This is a very wonderful BD player
 

Hi,

I just upgrade my BD player I the picture and sound quality is very very
impressive on big screen.
My target is the best video+sound performance out of HDMI playing BD disc.
I don't care much about other function.
this new player is Pioneer BDP LX58, I think in USA it is Elite 85FD ?
It is so good that just a day after purchase this, I order one more BDP LX88
(or 88FD). Both are pretty cheap in my country.
I have used Oppo 83,93,103 before. Oppo have very good OSD and quicker to read disc TOC. 103 video performance is much better than 83. but later
due to Cinavia problem I sold 103 and got used 93 with original FW instead.
I want to save 93 to work as long as possible so I was looking for new BD
player to play disc that doesn't need 93.
It took me hours to choose between Pioneer 58 or 88. But finally I bought one of each.
For me who only care hdmi performance picture and sound. only benefit I will get from using 88 is a more solid chassis. and anti vibration stuffs.
those extra power supply and analog board will not be used.

So I confirm again that Pioneer BDP LX58 provide a better video/audio performance from HDMI output than my previous Oppo 93.

PS. I use Shunyata Alpha digital as power cord and AQ Diamond HDMI cable

At first I wanted to wait for UHD BD player, But I realized it will be long before I see
the premium machine. So yes BDP LX88 is the one to serve my main HT . the LX58
is moved to other room. Worth every dollar for large projection system. You will see it.

Toga

Toga.......One of the things I really like about Oppo is their reliable and easily downloadable updates. In my opinion, Oppo sets the industry standard for firmware updates and ease of application for the end user. With the ever changing coding on new BD discs, it is important to have a company that remains current without delay. That would be my biggest concern moving from Oppo to Pioneer.

Dan... Pioneer is very good with their updates, but Oppo is the winner in that category.

Ivan.......Good to hear.

We could be waiting on McIntosh firmware updates.


https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...833ffd589c.jpg

Actually Oppo is outstanding in almost everything about user interface.
I keep Oppo 93 for playing a disc that is Cinavia protected.
But Pioneer just has outstanding picture quality and sound great too.

Toga.......Looking at the Pioneer Elite BDP-85FD Blu-ray player I noticed it has no digital inputs, whereas the Oppo BDP-105D has three digital inputs to its DAC. I also notice the Pioneer has no analog outputs except for left and right channel stereo. The Oppo provides 7.1 analog outputs plus two channel stereo outputs including balanced outputs for two channel.

My preference for decoding video soundtracks is to let the Blu-ray player do the decoding and route the analog outputs direct to the analog inputs on my processor. I would not be able to do this with the Pioneer. In my opinion, this makes the Oppo far more compatible with a greater number of processors, particularly older processors that may not have the latest codecs in their firmware.

I agree, however both of my older Pioneer Elite BR players have back panels similar to Oppo's below.

http://img.univers-hightech.com/oppo...diocom-dos.jpg

Dan , understand, our requirement are very different. I want it to spin the disc and output hdmi only.
I use Accuphase for music.
I just miss the classic Elite look of Pioneer. Here are the top video player from Pioneer before 88

http://pioneer-bdlx.com/legacy/

Toga.......I understand your point as well. I also agree that some of the older Pioneer Elite players were strikingly good looking. I think Pioneer fell victim to their own marketing scheme with the Elite name in the same way Sony did with their ES designation. It began as something special and then the Elite and ES monikers were placed on lower and lower quality components until the specialness of the designations became meaningless. There was a time when Elite really meant premium quality in every aspect. The same was true for Sony's Elevated Standard (ES). Both were diluted to the point of being nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

From the look of the Pioneer ad in your link, it appears Pioneer is attempting to recapture the true meaning of their Elite branding. Only time will tell how it plays out.

And I can't wait to see Oppo's flagship UHD BD player in te near future too.
Toga

If my Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD would die I'd jump for the 88. But the 09 is still chugging along, making it hard to justify the purchase.

The 88 is designed for 2-channel sound, which fits my setup perfectly. Based upon what the smaller BDP-80 does for the ZVOX and Insignia TV at work, I'd really like to see what the 88 would do with my home setup.

Luckily for me, these electronics stuff are pretty cheap here. LX88 here costs less than top HDMi cable from
Audioquest or Wireworld. So upgrade is not that painful for me here.

Toga.

On another forum, there's talk from some who have both the Pioneer 85FD and Oppo 103D that the Pioneer is the better player. Whether that carries through to the Pioneer 88 and Oppo 105D I don't know. But it's interesting nonetheless. And according to comments, the Pioneer's audio is stellar. That's tempting, despite what my previous post says.

I'll just chime in and say that, having now owned both the Oppo BDP-105D and the BDP-103 for a few months now, that the video and audio performance of both machines is stellar. Then of course there is the automatic updating setup with the Oppo players, which is tough to beat.

Just my $.02 worth, FWIW. :smoking:

Oppo makes good players, for sure. I have an original BDP-83 which I use as a secondary player, straight to the TV. It loads faster than my Pioneer 09FD, which is nice but not a major advantage (to me). The 83 went out for repair once, and Oppo's customer service was quite good in taking care of the problem as I recall. I never tried the 83 through my stereo so no comment on its audio, but picture-wise I prefer the 09 by a small margin; it looked a bit richer. As for the latest players, the 105 is less expensive than the 88, and is praised widely (deservedly so, from what I read). Unless you count the new McIntosh, Oppo and Pioneer are the only ones making super-players. The 105 is an outstanding performer and a good deal.

