Now that Oppo is dead, which universal player is a good one?

[restorer-john]

...I just started getting more into SACDs; sucker for a lost cause...

I've got my various DAT machines out at the moment. Love that format too.

 

[tmtomh]

There is a Yamaha Blu-ray/"almost universal" (lol) player for around $500, model BD-A1060. It won't play DVD-A, but otherwise supports quite a laundry list of discs. It has stereo analogue outputs, both RCA and balanced XLR. For multichannel SACD, it has to go out via HDMI to a compatible DAC or AVR, whereas OPPO had multichannel analogue outputs. But even very expensive SACD players seem to be restricted to stereo on their analogue outputs these days, unlike my old Denon DVD-2910 which is still going strong after 14 years of use.

https://hometheaterhifi.com/reviews...aha-bd-a1060-universal-blu-ray-player-review/


https://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio_visual/blu-ray_players/bd-a1060/features.html#product-tabs

Edited to add: No USB input, and it does not play UHD Blu-ray discs, it only upscales to 4K. It does play 3D Blu-ray discs, though, for any who have those.

The Yamaha BD-A1060 doesn't officially support DVD-A, but multiple user reports indicate that it does actually play DVD-As just fine.

The A1060 is basically an Oppo 103 minus the multichannel analogue outputs. It's approx $500, does HD but not 4k, universal disc player, even nearly identical form factor. Not a bad unit - although like so many other Oppo alternatives, it's a little bit of a platypus: Doesn't do 4K for hardcore videophiles, and while it might be no slouch audio-wise, it's not engineered for truly high-end audio (in other words, it's pitched as a peer to the Oppo '03 line rather than the more audio-centric '05 line).

 

[tmtomh]

You are exactly right and that is the reason for which Oppo pulled out from the player industry.

I am now replacing my Oppo 105, of which I do not use its audio capability anymore, with a 203.

I did the same thing, but the converse: I replaced my Oppo 105 with a 205 (actually, two 205s - I hope to have at least one of them remain functional for many years to come!). But the 205 makes/made sense only for certain use scenarios, specifically a one-box solution to provide async USB DAC input and unrestricted playback of SACD and DVD-A discs.

The Oppo 205 - and the 105 before it - certainly was the best fit for a relatively narrow group of users. But at the same time, my view is that this group was not quite as narrow as some people claim, mainly because in addition to providing so many audio functions, the 205 in particular also has a first-rate DAC and very nice analogue section. You can do better than the 205 audio-wise, but there's a bit fat asterisk to that claim, which is that you can't do much better sonically than the 205 and retain all that functionality unless you spend a lot more money than the 205 cost.

 

[Sal1950]

I just started getting more into SACDs; sucker for a lost cause... It has so much promise but just doesn't seem to get traction.

Thing is everything SACD does, the BluRay can do more and better of. But SACD the darling of the audiophile crowd who believe in the magic of DSD so that's where the vast majority of multich audio recordings are released. Niche market of a niche market, A shame in many ways.

 

[tmtomh]

Thing is everything SACD does, the BluRay can do more and better of. But SACD the darling of the audiophile crowd who believe in the magic of DSD so that's where the vast majority of multich audio recordings are released. Niche market of a niche market, A shame in many ways.

I prefer SACD for one very simple - and perhaps to some folks very silly - reason: I don't need to have a monitor to use it. My main audio system and my TV/video system are in separate parts of my home (I have a listening room that's my own space; and then there's a TV room that's shared space). So I like that I can just pop in an SACD and there's no menu to navigate. Even most DVD-A discs can be navigated blind, because their menus are very simple (or in some cases nonexistent). But not Blu-Rays.

 

[m8o]

As the standard bearer in the field, how can this happen? It can't be a lack of business. Does anyone know the back-story of what happened with them? (not the press releases, but what went unsaid in them)

 

[graz_lag]

As the standard bearer in the field, how can this happen? It can't be a lack of business. Does anyone know the back-story of what happened with them? (not the press releases, but what went unsaid in them)

The French importers, who're quite upsets of course, were explaining that Oppo A/V division, which was/still based in California, was not anymore considered as strategic as it was before over the smartphone division, which is a 100% Chinese based operation instead.

Was the A/V not bringing enough/expected profit ?
Maybe ...
For sure the sales of UDPs were declining, was the huge R&D not bringing anymore a viable ROI ?
Maybe ...

 

[DonH56]

Oppo is big in the Chinese cellphone market. The audio group we knew and loved was only a tiny part and just not worth the investment. Or so I've been told.

 

[JJB70]

I could see why they might pull the plug on their disc players as the market moves more towards online content on demand but they had established themselves as a top class headphone manufacturer, their Sonica products were very well regarded and their portable DAC/headphone amplifiers had a strong following. I will miss their headphones, beautifully made and wonderful sound quality.

 

[Frank Dernie]

I got a Sony UBP-X1000ES thrown in with a new Sony projector. It is tiny has stereo analogue outputs and effectively replaced an Oppo 105.
Digital connection is HDMI to a Marantz processor.

 

[JJB70]

I have a Sony X800 but generally only use it as a blu ray /DVD player. It feels well Made (well, it is heavy) and wasn't expensive.

 

[vitalii427]

Is there any BD player that supports Roon, except Oppo 20x ??

 

[Sal1950]

I prefer SACD for one very simple - and perhaps to some folks very silly - reason: I don't need to have a monitor to use it.

No not silly at all. Only that I take it almost for granted that most systems today have a computer based media player, streamer, etc at it's head including some sort of monitor. You reminded me there are still other ways.

 

[Frank Dernie]

No not silly at all. Only that I take it almost for granted that most systems today have a computer based media player, streamer, etc at it's head including some sort of monitor. You reminded me there are still other ways.

That'd be me.
I decided some years ago to stop using a computer as one of my main sources. I still have music on a computer but don't use it often.
The downside is inability to use a computer based room correction. I do have an DSPeaker Anti-mode 2 but that needs to be between preamp and power amp to use in a non-computer scenario and my amp is integrated, plus it needs a Windows computer to update firmware last time I looked, another thing I abandoned years ago!
I play CDs and LPs mainly.