The Raging Audiophile Thread: new Oppo Blu-ray players on the way!

[Iago]

Not a ton of details on the 105, which would be the version that I would need, but take a look:

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/high-definition-dvd-players-hd-dvd-blu-ray/oppo-bdp-103-105-pre

[Seamaster]

Yeah, I saw that. Early pricing continues to position the Oppos as bargains in the world of high-end audio and video. But with the 105, Oppo is no longer basement-priced. That said, I see they kept the balanced outs, and added a headphone amplifier and the ability to use the player as a DAC. However, I've read that when used as a DAC, the unit will not upsample.

[Iago]

I think that we have more information yet to come, but you could be right. Regarding the price point, at first glance it does seem to move them into a higher territory, but still more than competitive with others, depending on the final specs. I will watch that one closely . . .

[Iago]

Color me more interested:

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/transports/high-definition-dvd-players-hd-dvd-blu-ray/oppo-blu-ray-q-a

[Seamaster]

You're seriously considering becoming fully balanced this round?

[Iago]

The 95 had balanced outputs. That is nice either way, but I was more focusing on the little comment about hiring one of the designers of the aftermarket updgrades (Modwright? Nuforce? More likely the latter) to design the analog section, the new buffer and filter, and the separate boards for stereo and multichannel. It sounds like it could really be an upgrade.

[Seamaster]

Yes, judging by the comment about a warm sound, I would assume the design for the analogue section is NuForce-influenced.

[Iago]

Well, I am due for an upgrade sooner or later. I may solve the LFE sub problem first, though, but ultimately I need a new display, and a source would go with that. On the sub front, I have kept scanning Craigslist in the hopes that someone will be selling something decent, but nearly all of the subs for sale are crap. Audiogon is also worth a look, but in that case shipping will likely negate the savings. One of the new subs that I have considered is the Goldenear Forcefield 4. It only has a 10 inch driver, but an 11x14 inch passive radiator. (Their site describes it as a sealed design, but with a passive radiator that is a questionable designation.) The site and reviews say that it plays to below 80hz, which is unusual for a sub that small, but is still tight, unlike other compact subs such as Sunfires (which always sound tubby to me.) $699 is doable, and there is a dealer in the Twin Cities.

http://www.goldenear.com/index.php/products/forcefield-subwoofers

[Seamaster]

Interesting, but a listening test will be the deciding factor.

Have you checked out the latest from the likes of Anthony Gallo, Wharfdale, Monitor Audio, Paradigm and others? You should be able to pick up a decent sub that will satisfy your LFE needs from any of those brands, and perhaps even at a decent price that's comparable with the Goldenear.

I've also been contemplating a new display, but I think I will hold off for another year or two.

[Iago]

The preceding post should have said that it plays below 20hz, not 80hz! (Though of course you cannot reach the former without passing latter first, of course . . . ) I am limiting myself to the $600-$700 range tops, and with some of the manufacturers that you mention you cannot get the performance that I am looking for at a price that I am willing to pay. It needs to be flat (or nearly so) to 20hz or below, yet have sufficient output to give the "oomph" of the LFE track. I also lean towards sealed designs, which affects output. Nearly all of the affordable subs are ported. Given the size of my room, it does not need to have prodigious output, but it needs to have enough to be felt.

All that, and affordable, too? Not asking too much, is it? The Outlaw subs are still an option, and Hsu Research has a few models that would work. The Goldenear is tempting because of its relatively diminutive size, which would be easier to place behind my listening position (without blocking my Blu-Ray racks like the AV123 sub did.) If the dealer offers a risk-free trial so that I could wring it out in my room, that would be great. If not, I will look for something different.


With the display, ah, what to do. I can wait a bit. Ideally it would be nice to see large OLED panels become available, and the prices come down, before I get serious about it, but I doubt that I will want to wait THAT long, and we are doubtless talking about years before that happens. I have not seen one with my own eyes yet, but I am going to check out the first 55" LG when it hits the market in a few months. (No, I would not buy an LG, but that will be the first one on the market and I really want to see how they look to me. Some people rave about plasmas, but even the best of them have a "digital" look to my eyes, and I want to see if OLED escapes that problem.)

