High Quality Universal Player??

For those considering a universal player, the Pioneer Elite BDP-88F is a contender. I just got a refurbished one from Accessories for Less at 50% off msrp. They are sold out now, but the BDP-88F shows up for sale there from time to time.

Initial impressions are very good, especially with SACD and DVD-Audio playback. With redbook, it is not as good as my file-based playback source (Mac Mini and Yamamoto YDA-01 dac), but I am still breaking the Pioneer in, and the Pioneer is still very enjoyable to listen to nonetheless. I haven't enjoyed optical disc playback this much since I sold my Sony XA5400ES player.

The Pioneer has at least two advantages over the Oppo 105D. First, it uses a much heavier transformer. The Pioneer weighs 29.5 pounds, versus the Oppo at 17.3 pounds. Second, the drawer mechanism is really nice, much better than that of the Oppo. It is smoother and very well damped. Both players use the same ES9018 ESS Sabre 32 bit chip. Having had both players in my room, I prefer the Pioneer’s fuller bodied, weightier, sound. It is more reminiscent of the Sony player that I once had.

The Pioneer does have two USB inputs, one in the front and one in the back, and one can access a server with the 88FD to play files from the server. I am not a Tidal subscriber, and I am not sure if one can get Tidal with the 88FD currently. I am guessing not currently, but Pioneer has begun to support Tidal in the past year or so for some of their AV receivers. The 88FD is updateable.

Rwwear - With respect to the Oppo UDP-205, I am considering it, too. I actually bought the Pioneer for my living room, but I have been very impressed with it in my main audio system as a disc player. I am waiting to read owner impressions on the UDP-205’s audio performance. It seems it will have the newest, and presumably best, ESS Sabre dac. I just wanted to put the Pioneer in the mix for the consideration of others who are researching universal players. It really is a nice player for optical disc playback. For a point of reference, I have owned the aforementioned Sony, a Modwright Oppo 83-SE, an Audio Aero Capitole, a Cary 306/200, and a Naim 5i.

milpai -

It seems Oppo is playing this one close to the vest. I am eager to see the 205's specifications (and price).

jafant -

I ripped all of my cd's onto a hard drive via my Mac Mini, and found that I liked the sound, and especially the convenience, of my file playback system well enough to sell the Sony. I still have SACD's and DVD-A discs which I have not figured out how to rip, so I need a universal player to play those discs. The Sony is a wonderful sounding player and a good value at its used price, in my opinion.