Oppo Vs Esoteric

@gdhal 
Thanks for the heads up - though I will state my -205 was "absolutely" set as 'Brick Wall' as default when I set it up. At the time (quite a few months ago) there was nothing on the 'net about filters, filter setups, and any reviews on them. Since then I've seen some tips on what people have liked. After you post I went back and did some more critical listening and landed on a 'slow somethin-or-other' filter. Seemed smoother over time - I found nothing was super-drastic sounding and took quite a few days of heavy rotation to develop a preference. Peace, and thanks....

@boneman73

You're welcome!

Yeah, I'm unable to speak to what the filter was set to on your particular unit. To be clear, I'm merely stating that according to the manual, mini-phase fast is the default. As to "brick wall" being a diagnostic setting, note that Oppo makes no claims whatsoever regarding what each filter does or is supposed to do. Upon doing my own Internet research and overall do diligence, I have concluded that brick wall  is a diagnostic setting. However, of course you or someone else could prefer the sound when using the brick wall filter, and if that is the case by all means do so.

I agree with you that any of the filter settings are subtle. I'm happy to understand you did some level of research and/or listening on your own to arrive at the filter setting you currently like. :)

So, I got my Oppo UDP-205 about 10 days back and been listening to it, when ever I get a chance. For the first few days, I let it "run in". Have probably about 120 hours on it. I find it strange - I find this player a bit too smooth, even from day one. Not sure if anyone else experienced this. I distinctly remember the Esoteric+Canton room from AXPONA this year. That system sounded super hi-fi and the "highs" were super extended, even at low volume. Of course, the cabling in that system was probably more than the entire cost of my current system. So, is that the difference between the Oppo and the Esoteric players? Mind you, it was not the lower end Esoterics at AXPONA. It was some $20+k system with a transport and DAC. One thing I should mention that, I did update my player with the latest firmware.

Audio comparisons with a few days in between, and without levels matched, are misleading.

Sometimes, I think, we succumb to the hype of a product. You may have committed to the Oppo before this post was written and want it to compete with a much more refined system and player ....but still wanted it. I guess, in all fairness, I am not suprised you hear a big difference. Two different players, at separate price points and with different engineering. I really don’t see Esoteric as a middle of the road CD player. Never spotted one at a Best Buy and I doubt many are sold on Amazon. Some here have had both the Oppo and the Esoteric brand. They are not the same kind of audio players.