Oppo BDP-83SE versus McIntosh MCD500

[US Blues]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Were I not making a direct song for song, head to head comparison against the MCD500, the darker nature of the Oppo's audio performance might not have even been noticed... That the Oppo SE can stand as close to the MCD500's performance as it did today is quite remarkable when one considers the MCD500's price tag is greater than seven times that of the Oppo BDP-83SE.

As I began this head to head comparison, I never really thought the Oppo SE would outperform the MCD500, and it didn't. What is amazing, though, is how close it came for so little money. A big thumbs up to the Oppo BDP-83 Special Edition.

Excellent review Dan, thanks. Your review begs a some questions:

1- On a system with less resolution than yours, would the difference between the two units be audible?

2- Purely for audio performance, is the better sonic resolution of the MCD-500 worth the difference in price?

PS- I don't have a horse in this race, just genuinely curious. Thanks!

[Dj_AmTraX]

Very nice review Dan. I am not surprised that the MCD500 has more finese and refinement. IMO, once you get to the level we are at with our gear we are at Super-Fi. Gears like Oppo, Adcom, and even Marantz (mostly) are at Hi-Fi level, not Super-Fi. We pay a higher price for extra air, tighter bass, & a more balanced sound stage.

[TommyC]

I have a feeling the Oppo SE will improve a tad more with more burn-in time.

[jdandy]

US Blues.......Question #1 is a difficult to answer because less resolution than my system leaves a lot of room for variation. What I was most impressed with was the Oppo BDP-83SE's overall performance on my system. The Oppo is not a player that was stampeded by the MCD500. It is well know and accepted that the MCD500 is a premium SACD/CD player with top shelf performance, so for the Oppo BDP-83SE to even begin to approach this performance level, let alone get as close as it does, speaks volumes about what a great SACD/CD player it is. I think the Oppo BDP-83SE can make an excellent addition to anyone's system, and not disappoint. If you want a very good sounding disc player that can play practically every disc format known, and do it at a performace level that usally requires spending $2K or more, the BDP-83SE is definately the way to go. The sound is that good, and the Blu-ray video is spectacular, too.

Question #2 can only be answered with my opinion. My opinion is, yes the MCD500 is worth every penny of its price. McIntosh has managed to take the ESS dual quad DAC's to a performance level that rivals thier very own MDA1000 DAC and MCD1000 transport. I have not heard anyone claim the MCD500 beats Mac's top tier pieces, but many MDA1000 owners have said they hear little or no difference in playback performance. This is further supported by the number of MDA1000 owners who have sold them, and purchased MCD500 players as their primary source component. Don't forget, the MCD500 is also a full blown stand alone DAC with two additional digital inputs that allow access to the incredible McIntosh designed ESS DAC circuitry, and beefy isolated power supplies. The MCD500 is worth its price for all of those reasons, but most of all because it plays music like you have not heard before from a digital source, music that actually sounds like real music. Music that you can listen to for 12 straight hours and never tire of the sound. Music that makes you look forward to coming home, and settling in your sweet spot, just to have the wonderful sound flow over your head. Yes indeed, the MCD500 is worth every penny.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Dj_AmTraX

Very nice review Dan. I am not surprised that the MCD500 has more finese and refinement. IMO, once you get to the level we are at with our gear we are at Super-Fi. Gears like Oppo, Adcom, and even Marantz (mostly) are at Hi-Fi level, not Super-Fi. We pay a higher price for extra air, tighter bass, & a more balanced sound stage.

DJ.......I have to agree with the super-fi statement. Super-Fi = Super Price!

None the less, Oppo has managed to engineer and deliver an incredible peforming multi channel Blu-ray player at a price that is practically unbelievable. I bought my first Oppo BDP-83 about 30 days prior to them announcing the Special Edition. When I heard of the Special Edition, I knew I had to give those ESS DAC's a try. Now I am so happy I purchased the Special Edition player. It is a big step up in audio performance. That is why I will also be upgrading my standard BDP-83SE to Special Edition level. The small upgrade price is worth the considerably higher level of audio performance.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by TommyC

I have a feeling the Oppo SE will improve a tad more with more burn-in time.

Tommy.......You may very well be right. The Oppo BDP-83 Special Edition might open up even more after a few hundred hours. I might have been a little premature with the early shootout after only 46 hours on the player, but I was excited to hear the differences, and I knew folks wanted to hear about it, so I let the shootout take place.

Tomorrow I will put the Oppo back into the home theater surround sound system. I am anxious to hear some more surround sound music through those ESS Sabre32 Ultra DAC's, and watch a few surround sound DVD concerts. Maybe I'll play the Legends DVD tomorrow. I have no reservations in recommending this player. The Oppo BDP-83SE is fantastic.

['cisco]

Dan.....This year is winding down in a few days and you just put in another terrific review

At only $900 smacker-roos...this a bargain for such a fine piece of equipment. I probably said this before somewhere ..If my little Oppo should bite the dust one day...this little baby will replace it

[1KW]

Dan,

You know I am just having fun teasing you about the Sony and the Panamax . The picture of your C1000 tube and MCD500 is gorgeous Now if the Oppo did netflix on demand that would be something.

[JJinID]

Dan - terrific review as always and I am not at all surprised by your findings. I agree 100% that the Oppo is a true bargain for a universal player and that the improvements to the SE version, not only via the ESS DAC but also the better power supplies and analog stage make it even more resolving and a much better player for those of us that do not have HDMI 1.3 audio decoding in their pre-pro or receiver.

One thing I noticed in your review/comparison is that you lowered the volume of the Oppo to 95% in order to level match with the MCD500. This means that the Oppo was set to convert SACD to PCM instead of DSD (or if you have it set to DSD and still have it hooked up to an HDMI switch or display that is not DSD compatible it will automatically convert back to PCM). This would not have made a huge difference in your comparison as only one of your review selections looks like it was a SACD, but I will say that listening to SACDs via DSD on the Oppo does sound better than PCM. Of course for multi-channel SACDs leaving it set to play back as DSD isn't as much of an option unless you do not need time alignment or bass management for your 5.1 speakers - if you do you need to switch back to PCM in order to have those setting be active. In any case, I would be interested to have you listen to SACDs on the Oppo with playback set to DSD for 2 channel and see what you think...

Another interesting comparison that I am sure will happen soon will be the various versions of the Oppo vs the MVP-881! The end result of that comparision should be as expected given the cost differences but it will be fun to see how the new Mc Blu-Ray performs

[JFR0317]

Originally Posted by jdandy

John.......At this time, I have not viewed any movies or listened to any DVD-A discs with the new HD lossless codecs. I can tell you from the head to head I did between the Oppo BDP-83 and the BDP-83 Special Edition, the new ESS DAC's and analog power supply kick the ass of the original player by a wide margin. I have already paid my money, and I am now waiting for my RMA number to be emailed to me from Oppo. Then I will send my BDP-83 in for the upgrade. The performance benefits of the ESS DAC's and analog power supply upgrade far outweigh the meager upgrade price. Remember, December 31st is the $299.00 upgrade offer deadline for existing Oppo BDP-83 owners.

OK. You talked me into it. I just ordered the upgrade as well.