Oppo 105 - Is it going to make a difference?

[duaplex]

Hi Guys,

I have finally had enough of the LX54, its so sluggish, takes forever to respond to a button press and has serious problems playing some Bluray films, like Prometheus 3D. Pioneer have mentioned a firmware update to address the problem with loading certain disc's but, overall the player itself is awful to use.

So my big question is regadring an upgrade really. Will spending more money on an Oppo 105 be justified in comparison to spending £200 on the Best Buy Sony player?

Will I plug it up and think "wow i can really hear and see a major difference" or will it be negligible. I guess in part, I wish to upgrade becasue of my new TV too.

Appreciate the help in advanced.

 

[bigboss]

You've got the brilliant Pioneer LX83 to decode audio; is it then worth spending on the extra audio abilities of the Oppo 105? Only you can answer that. Otherwise, Oppo 103 will offer equal video performance as the 105 at half the price.

A demo is certainly on the cards.

 

[duaplex]

Hey bigboss, great to chat as always.

This is what Im stuggling with. Will I see any gain by having the 105 over the 103? If not, then I will go for the 103?

 

[bigboss]

Are you going to play CDs as well, or only movies? Differences if any, will be very small. Only you can answer if the small difference is worth the extra outlay. Personally, I can't justify it, especially if I had a class leading AV receiver.

 

[duaplex]

Thanks Bigboss. I don't think I will play CD's through it, I have many albums on FLAC that I play directly from the PC to the AV (I know probably not the best way to play them, but still sounds decent over HDMI). It's main purpose will be for Bluray films. Would love to demo them but no retailers around me have them :O I am stuck wtih sevenoaks or richersounds in London. It will be a bling purchase at this rate.

 

[pioneer7]

You will not go wrong with the sony-790 in fact the sony was compared with the Oppo 93-95 regarding picture performance which is quite a statement,if music and all the bells and whistles are important to you then the Oppo would I suspect be the way to go, but would it be 300pound more improvement, I dont think so, most players today can do pretty much everything and anything alot of the extra outlay goes on the components used and the quality of the player itself,but the Blu-ray players of today are so close in terms of picture quality I feel its hard to justify spending 2-3 even 600 pounds more on a player that at the end of the day gives a great picture, I am pretty sure with a little tweeking of the settings on the player and Tv even better picture quality can be had, so if it is just picture you are wanting for the money you will not go wrong with the likes of sony or even panasonic, but if music and all the online trimmings are for you then maybe a little more outlay would get you better results. :clap:

 

[bigboss]

There are a few retailers in London (you may have to travel a bit):

http://www.oppo-bluray.co.uk/where-to-buy/#uk

 

[bigboss]

You will not go wrong with the sony-790 in fact the sony was compared with the Oppo 93-95 regarding picture performance which is quite a statement,if music and all the bells and whistles are important to you then the Oppo would I suspect be the way to go, but would it be 300pound more improvement, I dont think so, most players today can do pretty much everything and anything alot of the extra outlay goes on the components used and the quality of the player itself,but the Blu-ray players of today are so close in terms of picture quality I feel its hard to justify spending 2-3 even 600 pounds more on a player that at the end of the day gives a great picture, I am pretty sure with a little tweeking of the settings on the player and Tv even better picture quality can be had, so if it is just picture you are wanting for the money you will not go wrong with the likes of sony or even panasonic, but if music and all the online trimmings are for you then maybe a little more outlay would get you better results. :clap:

Agreed mostly. Oppo offers superior DVD upscaling, but that has to weighed with the extra cost.

 

[duaplex]

I am going to demo these once and for all. I just spoke to some retailers who swear blind that there is a major difference in quality. I have my doubts as they are more then likely wanting me to part with 1k. I am going to try out the Sony and Oppo 93 side by side and see what difference there is. But, by the sounds of it, it will probably be a little underwhelming.

Thanks for the link bigboss I just found one in Surrey buy will check that link out now!

 

[pioneer7]

:doh: indeed bigboss forgot to say upscaling.. was meaning more on blu-ray play back

 

[hammill]

I have an Oppo 83 and am very happy with it, but I bought it because I wanted a universal (SACD + DVD-A). , multi region(Blu-ray and DVD) player As you do not have that requirement I would buy the Sony if I were you, it looks likes it is excellent value.

 

[duaplex]

and bluray playback is my top priority. I spoke to another retailer who tells me that the oppo 103 will be more of a side step for me at this stage. He also mentioned that side by side comparisons would leave me non the wiser. So I guess it comes down to features and how much I want the extras. I like the idea of an oppo for its multi region playback and no known issues when playing discs.

 

[duaplex]

Thank you Hammill for the feedback, its good to hear from more Oppo owners.

