Good question. As the owner of a 103, I'm looking forward to reading the responses, because at some point I'll be facing that dilemma.
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I dont think anyone has offered a device like Oppo that has the ability for HDMI input (for my AppleTV), LAN network streaming, paid streaming services: ie Tidal, at a price under $2,000. The only other manuf. out there that I have been looking at that fills these needs for me is the Krell Universal DAC. Hey, if anyone has any suggestions let me know. Been alwost thinking about going overkill and getting the Mcintosh MX-122. |
My Modwright 205 was just delivered today so I am a happy camper. I don't see anything else that offers anything close to the value the 205 gives. Panasonic has a new upscale player with analogue outs/better DAC /advanced audio processing coming out in the Fall, but it doesn't look anything near the build quality of the 205. =( https://ce-pro.eu/news/home-cinema/panasonic-dp-ub9000-flagship-4k-blu-ray-player-announced/ |
Take a look at the Cocktail Audio x35. It is a player, ripper, network server, does Roon, MQA. Has the same DACs as the Oppo and will play and rip vinyl as well. It also has an internal 100wpc amp that I don't use because my Maggie's need more. It is a great sounding device that rivals my 203 which has moved on into my theater room. Im using the x35 as a line stage and feeding directly into my amp. |
@lalitk Congratulations on jumping on board with the 205. The Thread's Opening Question is a good one. I picked up the 205 (I was in the pre-release group) and returned it after a two week evaluation. I have the 105. Had the 95. Had the 83SE. Not sure if I have much use for the 205 or another brand equivalent. Need to think through this. Any thoughts on why it may make sense to pick one up? Thanks. |
The $200 Sony X800 has impressive heft (8.5 lbs) and build quality (rigid steel shielded sub chassis) with 4K video and audio quality on par with the 203 according to reviews. Plays SACD and DVD-Audio. No analog outputs though, so SACD/DVD Audio/Bluray Audio output is only via HDMI. Also has coax S/PDIF out for Redbook to an external DAC. Great performing, relatively inexpensive alternative to Oppo for use with HT processors. Dave |
@david_ten, Any thoughts on why it may make sense to pick one up? It depends solely on your setup....I picked up 205 for 4K UHD / SACD playback and to use its internal DAC with my SONOS Connect. I have a fairly large library of blu rays and 4K upscaler in 203 and 205 is simply outstanding compare to any other player. I don’t think there is another player that can do it all, and do it exceedingly well at $1299 price point. |
Wow, inventory evaporated quickly! I ordered a 205 from the Oppo website just yesterday. Got tracking info an hour ago. Couldn’t pass up its versatility at $1299 and hold on to one last piece of source gear that plays all types of shiny discs at high quality. Even gives me a reason to keep my 25 or so SACDs. |
If you didn’t order the 205 yesterday or today before noon. it’s too late. Sorry! Now if you still want one, you’ll have to pay more and much more just in a few more days. OPPO 205 is the only one on the market with 4K HDR, DAC with SABRE ES9038PRO, RCA and XLR analog outputs, multi channel SACDs, jitter reduction, headphone amplifier, and MQA support and is under $1,300. Why did OPPO Digital decide to close its business? I think we all know, but we’re not allowed to discuss about it. |
I think it is commonly suggested that these decoding chips.... 9018, 9038, etc represent computing power that ultimately shows up in very good resolution and musicality but only if everything else in the signal control is well done: transformers, capacitors, rf shielding, clock etc. Therefore, a well implemented 9018 or 9028 can exceed the performance of a poorly implemented 9038... as evidence... it is often stated that ess chips are generally brighter than those of other chip makers...which I suspect is implementation and a desire to maximize the absolute resolution capability of the ess chip. I suspect that oppo was careful to make sure that the 203 and 205 sounded the way they wanted them to sound. It would not not be surprising if someone like Rega, or Naim, or Parasound, to name just a few, liscenced aspects of the oppo intellectual property if there appears to be enough demand going forward. In in the mean time, the question remains... would you buy a Rega, Marantz, Music Hall, Vincent, Nad, etc CD player to replace your current player/oppo if it died..or would you go cd transport + dac to give you a better overall option and if so.... what would you choose? |
There is OPPO, and then you have the “all others.” OPPO Blu-ray players are simply in a league of their own. I’ve owned the BDP 95, 105D and now have the 205. If you can get one under 2k at this late date grab it. Nothing compares at any price in the AUDIO domain. Doing video easy enough. But we’re going to miss the Audio performance. Next best at a reasonable cost would be Cambridge Audio player, or so I’m told. |
Looks like the demand for the 205 has Oppo thinking about doing another production run...so, they are taking names to see if it is justified. Here is the link...delivery would likely be July/August https://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-udp-205/lastbatch.aspx |
Bummed at Oppo leaving, but honestly, the lack of streaming apps on the 205 is a deal breaker for me. My 105 is perfect!.... and the idea of teaching my wife yet ANOTHER new way of navigating to Netflix is a discussion i'm not ready for!! Yes I know I can plug a streaming device into the 205, but that's yet another remote configuration. Too complicated! I'd rather plug the streaming device into my TV or AV pre/pro to reduce the number of boxes involved, rather than pass through the 205 for the better sound. |
since a lot of the streaming apps are now part of the cable or satellite services, its probably less of an issue for many people. If you want to order a 205 from Magnolia Best Buy while they still have a few available (and I'm told they will ship for free), here is the contact info: Jim seven seven zero three nine one four seven three two I have no affiliation with Jim or BB...consider this a public service announcement!! As the world moves to streaming, the 205 will probably be one of the last generation of great CD players; most likely a few years down the road you will be using a CD transport connected to your DAC/Streamer to play discs, when you aren't streaming from a service or from your own library. Or, we will all be back to vinyl??? |
Possible good news for all those who missed getting a UDP-205 before they were all gone. Oppo is looking into doing one last production run of the 205 with availability sometime this summer. Go to the Oppo website and click on the 205 and it will allow you to sign up for updates and give Oppo an estimate of the customer interest. Like many of you, it sickens me to see a company that produces the quality of Oppo products getting out of the business. There simply isn't much else out there that even comes close. |
