Has anyone heard the new OPPO BDP-83SE

Good news. Oppo just called me. IT IS READY.

On my way to pick it up... will let you know.

Well, I suppose Oppo will allow anyone to update their 83 later on for the difference between the SE and std versions following the cut off date to save the $100, right?

My thinking here on all of this is so..... yeah, a Ben Franklin is a Ben Franklin... for sure.

also, to date oppo has a business ethic or plan, which says, 'extreme overachiever' from their very start.

Didn't nearly everyone who had any exp with the modestly priced value orieinted units initially produced just go cats & critters over the next upcoming launch, well before that ever happened?

it too turned out well indeed when the std 83 was shipped.

then too the Blue Ray oppo made and sent along to it's subscrived owner base, and that went along quite well too, and bugs were fixed and so forth prior to the public insertino of the BDP 83.

So to date, each step forward Oppo has done has been a well thought out, careful step onward and upward. Each occassion has shown itself as both a performer and value laden proposition.

Why then, should this next, upgrade be any different?

consider this... it's done, one of us says "heres what i am finding out ...." in likely a premature run in period, or even if run in (and God knows how that could happen in so short a time), then what?

We are then where we usually are... hearing a piece with someone else' ears, in a system dissimilar from our own.

pretty much just like always.

What's it sound like?

Then the prerequisite folow up Q's, and preponderances of system ambiguities.

I'd bet more heavily on past efforts of Oppo and simply spend the $300 for the upgrade.... if you find yourself chosing to use hundreds or thousands of bucks for analog cabling and can't or wont, use HDMI.

one might also think to take the $300 upgrade costs or the $400 later ones, and apply them to a better AV proc using HDMI 'IF' there is little or no faith presently for this stepped up analog enhancement from Oppo.

I'd not fear my money was not well spent given the OPPO history so far.

If the upgrade is bought.... MAKE NUMEROUS COPIES OF ALL THE PAPERWORK AND KEEP THEM IN THE ORIG BOXE!!

SOMEONE most likely will figure out a way to coin that sticker further on down the road, so for no mistakes, keeping on the up & up, SAVE THAT PAPER WORK!

The last thought is, if you already got a better CDP and/or DAC... why bother with this upgrade?

I found the stock 83 to be a little bright. Especially when listening to SACD. It is fatiging and I can really only listen for about 1-2 hours before my ears hurt. I wonder if the new DACs will correct this? Already Redbook and DVD-A playback via the Stereo output sounds amazing (if a bit clinical)

With no "audiophile" gear in my system, I am looking seriously at this upgrade.

Why is it the more you upgrade your system, the more aware you are of its deficiencies? :)

Affejunge

How many hours of playback do you have on the SACD DACs? Are you running out PCM or DSD on your '83?

SACD on my previous Sony SCD xa777 had to be run in seperately . It used separate DACs for both SACD & CD, separate lasers too.

I'd answer your question with one word... accuracy. Another is resolution. With some exceptions, the more you spend the closer you get to the truth in the recording.

The trick, if there is one, and I feel there is, will be to gain both resolving and involving... at that point quit following the shampoo instructions..., Listen, buy something else, repeat.

Just listen for the pleasure of it.

Then in a year or two, get another bottle of shampoo.

Blindjim, I agree, I am at that point now.. just enjoy the system. As for SACD playback, I maybe have 10 hours on it. It does lessen the 'brightness' when I use LPCM to the DAC as opposed to straight DSD. That said, I am intrigued by the idea that spending only $300 more, I can alleviate the brightness and increase sound fidelity, though the current 83 seems a step up from the 980 I had. (The 980 did not suffer the brightness though)