THE SCREENING ROOM
By Bill Kallay When I reviewed the Oppo BDP-95,
I found some player functions that owners should know
about. The player is multi-function unit that offers
owners a lot of playback capability. I recommend that
owners not only read the Oppo manual in detail, but to
read this short email exchange with Oppo's Jason Liao.
It will hopefully offer owners additional tips on
getting the best out of the BDP-95.
JASON LIAO (Oppo):
These two are probably related. The player’s analog
output is calibrated to output 2Vrms level at 0dBFS (the
maximum digital signal level). This is a de-facto
standard for consumer audio/video equipment. The sound
level boost when you use bit stream output is most
likely due to some digital post-processing by the AVR’s
decoder. The player’s decoder just decodes the signal
as-is, while in most AVR the DSP can apply additional
enhancement and processing. It is common to see Dolby
TrueHD sound to be boosted a few dB by a process called
“dialog normalization”. KALLAY: In using
SACD or CD via HDMI, the sound is very good but somewhat
veiled. When I switch over to the analog stereo only
output, the sound difference is amazingly clear and
precise. The sound difference is reverse of what was
happening with Blu-ray discs (as mentioned above). LIAO: This is
probably due to the technology limitation of HDMI. For
uncompressed audio signals (LPCM and DSD), the HDMI
technology does not carry the audio clock over the HDMI
link. Instead, the audio clock is regenerated by the
receiving device based on the sampling frequency.
Depending on how good a clock generator the receiving
devices uses, its jitter performance and frequency
stability can affect the sound quality. For compressed
sound (Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master etc), the decoding
process usually takes care of the jitter issue by
placing the decoded audio data into a buffer and then
use a master clock to send the data to D/A; for
uncompressed data, usually it is sent to D/A on the fly
with the regenerated clock, so the sound quality can
take a hit. The player’s internal DAC has jitter removal
and can produce better sound.
The new Oppo BDP-95 Blu-ray player has me
smiling with delight. The new Oppo BDP-95 has me so smitten with its
ability to impress, it is hard to look at another Blu-ray player
again.
FANCY ON THE INSIDE
The BDP-95 ($999.00) follows the impressive Oppo BDP-83SE. Both
players are Oppo's flagship combination players, meaning they
can play Blu-ray, DVD, CD, SACD, DVD-Audio, photo discs and a
number of audio formats. Both players featured upgraded analog
audio circuitry, power supplies and digital-to-analog (DAC)
converters. The result in both players was a significant boost
in audio quality, especially on CDs and SACDs.
Instead of resting on their laurels, Oppo went back to the lab
and produced the BDP-95. They upgraded the analog audio section
with a torridal transformer by Rotel, balanced XLR stereo output
jacks, and the ESS9018 Sabre 32-bit reference DAC. The company
also gave the new player upgraded video quality with the Marvell
Kyoto-G2 video processor with Qdeo technology. Though identical
to the Oppo BDP-93 on the video side, the BDP-95 surpasses the
lower priced model in the audio department by a long shot.
BUILT LIKE A TANK
Oppo doesn't skimp on the packaging of its players. The
BDP-95 comes nicely boxed and insulated with foam inserts. It's covered in a nice canvas tote bag with Oppo emblazoned on
the outside. Taking the player out of the box took some care. I
actually had to flex my meager muscles to bring the player out
to install in my system.
The player has a remarkably clean design. The face place is
adorned with the Oppo logo, an open/close button, and a nice
touch-based interface for play/fast-forward/rewind/menu
functions. The player is larger than a normal Blu-ray or DVD
player, but it I had no problem fitting it into where my Sony
Playstation 3
normally resides. The Oppo looks striking sitting beside my
other electronics.
Once I put in a Blu-ray disc, the Oppo brought up the main FBI
logos, studio logos, and menus very quickly. I didn't time the
Oppo's load times versus my standard speed demon, the PS3. But I
estimate that both players are equal on loading Blu-rays. The
player doesn't seem to run very hot, unlike the PS3 which cooks
my home theater den during the summer.
The BDP-95 is extremely versatile. On the rear of the player are
all of the outputs and inputs. Two HDMI outputs can let users
run one HDMI cable to a display and another to an audio receiver
or sound processor. The BDP-95 will play 3-D Blu-ray discs.
