? about oppo

TIC said:

"Later on, if you decide you want to upgrade the sound quality you are getting, send the Oppo off to Ric Shultz at EVS and have it mod'd. IMHO the sound quality will be at least as good as any sub $1000 dedicated CD player (mabe even a lot better) plus it will play DVD, SACD, DVD-A, HDCD."

I couldn't agree more about Ric Schultz. Ric modified my Pioneer Elite DV-58AV universal player with a Superclock 4 and beefed up input and output stages, along with some damping and other mods. It's spectacular.

I'm going to talk to Ric soon about upgrading one of my Oppos to 32-bit upconversion. Done right, and that's critical, it could elevate the Oppo right next to the $10000 upsampling Emm CDPs. Ric doesn't just throw parts in and hope they work, instead he really listens and, true to his name, tweaks them for all they're capable of.

Dave

Nobody ever believes me, but hi dollar equipment pieces will soon be dead. Technology is getting better and better. Look at oppo. It will beat out the hi dollar denons, and the 983 has said to do so in every review Ive read. Look at new released Denons receivers and even some low dolar new line receivers. They now have all the latest blu ray formats and even using a low cost PS3 can access them. How are you going to beat that sound, that has little or no compression, no matter how much you sink money into a high dollar standard dvd setup? It is only until a format takes over cd, that hi dollar 2 channel sound will come crashing down as well.

I decided early this year, put your money in some killer speakers, cut no corners, but when it comes to components, its only time till technology has passed our human hearing. Im not sure that time isnt here already with movies in HD audio formats? Different shades of warmth, brightness doesnt make a player better. Many people hear this as better or worse, but think about this. We all hear music different just with the different shapes of our ears! So while a piece of equipment may be more acurate, it doesnt mean your ears will like it better tonally. Thats a mind picker!

Sthomas, I have said this for about 3 years... People investing in huge dollar transports and CD, DVD, will soon pay the piper, probably 2010 will show tons of used stuff getting next to nothing, I mean especially those Denon DVD players that sold for 2500 and now might get 500 or 600, thats tuff...

Even wadia seems to be making some small steps waking up and put out this IPOD dock, which at 350 dollars is WAY under any price bracket regardless of product they have shot for in the past, that will probably only hurt all their major dollar stuff to at some point as people will more and more expect hi performance well built digital for 1000 bucks or less, and it can be done no doubt more than ever now.

I am glad about 24 months ago I made back all my cash on digital and moved away from the 3000 dollar type setups!

Here is a review from Enjoy The Music on the DV971H: Sonically the Oppo's digital output is on par with my older Toshiba SD-9200 and SD-3109 players. It doesn't begin to compare with the Lexicon RT-20, Meridian 598, or Meridian 800. On CD's it's dimensionally flat, musically uninvolving, and harmonically threadbare. Audiophiles will not find the DV971H's digital outputs adequate for critical music listening. DVD's sound OK, and although everything is there, the sound doesn't have quite as much dynamic acuity and spatial detail as with the Lexicon or Meridian players. Its analog audio output is even more pedestrian. Even lateral imaging is barely adequate. Audio is just not the Oppo DV971H's forte.

I heard the 983 and felt no big deal. The core of the reviews is "for the money". If funds are that limited, I suggest save up a bit and buy something used here on audiogon. Please don;t mistake the oppo for high end sound. As for the picture, it's a 1080P age, guys.

Cerrot the 971 was HORRIBLE on audio, and was decent picture at the time like 5 years ago... The newer Oppos blow them away as transports. The 980 for 160 dollars cannot be touched transport or video wise for the money.