I know the engineers from both companies and they do not share the same platform! They are completely different set ups. both are great sounding DVD/ CD Players. |
Douglas, the CA 751 is using the same base as the Oppo 93 but swaps out the ESS/Cirrus DAC for their own Wolfson DAC stage. |
Pretty much all the big box type Blu-Rays have some drawbacks. Oppo has it all. If all you want to do is play Blu-Ray and bitstream the new HD audio formats to a receiver, a lot of the main stream players will work fine. The Oppo is typically better at upscaling DVD, at playing SACD, DVD-A, etc. One feature I love is the ability to zoom by 1.1 or 1.2, which allows you to fill more of the screen with little loss of detail on good Blu Ray. Pretty much everything in the $100 to $500 range that is not an Oppo is a compromise. But if you do not need the flexibility of the Oppo, then a lot of the big one ones will be the basics. Kia versus BMW, but with a small price difference rather than the big one for the BMW. If you are really serious about video and audio, wait the week for delivery of the real deal. You are not going to get a cheapo Blu Ray and a separate CD/SACD/DVD-A for $500 that compares to the Oppo, unless you go deep into the use market. |
Since you seem content to accept second best, look at the one's you've mentioned, i.e. denon, marantz. Those are the brands you're likely to find locally. You can probably get the Oppo with fee shipping from Oppo and have it in a couple of days. Why so impatient? |
With the 103 and 105, you also get very useful streaming features. |
The Oppo 103 is only 500$ new. And Oppo is the ONLY product I know of that has never had a discouraging word spoken about it. From what I have read on the Video sites, their gurus say blu-ray is blu-ray, so the differences to look for are the feature set and the Audio. Everyone praises the Audio on the Oppo. And as a plus, it's very well built. Most blu-ray only players are very flimsy. So you get blu-ray and a SACD player in the same package. Seems to be a good deal. Great customer service also.
Cheers |
Mediatek is an OEM supplier that provides the platform for the OPPO BDP-95 and Cambridge Audio Azur 751BD. Both use the same Mediatek chipset. This should explain things better:
http://hometheaterreview.com/cambridge-audio-azur-751bd-blu-ray-universal-player-reviewed/
Bill |
12-29-12: Douglas_schroeder:::
Doggiehowser, I don't know where you're getting the idea that
the Cambridge player is based on the Oppo. That's not my
understanding; I reviewed the 840C for Dagogo.com and have
owned it. He may have been referring to the 650BD which shares some DNA with the Oppo. See www.stereophile.com/musicintheround/music_in_the_round_ 43/index.html and click on the footnote referring to Mediatek. |
Roccl,
Yea, sorry I did not word that right. What I really want to do is buy new, and local this weekend if possible. And just wondering if there was anything other than Oppo that is really good. I need something that does good on both movies & music. I could get a nice cdp and one of the million slim line El cheapo bluray players, but really want a good all in one box solution if possible. |
Technically Oppo and Cambridge use the same Mediatek platform. There are a number of threads on this, but "Agisthos" appears to have a good handle on this in this thread:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1314367322&openfrom&2&4#2 |
Doggiehowser, I don't know where you're getting the idea that the Cambridge player is based on the Oppo. That's not my understanding; I reviewed the 840C for Dagogo.com and have owned it. My understanding is that they use the Analogue Devices chips which are 24/192, not the ESS chips.
I think someone has given you bad information. |
There are about a dozen Oppo 93/95's on AudiogoN right now.
As a minor thread hijack, does anyone know of a "high end" universal player that isn't a rebadge of one form or another? |
" and love Oppo but they are hard to find other than new,"
Sorry but there is a ton of barely used OPPO for sale in Audiogon........ |
My friend upgraded from the Oppo BDP83 to the Cambridge.
I bought his Oppo, I'm very happy with it.
The Cambridge he has does not have a dimmable display.
The Oppo players do. This is important to me. |
Thanks Doggiehowser,
I did not know Cambridge was an Oppo based player. I'll look into it tomorrow as I think I have a local Cambridge dealer. |
Other Oppo based players from Electrocompaniet, Cambridge Audio? |
Nobody?? Nothing out there as good as the Oppo for the money?? |
