Oppo UDP - 205

I placed my order last week and expect to receive it 5/6.

They had this at the AXPONA this year. I lifted it and the weight was substantial. Hoping that this is better than the 105D that it replaces.

I wonder if they will have a firmware update for  HDMI 2.1

it looks like about a year wait

I was on an Oppo list and scheduled to receive a 205 4/28, then I decided to wait for a silver 205.  An email from Oppo informed me that there had been little demand for silver 105s, and it's not clear that Oppo will offer a silver 205.  So yesterday I reordered a 205.  I was surprised to receive notification from FedEx that delivery is scheduled for 4/28, my birthday.

The 205 will be a black thorn among silver Ayre 5-series components and a Sony HAP-Z1ES.

db

Can you play Tidal through the 205 like you can on the 105?   I went to the oppo website but could not find anything on it.  Thanks

Ozzy,
Did you compare the "audio only" of the Oppo with a CDP? Please share your findings.

dbphd,
Happy Birthday to you! Please share your comparisons of this player with the rest of the players in your system.

milpai, I will try to do so, but the other player in that system is an Ayre C-5xeMP, a high bar.  The preamp is an Ayre K-5xeMP, the amp a VX-5 Twenty.  The balanced Ayre audio chain seems to have some magic, but I have high hopes for the 205.

db 

I use a 4K Sony 65 XBR 850 as a monitor in the setup in which the 205 will replace a 105.  In anticipation, I bought a couple of 4K movies a couple of months ago.  But having taken a peek at 4K using Fire TV, I'm not sure I'll perceive much improvement over the already excellent 1080p -- or it may be that the Sony upscales everything to 4K.

db

@dbphd ,
Yes do you have excellent source, no doubt about that. And your system is also on the higher end. If anything, it should reveal any deficiencies in the Oppo or any advantages that it has. But it is this feedback from "users" that I trust rather than paid advertisements.
So will surely look forward to hearing your opinion on this player.

I am holding out for silver. I've already complained to management.

Detailed audio impressions anyone? Considered purchasing, but would love to hear how tidal, red book and sacd sound...

Their website shows buy now for the price of USD 1299. I checked with the Asia distributor, it's not rolled out yet for Asian market. I noticed it's a dual voltage unit sold in North America and wonder if I purchase it there and use in Asia, would it be a zone restriction? :)

No silver 205's are planned, according to Oppo.  Also Darbee is at least 2 years away if they do it at all.  If you have a silver 105D it's value just went up....I think an Oppo 105D will stream 4K so you may not need a 205 of any color, the way things are going.....

No silver 205's are planned, according to Oppo.  Also Darbee is at least 2 years away if they do it at all.  If you have a silver 105D it's value just went up....The Oppo 105D will stream 4K with a Roku stick in its HDMI ports so you may not need a 205 of ANY color, the way things are going.....

Before you get too excited about 4K, do the research on screen resolution vs seating distance.  Those 4K screens, showing 4K media,  look gorgeous in the showroom when you are three feet away.  No one sits that close in their homes.  So, unless you are viewing an 80 to 100" image from a 4K projector, it is unlikely that there will be any perceived resolution improvement over 1080p at realistic seating distances.  HDR, an accompanying feature in most 4K TVs, may or may not turn out to be a big deal; will have to wait that out.

Until then, I'll remain happy with my kick-ass Oppo BDP-105D.

I got my OPPO UDP-205 last night and had some time to spend with it and listen to some familiar tracks.  I know it's brand new and it didn't have enough time to burn in but I was already very impressed.  I used analog outs and connected it directly via XLRs to my incredibly good Golden Maraschino Cherry amps made by Digital Amplifier Company and down the road to KEF Blades 2.  The interconnects and speaker cables are Serious Technologies Graphene Extreme.  I am familiar with OPPO and it is probably my 5th or 6th player (following the evolution).  Two of them were highly modified by Modwright.  I can already tell that this one is a winner and will probably stay with me for a very long time.

I played Blu-reys of Legends of Jazz and the 2nd movement of Beethoven's 7th using the 105 then the 205.  The 205 provided more of a sense of transparency than the 105, the mids in particular seeming more open.  It's a sound I could live with easily.

I played Waltz for Debby SACD, a CD of Corelli concertos, and DVD-A of Pet Sounds using the Ayre C-5exMP and 205.  The 205 closes the gap with the Ayre substantially compared to the 105, but doesn't match its sense of transparency nor its depth of sound stage.  The 205 doesn't quite get to that intangible sense of listening to music that's just there, i.e., not being reproduced.  The big surprise was Pet Sounds.  Played with the Ayre it has an amazing sense of depth, but seemed flat with the 205.  I tried the video side of the disc with no improvement in sound but a display of lyrics for those who like to sing along.

