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It’s an Oppo BDP-95 to be precise, which includes the highly regarded SABRE32 Reference ES9018 DAC from ESS Technology. The BDP-95 uses two ES9018 chips – one for the 7.1-channel output, and another for the dedicated stereo output.
I bought the BDP-95 because I want to get into the hi-res audio provided on Blu-ray concert discs. I’m a 2-channel stereo enthusiast with a passion for music DVDs so I needed a Blu-ray player with a good stereo audio section. My 1999 vintage LFD DAC3 pre-dates the availability of hi-res audio, so buying a less expensive Blu-ray player and using the LFD external DAC was not an option.
I’ve spent the past week watching a variety of standard definition music DVDs, comparing the Oppo’s sound with that of the LFD. My wife has been out of town so it’s been a music festival at my house. Initially I was disappointed with the Oppo’s DAC. If the LFD could be described as warm and luscious the Oppo could be described as detailed and precise. These are extreme descriptions and the reality is that they both sound very nice, just different to each other. As the week wore on I found myself listening to both of them in equal measure.
A noticeable difference between the two DACs is the perception of where I’m sitting in the theatre. With the LFD I’m sitting in row 3 whereas with the Oppo I’m sitting in row 15.
The DTS decoder in the BDP-95 is much better than the Oppo OPDV971H I’ve been using up until now. That’s good news because the DTS track on many music DVDs is the highest resolution one provided. Overall the DAC/audio section in the BDP-95 is far superior to the 971. When friends have questioned me in the past about the advantages of higher end audio I used to demonstrate by toggling between the 971’s DAC and the LFD. The difference was always instantly noticeable.
I own only one Blu-ray disc at present so I can’t really comment on the performance of the BDP-95 with Blu-ray discs. My one Blu-ray title is the Cream – “Royal Albert Hall - London May 2-3-5-6 2005” concert, which I know very well having watched the DVD often. It was noticeable that the SQ and PQ were both a step up from the DVD (I listened to the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track).
As an alternative to the BDP-95 I did consider other options. Initially I was interested in the Classé CP-800 stereo preamp, which has a very highly regarded DAC and would have replaced my Rotel RC-1082 preamp too. Initial reports suggested that the CP-800 would provide an HDMI input but this never eventuated so the CP-800 was not an option for me. The CP-800 is also four times the price of the BDP-95.
I also considered the NAD M51 Direct Digital DAC which JonMarsh has been discussing and reviewing in another thread here. With its HDMI input it looked very promising, particularly as it can also act as a pre-amp and would have allowed me to phase out my RC-1082. However the absence of a volume knob and tone controls reduced its appeal to me (the Classé CP-800 has tone controls).
Also, the NAD M51 only decodes the mandatory two-channel LPCM soundtrack on Blu-ray discs and I want the option of downmixing the multi-channel audio tracks on Blu-ray discs. For example, my one Cream Blu-ray disc provides the following audio tracks:
• LPCM 2.0 (48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit)
• Dolby Digital Audio 5.1 (48 kHz / 448 kbps / 16-bit)
• DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48 kHz / 2905 kbps / 16-bit)
The M51 would only have been able to decode the LPCM track, which would have been no improvement on the DVD.
My new BDP-95 cost me US$1,580 here in New Zealand, which is quite a lot more than in the US. Note that it’s the more expensive ‘Hardware Modified’ version that is DVD Region Free and Blu-Ray Zone Free. The LFD DAC3 used to sell for about US$5,000 in England back in 1999. Interestingly I occasionally receive unsolicited offers for it over the Internet, presumably arising from posts in forums like this one.
It’s early days with the new Oppo but my current thinking is that there is a place for both DACs in my life. It really depends on the music being played. I get a choice. It’s equivalent to being able to select the best audio track on a music DVD. Often LPCM is the best but sometimes it’s Dolby Digital and sometimes it’s DTS.
The Oppo BDP-95 is well built, functional and upscales DVDs very well, which is important because I own about 600 music DVDs. However my experience of the BDP-95 to-date does remind me that old pieces of equipment like my LFD DAC3 also have their place in the world. Being old certainly doesn’t mean being redundant (as I approach my 58th birthday this is more relevant than ever!).
