Is the receiver even necessary?

[Oxonrich]

I'm currently looking at upgrading my Oppo 103 to the new Oppo 205. Mainly for the 4k, but it's also got me thinking about my system in general.

I've long been planning to add some power amps to my setup, but now that I'm moving to a player that has full 7.1 analogue outputs (not to mention additional balanced stereo) I'm starting to wonder if I need the receiver at all. What is it doing for me? And whether it will in fact be lowering, rather than improving performance.

There was a time when I had about 6 inputs into my receiver, but with all the smart features built into the TV, I don't seem to need this anymore. If the only thing that the receiver ends up doing is taking analogue sound from the Oppo, and feeding it to power amps by analogue out, it seems like massive overkill. Whilst I believe the LX-88 can pass through 4K and HDR, if I don't have any other video signals to switch, will I not actually be better off connecting Oppo picture direct to TV?

The other question is whether the Oppo could replace the Cambridge CXN. I bought the CXN because I hated my oppo 103's interface for playing music from my NAS, and it also sounded better. But with the new 205, could I get the same, if not better performance by selling the Pioneer and the CXN and spending that money on some serious power amps?

I don't use the am/fm radio in receiver.

All thoughts appreciated.

 

[davidf]

I've known some people do away with their receiver altogether, and others stick with using a receiver rather than the Oppo itself. Obviously people have different requirements, and using the Oppo's onboard processing is certainly an option for those who want to keep things simple.

Are you able to borrow a power amplifier from a local retailer to try out this option in your own home? Or arrange a demonstration? If you can, I'd try the option out before committing to it.

Some will will prefer to have a receiver as they will offer features the Oppo won't - onboard EQ, assignable settings per input etc etc, and will obviously allow far more sources to be plugged in. And some see the fact that you have to add a multi-channel power amplifier as no different to adding a full blown receiver.

With regards to picture, I would normally recommend anyone with an Oppo player to use the second HDMI output to send the picture directly to the TV, unless of course you have two screens like a TV and projector, in which case I'd recommend the 'picture only' one to the projector.

 

[abacus]

Go for an 800 Sony UHD Player and connect it to an Arcam or Anthem Receiver and you will have access to all the latest sound formats (Atmos etc.) which the Oppo outputs cannot provide, (By adding a 4 channel power amp to the Arcam or Anthem you could even do 7.1.4) the only advantage the Oppo may provide is a marginal improvement with upscaling, but I doubt you will notice the difference except in a A/B test. (If you need Dolby Vision (Which may be added to the Sony at a later date) then go for the Oppo 203)

If you’re happy to stick with the old cinema formats (DD, DTS etc.) then add a set of Behringer power amps (These are pro models so don’t look that nice) which are equivalent to Hi Fi power amps at 4 to 5 times their price to put with your Oppo. (However unless you can acoustically treat your room and set the speakers in an optimum position, then you will never get a top quality sound. (If you look at pro installations you will not find any that does not use room compensation software)

To be honest, the Oppo 205 is pretty pointless in this day and age, unless you have a very old receiver.

In the end only you can decide what you need.

Hope this helps

Bill

 

[Samd]

With regards to picture, I would normally recommend anyone with an Oppo player to use the second HDMI output to send the picture directly to the TV, unless of course you have two screens like a TV and projector, in which case I'd recommend the 'picture only' one to the projector.

Isn't the second HDMI out, audio only?

 

[newlash09]

speaker calibration is where the av receiver really delivers. Without that you will have to have all your speakers at the same exact distance from your listening position for the sound field to envelope you. Even then because of room induced nodes and nips, certain frequencies will sound louder than they are supposed to. And with sub EQ, the av receiver does the difficult job of blending in the sub for you. This in my opinion is a must for a good home theatre experience. Not to mention the convenience of input and output selection with a remote.

 

[Oxonrich]

Thanks all,

I hadn't considered how much eq the receiver was doing. It looks like the Oppo 205 does have a whole lot of settings for speaker positioning and offset, but it would certainly take some testing to see if it can be setup as well as the audyssey correction in the Pioneer.

I also hadn't that Oppo can't output height channels over analogue. Not Atmos anyway. I know my pioneer is capable of it, but I'm currently renting whilst my new place is built, so ceiling speakers aren't an option at the moment. I will definitely be keen for it once I move into the new place.

I'd be very keen for an Arcam, having owned one in the past. But the markup in New Zealand is ridiculous. It's about 50% more than in the U.K, where it's not exactly cheap.

Looks like option at the moment might be to go with the Oppo 203 and connect by HDMI. Unless reviews come back and say the picture is significantly better on 205, which I doubt. I'll go do my own testing in store.

My biggest gripe ( and has been for ages) is that you end up spending large sums of money on things you don't use. I much prefer the idea of complete seperates. But these days it seems they make things so universal that you end up with multiple DACs in your system, multiple pre-amps, and a whole bunch of unused amplifiers. The only companies doing complete seperates seem to be the very high end of the market.

Something akin to the Arcam AV860 or Anthem AVM60 at a better price point would be perfect for me. That way, you can spend big on your amps and speakers and just replace the processor every 3-4 years. And a 4K Blu Ray transport (not player) would be great to!

Rant over. Thanks!

 

[davidf]

My biggest gripe ( and has been for ages) is that you end up spending large sums of money on things you don't use. I much prefer the idea of complete seperates. But these days it seems they make things so universal that you end up with multiple DACs in your system, multiple pre-amps, and a whole bunch of unused amplifiers. The only companies doing complete seperates seem to be the very high end of the market.

Something akin to the Arcam AV860 or Anthem AVM60 at a better price point would be perfect for me. That way, you can spend big on your amps and speakers and just replace the processor every 3-4 years. And a 4K Blu Ray transport (not player) would be great to!

Rant over. Thanks!

The problem is that all the licences are attached to the processor, so it's the processor section that tends to cost the most - amps are amps - you're purely paying for quality and ability there. Even with the now discontinued Audiolab 8200AP, which avoided paying any EQ licences or Dolby and DTS for their hi-res sound format licences, the processor was still over £1,000. Add in all the missing licences, room EQ, a second HDMI output, Bluetooth/AirPlay etc etc, and you're looking nearer £2k anyway. That's if you want quality anyway.