ALT0153 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 (edited) As I stated in my finishing basement post, I know little to nothing about audio equipment, specs, setup etc., but am trying to learn it little by little. After selecting the speakers and AVR, my next goal is to purchase a blu-ray player. My question for all the experts is do I need to be looking for anything specific in the blu-ray player in terms of audio decoding ( e.g., Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Pro Logic IIx/z, DTS, DTS Neo:6, DTS-ES, DTS-HD, THX, etc) Is it necessary to have the DVD player support as many of these formats or will the HDMI or digital coax cable "pass-through" to the AVR with decoding/processing capabilities? Should I just be concerned with the specs of the AVR rather than the blu-ray player? I'd hate to spend $800 on a blu-ray player if I didn't have to, but I also don't want to spend $2,500 on speakers and get terrible sound quality because of the black-friday special player at the top of the stream. Thanks for your input! Edited November 20, 2014 by ALT0153 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budman Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 oppo-103 $520 delivered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALT0153 Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 Yes, I've seen that the Oppo DVD players are popular and highly recommended but cost as much as an AVR. Do I need that in order to take full advantage of the speakers or make sure I have a good AVR? Why have both units "decoding" the same audio? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 20, 2014 Moderators Share Posted November 20, 2014 You will find varied opinions on the benefit of high end players vs lower end models. One of the authors of thewirecutter seems to feel that lower end models perform as well as higher end models. Link to article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 20, 2014 Moderators Share Posted November 20, 2014 Do I need that in order to take full advantage of the speakers or make sure I have a good AVR? IMO, no. An oppo will have a MUCH better build quality, better customer service and might have some added benefit to video but I do not see the OPPO handling audio any different than a lower end unit, especially if you are sending the data via Bitstream which lets the receiver do the actual decoding of the material. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 (edited) You will find varied opinions on the benefit of high end players vs lower end models. One of the authors of thewirecutter seems to feel that lower end models perform as well as higher end models. Link to article I was attending the TAVES Audio show in Toronto a few weeks back helping with the Grant Fidelity room. We were using some parallel SET845 amps made by Psvane and their matching tube preamp a set of Pure Audio Project open baffle speakers and my cables some of my vibration control devices my modified Sony entry level DVD player and my new AC line filters. We were as far as I know the only room at the show playing CD's everyone was playing high rez files of one kind or another. We were awarded best sound at the show by 6 moons review and high praise by other publications as well as Many visitors who came to our room repeatedly. For DVD and Bluray players look to the 24 bit 192 KHz sample rate designs. Just last week I auditioned three new DVD players all under priced at $40.00 or less. My Sony DVD player was a 24 bit 96KHz sample rate and the best of the shootout from last week is a Toshiba 24 bit 192KHz and similarly modified to my Sony, the new Toshiba eats up the 24 bit 96 KHz player that I used in Toronto at the show. I wish I had this at the show and it is not even fully burned in yet. I find the entry level bluray players really cheap out in the laser dept. since you are buying two laser assemblies and they split the budget and the entry level DVD players most always sound better on music. Just my two cents and some proof that entry level does not have to mean junk. My new player by the way is a Toshiba SD3300 but the SD4400 is the same inside and about the same price range. Sony have a 24 bit 192KHz DVD player(I very much prefer Sony quality)but the Sony does not have on box track display so the Toshiba won the day with on box display. Having lived with a DVD player with no on box display I will compromise if I have to to get the track info on the box display. The Toshiba however is no compromise in performance and has track display. Best regards Moray James. Edited November 20, 2014 by moray james Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 20, 2014 Moderators Share Posted November 20, 2014 Cool story Moray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 (edited) Sony haver a 24 bit 192KHz DVDplayer Curious as to if somebody can explain what a 32 bit player can get you other than high resolution audio. A Crutchfield sales guy told me in the past that even normal CD's will sound noticably better in terms of being more accurate and detailed. That would be surprising on a normal CD but maybe blu ray movies with master audio would be better. Edited November 20, 2014 by MetropolisLakeOutfitters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Also since we're talking about players, I'm wondering what's up with my PS4. The PS3 was a great disc player for a long time for me, I had two of them. When the PS4 came out I snatched one up thinking I could do the same. However, you can't play CD's, you can't play half the youtube videos, you can't play mp3's, I don't think you can get on grooveshark and whatnot. First of all wondering why Sony would do this. But, now it's half broken. Half the time when I start it up, it immediately shuts down. About 10-20% of the time it does this 3-5 times in a row. Eventually it will turn on and work fine but it is getting pretty aggravating, it had my daughter in tears due to being frustrated the other day. I guess I'm going to have to get it serviced under warranty but if there's something I could check on my own I'd be real interested in hearing what it might be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psg Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 (edited) my next goal is to purchase a blu-ray player. do I need to be looking for anything specific in the blu-ray player in terms of audio decoding Is it necessary to have the DVD player support as many of these formats or will the HDMI or digital coax cable "pass-through" to the AVR with decoding/processing capabilities? Should I just be concerned with the specs of the AVR rather than the blu-ray player? I'd hate to spend $800 on a blu-ray player if I didn't have to You said "DVD player" in the title and once in the post, but I assume you really want to play Blurays, right? If you are not (1) upscaling video, (2) video processing (e.g., Darbee) or (3) sending decoded audio through analog cables, then really any $50 Bluray player will work about the same. Spending more gets you features (wifi, better wifi, more CPU processing for faster smart content interaction, better smart menu interface, extra USB slots including one in the front and one ot more in the back, more output options such as twin HDMI, optical and coax audio outputs, multi-channel analog outputs and better DACs, better build quality, longer warranty, better remote, maybe metal with backlighting). The fancier Oppos just about qualify as pre-amp/processors, switching digital inputs and converting to analog with volume control to output directly to power amplifiers. Edited November 20, 2014 by psg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 my good friend John Wright of Museatex and who does all my electronics work has a 32 bit 192KHz dac chip set from AKM and in its current form the Toshiba sounds better. I am sure that the 32 bit player will sound better than my Sony or Toshiba once fitted with the same modifications as the Sony and Toshiba. Moral of the story is that the numbers don't always mean things will be better. You still have to trust your ears. Best regards Moray James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted November 21, 2014 Moderators Share Posted November 21, 2014 Metropolis, sorry to hear about your PS4 woes. I haven't experienced any of those symptoms with mine. I just tested one CD and it says "Unsupported Disk". My guess is since the PS4 moved away from a Multimedia Platform to a Gaming / Bluray platform, CD's may no longer be supported. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssh Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 "Do I really need..." No. I usually evaluate what I really want and balance my want with my budget, and then spend more. If you can burst your budget enough to buy an OPPO, I hope you will. You question about paying for overlapping functions, and you should, in my opinion. However, I believe it is more important to consider the primary purpose(s) of the player (source), and that spending more is not "merely" the result of a unit performing those overlapping functions. The OPPO is a proven player, regardless of its role in controlling any aspect of the played-back material. Its ability to assume another role in the music chain is, to me, not a drawback, but rather a potential advantage. No other player is as often recommended by its users. Gottabesomereasons. I have three OPPOs. One is as old as a grade school kid...never a hitch or a miss. I'm sure that there is something more perfect available, but it would probably have some overlapping functions that I would have to consider in order to justify its cost. SSH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 How does the Oppo compare to the Marantz offerings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 How does the Oppo compare to the Marantz offerings? The Marantz(and Denon) players are pretty solid and have quality parts vs your Best Buy Samsung, Panasonic , LG offerings. The mid and upper level universal players from D&M are designed to to have better analog audio with better DACs and can compete with the Oppo offerings in music sound quality. Where Oppo steps ahead is in load times, long track record of reliability, and top tier customer support/service. If I had an all Marantz or Denon rig, I would not hesitate to add one of either of their mid level(or higher) players. Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1UC Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 http://store.sony.com/3d-blu-ray-disc-player-with-wi-fi-zid27-BDPS790/cat-27-catid-EOL-Blu-ray-DVD-Internet-Players I have 2 of these never had an issue nice player Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 How does the Oppo compare to the Marantz offerings? The Marantz(and Denon) players are pretty solid and have quality parts vs your Best Buy Samsung, Panasonic , LG offerings. The mid and upper level universal players from D&M are designed to to have better analog audio with better DACs and can compete with the Oppo offerings in music sound quality. Where Oppo steps ahead is in load times, long track record of reliability, and top tier customer support/service. If I had an all Marantz or Denon rig, I would not hesitate to add one of either of their mid level(or higher) players. Bill I'm torn between the Marantz UD-5007 and 7007. Basically you pay twice as much for 32 bit, a second HDMI port, balanced outputs, and the ability to read high resolution audio. I can't tell if it's worth it or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 (edited) Pretty hard to beat a cheap Sony for under $100 unless you "need " something special. Lots of network features and good picture.http://www.a4c.com/product/sony-bdp-s3200-blu-ray-disc-player-w-original-remote-bulk.html http://www.a4c.com/product/sony-bdp-s6200-3d-blu-ray-disc-player-w-original-remote-refurbished.html Edited November 22, 2014 by Fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paducah Home Theater Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 "Do I really need..." No. http://www.amnesta.net/mba/thecommondenominatorofsuccess-albertengray.pdf "Remember needs are logical while wants and desires are sentimental and emotional. Your needs will push you just so far, but when your needs are satisfied, they will stop pushing you. If, however, your purpose is in terms of wants and desires, then your wants and desires will keep pushing you long after your needs are satisfied and until your wants and desires are fulfilled." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang guy Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 (edited) Don't most Sony BluRay players also support SACD as well as DVD-A and CD's? Bang for the buck, Sony may be the way to go. Top notch goes to Oppo for sure. Even the packaging is the best I have ever seen anywhere. As for the DAC, I'm not sure if it is the DAC that does the upscaling. That may be separate circuitry. If you are connecting the BluRay player to an AVR with HDMI, then the DAC in the AVR is what is actually doing the work. The DAC in the player would be idle (passthrough), wouldn't it? All that being said, the upscaling of DVD's may be the determining factor when choosing between a more expensive Oppo and a Sony. Edited November 22, 2014 by mustang guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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