There is a set of 7.1 analog outputs, plus an additional
stereo-only analog output. Users can plug in an external eSATA
hard drive into the the back port. There are dual USB 2.0 jacks
(one on the front, one on the back) if users wish to run photo,
movie and music files on the BDP-95. The player can also play
PAL Blu-rays and DVDs, depending on regional restrictions. The
Oppo can do wireless or Ethernet Internet feeds for streaming
movies from Netflix or Blockbuster, and it
can be used for software updates. The unit also has a world
power supply, external IR control, RS232 control and HDMI CEC. I
don't even use half of what the Oppo offers, but I'm glad
these features are there in case I needed them.
For all of the features the BDP-95 has to offer, I recommend
visiting
www.oppodigital.com.
PICTURE QUALITY
I have always enjoyed the clean and sharp menu
interface on Oppo's players. The BDP-95 has an upgraded menu
system that is pleasing to use and pleasing to look at.
It reminds me, a bit, of the ease of Apple's menus. The
logos on the menu screens are quite nice. The first thing I
noticed after plugging the Oppo into my system was how sharp and
bright the menus were. This was a good indication the the
picture quality would be excellent.
The PS3 has given me years of enjoyment in the picture
quality department. The picture has always been bright, sharp
and colorful. But once I installed the Oppo BDP-95, I was
stunned with how much picture quality I was missing. The Oppo
seems to take a filter of haze off of my Blu-rays.
"Monsters, Inc." (2001) is an excellent Blu-ray. On the PS3, the
picture looks great. Details of Monstropolis and the monsters
are clear. But the Oppo takes it further. Never have I seen the
near three-dimensionality of Pixar's classic before. I remember
reading about the intricate detail of Sully's fur, but I had
never seen it until now. It's so clear through the Oppo that I
felt as though I could reach into my plasma screen and touch the
fur. Using a Pixar title is somewhat of a cheat for reviewing
components. Even on a cheap Blu-ray player with a mediocre
display, this film will look very good. But using a title like "Monsters, Inc." really shows the
stellar picture
quality of the BDP-95.
How does a film title look on the Oppo? Going gritty, I ran
"Stop Making Sense" (1984), Jonathan Demme's concert film of the
Talking Heads. The film is not slick and film grain is
abundantly clear throughout. The Oppo presents those film "flaws"
with glee. I felt as though I was watching a film and not a
cleaned up, digitized presentation.
On DVDs, the BDP-95 gives my PS3 a run for its money. The
picture upgrade is not eye-popping, but it does look very good.
Episodes of "The Simpsons" on DVD looked crisper. Animated
usually does look very good on DVD, but the Oppo boosts the
quality. This is the first player I have used that made DVDs
look respectable on a large plasma screen display.
SOUND QUALITY-MOVIES
The BDP-95 gives you three options in which to hear
movie sound: HDMI, up-to-7.1 analog surround sound, and stereo.
It can also run Blu-ray audio either through converting it into
LPCM or bit stream. Via bit stream, formats like DTS-HD Master
Audio and Dolby TrueHD are decoded by a compatible receiver or
surround sound processor. In LPCM, those lossless formats are
converted within the Oppo.
"The Police: Certifiable" (2008) Blu-ray is one of my favorite
discs. It captures the energy of the band's reunion tour with
gusto. My only issue was with the sound quality. On the PS3, the
sound at times is distorted. Sting's vocals, in particular on
"Wrapped Around Your Finger," are muddy and undefined. The PS3's
DACs are excellent, but with this particular title, the sound is
not to my liking. Yet playing this Blu-ray on the Oppo BDP-95
was a revelation.
I used all different methods in which the player can send out
sound. My first route was with HDMI via bit stream, which allowed
my Onkyo pre-amplifier to decode the audio tracks. The result of
this high definition Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack was of elation
on my part. This finally sounded like it was supposed to! At
24-bit/96kHz, the audio was stunningly realistic and engaging.
Switching over to the Dolby TrueHD 2.0 soundtrack, the sound was
even more clear. The bass was more deep and the overall
experience, to my ears, was more enjoyable. The BDP-95 did its
job in passing the Dolby TrueHD soundtrack to the Onkyo without
alteration.
The Oppo has two other audio options that owners can use. They
can choose LPCM via HDMI, or the analog outputs. In both cases,
the sound was excellent. But the volume was about 2-to-3dBs
lower than using the HDMI bit stream option. I tried both the
multichannel analog output and the dedicated stereo output on
the Oppo and the results were identical. The volume control on
the Oppo remote was set at "100."