[Seamaster]

Good or not, that LG OLED display is supposed to sell for nearly $10,000. That's not cheap. Even if it comes in less than that, it'll still be a pricey display. I'm more interested in seeing what Sony and Panasonic manage with their announced partnership to produce and sell OLED displays at a more friendly price. Of course, I think it'll be at least a year before we see the results of that partnership.

I'm partial to plasmas and the digital effect you describe only bothers me during off-angle viewing, which I never do. However, it's possible that my eyes have just adjusted to the plasma look. That said, plasmas appear to be a dying breed. Once OLED prices come down, I think we'll see plasmas exit the market.

I think you should splurge and get a Vandersteen sub and be done with it. It'll match the rest of your speakers, will please you to no end, and can be had for about $1500, if memory serves me correctly. That's only about double what you wanted to spend! But think about the time you will save yourself from having to look and test out other subs! How much do you value your time these days?

[Iago]

Oh, I value my time more than nearly anything else, but we are still paying off the new Focus and just borrowed 50k to buy a rental home (though Eve will charge sufficient rent to cover paying the loan and setting aside property taxes/insurance, it is still a debt hanging out there.) So less expensive would be better.

Regarding the displays, like I said the whole point was that I would have to wait for prices to come down, but I am not sure that I want to wait that long before replacing my current one. It could easily be several years before we see reasonable pricing. Plus, if I am going to upgrade I want something larger than 55", which is the size of my current display. I would end up hanging flat panel on the wall, so it will sit slightly farther back than the RPTV, so a 55" would look smaller. I would probably opt for 65" or 75". Even if I opted for a projector, the screen on the wall would be farther back so no matter what I want a larger screen.

The only reason that I brought up the LG was because it will be the first one to hit the market, so it will be the first one that I can see with my own glassies. Looking at a set on a showroom floor is a poor way to evaluate a set, since the environment is terrible and the set will not be calibrated, but it will still let me know if it has that "digital" look that I do not like. That is one reason why I have always preferred DLP and LCOS/SXRD for RPTVs; they have a more natural, less digital look to me. LCD flat panels generally look terrible to me, and while plasma scores on the black levels and contrast, it still has a slightly pixelated look to me. But I have to admit that the potential black levels for OLED have me really excited; it would be the only display technology that would offer true blacks. Even front projectors, including old fashioned CRTs, will not be able to compete. And that is really one of the biggest draws for me; many of my favorite directors use shadows and darkness as a key element of their style -- for example, David Fincher or Clint Eastwood.

[Seamaster]

With your rental, that debt is an operating expense. Think of it as a separate business, and do not let it get tangled in your personal finances. Besides, assuming your tax laws are remotely similar to mine (and I suspect yours are better), you will find significant tax credits to be had from operating a rental. All in all, one of the best investments you can make. You are unlikely to lose your principal (property generally increases over time, especially land value) and the revenue will cover your expense, leaving you a small profit each month or at least let you ride the investment growth cost free. Of course, you are correct that cash flow must come from somewhere and I understand your hesitation, but I think you'll find it's all good once you get renters signed on.

Funny that you should mention hanging the display. I have never done that. I've always been worried about hanging something of that weight on a wall that is essentially dry wall. Even reinforced and drilling into studs gives me little comfort.

I, too, am interested in OLED, but I'm willing to ride it out. I don't need to be an early adopter.

[Iago]

Remember that in my case, we are not talking drywall, but 3/4" strandboard, which can support nearly anything, without even worrying about studs. My Vandersteen rears and event the center are all just screwed straight into the strandboard (and the VCC-2 center is a beast -- I cannot remember the exact weight, but it is at least in the 30lb range.)

And I am not particularly worried about the rental home. It is just more debt hanging over our heads, regardless of how it is being paid off. I would want to make sure that things are settled and humming smoothly before I seriously consider any new toys. We close tomorrow, by the way . . .

[Seamaster]

Happy celebrations tomorrow.

The displays you're considering will probably weight 60 pounds or more, but I had forgotten that you had installed strand board. That said, I have no idea how much weight strand board can support, but I imagine it to be quite a bit.

