I paid for one that was “in stock” through Magnolia Design Center in April only to be told they were not really in stock. Magnolia offered to keep my money in hopes of fulfilling my order one day. I declined, put my name on the Oppo wait list and have one to be delivered tomorrow. I put my name on the list around the second week in April and as I understand Oppo is notifying based on seniority on the list.
That makes sense then, I registered for one sometime early April so likely just working through the list by date/time. Sure there will be a few drop out. I don't think anyone has any idea just how many more they have committed to but I am guessing from all the interest shown it will be a substantial amount.
Still nothing, and I've been on the list since April 22nd. I own two other Oppo's as well. I guess customer loyalty only means something if you own high-dollar Italian sports cars.
Hang in there audiostick as it sounds like they have only just started and in early part of April orders so far. You are 3rd to 4th week April depending how you look at it so still could be a lot of people before you.
I would think not many will know that answer as vast majority here in same boat of waiting for a 205. However just going off the specifications it should be superior as it has dedicated 2 channel dacs , balanced 2 channel outputs etc.I believe.
Just like the 95vs93 and 105vs103 but hopefully on an even greater magnitude.
What is worst that happens if you are not impressed? You resell it again with extreme ease!
Good news for me too! Notified by OPPO yesterday that I can claim a 205 if I want, I immediately confirmed my interest and plunked down my credit card. This morning I was notified I can pick up my OPPO from their facility today. So off I go to collect my much desired 205.
(Living local to OPPO saved me shipping fees but it sure cost me a lot in sales tax fees!)
Whoo Hooo! I just received my 6 I ordered. Well, when you have 6 different households, you know... Only "1 per household". After this last allotment is gone, I will sell these for a substantial profit to purchase my 7th house. Just kidding. My BDP95 flamed out 2 weeks after they announced "Farewell". I will be grateful to get one 205. My confirmation E-mail came May 9, so maybe in another week or so.
I spoke with customer service and was told they couldn't tell me how far up or down the list I am. I received my confirmation email on May 9 as well. They told me they are all sold out of this batch but 3or 4 more shipments are due in between now and August.
I have read a couple mention confirmation email at a later date. Pretty sure I got my confirmation email just days after I registered so in April sometime I would say. Maybe that is what they are working off for prioritizing shipments? Hope you do get one!
Lots of scalping going on. Right here on the Audiogon site there is a brand new, boxed 203 selling for 1000.00 and a 205 for 1995.00 I hate that hobbyists feel the need to rip others off.
I owned an UDP-205 and it proved to be defective out of the box. I returned it for a refund. Then subsequently, I heard that OPPO was ending its production of this line of goods, but honoring their warranties. Frankly, most people don’t give enough weight to a company’s behavior before making such a significant dollar purchase. I view the abandonment of the sale of a complete line of goods as a sign of what may come.
Even with digital products, that usually work right out of the box and long thereafter, it’s nice to have a company maintain their level of tech support even when they discontinue a line of product. While I certainly wish the best for a long-lived experience for any of you who purchased and are enjoying their products, I view the elimination of their tech support phone number as a real negative. Email-only support is for the birds. If your player begins to act squirrelly despite a factory reset or firmware refresh, as mine did, email-only support could require a time-consuming written analysis by YOU to describe, in detail, the what, where, and how of the malfunction, and the reiteration of the numerous steps in the process of elimination OPPO has you go through before they settle on the fact that the unit needs service.
I have seen this with other "high-end" audio products. I’ll never forget back in the early 1980s, a company in Reseda, California called Quatre manufactured the Quatre Gain Cell, a great-sounding amp I used to run my Maggies MG-2As. The amp cooked itself and was replaced "thankfully," but the new one only lasted two weeks. Tech support had regular phone hours, then hours just a few days/week, then no hours at all. Quatre went under and I had a 45-pound paperweight. Not comparing them to OPPO, but I’m just pointing out that tech support is very important and that the elimination of OPPO phone support is likely NOT a coincidence. Caveat emptor.
If I remember correctly I am sure OPPO stated they were going to continue with a 5 year support period of their disc players, tech support and parts. Don’t forget OPPO are NOT going out of business, far from it, they are just concentrating on the side that makes the most profit which is cellular. You may not see many oppo phones in the USA but elsewhere they are huge.
Still would not surprise me if somebody did not buy the rights to the disc spinner side and resurface at a later date. All this panic and gouging for a 205 could be for naught!
Thank you for this thread. It’s nice to see that I’m not alone in waiting to hear about the chance to purchase a 205. I was fortunate to be able to purchase a 203 from Oppo at the end of May. But I also put my name on the list for a 205 in late May, and I have yet to receive notification for purchase.