Switching to the analog multichannel output, I adjusted the
volume to match the HDMI bit stream audio. I played the same
tracks from The Police Blu-ray. The sound was excellent, clear,
and engaging. I did find it to sound a bit lower in volume
compared to the HDMI bit stream feed, despite raising the sound
level. Please keep in mind that this isn't an issue of playing
movies loudly or the Oppo not playing the way it's supposed to.
The Oppo works like it should. This was a case of preference. I generally
preferred hearing Blu-rays through the HDMI bit stream route.
Why was there a difference in the overall volume between
formats?
The Onkyo pre-amplifier has a "dialog normalization" feature
built into it. When HDMI audio signals from a Blu-ray enters the Onkyo, the pre-amplifier
automatically boosts the volume to
compensate between various audio formats. I couldn't change this
feature on the Onkyo. The analog output from
the Oppo is set at 2Vrms at 0dBFS. According to Jason Liao of
Oppo, this is the "de-facto standard for consumer audio/video
equipment." My recommendation is to check the features on your
receiver/pre-amplifier and make sure the settings work
accordingly with the Oppo BDP-95.
However, playing DVDs was a different story.
Playing an older DVD title, "Dick Tracy," I found there was no
difference in sound volume between HDMI bit stream and analog
output from the Oppo. Even on DVD, this is a very powerful
sounding disc with Dolby Digital and DTS sound options. The
BDP-95's analog output sounded every bit as clear and dynamic as
the HDMI bit stream to the Onkyo pre-amplifier.
The beauty of the BDP-95 is that if a user, such as myself, has
a preference on sound playback, he or she can chose whatever
method they want. With my PS3, I do not have that option. Bravo,
Oppo!
SOUND QUALITY-MUSIC
The SACD format has managed to survive the onslaught of
iTunes-quality files, the resurgence of LPs, and the overall
desertion of music companies supporting the format. Thankfully,
a number of smaller companies such as Mobile Fidelity are
keeping SACD available to the public. With a number of hardware
manufactures deciding not to make SACD players, Oppo has helped
keep the format available to consumers who need a player.
How does the BDP-95 do with SACD? Quite well, thank you. In
fact, I kept digging through my small library of SACDs to try on
the Oppo and came away with a huge grin on my face. For years,
I've played the discs on a reliable Sony C222ES player. But it
is on its final legs. My only option was to play SACDs on the
PS3, which is simply depressing. The PS3 is a
fine video game and Blu-ray/DVD player, but it is not a good
high resolution music player. This is where the Oppo came to my
rescue.
I used HDMI with DSD engaged in the Oppo. The Onkyo
pre-amplifier
decodes DSD. Then I used the Oppo's stereo-only analog output
to compare the differences, if any, in sound quality.
For my listening, I used SACDs in the two-channel format. The
discs were Peter Gabriel's "So," and Diana Krall's
"When I Look Into Your Eyes." For CD, I used Steely Dan's "Gaucho" (remastered
in 1999). All of these are brilliant recordings and would
showcase any strengths or weaknesses of the Oppo.
The BDP-95 produces a pleasing presentation via HDMI. However, I
quickly found myself losing interest in the performances of each
artist. The sound was not quite "there" for me. There was no
liveliness to the sound. Vocals had little decay or richness. It
was as if the recordings were filtered with noise reduction. I
suspected, and it was confirmed by Oppo, that HDMI was the
culprit. I will not go into the details (see "Oppo Feedback"
below), but it had something to do with how Onkyo was "clocking"
the DSD signal from the BDP-95. Again, it is not a bad sounding
presentation if listeners chose HDMI. But they are missing out
on something much better by using the
analog output instead.
Once I used the Oppo's analog stereo-only output, playing
SACDs in their native format (1-bit/2.8MHz), I was stunned, yet
not surprised,
by the difference in sound quality.
The BDP-95 simply smokes any other player I have experienced in
my system.
Peter Gabriel's "So" album is brilliant, but it has always
sounded bloated on CD or SACD. The mix just seemed to have
too much bass and a lack of emotion on any of my previous CD or
SACD players. Not so on the BDP-95. It was as if I was listening
to the album for the first time. What I finally heard was an
excellent recording with deep, but pleasing bass. Gabriel's
vocals sounded so much smoother and natural than before. The album
brought me back to my teenage years when the album moved me.
