[prepress]

An interesting opportunity has emerged for a comparison. As mentioned in jdandy's 4K thread, my 88FD is on the fritz; the disc tray wont open, either by remote or the open/close button. I have removed it from the system and re-installed my 09FD while I decide whether to move on from the 88 or get it fixed (still not sure, leaning toward the later).

Putting the 09 back in, I was amazed at the difference in sound, namely the weight and impact of the low frequencies. The 09 uses Wolfson DACs, the 88 ESS Sabres. Even allowing for the empty capacitors needing to get up to snuff, this was an obvious difference. After more time, the sound has cleaned up and is still impressive. I recall that one of the few complaints against Oppo players in reviews I read was a lighter tonal balance, due to the ESS Sabre DAC. The Wolfsons offer a richer sound and I'm enjoying the re-acquainting process as I play various content. I think I might be missing a bit of detail, but will need to move to my go-to tracks for better evaluation of that. High frequencies were present, but not as prominent as with the 88. And I don't know how much time the 09's capacitors need to be fully charged; I have only about 2 hours in so far. I have an Oppo 83, but never spent much time with it in the system (less than an hour) as it connects directly to the TV for more casual, "quickie" viewing usually.

I do know that if I buy the UDP-LX500 that will increase the urge for a 4K set. That is a dangerous place to be.