Oppo BDP83SE vs Oppo BDP95

Is the Oppo a step up over the Marantz in DVD playback?

30 hrs! You did yourself a disservice by forming an opinion on out of the box performance! I as well as many others have found the recessed sound to go away with no less than 50-75 hrs of playback and full burn in around 500 hrs and up. You might just be the first I've heard to choose a 83se over the 95, as it has taken on units well beyond its class, stand alone or universal. 50jess you owe it to yourself to research this topic well, a good place to start is over at avsforums and many more, plus the main stream reviews as well.

Jdub39, I do find it odd that my 83SE required little or no break-in (yes, I bought it new). What is it about the 95 that demands a ridiculous (to me) 500 hours? Did you compare the 83SE to the 95 in your system?

Isn't break in a bitch? I wonder how many fine products have been maligned because they were evaluated before breaking in. Does anybody know the true reason there is such a phenomena? Molecules being aligned is one theory I know of.

If I was a manufacturer I'd break in every piece of equipment before sending it out for review or demo.

Strangely, my experience (after about 450 hours on the 95) is similar to that of Dopogue. I wouldn't use the term "recessed", but I am unimpressed. What I hear is a lack of "meat" on the bones...a lack of density of tone and image. The 95 also sounds somewhat strident to me. Now, of course, we all listen and compare what we hear to something else: live music, some other system or component, etc. In my case, I am used to listening to my heavily Exemplar-modified Denon 3910 (with tube out-put stage).

Having said all that, I am still considering keeping the Oppo...and getting it modified. I say this because I keep reading many excited comments from others. Part of my dilemma, however, is that I am not tolerating the fan noise well at all.