 

[Frank Harvey]

I spoke to another retailer who tells me that the oppo 103 will be more of a side step for me at this stage. He also mentioned that side by side comparisons would leave me non the wiser.

Not Oppo stockists then?

As mentioned in another thread, I'll be trying a 103 out against my battleship Sony BDP-S5000ES at home next week, and hopefully the 105 in a few weeks time. Like you, Bluray reproduction is the main thing for me, but I am also interested in how well it can play back DVD's, as my Sony is very good at this, but my Panasonic BD60 isn't (but I need it for Region A Blurays). As my system sounds very good for music, I'll also be interested to see how well it does for playing back CD's - although I will shortly be adding a HDD via my Sonos ZP90 for music duties.

 

[duaplex]

Hey David,

That was a stockist, who only stocks Oppo products. Either, that was one honest person or he just didnt want to sell it to me :shifty: I would be interested to hear your findings as im almost pulling the trigger on a region free one.

 

[GSB]

If you decide on the oppo,go for a 95....theres a dealer up here in yorkshire that will sell for under £700...£300 cheaper than the new 105.

 

[duaplex]

Not sure the oppo 95 would offer anything more than the oppo 103 in my situation, unless we are saying the oppo 95 is a better audio and visual performer at playing bluray films?

 

[GSB]

As it has better dacs,for instance if you wanted multichannel analogue playback then the extra few hundred would be worth it...imo.

The picture quality would be the same on both models.

 

[Ian986]

I spoke to another retailer who tells me that the oppo 103 will be more of a side step for me at this stage. He also mentioned that side by side comparisons would leave me non the wiser.

Not Oppo stockists then?

As mentioned in another thread, I'll be trying a 103 out against my battleship Sony BDP-S5000ES at home next week, and hopefully the 105 in a few weeks time. Like you, Bluray reproduction is the main thing for me, but I am also interested in how well it can play back DVD's, as my Sony is very good at this, but my Panasonic BD60 isn't (but I need it for Region A Blurays). As my system sounds very good for music, I'll also be interested to see how well it does for playing back CD's - although I will shortly be adding a HDD via my Sonos ZP90 for music duties.

David I did not know you are a oppo dealer ?

I would be interested to bear your thoughts on the 103 as I have been thinking of getting one of these but keep trying to talk myself out of it as not sure how much better it will be than my BD60

i will only use for blu ray and listerning to occasional cd or DVD audio or SACD

Let us know how you get on !

 

[duaplex]

I am going for a demo of the Oppo 103 this Saturday. I am going to disconnect my LX54 and take it with me so I can compare them. If the Oppo is better visually and sonically as I am told, then I will be an Oppo owner this weekend

 

[Frank Harvey]

David I did not know you are a oppo dealer ?

I would be interested to bear your thoughts on the 103 as I have been thinking of getting one of these but keep trying to talk myself out of it as not sure how much better it will be than my BD60

i will only use for blu ray and listerning to occasional cd or DVD audio or SACD

Let us know how you get on !

Currently, we're not! Stock will be coming through next week.

I've only been using my BD60 for Region A Blurays since I got my Sony 5000, but if one of the Oppos (with an upgrade) can replace both, that frees me up some shelf space, and a plug socket, and saves a HDMI into my processor too!

 

[bigboss]

David I did not know you are a oppo dealer ?

I would be interested to bear your thoughts on the 103 as I have been thinking of getting one of these but keep trying to talk myself out of it as not sure how much better it will be than my BD60

i will only use for blu ray and listerning to occasional cd or DVD audio or SACD

Let us know how you get on !

Currently, we're not! Stock will be coming through next week.

I've only been using my BD60 for Region A Blurays since I got my Sony 5000, but if one of the Oppos (with an upgrade) can replace both, that frees me up some shelf space, and a plug socket, and saves a HDMI into my processor too!

And the Oppo will give you 2 extra HDMI inputs!

 

[Ian986]

David

i was going to call you when you had your open day sales last Saturday but you did not have any oppo on your list I now know why let us know what you think and we can go from there after will you be offering a Multi region version then ?

 

[duaplex]

Currently the mod chip to make it region free will void your warranty. However in the future when they release a specific board it will be fine. So yes you can buy one at the moment from certain retailers. This is the information I was given recently.

 

[bigboss]

Currently the mod chip to make it region free will void your warranty. However in the future when they release a specific board it will be fine. So yes you can buy one at the moment from certain retailers. This is the information I was given recently.

http://www.bluraychip.dk/product.php?id_product=24

http://www.bluraychip.dk/product.php?id_product=25

"This kit is very easy to install, just remove the player’s top cover, add the pcb in extension to existing flat cable, add a few extra cables, and you are ready for regionfree playback. This kit does not replace the existing cables, so if the player needs service, you can easily remove the kit again to avoid warranty problems."