? about oppo

Dwhitt,

I waited for some other responders to reply first because I was the person who recommended the Oppo/powered speaker setup in response to your previous post.

As you already know, I use an Oppo player connected directly to a pair of powered speakers (Quad 12L Actives) and I use the remote controlled digital volume control on the Oppo to control system volume. My Oppo is highly modified by Ric Shultz at EVS (www.tweakaudio.com), so I can't comment on the sound of a stock Oppo.

For the money, I don't think you can beat the Oppo, especially if you consider all of the additional functionality built into them. They are truely Universal players and will play everything, except Blue-Ray/HD-DVD. They also have nice features, like the built-in volume control, not found on other players.

I like Oppo and stand firmly by the recommendation.

Concerning your question:

why would anybody buy a thousand dollar player

Oppo is not sold in retail stores or advertised widely, so the vast majority of consumers are totally unaware of the brand. They only see the mass market stuff, so they don't buy Oppo. If they want "the best", they are sold high dollar units from Denon, Sony, Pioneer, etc. Personally I think the inexpensive Oppos are as good, and often better, than the big dollar DVD/universal players from the big name manufacturers.

The one thing the Oppos lack is massively overbuilt build-quality. They look and feel more like inexpensive low-end units from the major manufactuers. Even some of their "features" make them feel cheaper. Oppo list the flexible plastic used on the drawer as a "feature" saying it's flexible nature prevents it from being accidently broken if some pressure is placed on it. I agree, it serves that purpose, however some people feel its just cheap manufacturing.

My suggestion is this: Go to www.Oppo.com and read their description of each of their 3 current models. Once you decide which one to try, buy it on Amazon.com to get the free shipping. Try it in your home (using just the TV connection for now) to see if you like the video, audio, funtionality, build quality, etc., of the Oppo. If you don't like it, send it back to Amazon. If you do like it, go ahead and buy a pair of quality powered speakers and you are set.

Later on, if you decide you want to upgrade the sound quality you are getting, send the Oppo off to Ric Shultz at EVS and have it mod'd. IMHO the sound quality will be at least as good as any sub $1000 dedicated CD player (mabe even a lot better) plus it will play DVD, SACD, DVD-A, HDCD.

Enjoy,

TIC

G4M,

Thanks for correcting my Oppo URL mistake.

The 20 volume steps could be an issue for many people depending on the gain of their amp. In my case, I can simply turn down the gain of the amps (volume control on each speaker's built-in amps), so each click of the volume control on the Oppo does not create such a large jump in volume.

Let us know how you like the 983. Who's mod'ing it for you?

TIC

Flrnlamb,

I'm pretty much in complete agreement with you. In a highly resolving system, the sonic attributes of a high quality dedicated music player will usually be pretty obvious to a crtical listener.

However, in a moderate system, if you have a moderate budget or have limited shelf space, an Oppo might be the best choice.

And finally, concerning your comments about having an Oppo mod'd, I bought an Oppo 970H with level 2 mods by Ric Shultz at EVS (www.tweakaudio.com). It rendered my expensive dedicated CD player unnecessary as it was very close in sound quality for redbook playback, plus it played SACD, DVD and DVD-A. I was able to free up valuable shelf space and put about $2000 back into my audio slush fund.....

Enjoy,

TIC