue got bumped down a few places. I plan to get back to the Oppo as soon as possible and to offer a full review shortly. Stay tuned for more…
For more information, visit: www.oppodigital.com.
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Comments
Digital, schmigital! What about the analog circuitry AFTER the conversion? That's what separates the men from the boys.
if i'm not wrong its uses the NE5532 for the anlaog stages ...nothing special there though !
Thank you! That's where most players fall flat on their faces.
Quick question regarding SACD playback. It is unclear to me if the unit can also decode DSD natively or does it convert DSD to PCM before DA converter?
I am looking specifically for SACD player now and wonder how good it is as primarily source for SACD?
Same issue as Suteetat, how good is the SACD output and how is it delivered?
Thanks, Bob
It will decode SACD as native DSD or to PCM - your choice.
Sounds stunning with SACD, big improvement over 83, esp with 2- CH SACD, IMO.
I wish Oppo would add a OSB and a SPDIF digital input to this player. Oppo
produces great products at very reasonable prices. I still use
a DV-970HD for SACD and DVD-Audio.
Considering the quality of the DAC, I can understand
why they are charging a fairly large premium over the base model.
However, adding an digital input would greatly increase the usefulness of
the SE. The expensive DAC could then be used with other digital sources.
Steven
I wish Oppo would add a OSB and a SPDIF digital input to this player. Oppo
produces great products at very reasonable prices. I still use
a DV-970HD for SACD and DVD-Audio.
Considering the quality of the DAC, I can understand
why they are charging a fairly large premium over the base model.
However, adding an digital input would greatly increase the usefulness of
the SE. The expensive DAC could then be used with other digital sources.
Steven
Hey, what do you guys have to say about the report in Wired dealing with the Oppo inside the Lexicon? Looks fishy to me!
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/01/blu-ray-maker-re-boxes-500-player...
Chris, when you publish your full review it would be wonderful if you are able to compare the upgraded Oppo to the Sony SCD-XA5400ES. These appear to be the clear choices in the sub-$4k category, and some informed comments on their strengths and weaknesses would be tremendously helpful.
Hello Chris did you ever get a chance to listen to the Sony SCD XA5400ES ?
and compared to the IOppo SE, thanks Paul.
Chris,
My interest is in watching bluray discs. I'm not planning to use the machine for audio-only CDs, SACDs, etc.. I'm wondering if your comments apply equally as forcefully to the sound quality on BDs, too. I have the Pioneer Elite 07 AV receiver, and the Definitive Technology STS Mythos speakers, and I'm not sure whether or not to get the cheaper 83. Thanks
Before much debate on the Oppo SE, it would be advantageous for audiophiles (particularly SACD) to review the technical reasons why multi-format players are compromised in their design.
This pre-review strikes me as a bit unfair to Oppo. Few who read it will even consider buying the Oppo SE until you check the second sample for drop outs. I understand that you have other priorities/deadlines, but this pre-review may be unnecessary harming a company that has been making great high-end low-price gear. Holding this article would have been unfair to audiophiles who need to know if this new player is worthwhile, but not checking the second sample right away is unfair to Oppo.
Works EXCELLENT with my Pioneer SC-27 Receiver,Pioneer F111D
Pasma TV and my Definitive Technology BP 7000 Home theater speaker system.
Oppo's BDP - 83 SE is an excellent product ,even though it should be priced competitively lower.
BUT,High Quality does cost more.
I own a Ayre CX-7eMP and the Oppo BDP-83SE. I bought the Oppo for video purposes. I thought it would be good to have a decent back-up player; boy was I suprised! On regular CD's, it's a toss up between the Ayre and the Oppo. I am amazed at the resolution of the Oppo. The Ayre seems a bit smoother, but at $2500 more, it should be. If you have SACD's, DVD-A's, or HDCD's, you will be in heaven (I had about 30 of these other formats, so this was another plus). You forget you are listening to a $900 universal player. I am not going to get into technical information. The point is, the music sounds great and that is all that matters. I thought of selling my Ayre, but naaaah, not yet. :-) Seriously, try the BDP-83SE; you will be pleasantly surprised.
Hello everyone,
I purchased the Oppo DV-980H and the LG DN898 on my last trip to the US. Based upon all the folklore that had been created around the Oppo, I was hoping to use it as a Red Book Only source to replace a fifteen year-old Wadia 32X and the LG was purchased for $71 at BrandsMart because it can be a region-free DVD player.
The Oppo is now my region free DVD player and I never listen to the Wadia anymore; the LG is the first (after eight years of trying!) source that sounds significantly better. It is a shockingly good Red Book player. Can anyone tell me if I got a freak off the line or if what I am hearing is true through the whole DN898 model run?
Lee- lhimelfarb [at] hotmail [dot] com
Kindly correct me if I am wrong...I am deciding between the 83 and 83 SE...if you plan on using HDMI for all playback and using receiver as the DA, then is there any purpose in upping to the SE--Oppo itself says that there is no point in it if you plan on using the HDMI.
Also...can you use HDMI for multichannel playback and analog out for 2-channel??
Yes, you can use different outputs for different purposes. In the Oppo BD players all outputs are always active and you can use the switching in your receiver or processor to determine which one you are using as a source.
Brett:
Absolutely you can run HDMI for movies, and seperate 2-ch analog output for stereo listening. You just need to make sure your pre/pro can accept both HDMI and analog inputs, then just select whichever input you want to listen to, and you're good to go!
Alot of audiophiles prefer the analog outputs for music listening. I have an older, but excellent EAD Ovation-8 pre/pro with an 8-ch analog HT pass-thru that I run analog into from the Oppo 83SE, and it sounds great!
The sole use of my BDP-83 is movies for which I use the multi-channel analog output. Will the Special Edition make much of a difference for me?
The sole use of my BDP-83 is movies for which I use the multi-channel analog output. Will the Special Edition make much of a difference for me?