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Oppo 205 revelations, questions..

Just installed my OPPO 205 27.09.18. •Surprisingly pleased with having a volume control on the remote! No comment on its quality just the pleasure when answering the cell. Hadn’t even checked the features of the 205 before buying- just wanted to grab this “Swiss Army knife equivalent in disc spinners. 
•Dr. No, 1st James Bond flic,a very old DVD,was very significantly enhanced on my 52 inch Pany plasma from 8’ viewing using HDMI . I was surprised at the improvement of this low budget film. Sound quality also significantly more clear and dynamic than that off my Lexicon RT 20, which I had found acceptable for DVD’s. No going back. 
•Improvements to sound on CDs obvious from the first turn on.  I will listen to some RR discs tonight to use for comparison after a week of “break in”. 
•my biggest take away from the improved CD sound : an itch to obtain even better CD sound from a dedicated DAC. Perhaps a Berkely DAC 1 or ?? Something similarly economical but better??? Thanks in advance for comments on this. 
•I set the the DVD 24p conversion ‘on’ and custom resolution to 1080p 24 hz. The movie looked good. Is this the optimal setting?
• obviously I was one of the last few to receive a 205. I’m fully satisfied with purchase; and consider myself very lucky not having to to consider other options. Thanks for reading. Pete
ptss
bultaco
43 posts
 
@ptss  How are you getting "stingray" through your 205 and where did you get the isolation transformer?
allanblissett
55 posts
 
@ptss. @ptss. Thanks for the tip, I will try it. I will try any DIY,  too scared to ship it anywhere for any mods. 
I just got a iFi purifier to try on the optical input. 
ptss OP
1,649 posts
 
@bultaco.  Stingray,a large music provider in Canada,is the music provider on Telus, a major cable tv provider in Canada. I take the feed directly from the cable box via high speed HDMI cable to the Oppo 205. I’m pleased and when I think back to the old days when all we enjoyed was AM radio on a transistor portable; I realize I’m getting better sound with decent dynamics from the cable; even though it’s a far cry from Oppo CD quality - which I’m amazed with!
ptss OP
1,649 posts
 
@bultaco. The isolation transformer is an old MIT ISO HC I’ve had for years but wasn’t using. That unit is for common mode noise and elimination of noise transmitted via ground.  It’s surprising how effective it is. You should also have something to eliminate differential mode noise. I’m very happy with a Sound Application unit I have for that. But even the MIT Z Stabilizer 2 is very worthwhile if the rest of the system is refined. Mine is Spectral and high level MIT cabling. FWIW I use a separate Equitech 2Q for the Spectral; works well for me. 
ptss OP
1,649 posts
 
I@allanblissett. The ifi sounds interesting. I’d like to hear your experience. My experience is that no single isolation/conditioning unit does what I achieve using a combination of balanced power for common mode noise and other units for differential noise. MIT has recently brought out a $16,000 unit. Im sure it’s a serious effort - but I’ll bet dollars to donuts it will complement Equitech balanced power. It relates to the nature of ac power. Blessings to Martin Glasband, the inventor of the patented Equitech Q series. IMHO the humble Oppo 205 plays “vastly” better than anyone listening to less than a state of the art system (or my system even) can imagine; when it receives pure ac power. The only mod I’d do is to change the digital power supply to one like the Oppomod unit. But I’m amazed at my CD replay as it is. FWIW I attend live classical concerts including opera and ballet regularly; music lover, fussy ears. Cheers :) !
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