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
I think the tray is black and hard to see. This is another reason I prefer lighter faceplate colors such as silver.
No complaints about my Oppo 103 in my Krell/Vandersteen system.
103-class B rated by Stereophile,
105-class A.
New models are 203/205.
Happy hunting!

Tom
For those considering a universal player, the Pioneer Elite BDP-88F is a contender. I just got a refurbished one from Accessories for Less at 50% off msrp. They are sold out now, but the BDP-88F shows up for sale there from time to time.

Initial impressions are very good, especially with SACD and DVD-Audio playback. With redbook, it is not as good as my file-based playback source (Mac Mini and Yamamoto YDA-01 dac), but I am still breaking the Pioneer in, and the Pioneer is still very enjoyable to listen to nonetheless. I haven't enjoyed optical disc playback this much since I sold my Sony XA5400ES player.

The Pioneer has at least two advantages over the Oppo 105D. First, it uses a much heavier transformer. The Pioneer weighs 29.5 pounds, versus the Oppo at 17.3 pounds. Second, the drawer mechanism is really nice, much better than that of the Oppo. It is smoother and very well damped. Both players use the same ES9018 ESS Sabre 32 bit chip. Having had both players in my room, I prefer the Pioneer’s fuller bodied, weightier, sound. It is more reminiscent of the Sony player that I once had.