Thread: Recommendations of replacement SACD/DVDA/CD players

Posts: 5

Post by BruinPirateAnteater June 27, 2013 (1 of 5)
Hello all.

As my main gear, I have an Oppo BDP-105 in my living room as my main player and I love it love it love it. I love how I can dedicate one HDMI port (which does video better on most things) to just video output directly to my TV and a second HDMI port to my Denon AVR-4311 for digital audio processing via Audessey XT32 (and sometimes to also let the Denon do vid processing, but thats rare).

I tend to find that on MOST stereo applications, the Oppo outshines the Denon+Audessey, and on most 5.1 Video applications, the Denon does the better job. But enough of that.

In my bedroom, I have an older Oppo DV-980H DVD player mated to an older Denon AVR-788, with similar situations: in 5.1 the Audessey of the Denon sounds better, but in stereo music, the Oppo sounds better. However, I decided to share the wonders of SACD and DVD-A with my brother in law, and will soon be gifting him my Oppo 980H to him. This will leave my bedroom setup with a big hole for Hi-Fi sound. I have the following choices to fill that gap:

Oppo 83SE, 93, 103
Denon 3910, 2910
Yamaha S2500

Oppo 83SE/93/103: The pluses are that they will likely have better sound than the older Denons and Yamahas (based on the SQ of the older 980 and the newest 105: the 980 isnt as good as the S2500, but it is OLD and still very good), they will play blu-rays and at least the 93/103 will have internet apps like Netflix. The cons will be that the price will probably range from $300-$500

Denon 3910/2910: Pluses are they will probably run from $100 to $250, and even by today's standards are considered to have great sound. Cons are that finding a goo 3910 copy for $250 is hard (but I also hear that the 2910 equals the 3910 in sound quality), another con is that are only DVD players and will lack internet apps.

Yamaha DVD-S2500: Pluses are the sound quality. I own one already, I am familiar with its sound and I love it. These can be had for cheap when they do show up for sale and may be the best bargain if we consider ONLY SACD/DVDA/CD SQ. Cons are: its still just a DVD player, no apps, they do tend to be quite buggy, and they rarely come on the market.

So what do you think guys? My main concern is obviously SQ:Price ratio I want to maximize SQ while minimizing cost. My secondary concern is I would prefer it play BRs and have apps, but SQ for the money is king.

Any other suggestions? Im open to hearing suggestions.

Post by samayoeruorandajin June 27, 2013 (2 of 5)
OPPO 103

Post by BruinPirateAnteater July 1, 2013 (3 of 5)
samayoeruorandajin said:

OPPO 103

I decided on the Denon DVD-2900, for having audio capabilities that are supposed to be on par with the Denon 3910. I also own a Yamaha S2500 and Oppo 105 and a Oppo DVD-980H. Comparing the 980 to the Yam S2500 and Den 290 I can say safely that the SQ from the S2500 and 2900 analog to my Denon AVR-788 soundly beat the analog out of the 980H; but the Oppo does offer SACD over HDMI either in DSD format or LPCM, the other two do not, this means that I can choose to send the LPCM signal (the 788 dont do DSD) from all my SACDs and DVDAs, and they would be equalized by the Audessey.

It woulda been an interesting test. I say this because about 4 days ago I hooked up the Oppo 980H via HDMI and Analog. I figured out how to quickly toggle between digi and analog signal and was able to really listen what effect the Audessey made. I can only say that the effect was tremendous. My horrible Wharfedale Saphire center sounded dead and uninspired and overmatched by Wharfedale Diamond IVs and Wharefedale DFS Dipoles!!! However with MultEQ set, my center became more involving, the soundstage opend up, they was more dynamic range. Everything sounded good and the center, while still the weakest link in that system was at LISTENABLE.

Now I have a Wharfedale Modus Music Center which is leap years better than the sapphire. I put my Diamond 7.1s as fronts, used my DFS Dispoles as rears, ran Audessey on the 788 and the whole experience went up another level of quality. What I did not do was test the S2500 (the 'new' 2900 didnt fit in the bedroom fruniture to it became my SACD/CD player at my desk, and the S2500 i snow the HI Fi player in the room), to see what stereo and multi sound like, since this doesn send LPCM to a reciever my 788 wont be able to get a digi signal to process the stream via Audessey. Dunno which Id like more, but Id like to hear both and decide...oh well.

Post by BruinPirateAnteater July 1, 2013 (4 of 5)
Maybe next year, I'll pop for a 103...i wouldn't mind getting a set Wharfedale Diamond 7.2 Special editions which can be bi-amped. Maybe I'll get the 2 as an early upgrade.

Post by BruinPirateAnteater July 1, 2013 (5 of 5)
I figure that the PS3 with its NetFlix app via HDMI would handle any unlikely BD viewing and more likely Netflix viewing, which should sound good since it would be equalized by Audessey.

I like the setup and love the prices better. Got the Denon DVD-2900 for $36 and the Modus Music center for $70, so very good deal especially on the player (ironically, my S2500 cost me somewhere between $25-$45 last spring, and it sounds like a $700 DVD Player from the mid 2000s, as does the $999 original price tag for the Denon player; and how should a $700-$999 player from the late mid 2000s sound like? F'n bad ass! High end SACD/DVDA players from this era have a reputation for having some the best audio at some of the best prices. The Yamaha DVD-S2500 and Denon DVD-2900 WERE the Oppo 95/105 of the day.

I basically own a used Oppo 105 and a used 95 for $36 and $25 respectively. (well not quite, but you get the idea.

ALso gotta say these old school Wharfedale speakers are just awesome. THe amount of money I paid for the Diamond IV and 7.1s, Modus and DFS Dipoles was so tiny. Even the one sole bad buy, the one taken for a loss: the Wharfedale Sapphaire center was cheap (in price and quality): $25

The point of my rant wast to make me feel good about myself, but rather to get you guys, especially you high school/college age budding young audiophiles: scour Ebay, Google Shopping, Amazon, and Craigslist. You would be amazed at the kinds of deals you can find on really killer gear thats just a little old: the stuff still plays absolutely beautifully, but because a few generations of the design have just been released, the value of these go WAY WAY DOWN! Notice that I am only saying the price goes down, the quality of the gear is still top notch.

For example: At one point in my naive audio enthusiast career, I bought this HITB: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004SL4ADA back then it cost me a cool $350

I did some math:
Denon AVR-788 7.1 Ch Receiver with Audessey MultEQ and HDMI cost: $100
Wharfedale Diamond 7.1 Pair cost: $50
Wharfedale Modus Music Center cost: $70
Wharfedale WH2 Dipole Rears cost: $100
Total Cost: $320

Practically the same amount of money spent!!!! For those of us who are starving students, or just cant sink all kinds of money into gear, no matter your budget, you can some incredible stuff.

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