vnzbd Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 I am wondering who out there uses a dedicated cd player for 2 channel vs. a Blu ray/DVD/combo player. I have heard that certain cd players have superior dacs and utilizing the anolog outs provides a noticible audio improvment. I am currently looking for a Blu-ray player and am looking at anything from the PS3 to Oppo for blu-ray and the Emo cd player for audio. I am currently using an older Marantz DVD for everything. Any feedback is appreaciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 OPPO. BD83, BD83SE or wait for the new one coming shortly. Only somebody who plunked down 5k or so for a magic CD player will hear the difference. Get one, take your wife or SO out to an extravagant meal...which won't eat into the money you are saving even a little...then go home, cuddle and listen. Happy, Happy! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vnzbd Posted December 20, 2010 Author Share Posted December 20, 2010 I have received notification that the Oppo 93 is now ready for purchase and am interested. It also appears not to have the same audio output options that the 83 had. Although the 83 could be upgraded or purchased in the 83SE version, the 83 had a dedicated 2 channel out. I do not have an HDMI avr so I would have to used the digital out or the anolog outputs. Do you feel that the digital out would not be audiably different from a could 2 ch dac for the average ear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 IMHO, only someone who'd really practiced hard would hear a difference if the DAC you are using is of reasonable quality...and then I'd have my doubts. Bear in mind that if you are listening via an external DAC, you aren't listening to the OPPO or whatever but that DAC. So, even an amateur might hear a difference if the outboard DAC is really cheesy. However, DACs have improved to the point that there are a world of low cost ones that perform admirably. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 Mike, I am wondering who out there uses a dedicated cd player for 2 channel vs. a Blu ray/DVD/combo player. I have a NAD C542 cd player that I have in my family room HT rig that I use for 2-channel with analog out to my NAD T773 receiver. I think the NAD player's DACs are slightly better than the ones in my NAD receiver, Yamaha BR player, and my Onkyo universal player. Actually all are quite good but the C542 just edges them out. I am currently looking for a Blu-ray player and am looking at anything from the PS3 to Oppo for blu-ray and the Emo cd player for audio. I am currently using an older Marantz DVD for everything. Any feedback is appreaciated. Take a look at this Marantz BD8002. I have been eying these for some time and http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/MARBD8002B/Marantz/Bd8002-Reference-Blu-ray-Dvd-Player/1.html has a great deal on them now. Great build quality(over 23lbs) with Silicon Optix's Realta HQV video processor in it. They are local here in Orlando if you wanted to pick up. Merry Christmas, Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tromprof Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 The DAC is the most important element. I have a Cambridge Audio DacMagic that I route all my digital sources through (CD/DVD, computer music server, HD radio, etc.). The DacMagic has a better sound than any of my sources, and better yet it will make any old CD player with a digital out sound great. I would spend my money on a good DAC like the Cambridge Audio or the new Emotiva for audio and make the selection of blu-ray on price and video. Of course the DACs don't do surround sound (which is a feature I happily got rid of). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hifi jim Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 I'm currently using an Oppo BDP-80 as a transport for my HT (using the HDMI connection), and as a two channel player using the RCA outs. I love it. Sounds even better than my Oppo DV-980h which is a very good cd player in its own right. Can you better the Oppo BDP-80 as a cd player? Sure, but anything less than a Rega Apollo will not be an improvement over the Oppo, and then only by a small margin. I like Daves idea, buy the Oppo and use the rest for good music, good food or both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 but anything less than a Rega Apollo will not be an improvement over the Oppo, and then only by a small margin. In an A/B at my home a few years back the difference was statistically insignificant...and the Apollo owner actually fell on the OPPO side. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hifi jim Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 but anything less than a Rega Apollo will not be an improvement over the Oppo, and then only by a small margin. In an A/B at my home a few years back the difference was statistically insignificant...and the Apollo owner actually fell on the OPPO side. Dave I could understand that. The difference between cd players is as subtle as those between similar amplifiers or between interconnects or speaker cables. Subtle, and not always in favor of the more expensive component. Listen and let your ears decide. Oppo has excellent resale value and they sell very quickly on Audiogon, so there is little risk in giving the Oppo a spin. Oppo also has excellent reliability, something that cannot be said for Rega's Apollo and is a very important criteria when shopping cd players that are mechanical devices as much as digital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 I decided to get the Oppo BDP-83 SE, mostly because I would not need a dedicated CD player due to the 2-ch DACs in the Oppo, which I hear are very good. I should have it hooked up just after Christmas so will let you know my thoughts. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksonbart Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 I decided to get the Oppo BDP-83 SE, mostly because I would not need a dedicated CD player due to the 2-ch DACs in the Oppo, which I hear are very good. I should have it hooked up just after Christmas so will let you know my thoughts. Mike I am sure you will enjoy it, I got one. Very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalogWave Posted December 21, 2010 Share Posted December 21, 2010 Check THIS out... Brand Spankin' New to the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vnzbd Posted December 22, 2010 Author Share Posted December 22, 2010 Looks like Oppo has all the bases covered with this model. No posting of the MSRP. Hmmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ69 Posted December 22, 2010 Share Posted December 22, 2010 I have heard that certain cd players have superior dacs and utilizing the anolog outs provides a noticible audio improvement. As in all my purchases, I select my units based on sound characteristics not by design architecture. The complete signal path is important not just one part or section, too many places where something can go wrong. Thanx, Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluBitRates Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 I am also interested on this subject as i now need to purchase a cd player. A few months ago i tested a pioneer elite dv-37 (using optical) dvd player against my pioneer bdp-320 (5.1 analog outputs) blu-ray player and the older pioneer elite won. But for blu-rays the bdp-320 is top dog sound. Maybe is it because i was using the analog outputs? Can anyone recommend a cd player for under $100? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 I am also interested on this subject as i now need to purchase a cd player. Maybe is it because i was using the analog outputs? Can anyone recommend a cd player for under $100? I think for less than $100.00, used is your only option and then the field is slim. http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlplay&1297005624&/Rotel-RCD-950-Entry-Level-Audi http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlplay&1298137793&/NAD-5420-rotel-rcd-865bx-with- http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlplay&1296545235&/Marantz-CC-65SE-5-Disc-Changer Very nice player here but you would have to stretch your budget. http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlplay&1297791184&/Onkyo-C-S5VL-mint-condition--v Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluBitRates Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 when you are using optical outputs are you then using the receivers dacs? I am using a 8 year old pioneer elite receiver for my 2 channel and like i said it sounded amazing before with the older pioneer elite dv-37 dvd player and my rf-82s. Thought i did not need a cd player because i have no cds so i sold it. Just got some la scalas that i may be using soley for 2 channel and now want to get a cd player again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hifi jim Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 How about an Oppo DV-980h (no longer in production), but these can be found on Audiogon for between $100-130. They usually sell the first day due to their great reputation for good sound and excellent reliability. It's a great DVD player plus it can decode HDCD, SACD, DVD-Audio and it's a great CD player. Tough to beat at the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 Tough to beat at the price. Pretty much impossible... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted December 23, 2010 Share Posted December 23, 2010 when you are using optical outputs are you then using the receivers dacs? Yes. You are sending a digital bitstream to your receiver letting it's DAC's do the converting to analog. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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