DIGITAL HIGH-RES AUDIO SYSTEM -HELP PLEASE

Tim/OP,

You should check out the Oppo 105 owners thread over on AVS forums. http://www.avsforum.com/t/1439524/official-oppo-bdp-105-owners-thread/8940 You can get your questions answered over there. Also, be aware, that there is a new 105D model that is now one or two months old. It has the Darbee technology in it. Basically it has better video capability. You should definitely give that some consideration as well, especially if you have a projector.

I have a 105 and use it for 2-channel though a McIntosh MA 6500 integrated into Martin Logan Vantage speakers and it is a nicely resolving piece. I very much like it and it does all duties in my system including Bluray (via 55" TV), which it really is quite spectacular at.

Pokey77,

Thanks for the heads-up on the AVS forums. I've read many of the numerous posts on the 105 and find it very useful but haven't yet discovered solutions to my particular situation. In fact, this forum was a key reason I decided to buy the 105. A computer savy friend is helping me out tomorrow to assist in system setup solutions.

Steve/Willie,

I've read many reviews recently confirming the positive attributes of the Seagate Constellation hard drives. I am still considering these even though they cost more, thanks.

A far as my expectations of hi-rez 24/96-192 downloads, I have sampled a few sample tracks from Bluecoast Records through my former Dacmagic mini 100 DAC and was very impressed. I could definitely notice its superiority over cd.

And, yes, I do understand the importance of quality engineering in the final results. I've also learned that downloads recorded in 24/96-192 will sound better than regular CDs just placed in a 24/96-192 'container'. Bluecoast has many recordings recorded in hi-rez but the artists, although usually very good, are not the tracks currently most in demand. Hopefully, the more popular artists and recor labels will start recording in hi-rez. Seems to be likely but you never know.

Once I start actually buying and listening to computer downloads, the quality of the engineering and overall sq will become my next area of focus.

Thanks again,
Tim

Steve/Willie,

Forgot to answer your question on the 105's buffering of music data. I pulled the following info from Blu-ray.com:

3. "OPPO BDP-93/95 has 2GB of built in flash memory compared to only 1GB of built in flash memory for the new OPPO BDP-103/105: The BDP-93/95 has a total of 2GB of flash memory reserved for internal storage. 1GB is used for BD-LIVE persistent storage and 1GB is used for buffering streaming services. According to my communications with OPPO Digital INC the new OPPO BDP-103/105 will only have 1GB of internal flash memory (512MB is used for BD-LIVE persistent storage and 512MB is used for buffering streaming services). To meet the Profile 2.0 specification a USB external storage drive that is 1GB or larger is required. This is a disappointment since all prior OPPO Blu-ray players had 1GB of internal storage reserved for BD-LIVE. The new OPPO BDP-103/105 cuts the internal storage in half for both streaming services and BD-LIVE."

So, it looks like the 105 has 512mb of storage devoted to buffering.
Do you think this will be adequate for FLAC, WAV and CD playback?

Meeting the USB 2.0 Profile requirements seems assured since I'll use 2 TB drives and a 2 TB backup drive However, the Oppo , my NAS and backup drives will utilize the faster USB 3.0 ports. So, do you know if USB 3.0 Profile requirements will be met?

I only have a rudimentary knowledge of how buffering affects sq. But I know it's related to sending the musical data to the DAC in an accurate and timely manner and, if the data is not completely accurate and timely, sq will suffer.

Thanks,
Tim

On a related topic of data transfer speeds and using wireless vs wired Ethernet with the Oppo, I found another interesting bit of info on Blu-ray.com:

"The funny thing is the Wireless N adapter on the OPPO BDP-103/105 is rated at 150Mbps which means under ideal conditions the wireless networking is 50Mbps faster than the Ethernet connection since 1Gbps Ethernet was not part of the hardware design."

Of course, just because the wireless 105 transfers at 150M and the wired Ethernet is limited to 100M, that doesn't necessarily mean wireless will sound better.

Thanks,
Tim

Update:

Discovered I actually had JRiver version 18, not v19 like I thought. Wasn't sure about any new improvements I'd benefit from on v19 but, just to be on the safe side before I start downloading hi-rez files, I decided to update to v19 anyway since it was only $26.

Jerry, a computer proficient friend stopped by Sunday and, within 15 minutes, had the Oppo 105 recognized by and listed as the playback device on JRiver. So, I've reached another milestone by now being able to go into JRMC on my laptop and 'push' ripped CD files to the 105 wirelessly. Yahoo!

After having some issues with my setup(I described the setup in an earlier post) I decided to simplify connections and get things functioning and stable by taking my VTL preamp temporarily out of my system. I'll probably add the preamp back in once I determine how best to do it. I really like the combination of the VTL, with NOS Mullard tubes, and my ClassD Audio amp and want to somehow incorporate it back in.

So, after taking the VTL out, I now have the Oppo directly connected to my amp through the 105's 'dedicated XLR outputs and my amp's XLR inputs. I used a pair of Audioquest cables and prefer the secure attachment of these plugs.

The system is sounding very good under this setup but I can't honestly claim that this direct connection, or the use of decent XLR cables, improved the sound of my system when compared to all RCA cables being used. However, I did have to adjust the 'trim' level on my main speakers under the Oppo's 'speaker configuration' setup menu after noticing the 5.1 surround sound was slightly out of balance. The front left & right mains were slightly louder than the other 3 speakers. I adjusted the 'trim' to -3.0 db on both Magnepan 2.7 front mains to compensate and all is sounding very good. My theory is that the XLR cable connection method actually did lower the noise floor which caused the front mains to sound louder than the other 3 speakers that are connected via RCA unbalanced connections.

As I currently see my journey, I still have a few steps to take before I can start enjoying hi-rez WAV and FLAC music downloads:

1. Finalize my backup and storage strategy then buy and install it. Almost ready to order a Synology DS112 or Qnap TS-119P NAS ($170-180/Amazon)with a Seagate Barracuda 2 TB HD($89/Newegg) as storage and a 2TB Seagate Backup Plus($99/Amazon or Newegg)) as the backup solution.

2. Complete configuration of JRMC, including setup of Folders based on resolution. I'm currently thinking of creating 5 initial Folders: 1. my ripped CD collection in 16/44.1 2. 24/96 FLAC files. 3. 24/96 WAV files. 4. 24/192 FLAC files. 5. 24/192 WAV files. This could change as I gain knowledge of, and experience with, JRMC.

Once these 2 steps are completed, I'll finally be able to move on to the fun part of downloading and enjoying hi-rez music. My final step is finding high quality download sites at reasonable prices. I'm aware of AIX, HD Tracks and Bluecoast records.

Again, thanks to everyone on this thread and my friends, Jerry and Dave, for helping me get this far on my journey thus far.

Please let me know of any good, well engineered hi-rez recordings and/or sites you're aware of. I prefer acoustic rock, jazz, r&b, blues or really any music that is well played and recorded and portrays a 3 dimensional soundstage that gives that 'you are there'or 'they're in the room' illusion.

Thanks,
Tim