I have heard the Cambridge stuff of old. i have heard Oppo (of new)...and also read up on both. I cannot advise properly as i have not heard the Cambridge Audio new stuff...but i can say that very, very few people walk away from Oppo unimpressed...and it says a lot to me when MSB, Theta, and one other (Ayre?) as well as others are all using the Oppo blu-ray platform to build their SOTA blu-ray players. good luck. |
Isn't the Camebridge based off of the Oppo like the other manufactures do? |
It seems that I like to use extra "e"'s |
Both the Oppo and Cambridge are based off the new Mediatek SDK, a standardized product for high end blu-ray capabilities using advanced video scaler called the Marvell QDEO.
Mediatek license this design out to smaller firms so they do not have to reinvent the wheel by designing a new player from the ground up. Yes, this includes Oppo. PCB layout, rear ports, firmware and such is very similar, because they stick to the reference design.
Where they differ vastly is on the audio side. The 751BD essentially has the latest DacMagic built in for audio, while the Oppo-95 uses a Sabre DAC.
What Ayre and other manufacturers do is something totally different. They physically buy the Oppo players, then strip out the boards and mod them to make their own product. |
According to What Hi-Fi? magazine review (August 2011):
The Cambridge is meaty & crisp, the Oppo's detailed high and low frequencies bookend its expressive and informative midrange.
The Cambridge Audio player favors brawn and power while the Oppo trades some of that action-packed sonic weight for a more tonal balance. Add to that the Oppo's serious on-rack presence and the more intuitive remote. The 751BD, on the other hand, sounds more robust.
In our opinion, you can't really go wrong with either machine, hence both players walking away clutching a five-star rating. |
The Cambridge Audio Azur 751-BD is a better choice than the Oppo. Why? You will not find an open port with an exhaust cooling fan on the back of the 751-BD that's on the back of the Oppo BDP-95. The Oppo runs hotter than the
Cambridge Audio player. You don't have to worry about dust getting into the unit through the port hole when not in use. |
Agisthos,..DacMagic does not do analog out from the 751-BD.
Analog out is done from the five Wolfson WM 8740-24/192Khz
DAC'S. DacMagic is the name of Cambridge Audio's D/A convertor unit which is designed for Mac computer's and other streaming devices. DacMagic is not mentioned at all in the specifications of the 751-BD on Cambridge Audio's site. |
Audiozen, the DacMagic contains 2x wolfsen chips. One for each of it's 2 channels. The BD-751 contains 5x wolsen chips. One for each of it's five channels (you will only be using 2 for stereo).
The DacMagic uses ATF upsampling tehchology licensed from Anagram Technologies, which has now been renamed as 'Q5 upsampling'. Same thing in the BD751.
So you can see, the sonic signature of these devices will be much the same due to the use of common components and design.
DacMagic has the sonic advantage of a dedicated enclosure and power supply not shared with an optical player. And it also has the convenience of multiple digital inputs. |
I'm surprised that there haven't been any comparisons yet. I am definitely interested in knowing the real differences in PQ and SQ between these two affordable players. I am currently using a Marantz BD7003 and running the sound through a Cambridge Audio 840C, which to me ears is only somewhat better; no huge gain. I understand I may not acheive a noticably better SQ with the new players, but I'm wondering if the PQ will be significantly better than my current player. |
Hi,
Well, the Cambridge Audio was a player of some interest to me until I read, on Cambridge Audio's website that it has the AT Q5 192Khz "as featured in the Audio Magic DAC". I have owned a Cambridge Audio Audio Magic DAC... for a bout 3 weeks. Why only 3 weeks ? Because it sounded really bad to my ears...
On the opposite side, I have been lend a Sabre based DAC (the Moon 350D) by a dealer ! That was an amazing product...
So even though I have not heard those players (I currently own the Oppo BDP-93 NuForce Edition, and that sounds already really good !) I would recommend the Oppo. |
Well, has anybody compared these two yet? |
I just picked up the 751 today. I chose the 751 solely because of the fan noise complaints of the 95. However, I am thinking of ordering the 95 to do an AB comparison. So far I really like the 751 sound right out of the box. I got the 751 after returning the Sony 5400ES. It just was a little too bright for my system.
I'll update if I decide to get the 95. |
I am very interested to hear more about the player you bought and of course hope that you order the Oppo 95 and put them head to head. I'm not sure why it hasn't been done already. I'm sure the video in the two is probably very similar. Just wondering how the audio is between the two. This thread was started nearly six months ago and you'd think that this contest would have been repeated a number of times by now.
Palpitatn, please do tell us how it sounds on the different discs: bluray, CD, SACD, etc. |
I chose Oppo 95 due to proven numerous awards and awesome reviews. But another major reason was the dedicated XLR Stereo output.
One of the best upgrades I've done in my system! |
There is a review in HT Review I have two OPPO I just ordered a 751. link:http://hometheaterreview.com/ |
pretty much all of the AB comparison I've read, people are saying the OPPO 95 has strong bass and higher highs, so it's more "exciting" to listen to the OPPO, and the 751 has smoother, flatter freq response, and they can listen to it all day long without getting tired of it. So pick the one that fits your taste and setup. |
The 751 and 95 are different sounding only if you are using the DACS in the players. If you are doing youre processing through a processor or receiver you will not hear the difference because you will be using the DACs inside the processors. I do run a 751 analogue out and bypass the processing in my processor. I choice the 751 because I prefer the Wolfson DACs over the Sabre DACs. The 95 uses the Sabre 9018 DAC and I personally find this DAC too analytical. This is just my opinion and some of my friends with the 95 prefer the 95. IMHO I would not personally use either unit as a source for music because they are average at best compared to some serious sources. |
751 over oppo, two reasons:
1- 751 does not have a fan
2- I was not able to audition, see or touch the Oppo. Maybe it's just me but if I going to spend $1000, I want to hear and see it before buying.
My 751 is about 3 weeks old, and I am loving it. Mind you, it was a big step up from my previous player. But I can't compare it to the oppo since I never heard it. |
Penguinhifi, so you kept the Dacmagic 3 weeks because it sounded really bad to your ears? Then you got a Sabre dac and it sounded ''amazing''? Hard to believe such a polarizing and OPPOsite experience on those two excellent products for the money. How about re-doing the test but this time without those home-brew speakers and lamp-cord cables? |
I'm looking at either the Oppo BDP-95 or Cambridge Audio Azur players myself and the audio performance is the main criteria as apparently both have very similar video quality due to the platform they share.
This most recent review is the one I was waiting for and I'm sure will be useful to anyone else as it does include the direct comparison.
http://www.oppo-bluray.co.uk/UserFiles/Docs/PDF/HiFi_News_May_2012.pdf |
Thanks for sharing the link to the review. Not familiar with the Primare mentioned in the review, but at three or four times the cost, .... well. The Oppo sure looks good. |
Here's another review that compares the two players. Euro perspective
http://www.boa.hk/banner/oppo_95/DigitalVideoHT142_TEST_EN.pdf |
As Richardyc says, it's really a matter of what pleases your ear. I auditioned a 751 at a local dealer and promptly bought it because the sound was so musical, accurate, detailed and controlled. It's only a week old at this point, and I'm still putting it through its paces but so far I am thrilled with it. It's a huge step up from my previous player--a 10-year-old Sony CD/DVD/SACD player that worked like a trooper through a decade of heavy use, but was well past retirement age. Because the 751 is so honest and accurate, it will definitely show all the warts of your existing music collection--good discs sound great, bad ones sound, well, bad. |
