Oppo UDP-205 Reveiw
 

OK just a few pics initial setup and very quick 1st impressions with few pics of the 205 and compared pics to the 95.


Unit is taller and heavier, I also like the connection layout on the rear panel as compared to the 95, although many of the connections are the same. Also a ground lug is now included USB 3.0 2 ports coax in and out,HDMI in and 2 HDMI out one for audio only. Optical in and all other connections in previous models except for composite video.

Boxing was good box in a box with nice packing and remote cables etc in a box inside the units inner box. Manual is big and well written great descriptions for details of speaker sizes, settings, processing etc.

Once unit was is place and power on it notified me of a firmware update via the network connection. Picked everything up out of the box, so I installed the firmware which is newer already than what it shipped with.

A quick glance of the menus and networking it sees all computers direct tv etc via the network. From there you can view pics, videos, audio and I think maybe run various apps to the 205 over your network connection.

I set my DNR dynamic noise reduction to off and down mixed to 5.1 which is my current setup and set front mains to large and center and surrounds to small. Note if any speaker is set to large then crossover setting don't apply in auto for HDMI and analog RCA multi channel.

Ok so I placed Dark Side of the Moon Sacd in the tray to test audio connections on the analog multi channel to my MX150. Everything is perfect and since this is a sacd it only plays over the analog 5.1 cables. I think on my 95 a cd or sacd would play over HDMI too but I think a setting or two allowed that. But I prefer auto cd and sacd on analog. I am not using the xlr or 2 channel audio only connections. A Blu-Ray disc audio type or DVD audio plays on both HDMI and multi RCA connections.

Ok very brief impressions

Unit is dead quiet no hum noises period :)
Audio floor is much quieter than the 95 and separation seems wider and cleaner too. Even dynamics seem improved. Sound is very good even with no break in time these DACs are very good.

Picture output it very nice and I think cleaner than the 95 was. I am comparing a few Blu-Ray disc. Remote is nice similar to the 95 with a few new features too

I can not test 4 k video yet I am going to upgrade most likely later this summer to a new Sony Oled pro processor 75" set.

Oh before I forget there are audio filters as well and you can access most everything on the fly from the remote to do A vs B comparisons.

There mega amounts of settings, options etc for video and audio, all most overwhelming the options and combos of settings add that to the MX150 and over HDMI and or RCA via a movie for Blu-Ray and wow it is a lot in deed! :)

Ok I turned audio from auto to bitstream which is preferred and my MX150 has no hand shakes issues pauses bumps works flawless with the 205. Note I feed the 2nd HDMI direct to the TV and use secondary audio HDMI to the MX150 for sound only. The remote still has lure audio mode for times you want no picture and want to enjoy a DVD-a or Blu-Ray audio track.


Once I can get some hours on the 205 watch 6+ movies and at least 100 hours of sacd and DVD and Blu-Ray audio + concerts I can give it a real detailed view. I have make sure I am not comparing audio to the K03 just the 95 to the 205. So I will make a spot connect the 95 back into the system.

Also I do now have the RCA or xlr 2ch audio only cables connected , my understanding is that it has it's own dac and dedicated circuit. So for stereo purist that should yell better audio than the multi connection RCA connections I have in use.

I am glad so far I purchased this unit


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Dave, thank you very much!
Looking forward to your impressions after burning in.
Will be interesting to see how the Oppo DACs compare to the McIntosh's.

Quick other observation, on my Halo A23 amp for side surround, at low levels it runs pure class A and had a noticeable 50-60 hum regardless what I have tried. Lifts the switch on the back, diff breaker etc.

And while I have other house issues in another topic for my house, my audio rig is very isolated from that part of the house. So except for my F212 which too has a slight hum. I have no hum issues in anything except the Halo A23 amp.

Well I guess the RCA cables for mutli channel from the Oppo 95 and now the 205 are the only thing connected to the A23 except for the speaker wires.

Well behold now the A23 has no more hum, so the 95's power supply etc or something in that circuit made my A23 noisy. And now she is dead quiet. So it had to be the RCA cables which I tried many to no help before today.

I was never able to figure this out till today, what a bonus! :yes: Darn 95 rca section was the bad guy but yet the McIntosh amps for the other channels were never affected. So either that speaks volumes for the McIntosh amps, Vs the Halo A23, or only the surround section of the RCA 95 was bad, noisy etc?

Even when the Oppo 95 was off, it made the A23 hum when I played any content to my MX150 in surround mode via other devices HDMI etc.

OH wow I am so happy! Like I said this 205 fan less, better power supply, and the chassis ground too are very well built as far as I can see so far.

Dave,
Thanks for the review and photos. Looks like another great player from OPPO. Will be watching for your updates as you get to know it better and more hours on the clock. Enjoy!