Playing SACD audio on old equipment

[Cohibaman]

Originally Posted by 70sMac

Where did this come from? Maybe it's my military background, but I really didn't think that getting to the point would hurt anyone's feelings.



We don't own any "audiophile" grade equipment, and I think that I've made that pretty clear. I'm just an old vet who lives on a modest income. Although I've tried to stay engaged with whichever direction this thread has taken, I really don't know ripping audio from playing audio...but I digress. Spending what we just spent on equipment, based, once again, on suggestions made in this thread is a big deal to us. If the thread veered off onto something I'm practically ignorant about, I apologize, but I really started this thread to learn how to play our physical media formats.



To the computer-based audio people -- our computer is nearly 10 years old. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding: nothing personal.

Sorry, I guess I read it wrong. Congrats on the purchase.

Btw, thank you for your service!

[bart]

Originally Posted by 70sMac

Bart..... Being another Oppo owner -- among the many others that I've bumped into on the AAF -- have you ever wondered why there isn't an Oppo board in the manufacturers section of the AAF?

Bill, I don't know. And as the brand no longer exists, we won't ever have one I think.
By the way, we also have a 95 that still serves us well.

[GSOphile]

Oppo still exists and is a major player in areas other that A/V (mobile devices). I believe they will honor warranties on their A/V gear. Less sure about service beyond warranty coverage.

[70sMac]

GSOphile..... Although they have obviously moved out of the universal player segment of A/V, I was also under the impression that Oppo was still in business.

I've seen a lot of AAF signatures with the name "Oppo" in them. I wonder if it's possible to somehow ask the good folks who run the AAF if they would consider adding an Oppo board under the forum's manufacturer board?

[GSOphile]

You're right. Googled 'Oppo Audio', and what comes up first is SUPPORT for their now wfm players, but they also sell hi-fi speakers and accessories.

[70sMac]

All...... We just received our new Oppo 203 player and I am presently listening to the first SACD that has ever been [properly] played via our Mac MX-130/MC300 stereo setup! Although I'm trying not to expect too much, I have to admit that it sounds purty sweet!

Not that I want to jinx this great thread. Any and all thoughts -- on any and all of the various directions this thread has taken -- are most humbly appreciated and encouraged.

If anyone is interested in how we got so far behind the learning curve, here are some of the details: https://www.audioaficionado.org/show...?t=135&page=18

As ever, thank you kindly for your time...

[70sMac]

Originally Posted by doggiehowser

That would change the way you play music.

Ripping is the term for extracting the digital audio that’s stored in the disc and saving it as a file on a computer. With CDs it is pretty straightforward. Most computer drives can read CDs and then you just run a program to extract that digital 1s and 0s.

With SACDs there are copy protection systems to circumvent. There is a process (which can be daunting to a beginner) that involves copying some “boot files” to a USB drive that you plug into a compatible Oppo 10x or player using the same chipset (some Pioneer and Sony older models worked too), with those players connected to the home internet network. You then load an SACD disc but not auto play. Next you run a java script program on your computer and tell it the network address for the Oppo(et al) player. And let it do the rest.

Once the files are extracted, they can be copied to a network drive (NAS) which makes them available even when the computer is off. NAS systems often also have multiple drives installed for redundancy so a single drive failure won’t cause all your precious data to be lost.

You would then need a playback device (like the BDA3 with the 3.14 streamer for instance) to read the file (from the NAS or computer) and play it back instead of playing from the disc.

Your mileage may vary but I find that spinning discs often still sound better.

Doggie Howser..... As fast as things are [obviously] moving, I wanted to ask you, again, about "ripping" audio from physical media. We now own a new Oppo 203, but, based on what I've read, it would seem that it's not a great source for said ripping operations. If you would, please write back and let the thread know which players are actually good for this purpose. I'm thinking about getting one of these machines...and, not to purposely muddy the water, but a source that can be used to rip from "higher quality" physical media (SACD, DVD-A, HDCD, etc) -- without losing anything -- would be ideal. Thank you for your thoughts.

[70sMac]

Originally Posted by doggiehowser

That would change the way you play music.

Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson

It has changed mine and for the better.

Originally Posted by doggiehowser

With SACDs there are copy protection systems to circumvent. There is a process (which can be daunting to a beginner) that involves copying some “boot files” to a USB drive that you plug into a compatible Oppo 10x or player using the same chipset (some Pioneer and Sony older models worked too), with those players connected to the home internet network. You then load an SACD disc but not auto play. Next, you run a java script program on your computer and tell it the network address for the Oppo(et al) player. And let it do the rest.

Once the files are extracted, they can be copied to a network drive (NAS) which makes them available even when the computer is off.

Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson

Seems like the description is longer than the process. Once set up, it is almost trivial. I rip a couple of SACDs a week these days without much effort.

Originally Posted by doggiehowser

Your mileage may vary but I find that spinning discs often still sound better.

Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson

Not to me.

This discussion brings the same kind of question to mind. If our new Oppo 203 isn't a good source for ripping audio from physical media, what is? I believe that Kal once alluded to using the older Oppo players as SACD (et al) ripping sources. If this is true, which Oppo players will serve this purpose?

[doggiehowser]

There is a discussion here


Ripping SACDs, possible?
https://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=412

[Kal Rubinson]

Originally Posted by 70sMac

This discussion brings the same kind of question to mind. If our new Oppo 203 isn't a good source for ripping audio from physical media, what is? I believe that Kal once alluded to using the older Oppo players as SACD (et al) ripping sources. If this is true, which Oppo players will serve this purpose?

The 103,103D, 105 and 105D.

See my old contribution:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/...g-sacds-page-2

..and the mother link is:
https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/t...-yes-its-true/