Why is Oppo stopping products.

I've owned 3 Oppo players over the years.  Like many of the posters here, when I upgraded the Oppo in my music only system, I'd move the older model to my HT system.  (The two systems are completely separate.). I currently run a BDP 83 in the video system and a BDP 95 in my music system.  I stopped upgrading Oppo units when they reduced the number of chips from the 95 to the 103 and I discovered Esoteric.  Yes, at a much higher price, but the entry level Esoteric K-07 bests every Oppo I have ever heard.  My BDP 103 is now relegated to streaming through the DAC in my Esoteric.

While we all mourn the loss of Oppo, I believe what Oppo failed to do was a huge loss to those of us in the audiophile community.  With Oppo's technical expertise and lower cost Chinese manufacturing facilities they could have built a CD/SACD player to compete with the Esoterics and Accuphases of the world at a fraction of the price.  I'm not enough of an economist to know if the added revenue from such an endeavor would have allowed Oppo to to continue longer.  I think not.  Let's not overlook the added pressure placed on the silver disc market by the resurgence in vinyl.

At it's price point Oppo equipment was top of the line.  Great build quality and unsurpassed customer service.  

P.S. @prpixel  I'm sure your phone, and automobile head unit provide you with great background music.  However, for serious two channel music one needs more than earbuds and a car radio can provide. Oppo provided that to thousands of music lovers at a reasonable price for many years. 

@vpi ,

I was responding to @wolf_garcia  post about in-dash CD Players no longer being installed in new cars.  While I have a decent sound system in the car, I realize that it is not an ideal listening environment.   I have Bluetooth 5.0 capability in the car and in my phone, so it can handle my 24/192 Lossless FLAC files with no problem.  My point was that constantly loading and unloading discs/disc changers was a real PITA.  

As for using my phone as a playback device, it has an ESS SabreDAC ES9218P D/A converter that supports 32/384 and DSD256.  For IEM's I use JH Audio Layla's and Campfire Audio Vega's.  At the gym I use Periodic Audio Be's.  I have a very,very, very large memory card plus the internal storage for my music.  It makes a great portable rig for the gym, waiting rooms, grocery shopping or just chilling in the back yard enjoying nature.  I don't own any earbud thingy's.

I do have a dedicated listening room.  It was tuned/designed by Rives Audio.  Speakers are ML Summit X's which are soon to be replaced with ML Renaissance 15A's.  I own both an Oppo 105D and a 203.  I was going to order a 205, but just cant justify it.

I watch about two movies a week on Blu-ray, and two movies a month on UHD-Bluray.  I never spin CD's anymore.  New music purchases are either downloaded or ripped and then transferred to the music server and phone.  I have a whole plethora of music streaming devices. 

I too moorn the loss of Oppo.  I too agree that they made great players and a very good price point.  

Less and less people are buying/renting video disc every year.  Less than 4% of Netflix subscribers still get discs in the mail.  Best Buy and Target are drastically parring down the number of CD's they carry.  Best Buy is having a hard time moving $79 UHD-Bluray players.  Let's face it, Disc Spinners are a dying breed.  I really enjoyed the tweekie nature of vinyl and reading the jackets and liner notes; I never developed that romanticism  with CD's.

Hope this clarifies things.
All the best,



 

@prpixel  Wow, impressive! But I'll keep tweeking my vinyl, thanks.  

I need a turntable for my car...tube preferably...I now hear CDs are going to have a revival like vinyl, and be the "next big thing."