Mallette Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 I know I don't have a lot a credibility here since I cannot tell the difference in the sound of 24kt gold or zip cord. Nonetheless, I am a happy man. Hooked up the OPPO 981HD and immediately fed it my recording of Stewart Wayne Foster at the piano. I did this in 1999 using my vintage RCA KU3A ribbon mike (turn your nose up at that and you will find NOTHING above it) as the primary pickup with a Beyer ribbon at 90 degrees from the RCA and about 4 feet off the stern of the piano. Master direct to disc (VT preamp, no mixer) at 24/88.2. This one I've had plenty of golden earred attention to and a few tears of joy from a lot of folks. Clair de lune. I'll not go into every little detail, but every little detail was there. The kiss of hammer to string, every harmonic interplay as notes formed sometimes slowly and sometimes with savage explosiveness, the individual sudden decay of each string as the dampers were applied, slow and fast... Occasional very slight but real deep breathing of the pianist in the softest sections as he struggled to ensure the purest touch of love to this great Debussy work. Major, jarring creak from the piano bench a couple of time so real as to startle, but still not ruin the beauty. And that, my friends, is with my digital "everyday" amp. Looking forward to hearing it through the ST-70 and Super PAS-4i preamp. TTFN! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcarlton Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 The Oppo is a nice surprise. Well worth the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 19, 2007 Author Share Posted December 19, 2007 229.00 is a steal for a CD player of this quality. Note I've not even hooked up the video yet... I suppose the 1080P upsampling and Faroudja are freebies! I've been browsing the manual. Good Lord, what a mass of functions, the vast majority of which I'll never use. OTOH, some look pretty interesting. Clever, these OPPO people. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 I have 2 Panasonic RP-91 DVD DVD-A players that still work flawlesslesssly( no chroma bug). If I get through tax time with a little money coming back I may have to buy one of these to quench my curiosity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 20, 2007 Author Share Posted December 20, 2007 Flynn: VERY rare I recommend something without reservation, but if you can find anything in the AV world that delivers more music, video, and fun for 229.00 PLEASE let me know. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 i value your opinion, Dave and ... I ... like your RCA mike ... [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 20, 2007 Author Share Posted December 20, 2007 i value your opinion, Dave and ... I ... like your RCA mike ... So do I!!!!!!!!! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Any chance of getting a hold of one of your recordings? I've been looking for quite some time now for a reference quality piano recording... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 20, 2007 Author Share Posted December 20, 2007 Doc, see PM... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 i grew up in the day, of Ampex ... recording equipment ....and a Quality vacuum tube .. Microphone ...[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el jopez Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Yes, Please! I would love to hear someone elses take on Clair De Lune if you don't mind! It has always been one of my favorite peices to perform - though overrated in some musical circles, I'm still deeply enamored with its sensual qualities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 20, 2007 Author Share Posted December 20, 2007 Wouldn't be prudent to deny a request from Monster Island... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpines Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 the Oppo products are a STEAL. Another STEAL for the price is the Stereo-Link 1200 USBDAC for $198. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 I'm in need of an upgrade in the DVD department since I now have an HD TV. I see mentioned that this player does 1080P upscaling. What if your HDTV only does 1080I ? My TV support 480P, 720P and 1080I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 20, 2007 Author Share Posted December 20, 2007 Craig: It does them all... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 20, 2007 Author Share Posted December 20, 2007 the Oppo products are a STEAL. Another STEAL for the price is the Stereo-Link 1200 USBDAC for $198. Up to my neck in good DACs, but tell us more... Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpines Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 This is a USB DAC, no good as a DAC for a CD transport. If your up to your neck in good (USB) DAC's this is probably not for you. I've heard the USB Benchmark and this is no Benchmark but the Benchmark is 5 times the price. But for $198 an outboard USBDAC that sounds as good as this one is a great value and a great jumping off point for most folks. A lot of folks are still struggling with the whole sound card thing. This is a quantum leap up from 90% of the sound cards. If much of your digital music is mp3's, who needs a $1,000 dollar DAC anyway. Many folks are just beginning to seriously think of their computer as a source (witness the last issue of TAS). If you're just beginning to explore the digital world with limewire, pandora, mp3toys, itunes, etc and are starting to digitize your CD's, try this unit. You'll be as pleased as the everyone is with the Oppos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallflower Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Two ideas to throw into the mix of this discussion... I've visited with the folks from OPPO and they actually recommend the DV-980H as their best "audio" quality player ($169). They recommend the DV-981HD if you have a need for the higher resolution video capability. The DV-981HD has the same design and path that their now discontinued 970HD had. The DV-980H apparently has a newly designed board (with help from Rotel), new DACs and upgraded caps, etc... I've heard the 970HD and if they've improved on that player (which they say they have), $169 is pretty amazing for that much sound. The DV-980H still does 1080p and all the other video levels, it just doesn't have the Faroujda video processing capability. For the money it's probably best to just get both players! Conversely, they said in 6 to 8 months they should have a new player that has the same audio capability of the DV-980H which will also include the Faroujda processor. Regarding the USB DAC discussion. As mentioned, the TAS article referenced a PCI external DAC (the Echo Gina3G), which for a street price of approx. $250.00 (price includes the PCI card, PCI cable and external DAC) sounds like a real winner. Combine the freeware (Exact Copy and Foobar) and you'd be in business with a "roll your own" music server on the cheap. I think I'm going to give it a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share Posted December 21, 2007 I'll remember the upcoming OPPO's as I need at least one more player around the house. OTOH, I am hearing absolutely nothing attributable to the player in listening to my own recordings whose content I know well. That is all I ask of any pb component. After that, "better" is something theoretical. And, though not relevant in these environs, the upsampled, Faroudja'ed video is unsurpassed by anything this side of BluRay. My only USB DAC is an M-Audio Audiophile96 acquired for impromptu recordings and experiments via laptop. However, I have found it to be a formidable and fine DAC I've used at friends parties and such with excellent results. Seems it was less than 200.00. My "serious" PC DACS are the near-perfect (IMOH) Card Deluxe for 2 channel, and the ESI WamiRack for surround recording/playback. I fancy a slight preference for the CD, but so slight as to be inconsequential. Even the late models at the "high end" of the SoundBlaster line deliver pretty commendable performance these days... Our ears are living in marvelous times! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted December 21, 2007 Share Posted December 21, 2007 Craig: It does them all... Dave Thanks Dave.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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