For those of you interested in specs I have attached the only information I have on the LFD DAC3.
Nigel.
I bought the BDP-95 because I want to get into the hi-res audio provided on Blu-ray concert discs. I’m a 2-channel stereo enthusiast with a passion for music DVDs so I needed a Blu-ray player with a good stereo audio section. My 1999 vintage LFD DAC3 pre-dates the availability of hi-res audio, so buying a less expensive Blu-ray player and using the LFD external DAC was not an option.
I’ve spent the past week watching a variety of standard definition music DVDs, comparing the Oppo’s sound with that of the LFD. My wife has been out of town so it’s been a music festival at my house. Initially I was disappointed with the Oppo’s DAC. If the LFD could be described as warm and luscious the Oppo could be described as detailed and precise. These are extreme descriptions and the reality is that they both sound very nice, just different to each other. As the week wore on I found myself listening to both of them in equal measure.
A noticeable difference between the two DACs is the perception of where I’m sitting in the theatre. With the LFD I’m sitting in row 3 whereas with the Oppo I’m sitting in row 15.
The DTS decoder in the BDP-95 is much better than the Oppo OPDV971H I’ve been using up until now. That’s good news because the DTS track on many music DVDs is the highest resolution one provided. Overall the DAC/audio section in the BDP-95 is far superior to the 971. When friends have questioned me in the past about the advantages of higher end audio I used to demonstrate by toggling between the 971’s DAC and the LFD. The difference was always instantly noticeable.
I own only one Blu-ray disc at present so I can’t really comment on the performance of the BDP-95 with Blu-ray discs. My one Blu-ray title is the Cream – “Royal Albert Hall - London May 2-3-5-6 2005” concert, which I know very well having watched the DVD often. It was noticeable that the SQ and PQ were both a step up from the DVD (I listened to the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track).
As an alternative to the BDP-95 I did consider other options. Initially I was interested in the Classé CP-800 stereo preamp, which has a very highly regarded DAC and would have replaced my Rotel RC-1082 preamp too. Initial reports suggested that the CP-800 would provide an HDMI input but this never eventuated so the CP-800 was not an option for me. The CP-800 is also four times the price of the BDP-95.
I also considered the NAD M51 Direct Digital DAC which JonMarsh has been discussing and reviewing in another thread here. With its HDMI input it looked very promising, particularly as it can also act as a pre-amp and would have allowed me to phase out my RC-1082. However the absence of a volume knob and tone controls reduced its appeal to me (the Classé CP-800 has tone controls).
Also, the NAD M51 only decodes the mandatory two-channel LPCM soundtrack on Blu-ray discs and I want the option of downmixing the multi-channel audio tracks on Blu-ray discs. For example, my one Cream Blu-ray disc provides the following audio tracks:
• LPCM 2.0 (48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit)
• Dolby Digital Audio 5.1 (48 kHz / 448 kbps / 16-bit)
• DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48 kHz / 2905 kbps / 16-bit)
The M51 would only have been able to decode the LPCM track, which would have been no improvement on the DVD.
My new BDP-95 cost me US$1,580 here in New Zealand, which is quite a lot more than in the US. Note that it’s the more expensive ‘Hardware Modified’ version that is DVD Region Free and Blu-Ray Zone Free. The LFD DAC3 used to sell for about US$5,000 in England back in 1999. Interestingly I occasionally receive unsolicited offers for it over the Internet, presumably arising from posts in forums like this one.
It’s early days with the new Oppo but my current thinking is that there is a place for both DACs in my life. It really depends on the music being played. I get a choice. It’s equivalent to being able to select the best audio track on a music DVD. Often LPCM is the best but sometimes it’s Dolby Digital and sometimes it’s DTS.
The Oppo BDP-95 is well built, functional and upscales DVDs very well, which is important because I own about 600 music DVDs. However my experience of the BDP-95 to-date does remind me that old pieces of equipment like my LFD DAC3 also have their place in the world. Being old certainly doesn’t mean being redundant (as I approach my 58th birthday this is more relevant than ever!).
For those of you interested in specs I have attached the only information I have on the LFD DAC3.
Nigel.
Attached Files
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