Oppo BDP-95 - First Impressions

[jdandy]

The Oppo BDP-95 arrived this afternoon. For those that have never unpacked an Oppo BDP-95, or any 83 series players for that matter, it is a real treat. The box is fitted with soft foam, all accessories are boxed and snugged into their place in the foam, and the player is packed in a custom fitted black cloth bag with carrying straps. It is a nice presentation for a new owner when the shipping box is first opened.

Once out of its fitted cloth bag, the Oppo BDP-95 surprised me with its weight. It is considerably heavier than the BDP-83SE, no doubt in part due to the custom toroidal transformer and the more complex circuitry and output configuration. All of my analog cables were in place and labeled, the Wireworld Starlight HDMI cable and the Silver Eclipse power cord were ready to simply be plugged into the new BDP-95, so getting the universal player on the shelf in the rack and connected was a ten minute exercise. I like the new layout of the rear panel. The multi-channel analog outputs run across the top of the back panel in a straight line with plenty of room between each output to be able to handle high-end interconnects, plus the addition of a stereo pair of balanced outputs is present. Very nice.

Setup was a breeze using Oppo's top notch setup menu. Already being familiar with setting up my two other Oppo players, I jumped right into it, entering the speaker distances, speaker sizes, 5.1 downmix, and entering the basic levels I had used with the BDP-83SE in the studio. Then, using my Extech sound pressure level meter and Oppo's built in test tones to set the speaker level adjustments to within approximately 0.5dB of each other, I followed with a recheck of the McIntosh MX120 setup configuration. Another excellent upgrade on the BDP-95 is the controls. The functions keys are back-lit and capacitive touch, not physical buttons that must be pushed. You simply touch the symbol for the function you want, it glows brighter for a moment and the function selected takes place. In low light, or no light the back-lit controls are a huge improvement over previous models.

Once satisfied that everything looked good it was time to listen to some surround sound music. I placed the DVD-A disc of Big Phat Band - Act Your Age in the drawer. This DVD-A is excellent, the surround mix is very well done and not gimmick riddled like a lot of surround sound mixes. The frequency response and dynamics of this very tight big band are a serious test for any sound system. All I can say is HOLY MACKEREL. Right out of the box with zero hours on it the Oppo BDP-95 sounds spectacular. I raised the volume to a realistic level during the track "Backrow Politics" and got goosebumps. Absolutely fantastic. The bass was solid and deep, the horns had that wonderful metallic ring that only well recorded brass instruments bring to a quality sound system, and the dynamics of the drums and the entire band had me riveted in the sweet spot with the sound of a live big band in my studio (see photo of sound pressure meter). Simply amazing. The BDP-95 will only improve as the hours are logged on it, but man, oh man, right out of the box this player takes no prisoners.

I have the Big Phat Band DVD-A disc on repeat, and plan to let it play for the next four days, 24/7. Might as well get the break in headed in the right direction without delay. I haven't watched a Blu-ray movie on the BDP-95 yet. I will give the analog audio section time to break in. I feel confident that the new video chipset, the Marvell Kyoto-G2 video processor with the second generation Qde technology, will certainly be the equal to, if not superior to the excellent Anchor Bay (VFR) Video Reference Series chipset in the BDP-83 and BDP-83SE players.

I am thrilled to own the new Oppo BDP-95. As I get into using it more I will take advantage of its many other features like VUDU HD streaming and Netflix, and hi-res audio playback via the USB and eSATA inputs. The new look, and larger component size add to my attraction, and the capacitive touch, back-lit controls are icing on the cake. The BDP-95 is a well designed, feature rich universal player. Highly recommended.

[chessman]

Dan, congrats! Now you got me thinking.

[PHC1]

Dan, any hint of grain or leanness?

[Vintage Pete]

Dan...congrats on the BDP-95, which looks like a very nice player. You mentioned the weight...how heavy is it?


Pete

[Masterlu]

Dan... I knew you would be blown away with the BDP-95

It represents ridiculous value & AV performance.

[TommyC]

Any comparison to the MCD1100 would be welcomed!

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Dan, any hint of grain or leanness?

Serge.......I did not have my critical listening hat on, but my first impression is no leanness or grain. The BDP-95 gave the McIntosh MX120/MC452 and the active bi-amped JBL's a strong run for the money. The Oppo BDP-95 is quite impressive.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Vintage Pete

Dan...congrats on the BDP-95, which looks like a very nice player. You mentioned the weight...how heavy is it?

Pete.......The Oppo BDP-95 is 16 lbs. The BDP-83SE is 11.2 lbs. Also, the BDP-95 has four good looking isolation feet installed.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Dan... I knew you would be blown away with the BDP-95

It represents ridiculous value & AV performance.

Ivan.......The Oppo BDP-95 brings a host of beneficial improvements and upgrades to the table. None the less, the BDP-83 Special Edition with the ESS 24Bit dual quad DAC's in the analog section is no slouch, either. Both players are impressive. I don't plan to part with the BDP-83SE. It is already installed in the living room system. I listened to the new Leann Rimes - Lady & Gentle Men CD on the BDP-83SE into the living room system this afternoon. I was heartily impressed. Very good performance.

By the way, the Leann Rimes - Lady & Gentle Men is a very good CD. Recording quality is superb, and the covers of many fine country tunes are well interpreted by Leann and her band.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by TommyC

Any comparison to the MCD1100 would be welcomed!

Tommy.......A comparison with the McIntosh MCD1100 will come once the Oppo BDP-95 has been fully broken in.