The 205 is a very nice sounding disc player that lacks the magic of the Ayre.  It is a substantial improvement over the 105.  Of course I can't play Blu-rey discs on the Ayre, but the sound of Blue-reys using the 205 is so good I needn't look elsewhere.  Fortunately, that's the purpose of the Oppos in my setups.  

dbphd,
So the Oppo is not a giant killer after all. But looks like it can get get you so much closer to the mega priced dedicated CD players at a much smaller outlay. Would like to hear your opinion after a few hundred hours. May be the burn-in will get the player a notch up?

Just set up my OPPO 205, half way through a blue ray movie everything froze, the picture and all controls on oppo. Had to unplug it to restart. Not sure what this means, the disc was brand new. Replayed the disk without further such episodes. Played the disk without any initial setup, factory settings. Has anyone had this happen on prior versions 105/103? 

milpai, before I moved the Ayre C-5xeMP to the living room, it had been the stereo player along with an Esoteric SA-60 for surround in the HT/music room.  They both used a Parasound JC 2 BP preamp and JC 1 monoblocks driving a pair of KEF Reference 107/2s.  But when I play stereo using the SA-60 -- its now the only alternate to a silver 105D, it gets very close but doesn't quite reach that uncanny sense of music just being there the Ayre provides.  Nothing in my previous post should denigrate the 205.  It's an excellent CD/SACD and superb Blu-ray player.

db

I've been surprised that I can appreciate UHD from Fire TV and a Blu-ray even on the relatively small screen of a 65 XBR 850.  I'll buy a few more UHD Blu-rays if I can find anything of interest, and I'll move the unused Apple TV to the living room.  The UHD compatible HDMI switch seems to function as advertised.  A remote lets you select one of three inputs and one of two outputs.  IIRC, it was only about $50!

db 

Just set up my OPPO 205, half way through a blue ray movie everything froze, the picture and all controls on oppo. Had to unplug it to restart. Not sure what this means, the disc was brand new. Replayed the disk without further such episodes. Played the disk without any initial setup, factory settings. Has anyone had this happen on prior versions 105/103?

Yes, others have reported this type of issue.
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/149-blu-ray-players/2821841-official-oppo-udp-205-uhd-blu-ray-player-o...

I compared my Oppo 205 to my old Denon Blu Ray player that weighs 45 pounds with a much  beefier power supply. I connected HDMI to my Classe processor and found on Blu ray concerts like Michael Bubbley and others the Denon was more open and less s sounds in voice. I don't know if break in will change this as I'm using the converters in the Classe.

If the connection is HDMI, the Classe is doing the DAC for either player.  I'm surprised you would observes such a difference.

db

is the Ayre still $6,000?

Yes, I am holding out for a silver too. I also don't want to buy until a darbee comes out if at all which I'm not sure where that leaves me.

If you reading oppo please put these into your consideration!

Folks who got this player, what is your conclusion? Giant killer or a regular CDP? Any comparisons to the latest standalone SACD players?

I recently connected the 205 to the Ayre K-5xeMP via balanced analog.  The sound is now very close to that of the Ayre C-5xeMP, i.e., superb stereo.  For this particular pairing, balanced makes a difference despite Oppo's claim that XLR and RCA outputs should sound identical.  Ayre emphasizes fully balanced and zero feedback design, so my experience may not generalize to preamps or processors of other manufacturers.

db

Folks who got this player, what is your conclusion? Giant killer or a regular CDP? Any comparisons to the latest standalone SACD players?

My conclusion and that of many others (http://www.avsforum.com/forum/149-blu-ray-players/2821841-official-oppo-udp-205-uhd-blu-ray-player-o...) is the device is spectacular in every way. Overall value monetarily and comparatively speaking makes it a must have unit for anyone, especially those who also desire great video.

On the audio only side, I'd venture to say the Sabre DAC and the rest of the analog circuit can produce reference sound quality when used in a resolving system.

Well I have had the Oppo 205 for a few months now and conclude it is the best "swiss army knife" player ever made. 4K movies are amazing! Surround sound analog from the Oppo with these movies is quite impressive
For music, the cool thing is even with my 4TB external hard drive connected to my Bryston BDP-2 the Oppo picks it up from my router and can play the music through the Oppo outputs. The only draw back is I must turn on my 85" UHD Samsung to access the track listings. There appears to be no way to access the Oppo wirelessly through my laptop.
I think there is an app for a cell phone but with my vision I probably couldn’t read it.
ozzy

I hope it sounds better than Oppo's Sonica DAC, although I see no reason that it should:

http://www.whathifi.com/oppo/sonica-dac/review

Dave

Ozzy,

I realize it's off-topic, but how do you like the 85" UHD Samsung?

db

Thanks @dbphd, @gdhal and @ozzy.
What would you guys do, if you set a budget of $11k and had to buy a pair of loudspeaker and a disc player. Which of the following would you purchase:
1. $6k loudspeaker and $4.5k disc spinner
OR
2. $10k loudspeaker and the Oppo UDP-205?