Although Diana Krall is a talented musician, her
vocals are admittedly not the strongest in music. The
combination of a great orchestra and superb recordings help
elevate Krall's limited range to respectability. Her "When I Look in Your Eyes" SACD
does not rank up there with "Love Scenes," but it does sound
superb. My sentimental favorite, "Why Should I Care," is
emotionally involving. The song's soundstage is deep and wide,
placing the listener right in the room with Krall. The BDP-95
offered a lush and involving presentation of the entire album.
"Gaucho" has always sounded good on the radio and on CD.
It's a great recording. The 1999 remastered CD sounds even more
stunning on the BDP-95. "Glamour Profession" is tinged with a
heavy disco rhythm, but I cannot help but dig it. My foot
started tapping to the fat drum beat. I eagerly switched tracks
to hear "Hey Nineteen." The Oppo rendered the song so well that
I had to keep turning down my pre-amplifier. This remastered CD
made most of my CDs sound pretty darned poor in comparison.
Clarity and dynamics dominate this disc and the Oppo played
"Gaucho" with ease.
As good as this player is, it will not rescue poorly recorded
discs (or audio files). In my collection are some CDs from
the 1980s and 1990s. Many sound dreadful. At the very least,
the BDP-95 tries to pull as much audio information off these bad
discs as possible. One such horrific disc is "Big Generator" by
Yes. I know what you're saying: Yes? Back in the day, I loved a
few of the songs on this album and still do, but it was always a
pain to listen to. This is a shrill sounding CD and has always sounded bad, no matter what player it has been played in. That said, the
Oppo does a respectable job in trying to help it sound better.
This album has never sounded better than on the
Oppo.
The BDP-95 can play digital files from a USB device or
directly from an external hard drive. I hooked up an external
hard drive to the Oppo. All of my digital audio comes from WAV
files. For comparison, I played the same tracks from my iPod via
the Wadia 170 Transport with identical WAV files. The Wadia was
linked to the Onkyo pre-amplifier via a digital coaxial cable. I
chose The Eagles "Hell Freezes Over," an audiophile standard.
During the first listening session, I casually switched from the
Oppo's DACs to the Onkyo's DACs. At first, there didn't seem to
be any difference in the sound quality. Audio from digital files
played very nicely whether they were from the Oppo or Wadia. But
after further comparison, the Oppo's playback via its DACs
sounded a bit more refined and clean. There was more depth to
the overall soundstage, bass was more involving, and the sound
was better. It was not a huge difference, but enough for me to
notice. The only drawback was a gap between songs while playing
digital files on the Oppo. Case in point: "Hell Freezes Over."
The concert runs through uninterrupted on CD or WAV file. But on
the Oppo, there was a silent audio gap between songs. This is
not a deal breaker for me. It's nice to have the ability to play
thousands of songs from a hard drive through the Oppo.
Delving further into the BDP-95's universal playback
capabilities, I played two FLAC songs I bought from HDTracks,
Stan Getz With Tjader's "I've Grown Accustomed to her Face," and
the Bill Evans Trio's "Some Other Time." In both cases, the Oppo
BDP-95 presented the songs with a very pleasent listening
experience.
WHAT'S THE FUSS ABOUT?
After having used and reviewed Oppo's players for the last
few years, I've continued to be impressed with their products
and customer service. Whenever a friend or family member asks me
for which Blu-ray player to buy, I always recommend Oppo.
Indeed, Oppo has players that are more expensive than those at a
local big box store. But in my experience, you get what you pay
for. The Oppo players are built well and are backed by superb
customer service.
The Oppo BDP-95 price may sound like it's expensive, but it's a
stunning bargain. With universal playback of nearly any kind of
disc or file format, strong construction, ease-of-use,
remarkable picture and sound quality, the Oppo BDP-95 will make
you grin with glee.
Special thanks to Jason Liao
Photos: © 2011 Oppo Digital. All rights reserved.
OPPO FEEDBACK
Bill Kallay
BILL KALLAY: When using the analog
output on the BDP-95 for Blu-ray discs, either from the multichannel or
stereo-only output, I noticed that the volume is lower
than using HDMI (bit stream). My Radio Shack sound level
meter reads between a 2-3dBs difference. I used "The
Police: Certifiable" Blu-ray with its Dolby TrueHD 24/96
sound option. The sound volume difference between the
analog and HDMI (bit stream) options was noticeable. I
made sure that the volume control on the Oppo remote was
at "100" for the analog output. When using the LPCM
option, via HDMI, Blu-rays are at the same low volume
sound as the analog outputs. When I switch over to bit
stream, the volume boosts up.
Ad:
