Which of these SACD players would you choose?


Oppo BDP-80 (blu-ray, SACD, DVD Audio) - Retail $289

Pioneer Elite PD-D6-J (SACD) - Retail $499 on Sale for $229

I already have an Integra 6-disk CD player and a Samsung blu-ray player that would be replaced by the Oppo and obviously would stay with the Pioneer Elite.

It seems that there should be less compromise with the Pioneer Elite because of its retail price and the fact that it has fewer features. I have room in my entertainment center for another component, but would mind keeping it simple.

What are you thoughts?
mceljo
Without question given its chip set, I would recommend the Oppo BDP-80, not the SE. I have a modified unit done by John Tucker of Exemplar and have never heard such outstanding reproduction of sacds. It also does HDCDs and they also are the best I have heard.
I think maybe you mean the 83, Norm? (i.e., not the 80) Too bad all of Oppo's numbers begin with an 8!

Re the Oppos and quality: the 83 is my 3rd over 3 years, and the quality/reliability of all of them has been outstanding. I have also found their customer service to be exemplary.
"How many hours on Integra VS Pioneer?" - The Pioneer is probably over 8 years old and the Integra is fairly new. I'm not sure why that matters as they nearly sound the same. The biggest difference is from going from Integra analog to Integra digital. I wouldn't think that a D/A converter changes with use?

As for the Oppo products, I've seen a lot of recommendations for Oppo, but many of them are linked to modified units. Seems similar to telling someone you prefer Camaro's over Mustang's, and then clarifying that you have a Camaro modified by Lingenfelter Performance.

The Oppo 80 would have been an excellent option for me, but I think the Elite will serve my needs/wants better. The placebo effect of knowing that it was designed for 2 channel audio will make it sound excellent I'm sure. I likely won't ever get to do a side by side with an Oppo so I'll be fat dump and happy for a long time.