I suppose it comes down to what one desires, values, and the setup one has. If I had a multi-channel setup, it would be the 105 hands down. Yet, I like the idea of a dedicated 2-channel player and the Pioneer 88 appeals to me for that reason. It's also got a sleek, elegant look and good reviews. Which player I would buy ultimately (if either) isn't clear, but I admit leaning toward the 88. For now.

I had the LX91, gorgeous looking player, picture quality very good, but the Ayre DX-5 I have now sounds much better

I've heard that the BDP-88 is no longer available; unfortunate, if true. Indeed, going to the B&H Photo website, it says the unit is "No longer available." As mentioned before, I couldn't justify getting one because my 09FD (also Pioneer Elite) is still chugging along. There may no longer be an option, even if I want one. Has anyone else heard that the 88 is done?

I was in love with my old Pioneer Elite until......
 

This was a long time ago. The Pioneer Elite DV 37 was the best DVD player I had owned for video playback. I unfortunately found the "red push" in the player! It drove me crazy. I am sure they corrected the one flaw from a wonderful machine. I am currently using the Oppo BDP-105. Like many others I am waiting for the BDP 203 to be released. :thumbsup:

I just ordered a BDP-88, the last one in the store. It will be shipped to me this week.

It's my understanding that Pioneer is working on a 4K player. I don't have a 4K TV, and I'm not budging until my 111FD plasma dies. Thanks to the excellent demo I saw at the NY Audio show this past week, I plan for my next TV to be a 55" OLED; the 88 will work with that as well. But until then, I'm fine.

After some compatibility issues with my iScan Duo VP, I put the 88 on a direct connection to my Kuro. This is a really good player, in my opinion. Really liking the bump-up in sound quality so far, detail in particular. Perhaps the 09 it's replacing has a bit more bottom, but there's nothing to really complain about so far. And the 88 loads faster, not that load times were an area of concern but it's nice to have.

I was playing around with the upsamplng (48k, 96k and 192k) and while it will take more experimenting, I think 192 sounded better on the test disc I used (Yes Live at Montreaux). On "Heart of the Sunrise" the sound was a bit—I don't know—fuller in the middle, or maybe louder is a better term. Anyway, I heard a difference. And I was listening normally, as opposed to casually or critically.

Some years ago I bought a Pioneer Elite BD player and it was not cheap. :no:
It started locking up and eventually stopped working all together. Pioneer did not make it easy to update the firmware at all at that time. I had to make a trip to my dealer twice and both times some other problems appeared within days. I got fed up and it sat on a shelf in my garage for many years. Bought Oppo some time after and have been loyal to Oppo ever since. Just recently upgraded to the Oppo 4k UHD BDP203. Between the LG 4K UHD OLED tv set I upgraded to at the same time and the Oppo 203, I have all the eye candy I need and the firmware updates are automatic and hassle free. :yes: I can certainly understand the want to go after the most performance available but a half baked product like my old Pioneer Elite BD that became dead within weeks leaves one very disappointed. That's not to say the current Pioneer products are bad! I have no idea and no desire to even look at them. :D

Was that an 09FD? I never had any problems with mine, though quite a few others did based upon posts on another forum.

It may have been, I don't recall the model now. All I remember is it was not cheap and it did not work. :D

If it was the 09, top of the line in its heyday, the MSRP was around $2000. Those complaints I mentioned regarding the 09 were due to the drive mechanism primarily. Unfortunate.

Sounds about right. :yes:

While playing a couple of BDs on my 88FD, I noticed that with each there was a 1-second or so audio dropout at one point. The discs were The Avengers and Black Panther. Unfortunately, I didn't note the time stamps when this occurred. It happened twice with The Avengers in the same viewing session. I doubt it's the discs, since it never happened before with either.

I guess I'll need to keep an eye on this. I do have my 09FD and an Oppo 83 on hand to help troubleshoot if it comes to that. The audio is routed through my system via Transparent Plus ICs; video goes to the TV via HDMI.

Anyone have an idea what might cause this?

^^^^
Update: the dropout happened once a few days later with another movie, but not since. Hoping it was an anomaly.

OK, so I have a 9 year old LG BD390. Timne to replace and if so with what for best pic and sound?

I have a bit of a dilemma. I own a Pioneer Elite 88FD and had gotten used to the sound of the ESS Sabre DAC, which, though a lighter tonal balance compared to the 09FD's Wolfson DACs, was quite good. The 88 is now out for repair due to the failure of the disc tray to open either from the remote or the open/close button on the player chassis. The 09 is back in the system and I'm realizing how much I missed the 09's sound. I was actually thinking the 88 may not get its place back when it returns.

Now the LX500, also Pioneer Elite, is on the radar and it uses the new-to-me) AKM DAC. Preliminary research suggests its sound will be akin to the Wolfson's. A couple of owners on another forum rave about its musicality. I'm sure the VP is top-notch also. I want one, but won't need three BD players (four, if I count the original Oppo BDP-83 serving as back-up). I may consider selling the 88, or doing a video comparison with the 09 to see if one's better and using the winner in place of the Oppo. Buying another BD player would make little sense, especially since money (and space) is tight. But it's under consideration.

^ ^ ^
Heard fom the repair shop, finally. The 88's disc drive needs replacing. The cost is $318.73, added to the $95 deposit they have now. Ouch. After a quick bit of brain-wringing, I decided to let them fix it. They said it could be ready for pickup as soon as Friday. They'll call.