Oppo UDP - 205

a25105,

Well I finally did a head to head test between the Oppo 205 XLR analog outs and my Bryston BDP-2 / PS Audio Direct Stream Dac analog outs with the latest Huron firmware. Both were playing the exact same songs from the same external hard drive.

There really was no contest, notes were fuller and more life like with the PS Audio. Music was way more defined with the ability to pick out individual instruments. The Oppo 205 played well and I could see it being used as a all purpose player/Dac until it is compared to much more serious equipment.
The Oppo perhaps has about 100 hours of playing time on it so it will get better. However, the gap is way too large to change my opinion.

But, for such a ("Swiss army knife") device the Oppo 205 is great. Play your 4K/Blu Ray movies using the Oppo's analog outs instead of the HDMI/Digital outs and you'll see what I mean. What fantastic surround qualities. And the video...
The only problem is the over head Atmos channels can't be used with the analog outs.

ozzy

@ozzy , I must chime in. Once the 205 has been modified, in my case Modwright tube output stage with separate power supply, the Oppo does come quite close to my DS DAC. It was extremely close before I loaded Huron.

i think the UDP-205 has an excellent DAC chip and mearly needs attention in some other areas. So modding is another alternative to adding a separate DAC. The "Swiss Army knife" can become a special forces tool.

Lance

@lancelock 

The thought of modifying the 205 crossed my mind as well. A few issues trouble me with that idea though. One, the warranty with Oppo is voided. Two, the expense to get the full mod I understand is between 2 and 3 grand. At that point, a new Shiit Yggy or Mytex Brooklyn DAC just makes more sense (to me). Third, I would be without the 205 for a month or longer while I await the modification. Lastly, there is always a chance (however small) a third-party modification could make things worse. 

Thank you Ozzy and Lance for your inputs.  How would you rate the analog out performance of the 205?  At least half as good as the Directstream or not even close? I am currently using a Parasound Halo integrated as a DAC/preamp (it has a build in ESS 9018) and I just ordered a Oppo 205, just wonder if this is going to be better?

@a25105 , I wished I could comment on the stock 205 but mine was sent direct to modding. The new ESS 9038 DAC chip is supposed to be superior to the older 9018 and from my experience having a modded 105, there is quite a difference. More analog like to me. 

If im ranking my DS DAC a perfect 10 then I would rank the modded 205 a 9. Ozzy also has very good points about the mods and I was lucky to get mine early enough to get a considerable discount.