Oppo BDP-95

[JJinID]

I'm really liking what I am hearing so far from the BDP-95! It is a significant step up in analog sound quality from the BDP-93 that I auditioned in my system about a month ago (now performing duty for my uncle). The BDP-95 has a nicely detailed sound without being too analytical. It is very well balanced overall - non-fatiguing and very listenable.

In comparison to my fabulous Modwright Oppo BDP-83 which has Dan's solid state analog stage mods (not his higher end tube mod), the main differences that stand out so far are as follows: the Modwright BDP-83 has a slightly darker and more rich sound with a bit more texture - this was noticeable in listening to Eric Clapton playing guitar on his "Unplugged" CD - it sounds more natural and musical. The bass also reaches deeper and sounds more dynamic - the 95 is slightly more lean in this area but this probably wouldn't be greatly noticeable without the comparison. The soundstages are similar with the BDP-95 perhaps being slightly deeper but not as filled in or blended from a width standpoint. I am hearing more (or perhaps a different level or empasis of) detail with the BDP-95 which is always fun when you hear different things stand out in familiar selections.

That's my quick report from what I have heard so far. I have more listening that I will plan to do tomorrow before the big game - will shift focus of my selections to some more jazz/blues and classical...

[Puma Cat]

I'm interested to hear your further impressions as you get more time with the 95. I have an 83-SE and I think it is very, very good, especially with SACDs in DSD mode.

Also, give yours some time to burn in, I left mine running different discs on continuous play for a week before settling down to some serious listening. Chances are the 95 will come into it's own with some time on the clock.

[Handlebar]

verdict is still out on that marvel processing/upscaling chip.. dont believe its wifi and thats a friggin shame if not.. read somewhere that a 95 se is in the plans too.. no wifi?, i no buy.. theres other questions and comparisons regarding the 83 se and the 95.. wonder why they stopped using the anchor bay .. the 95 will have seperate dacs for 2 channel.. to me, the new oppo's seem cheapened.. and.. WE WANT WIFI

hbar

[thughes]

no wifi?, i no buy

From the Oppo 95 description on the Oppo site.

•Wireless & Ethernet – Using the included wireless-N adapter or the built-in RJ45 Ethernet port, users will be able to interact with BD-Live content, watch instant streaming programs from provides such as Netflix, Blockbuster etc., playback contents stored on their home network, and keep the BDP-95 up-to-date with firmware release to ensure maximum Blu-ray compatibility.

For my 83SE, I bought the wireless adaptor Oppo was selling. It looks like the adaptor is packed with the machine on the 95.

[JJinID]

Handlebar - the BDP-95 does come with a wi-fi adaptor that you plug into one of the USB ports on the player (I'm using the one on the back). I can confirm that the wi-fi works great and I have been streaming FLAC files directly from my computer hard drive to the Oppo with no issues - they sound terrific. The 83 players do not support FLAC natively - you can use a DLNA server to trascode to PCM and then stream but I believe there is a loss in quality with doing this.

As far as the Marvel QDEO video processing vs. the Anchor Bay, my understanding is that the Anchor Bay is a bit better with DVD upscaling, but the Marvel does better with video processing on HD content. I have not played a movie in my 95 yet - mostly focused on evaluating 2 channel sound at this point (testing out the balanced outputs directly into my MC501s today). The 95 has an analog volume control so you do not lose resolution when driving the amplifiers directly which is a great feature as well!

[W9TR]

I've got a 95 on order. Keep the info coming!

[cougit25]

Looks like I'll be changing out my 93 with the 95. Oppo makes great stuff.

[W9TR]

My 95 has been shipped and will arrive on the 2nd of March. Should be great upgrade over the Sony I have now.

[W9TR]

I am doing a theater upgrade, with a new-to-me MX 135 and the Oppo 95. I spent some time with the 95 on Sunday. The packaging is top shelf - medium density foam surrounds the unit, which comes in it's own re-usabel tote bag instead of the usual foam bag. The accessories are all shipped in a very nice box.

The player is pretty hefty and feels very solid. All the RCA jacks on the back have plastic covers, a very nice touch, especially for a unit with a fan, which will draw dust in through the center pin holes of the jacks.

The remote feels solid, fits nicely in the hand, and is very well laid out. It's one of the nicest plastic remotes I've seen, and has a useful backlight.

I ran the Oppo in 2 channel through the MX 135 and into my 2301's. It sounded very good, albeit not to the level of detail of the C 2300 and MCD 500 combo.

I ran the 95 into the C2300 along with the MCD 500. I sensed the performance was very close, although I didn't take the time to match levels, so this is not a definitive observation.

I integrated the BDP-95 into my theater setup and ran its analog outpouts into the MX-135 external inputs. The speaker setup section of the BDP 95 is poorly designed - you can't, as far as I could tell, apply a test tone and make level adjustments at the same time. I was able to work through it, though. That's the only negative so far. The rest of the setup menus were well designed and easy to navigate.

Disc loading times are pretty fast compared to my Sony and Samsung players.

On movie soundtracks, the internal Oppo BDP 95 DAC's acquitted themselves very well. To me, they sounded slightly smoother and clearer than the DAC's in the MX 135, which, btw, were no slouches themselves. They clearly outperformed the DAC's in the Fosgate FAPT-1 I am replacing.

This was my first time with 5.1 Channel SACD, and man, did Dark Side sound awesome!

I don't have a report on the video as I am replacing my projector in the coming days.

Bottom line, this is a very capable, good sounding player that represents real value in today's market. For me, it's a keeper.

Regards,

Tom

[Dj_AmTraX]

What does the "external storage" input do? Will it use the DACs to play music files from a hard drive?