I have been told that instead of going with the Oppo, I should go with some high end player from either Marantz, Luxman or Esoteric. Confusion sets in easily, when you are presented with too many options.

@milpai 

You're welcome.

It's easy for me to answer your question by choosing option 2. I already have the UDP-205 for a few months now, and tomorrow I expect to receive my pair of Golden Ear Triton Reference speakers.

dbphd,

I bought the Samsung 85" 4K a couple of years ago. (Cost $10,000 then but they are about $1000 less now).
Recently I purchased the Samsung evolution kit bringing it up to current status including deep blacks and color. Wow, its like a new set! So, I would assume that the newer models already have these features installed.
I will say it takes a little effort to get the settings right. New from the box or in the stores everything is peaked for a bright picture. But once you get it locked in its impressive.
I also found that Monoprice certified 4K HDMI cables to be better than the other $$$ cables from Wireworld.

milpai,

I would also go for option #2. Spend more money on your speakers.

ozzy

Option 2.

db

Thank You @gdhal, @ozzy ,@dbphd . Your feedback is much appreciated. You have added value to my decision making.

I wonder how the modwright modded Oppo 205 would sound or perform against the Ayre players. Just curious. Cause I've heard from a lot of people that a heavily modded modwright Oppo 105 is substantially better than a stock Oppo 105. 

dlcockrum,

I read the review that you referred to "Sonica Dac".
First off, the reviewer doesn’t state what actual dac’s are in it.
Second, it doesn’t show if they are using the digital or analog outs.
Third, he doesn’t state the equipment he used it with.
So, that review is suspect and would not necessary apply to the newer Oppo 205.

ozzy

Hi Ozzy,

Facts first: The Sonica DAC uses the same DAC chip as the 205 - the ESS ES9038 PRO Sabre DAC .The 205 uses two - but here is the fatal flaw IMO - instead of using the two ESS DAC chips in a dual mono config as some of the better players/DACs out there using the same two chips,  Oppo chose to use one for two channel and one for multi-channel, so the two channel mode see no improvement from the second chip beyond what the Sonica provides.

Another review of the Sonica DAC (http://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews/dac/oppo-digital-sonica-dac-review/) substantiates that the 205 uses the same digital hardware, power supply,  and architecture as the Sonica DAC and goes further to state that they anticipate that the Sonica DAC will "have the edge" in sound quality since the 205 shares the same circuitry, but with addition of the video, multi-channel circuitry in the single chassis drawing on the same power supply and possibly introducing noise to the two channel circuitry. That makes sense to me.

As to the validity of the whathifi reviewer's opinion, who knows.There are no reviews of either product by what I consider to be the more highly-regarded audiophile publications (I have to wonder why that is given all the buzz about Oppo in the past), only home theater publications. I suspect that the rapid acceleration of the sound quality of many digital two-channel products, new and older brands, has caught up to and surpassed Oppo and they are content to be the choice brand of home theater aficionados for the present. Nothing wrong with that, but it does speak to the Oppos competitiveness when two-channel sound quality is the main goal IMO. 

The good news is that the 205 is, by all accounts, a fine home theater product (video and multichannel) and has what looks to be a first class transport mechanism, so it could be ideal for use in a mixed home theater/multichannel and two channel system WITH the addition of one of the plethora of fine two-channel DACs out there.

Ozzy, I have known you for a long time via this forum (all the way back to your SR days) and have great respect for your experience and hearing prowess. I suggest you consider trying a great two-channel DAC fed from your 205's transport and see what you think then.

Best to you Ozzy,
Dave

dlcockrum,
Yes, you make a very good point regarding implementation of DAC chips but the Sabre is an 8-channel part. So, four channels of the Sabre are stacked (paralleled) for both the left and right stereo outputs from one chip not two chips. That was how the Oppo 95 was configured and most but not all other Sabre DACs. Now for 105 and I believe 205 Sabre chip breaks down as, one pair of DAC channels feeds the RCA stereo outputs, a second pair feeds the stereo XLR balanced outputs, and two pairs are stacked for the headphone output. The second chip like you said is used for RCA analog output jacks.

@dlcockrum 

Would just like to point out, given your concern with the DAC, that the Sabre ES9038PRO is also used in a $9,000 Ayre component, and I do not believe (although perhaps I'm mistaken) it is implemented any differently than the $1,300 Oppo. Again, no disrespect, just pointing it out.

http://www.audioxpress.com/article/ayre-acoustics-adopts-ess-sabre-es9038pro-dac-on-new-qx-5-twenty-...

http://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1059-ayre-acoustics-qx5-twenty-digital-to-...

10K for a Dac using of the Shelf Chips?

maybe look into Playback Design Merlot Dac, It runs circles arround my Oppo 205.