While I take coyotesx5’s point, I still think it’s worth trying to obtain a 205 directly from Oppo. (Yes, the prices for 205s elsewhere ARE ludicrous and more than I’d be willing to risk, for the reasons coyotesx5 raises.) The only other comparable option for me to do better than my 203 (or a 205) for playing SACDs and DSD downloads through my McIntosh MAC 6700 seems to be something like a McIntosh MVP901 (more than quadruple the price of an Oppo 205 and a risk, given the price AND the troubles that McIntosh seemed to have with the MVP901’s predecessor). Otherwise, I’d have to look at a dedicated SACD player with analog outputs (e.g., a Yamaha CD-S2100), which would offer a tech support phone number for potential problems down the road. As the Yamaha wouldn’t allow the use of an external hard drive (no USB A input) for playing my (mostly PCM) download files and I don’t wish to use a computer to play download files, I’d continue using the Oppo 203 to play PCM files through the coax input of my McIntosh MAC6700. But my experience with Yamaha’s tech support hasn’t left me feeling very encouraged about the thought of Yamaha for a dedicated SACD player. Others, though, cost even more.
I wish I’d foreseen all of this before I started buying SACDs and DSD downloads. For now, I’m likely to curtail purchasing these and opt for PCM downloads of hi-res recordings. I’m very much enjoying the 203, but I’ll also continue waiting to see if my name comes up on the list for an Oppo 205.
I also just received an invitation from Oppo, in my name only, to purchase a 205. The offer is not transferable. It appears they are doing their final production run in batches, beginning now and probably ending by August. So if you put your name on the waiting list this spring, be patient and watch for an email from Oppo.
The 205 will be replacing my 7-year old 95. I’m hopeful the “improved” transport and the use of the latest ESS 9038 DAC chip will result in a better audio experience with CDs and SACDs.
Received my Oppo 205. updated firmware 0115 and 0118. Streaming Tidal MQA from iMac. Showing MQA. Many MQA are 96k/24bit. Sound is so airy and image so clear. Challenge my SACD collection. Can’t beat for its price $1299. If you can still get one, go for it. Even if is $2000 eBay price, still worth it.
coyotesx5 I am unsure of purchasing expensive speakers $50K to $60K because if a driver fails, it maybe irreplaceable if the manufacturer goes out of business. The three I'm considering are von Schweikert VR55K, Einstein and Lumenswhites. Companies like Bryston and B&W or Harmon Group products have major company sales including professional so they will probably always be around. Audio Research and McIntosh, also major names, were sold to conglomerates too. I'm just worried about making big ticket purchases from small companies. Oppo fits into the small company realm. I'd rather purchase an Esoteric (Teac) SACD player DV60 for Blu ray and SACD and let my TV upscale to 4K.
It breaks my heart to read about people who bought a uber expensive amp or something from a 1 man operation, only to have the person die or go out of business and leave the hobbyist with a very expensive piece of junk.
I had 3 different Audible Illusions Modulus preamps from 1992 to 2015, and my main reason for going with other equipment was because Art Ferris is semi retired and the factory (probably 3 people at most) is even slower than it was in their heydays. The equipment is too expensive to take a big hit.
Thank you for the reassurance, boucher. Being patient will be a bit easier, given that I at least have a new 203 to enjoy in the meantime. And it does a very nice job with SACDs and DSD files, as well as with feeding PCM files to my receiver's DAC. Congrats on your 205 purchase invitation! I hope you'll let us know how the 205 works out for you.
Esoteric/Teac was part of the Gibson group but in that case, the holding company broke up in bankruptcy and Esoteric/Teac reclaimed independence despite being totally autonomous from the Gibson group in all aspects of its operations. Cerwin-Vega, Stanton and Onkyo remained in a new, Gibson Pro Audio Group located less than a mile from my home.
As with other players, the 203 can only play SACDs through HDMI or RCA analog outs. My receiver doesn't have HDMI inputs, so I play SACD through RCA analog outs and CDs through the players coax out (to my receiver's DAC).
Happy to report, no ELATED to report, that after notification from Oppo on Wednesday, I was able fo pick up my new 205 on Friday. Video picture is dramatically improved compared to my old Oppo 83SE, and it sounds great. yay!
I gave up. I got screwed by best buy, having prepaid for one, waited for about three months, only to be informed last week that they can't get any more. I'm totally bummed, because they kept me on the hook thinking I would be purchasing one from them, and wasted valuable time instead of getting on the Oppo digital website where I would have had a better chance. Thanks Best Buy.
@ jonasandezekiel I would still try to get one from Oppo if I were you. Nobody knows how many they're making, or if somebody that signed up, doesn't take one.
I am still waiting and received a confirmation E-mail in early May. There are a few allotments still coming.
Yes, definitly get your name on that list. I signed-up in late April and received my offer to purchase at the end of June as promised. It was a long two months, but well worth the wait.
This is my third Oppo, and the unboxing experience alone is unlike any other component I have owned. They really know how to package and present. I will miss that.
For those of you still waiting, set some time aside when you receive yours and enjoy the experience.
Just a quick update... I put my name on the list for an Oppo UDP-205 back in late May and just received my offer today. I immediately made the purchase and just received the tracking information about an hour ago. What a great way to begin this holiday weekend! After all I've read and heard, I'm confident that it will have been worth the three months that I've waited. If you've had your name on the list for a few months and are still waiting, then just remain patient.
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