Oppo BDP-83 SE vs McCormack UDP-1 Deluxe

To better define, main angle for comparison should be:
- music/SQ (CD, SACD, DVD-A) and NOT the movies/PQ.
- HDMI ease by itself is not so important, but SQ is.

Also, let's add "eSound E5 Platinum Edition" to the mix.

thanks!

Thanks for chiming in guys! Looks like Rwwear, Kal are in BDP-83 camp

Kal, I think I hear you loud and clear (Oppo), but let's not mistake McCormack with Lexicon ;-)

Peter, thanks for sharing your Sony upgrade experience, I know a bit about "the other side grass greener thing" ;-). Our setups are very similar - my DNA225 is Rev.A+ as well! Its just that I have Oppo 83 SE and have not heard UDP-1 and a good opportunity seems to be on hand, to add it - if its SQ can hold against Oppo 83 SE.

A full McCormack stack, on rack will look nice, but not sufficient to jump into it. Most UDP-1 reviews I could find are pre BDP-83 days, so let's wait to hear from some who might have had 1st hand experience with both players.

thanks,
Paul

Kal, I totally get (and dig) HDMI for movies. But for "music only" not sure?

IMO HDMI complicates (and severley limits) stereo/audio setup, requiring a good quality HDMI equipped pre/pro, which eliminates 95+% of audiophile gear.

Which HDMI based pre/pro (< $1k) or integrated (< $2.5k) would you recommend, for audio only?

thanks,
Paul

Kal, we are actually in Synch. For multichannel (means movies for me) I also prefer HDMI. No disdain here, but I have separate rooms/setups for HT and Music (96% stereo).

And given no reasonably priced stereo HDMI gear is available, implicitly, initial primary focus of this thread was on ("Oppo BDP-83SE" vs "McCoramck UDP-1" vs "eSound E5 Platinum Edition") Stereo music Sound Quality.

I am still interested in hearing from owners who have 1st hand experience with at least 2 of the above listed CD players.

DB, I will look into Cary Cinema 11a, as the opportunity arises to merge my setups.