Blue ray player with good audio

IHMO Craig_hoch, I would just get an aftermarket mod for the Oppo BDP-83/SE and not bother with an external DAC.

I'm very please with my MW BDP-83 and for the 1st time, only shopping for SACDs. Comparing the same material between SACD and 24/96 flac using my MW Transporter, I prefer the SACD.

That's good to know Knghifi. In all fairness I haven't heard the Blue Ray players that Oppo has out, I based my comment on my experience with their DV-980h. I used the 980h in my secondary system as a stand alone player and it does indeed have very good sound from it's analogue outputs, however the external DAC took it to another level and it now outperform my highly regarded (and substantially more expensive) Doge 6.

Knghifi, that is impressive. Not to hijack the thread, but did you get the MW mod for the vanilla BDP-83 or the SE version? I've exchanged a few emails with Dan, but not a whole lot of hands-on feedback out there yet. Thanks.

I would agree that a modified BDP-83 is the way to go. I have an Exemplar/Oppo and am just amazed at sacds. I think it is the Crystal chip set that is responsible also. This is not used in the SE and that is one reason I avoided it.

I also have a Mac/Amarra/Firewire/Weiss Minerva music server. I can hear a difference between it and the Exemplar/Oppo and sometimes prefer it, but sacds on the Exemplar/Oppo are clearly better in every comparison I have done.

Pioneer BDP-09fd if you plan to use the analog audio ouputs. Sound is tonally richer with more body and transient slam than either version of the Oppo 83, though I can't comment on the Nuforce Edition of the Oppo. Visually, Blu-ray video and DVD upscaling are slightly in favor of the BDP-09, but that difference is small and may not be worth the price. It's the audio (and the build quality) that make the Pioneer worth the cash over an Oppo SE. The bonus is that Redbook CD from the Pioneer clearly bests the Oppo, and every other Blu-ray deck with the possible exception of the $6,000 Marantz UD9004 and the $8,000 McIntosh MVP-881 and even that's not certain.

You don't even have to modify the BDP-09 for it to sound steller. I suppose anything can be improved, but the Pioneer is well thought-out and executed from the factory. If you're only passing all signal from the player via HDMI, then the standard Oppo 83 is fine.

Phil