OPPO BDP-95 SACD mode

[tsv_1]

Originally Posted by esteban

If it makes you feel any better, I agree 100%. I too can hear the fan pretty much ALL the time, after about 30 minutes of use or so. I live in South FL, though, and even with the AC on all the time the room always gets hot. With no disc in the tray, and after a few hours of use, the player emits a pretty hard to ignore "burrrrrrrrr". Once you shut if off (a process that usually takes about 15 seconds or so), I always get the unavoidable "clank" of the fan shutting off and then... silence! Joyous, glorious, beautiful silence.

Having said that, I LOVE my Oppo 95. The above is the ONLY real issue I have with it, pretty much. Annoying? Sometimes. Most of the times it is a non-issue, but, yes, during calm passages I can hear it (I sit about 6 feet from it) and it takes me away from the music. If Oppo ever releases a new model (97?) I truly hope it comes with NO fan.

(BTW: you could save $500, buy the Oppo 93, and use it as a transport with a top-class DAC. Bottom line will be more expensive, but the 93 has no fan).

LOL - yes Joyous silence is right!

And indeed I own the 93 and have had it connected to a great DAC (my W4S-DAC2) and it sounds very good - BUT (there's always a but), I already play all my redbook material through my Olive 04HD (along with hi-rez downloads). I only want to use the Oppo for SACD playback (I have an SACD library that justifies this approach). I even went as far as getting an HDMI audio de-embedder so I could strip off the 24/88 transcoded output of the '93 (by selecting the option where the 93 internally transcodes from DSD to 24/88 PCM). This actually works quite well, but I know I'm adding jitter and other opportunities for degradation into the mix... so I would much prefer to just get a solid SACD player with great analog output and be done with it... done with the technology so I can start listening to the music.

Cheers

[esteban]

Originally Posted by tsv_1

LOL - yes Joyous silence is right!

And indeed I own the 93 and have had it connected to a great DAC (my W4S-DAC2) and it sounds very good - BUT (there's always a but), I already play all my redbook material through my Olive 04HD (along with hi-rez downloads). I only want to use the Oppo for SACD playback (I have an SACD library that justifies this approach). I even went as far as getting an HDMI audio de-embedder so I could strip off the 24/88 transcoded output of the '93 (by selecting the option where the 93 internally transcodes from DSD to 24/88 PCM). This actually works quite well, but I know I'm adding jitter and other opportunities for degradation into the mix... so I would much prefer to just get a solid SACD player with great analog output and be done with it... done with the technology so I can start listening to the music.

Cheers

Understood. Have you tried something like the MARANTZ - SA-15S2 LIMITED? I do not believe it has a fan, but it is double the price of the Oppo. For SACD-only playback, seems like a great option.

[TommyC]

Originally Posted by tsv_1

I called Oppo today to discuss options - specifically asking why the fan still activates even when video is disabled. The response was that the larger power supply in the 95 is the culprit and there's no way to disable the fan without impacting reliability (and of course voiding the warranty). So, that's that. They issued an RMA, UPS emailed a prepaid return label, and the Oppo is on it's way back to HQ.

In the meantime, I'll be pressing my fanless BDP-93 back into service while I leisurely shop on-line for a replacement.

Thanks for the update. That's really too bad. I have mine in a cabinet, so the fan doesn't bother me. Still, removing the fan will get rid of a lot of mechanical vibration.

[tsv_1]

Originally Posted by esteban

Understood. Have you tried something like the MARANTZ - SA-15S2 LIMITED? I do not believe it has a fan, but it is double the price of the Oppo. For SACD-only playback, seems like a great option.

Marantz is on the list of possibilities and thanks for the suggestion.... though I may just "suffer" with the 93 for a little while. I have to imagine that the reference SABRE DAC (x8 topology) are other ultra-high end DACs will begin showing up in mores offering across a wider array of companies. I don't mind sinking a few extra clams into something I'll use primarily for SACD playback, but I don't want last-gen tech. Plus, it's fun to shop

BTW... where are the REAL DSD decoding SACD players out there? They all use 24 or 32 bit DACs (like the SABRE). I'm not sure I now of any that use actual 1-bit sigma/delta DACs for analog conversion. We know the tech is out there (e.g. Mytek)... but why is it not built into an SACD player? I guess it all comes down to product definition and cost constraints, but I'd sure be interested in kicking a few delta/sigma tires.

Cheers

[bzr]

As I was reading this I wondered what the Modwright upgrade would entail & if that would be a game changer, could be worth a call to them with the problem & see if their mod would solve the issue! For me I listen mostly at 5 or more metres away from the player, not a problem.

[tsv_1]

Originally Posted by bzr

As I was reading this I wondered what the Modwright upgrade would entail & if that would be a game changer, could be worth a call to them with the problem & see if their mod would solve the issue! For me I listen mostly at 5 or more metres away from the player, not a problem.

I emailed Dan Wright a few weeks ago and asked him for output noise info on the 95 "before and after" the mod. He said he'd get back to me. Still waiting. I have to imagine that adding tubes would likely not help the fan situation. though I guess there's the SS mod as well - still, don't see how that would ban the fan.

I guess I'm over the bridge now anyway. I just fired up the 93 and it's really not a bad sounding player at all. Sometimes I think we get a little amped up over the latest and greatest and forget that other options are still very, very good. So, I'm a happy leisure shopper for the time being

[esteban]

Originally Posted by tsv_1

I guess I'm over the bridge now anyway. I just fired up the 93 and it's really not a bad sounding player at all. Sometimes I think we get a little amped up over the latest and greatest and forget that other options are still very, very good. So, I'm a happy leisure shopper for the time being

Amen to that! Very true. And very easily and often forgotten. Even the Oppo 980H is not bad sounding at all, and that player is DEAD quiet. I had it for 4 years and it is still running strong. Enjoy THE MUSIC!

PS: Like you previously said, I also believe the fan in the Oppo 95 is detrimental and, in many ways, defeats the purpose of having such a resolving DAC and otherwise solidly-designed player. Besides the fan noise, the vibrations that are leaked to the chassis because of this are NOT subtle. Simply put your hand on the top of the unit when the fan is kicking and you'll see what I mean...

[TommyC]

The fan doesn't turn on with the cover off! One modder says this also improves sound quality. I'm just happy the fan doesn't come on.