OPPO BDP-95 Review (Blu-ray/DVD/SACD/CD Player)

[Mart68]

Great players, I got the budget version BDT-101 CI second hand some years back. Only gets used for the occasional film on DVD but it's also the only device I have that will play my handful of DVD-A and SACD discs - if I ever feel the need.

 

[NTTY]

So did you!

Now that I am thinking about that, let me take the opportunity to make an observation about the comparison between the test signals at 1 kHz @ -16 dBFS on CD and -16 dB SA-CD on SA-CD.

Yup, the Denon Test SACD (which I used for SACD tests) specifies the below (I copy the text so you can translate):

5.リファレンス信号 セクション 12-16
本ディスクは、OdBSACD = OdBFsを基準と
て、SACD層とCD層の信号が作成されています。このセクションでは、SACD層では-16dBSACDの信号を、CD層では-16dBFSの信号を収録しました。1KHz、100Hz、10kHz、15kHzの信号の後、SACD層では、CDの再生帯域を越える30KHzの正弦波を、CD層では代わりに無音（デジタルゼロ）言号を収録しました。

They aligned the levels so 0dBSACD = 0dBFS. The test tones are played at -16dBSACD and -16dBFS depending on the layer. At the input of my interface (with headroom of 0.19dB), I indeed got the same levels: -16dB below the 4Vrms max output of the OPPO.

 

[Scytales]

They aligned the levels so 0dBSACD = 0dBFS. The test tones are played at -16dBSACD and -16dBFS depending on the layer. At the input of my interface (with headroom of 0.19dB), I indeed got the same levels: -16dB below the 4Vrms max output of the OPPO.

Which is a good thing. Besides the difference in reference digital level definition, some SA-CD players produce slightly, or even significantly, different analog output levels depending on whether they are playing an SA-CD or a CD. I have seen signal level differences of up to 1.5 dB at the analogue side with signal at 0 dB at the digital side, both in PCM and DSD!

 

[thehague]

I believe this is just about the same as the Cambridge Audio CXU. Discontinued by now.

 

[NTTY]

Hello Florent,

Thank you for this excellent review which also forces you to increase the number of tests. The results are impressive. It seems to me that in terms of power supply and analog output, this player is a reference. The 3DC signal measured on the analog outputs is astounding as the trace is perfect. I never thought I would see this one day.This makes me want to look for a used Oppo.

The power supply quality is indeed impressive in such a busy device.
I might want one for me too

 

[NTTY]

Which is a good thing. Besides the difference in reference digital level definition, some SA-CD players produce slightly, or even significantly, different analog output levels depending on whether they are playing an SA-CD or a CD. I have seen signal level differences of up to 1.5 dB at the analogue side with signal at 0 dB at the digital side, both in PCM and DSD!

Good to know, thanks, as I have two SACD players more to review
EDIT: and I edited the initial message to specify -16dBSACD = -16dBFS as per Denon’s information.

 

[Vintage02]

Good to know, thanks, as I have two SACD players more to review

look at your email ...

 

[NTTY]

Very nice review, BUT....

I hope you're aware of two things.
1. You're responsible for the fact that the used prices for these devices, which were just beginning to drop to a tolerable level, will now rise again.
2. You are now, of course, obligated to test the other "famous" OPPO players, e.g., the 93, 103, 103D, 105, 105D, UDP-203, 205

I bid on a 93, crossing fingers. It has a Cirrus Logic CS4382A DAC, less performing than the ESS, but it’d be interesting to measure what OPPO could extract from it

 

[Scytales]

I believe this is just about the same as the Cambridge Audio CXU.

No: the CXU may use the same hardware/software engine to decode and process audio and video than the Oppo, but the audio output stage (among other things) is a Cambridge custom design, with Wolfson WM8740 DAC chips instead of ESS DAC chips. Besides, for instance, as the WM8740 has no DSD input interface, DSD signals from SA-CD or digital files are systematically decimated to PCM (at 88.2 ksps).

The CXU makes us of a MediaTek MT8580 System on Chip (SoC) for the digital audio/video processing. It should be possible to check if the Oppo BDP-95 uses the same chipset at the heart of its architecture.

 

[Roland68]

I believe this is just about the same as the Cambridge Audio CXU. Discontinued by now.

The CXU had nothing to do with the BDP-95.
The CXU had the same base as the BDP-103D, but with its own output board.
The CXU had five WM8740s, while the 103D had a CS4382A.

 

[Rja4000]

Thanks for this review

Allow me not to overlay the digital output, because the one from analog output is perfection.

Well, it seems a bit TOO perfect...
Where is the analog noise?
This is the digital output, most certainly.

 

[NTTY]

Thanks for this review

Well, it seems a bit TOO perfect...

Exactly what I thought so many times during my tests!

Where is the analog noise?

Lower. I would have had to update the vertical scale, and I did not do it because it’s my standard representation of this test. But I can provide you with an updated one. Need to get back home though.

This is the digital output, most certainly.

Nah

 

[Rja4000]

Lower

Ah, I see your y axis ends at -150dB.
Usually, we see lower.
That's why.

This device is really impressive for its age !

 

[vkvedam]

It was indeed a best in class during those days, very nice!

 

[vinodk69]

Glad I did not sell my Oppo BDP-103. Its my go to player for DVD-A & SACD. Has anyone measured performance of Oppo 103? Just curious.

 

[Scytales]

Glad I did not sell my Oppo BDP-103. Its my go to player for DVD-A & SACD. Has anyone measured performance of Oppo 103? Just curious.

In April 2014 issue of the German magazine Stereoplay: https://www.testberichte.de/a/blu-ray-player/magazin/stereoplay-3-2014/390253.html

 

[NTTY]

@NTTY,

Are the two front outputs of the multichannel RCA active when reading your test CD?

If yes, it would be interesting to have a glimpse of the performance of those outputs to compare them to the 2 channels ones.

Update, yes they are active.

So I can test the "STEREO OUDIO OUT" and the FL & FR outputs, and I did that with my test CD (16bits, obviously).

The below is from the RCA main stereo output (Left Channel):

And now the same from the "FL" outpout:

9dB less distortion!!!

@Rja4000 Since I'm here, this is the J-Test, from RCA outputs, with the vertical scale that goes down to -160dBr, so you can see the noise floor:

The two outputs are identical.

EDIT: I could not resist to test 24bits PCM from the USB input.
This is the very standardized SINAD test of @amirm, that is 1kHz sine @0dBFS (2Vrms output), at 44.1kHz, with FFT length of 32k and 4 averages (3 for Amir, but I can't do only 3):

SINAD of 113.3dB (113.8dB for Right Channel).

And the same from FL output:

Now we get a SINAD of 118.3dB! (116.5 for right channel). So that's actually a little better than XLR too

We see two small PS related spikes at 50Hz and 100Hz (around -140dBr).

 

[Rja4000]

Your Jitter test is with a 16 bits test signal.
Could you try the 24 bits signal with USB ?

 

[Vintage02]

How to explain 9dB less on the left FL output compared to the left RCA output? ... This leaves me perplexed.

 

[NTTY]

Your Jitter test is with a 16 bits test signal.
Could you try the 24 bits signal with USB ?

Yep, first page, second message, you’ll find the test.