I see this thread is still continuing, so that's a good thing.
I have had the Oppo for not quite a week now, and called customer service today to inquire about the break in time. The rep said they didn't recommend any break-in time. I thought, he is not aware of the difference that break-in can make.
I'm using, for the moment, an Odyssey Khartago amp, Nordost interconnectrs (Tyr) and several speaker systems: Nolas (circa 2004) Sound Dynamics RTS-3s. I have others, but haven't hooked them up yet. My First Sound Presence -- nearly a Mk. II (I had it upgraded, but not all at once: I like to hear the improvements) will arrive tomorrow, so I'm going direct from the Oppo to the Khartago.
I haven't been thrilled with the sound, but I believe some components need break-in.
So far, the bass is...ok, but not distinct in the midbass. Upper bass (drums, marching and otherwise) are taut, but lacking weight.
Rhythm: com-ci, com-ca so far. Midrange....decent, but it certainly is not as saturated at my old JVC XLZ-1010TN CD player. I also have an Arcam FMJ 23, a Bryston BDA-1, an Arcam DVD 27, and a couple of others, including a SACD. I had a Cambridge, but it was too "polite" sounding for me, so I sold it after 2 years. I also have Hurricane amps, Audience AR 2-T (teflon version) conditioner and a Quantum line unit (Nordost distributes it), Shunyata power cords, CX series, Shunyata and Alpha Goertz cables (Divinity series for the Goertz, Andromeda for the Shunyata), so I know how "powerful" the music can -- and should -- sound.
My conclusion so far is that the Oppo needs a LOT of break-in. It's had 5 days. It's listenable, but that's it. Believe me, I want to love it, but even so, I bought it for my SO, who lives in California, so I'm breaking it in for him. I would imagine there should start being large improvements within the next week, but right now.....it's just nice.
HOWEVER, Christ Martens of TAS, whose writings I've followed, says it ranks up among 4k players, so I'm pretty sure I am not getting anywhere near the full capability of the player. I'm just giving you a baseline.
Oh right: the highs are very clear, but the ambience retrieval is lacking, and the sound is still "stiff" as in not-liquid in the way real music is. With real music, the sound just wafts thru the air (in a good hall: in a bad one, it sounds as though there are no harmonics, due to a lack of good acoustics).
I'm rooting for the Oppo, but I'll need to be patient. The Khartago was somewhat the same, although it's strong suit is its clarity, not its liquidity, and it, too, is a little bit lightweight, compared, especially to the Hurricanes.
We'll see!