[Iago]

Keep in mind that the wall mounts for sets like that have multiple points of attachment to the wall, so the weight is distributed. And I probably underestimated the weight for the VCC-2; the VCC-5 is closer to 70 pounds, so the 2 is more likely 45-50 pounds.

While that strandboard cost us a lot of money from a finishing persective, since we had to go to pretty expensive heavy vinyl wallpaper to cover it (and had a professional put the wallpaper up, who gave us "friend's rates" but still made a lot of money) nevertheless it turned out to be a good idea in the long run. When we placed the center and the surrounds, we just spotted exactly where we wanted them and just screwed the mounts into the strandboard without giving the studs a second thought.

I have often thought about Mitusbishi's Laservue DLP rear projectors, and those are so thin, even for an RPTV that they actually made wall mounts for them. That would be much heavier than any flat panel out there. (I am still keeping that set in the back of my mind if I decide not to wait too much longer.)

[Seamaster]

Unfortunately, we can't get Mitsubishi displays in Canada. I haven't played with one in many, many years. My parents had a nice Mitsubishi set in Scotland, but that is going back a bit!

[Iago]

Mitsubishi is the only manufacturer of DLP RPTVs left. In fact, they are the only manufacturer of RPTVs, period. They have always made good sets, and the picture quality of the Laservue has gotten raves. Other than that, the only way to go DLP is via front projectors, and while I have always wanted one my room is pretty small for a projector and screen.

[Seamaster]

I also like the idea of projectors, but, like you, really don't have the room for it. I'd have to do some serious renovations in the basement and spend a lot of money to upgrade everything. I'm not up for that right now.

[Iago]

Prioritization is always the tough part. Practially speaking, the subwoofer probably comes first for me, but honestly getting my Quatro fixed should precede that! I have still been too lazy to tear things apart. Now the Oppo stopped working; it will not read discs. Last time, it needed a cleaning, and that is likely the problem again. Unfortunately, while getting the cover off is easy, taking apart the drive assembly is not, and it may have to go back to Oppo (out of warranty, of course.) I was reading on AVS about a Maxell cleaner disc that some people highly recommended. Most cleaner are far too risky to use on a Blu-Ray laser, but this one was just a disc with holes in it that created turbulence to blow off the laser. I ordered one from Amazon, but they cancelled the order as out-of-stock. I will have to try Best Buy this weekend.

[Seamaster]

This might seem silly, but have you tried opening the drive drawer and blowing air in using a compressed air can? For the effort, it might be worth a shot, and you don't stand to risk much.

The other issue might be a failing laser, in which case you'll need Oppo to replace. Or, just wait for the 105 to be released . . . . Any info on a release date?

[Iago]

I will give compressed air a try. You are right, it should not be able to damage anything. It certainly could be a failing laser, but I doubt it. It was working fine until I started watching Dr. No. It locked up halfway through, which at first I assumed was a coding problem, so I shut off the player and tried reloading the discs. At that point it read "no disc," but after a few retries I got it to load. After that, though, it would not load any discs. That is very similar to what happened the first time that it stopped playing. There is a likely a particle floating around in there that finally wedged over the laser for good -- quite possibly one of Sydney's hairs, which no matter how hard I try still end up all over the place.

Oppo does have information up on the 103 on their website, but no date for it that I can see, and no info at all about the 105.

http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-103/blu-ray-BDP-103-Features.aspx

But yes, that is certainly tempting. In any event, I can get a can of compressed air around here easilyl enough, and if that does not work I can try to pick up the Maxell disc in the Cities this weekend, when we go down to see The Master.

[Seamaster]

Funny that you should mention Sydney's hairs. I know that neither you or Eve smoke, and your home has never looked dusty from the photographs I've seen, so I was wondering what could have possibly gotten stuck on the laser. But animal hair makes perfect sense. The furry ones have a funny way of sharing their love.

[Iago]

Well, they just said that it was an animal hair, but did not identify the hair other than as from an animal. But we only have one shedder. You should see my home theatre seating; while ultimately I want to buy leather ones, we got a great deal on some microfiber seats. They are completely carpeted with her hair.

[Seamaster]

I'm sure that causes Sydney's tail to wag.

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