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High Quality Universal Player??

I’m interested in a disc player for CD, SACD, and cinema DVDs, Blue-Ray.

It MUST have equal or better sound quality than my current Cal Audio HDCD player.

Ideas? How about the Cambridge Audio Azur 651BD Universal Blu-ray/SACD/DVD/CD Player?

or the newer 751? Also, what is the difference between the 751 and 651?

I’d laos like to buy form a company large enough to stay in business for a while :)
randy-11
nutty
2,909 posts
 
Oppo BDP 105D
Pro- Smart Phone App.
Pro- HDMI connections are very secure, not overly tight. 
Pro- Streaming dongle included.

Cambridge Audio CXU 
Pro- able to play Android phone (MLH) on front panel through direct connection

Con- No smart Phone App./ Wireless.
Con- HDMI connections not very secure.
Con- No USB input, only Optical and Coaxial.

Video performance is about equal. Oppo has blacks and Cambridge has more detail. So at this point the conclusion is that the Oppo has more to offer in terms of options. And I think the exterior build quality is superior.  However the Cambridge CXU's sound quality on music playback edges ahead slightly. 

N


auxinput
2,920 posts
 
@nutty - that's a very interesting review.  I do know from experience that the Oppo requires a long burn-in time (200+ hours).  After that, the brightness/forwardness of the highs will calm down.  Not sure about the bass.  The Cambridge may still be better in the end.  Yes, the Oppo has a very large set of functionality and features that can make it hard to disregard. Keep us posted!
auxinput
2,920 posts
 

I would not say the 2-prong power cord of the Cambridge is a negative thing.  The power connection is still a standard IEC inlet, so you can use any power cord upgrade.  Some electronics have a floating internal ground plane and do not use external ground, so that is why you will only have 2 prongs.  It's not really a bad thing.

That being said, with the Oppo, you can do the following mods/upgrades:

http://www.oppomod.com/

Or there's always Modwright tube upgrade if you want to do that expense.

auxinput
2,920 posts
 

@kalali - yes, you can stream Tidal to the Oppo, but it looks like it must be streamed from a IOS/Android device:

https://support.tidal.com/hc/en-us/articles/203131191-Oppo

nutty
2,909 posts
 
Yes- it will stream. It does have Android app. Thanks auxinput.

I introduced a Nordost Shiva Power cable into the mix. It solved the ((bloat)) on the Oppo and opened the soundstage too. High frequency energy is better. Additionally with more burn in it will get better.

Bottom line, I returned the Cambridge CXU this am and am keeping the OppoBDP105D . It has the build quality and feature set I'm seeking. 

In the meantime, thanks for the advice, and I apologize to my A'gon friends if I have strayed to far from Audio and wandered into the dark side. 

N
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