Oppo BDP-105D in the house!

[Vintage Pete]

Hey Gang,

It's been a little while since I pulled the trigger on any "major"components...well the time came and on Friday the FedEx truck rolled up with my new Oppo BDP-105D Blu-Ray
(actually pretty much universal) player. I've had this deck on my mind for some time-not only did I long for a premium player for my main system, I was wanting to move my living room
player into another room, the goal being to have Blu-ray playback capability in all four systems. I'm almost there now.

I must say, I was impressed from the moment I started opening up this beauty...
















Needless to say, I was anxious to get the machine set up, and did so promptly. It looks and feels right at home at the top of one of my main stacks, which now rules the roost in
terms of height.







How does it perform? Superbly in every respect. The video quality on Blu-Ray is spectacular, and standard DVD playback is excellent as well. The audio quality is excellent,
beyond excellent really-it's not surprising that there have been many accolades on this, Oppo has obviously done their homework, and done it very well. The implementation
of the ESS 9018 Sabre DAC's appears to have been done very well. I am also pleased that I'll now have SACD capability in my system-the only shortfall in my McIntosh MCD/MDA1000
combo. I have not as yet tried out the Oppo with Redbook CD playback, though I suspect it will be excellent.

The networking setup was a snap, and I'm able to stream movies from my VUDU collection, as well as Netflix, YouTube, and more. Within about an hour and a half of setting up the network,
a main firmware upgrade came in ready to install. How good is that....

I have experimented just a bit with the Darbee processing. This is a refinement, not something that jumps right out at you. But the quality is already superb, of course. the Darbee processor
does not seem to add any undesirable artifacts. It is variable, and has a number of modes. I've set it in Hi-Def mode at 45% and I like the results.

I love the Oppo user interface. It is intuitive, and it is sharp and clear. Here's a peek at the home screen:




This Oppo BDP-105D is obviously a very advanced, premium component that I would recommend without any hesitation. The build quality is very good and solid, and the performance appears to
be spectacular in every respect.

I've just barely scratched the surface of everything this component offers-its display provides tons of information both on the machine and on the screen if desired. Much of it I don't even understand (yet).

I couldn't be happier. As I learn more, I will post more. If any of you are looking for a premium universal player and don't want to spend $5-6K or more, look no further.

[jdandy]

Pete.......Great photos of an amazing Blu-ray and universal player. A hundred hours or so on the audio section ought to have it singing beautifully. In my opinion, there is no reason to spend a cent more than the price of the Oppo BDP-105D for a Blu-ray player. This machine is the cats meow that sets the bar for all others. Congratulations on the new component.

[Vintage Pete]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Pete.......Great photos of an amazing Blu-ray and universal player. A hundred hours or so on the audio section ought to have it singing beautifully. In my opinion, there is no reason to spend a cent more than the price of the Oppo BDP-105D for a Blu-ray player. This machine is the cats meow that sets the bar for all others. Congratulations on the new component.

Thanks Dan....and I agree that this machine is the cat's meow. As far as I'm concerned, the audio section is singing beautifully right out of the box...so I'll look forward to it in a 100 hours or so.

[jdandy]

Pete.......Was I right or was I right about the simplicity of firmware updates with Oppo? Between their superb approach to firmware and a clear and intuitive high-def menu, McIntosh could learn a few things. Oppo has it down to a science.

[damacman]

I've had a 103 for a few years now and have been equally impressed with it. I've been on the fence about upgrading to the 105D for a while. FYI - I called into Oppo some time ago and was told that the audio section of the 105D is a fully balanced design. As I do have one unused pair of balanced inputs on my C100, the 105D continues to pull at me.

Nice stack there Pete! That's my kind of setup for sure.

[Vintage Pete]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Pete.......Was I right or was I right about the simplicity of firmware updates with Oppo? Between their superb approach to firmware and a clear and intuitive high-def menu, McIntosh could learn a few things. Oppo has it down to a science.

Agreed hands down....

[Vintage Pete]

Originally Posted by damacman

I've had a 103 for a few years now and have been equally impressed with it. I've been on the fence about upgrading to the 105D for a while. FYI - I called into Oppo some time ago and was told that the audio section of the 105D is a fully balanced design. As I do have one unused pair of balanced inputs on my C100, the 105D continues to pull at me.

Nice stack there Pete! That's my kind of setup for sure.

damacman....thanks! Unfortunately I only have one set of balanced inputs on my C40 preamp which are in use. So, alas I have to use the unbalanced outputs on the 105D. The sound is still great however...

[Cohibaman]

Congrats Pete! Nice write-up.

[Yamaki]

Congratulations, Pete! That is a find player and a great addition to a well crafted system such as yours.

Enjoy!

[djwhog]

Congrats Pete! I have never had issues with my 95, the updates all features are easy to use, and I think that the video is better yet on the 105 and the ease of use etc is improved still over the 95.

Man that sure looks good, I always love the look of your gear, congrats! PS I think the sound will get better too if it is similar to my 95, I read many folks give it 50-100 hours, also fan less that machine is dead quiet. good purchase Pete.