TONEAudio Magazine
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<p><strong><a rel="attachment wp-att-11308" href="http://www.tonepublications.com/review/oppo-bdp-105-universal-player/attachment/1-51/"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11308" title="1" src="http://www.tonepublications.com/media/162.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="426" /></a>After a few months with the Oppo BDP-105, I’ve reached the conclusion that it’s the perfect digital anchor for just about any system.* If you’re a music lover, this player will allow you to listen to anything your heart desires on any kind of media.* If that weren’t enough, it’s also a 24-bit/192-kHz DAC that lets you play all the digital downloads in your music collection—I can’t think of a better DAC for the price.* Those collecting music files in the DSD format are also covered, the BDP-105 can play DSD files from any optical or USB storage too. And if you’re a movie nut, Oppo throws in an awesome DVD/Blu-ray player with the deal.</strong></p>
<p>But that’s just scratching the surface.* If you’d like to get back to listening to music, just go online and order a BDP-105.* It rules.* I’ve auditioned a lot of great digital players over the years, with reasonable to ridiculous pricetags, and the BDP-105 makes the entire process so painless; it’s a wonderful thing indeed.* It’s hard to believe that the MSRP is only $1,199.</p>
<p>The earlier Oppo players of just a few years ago came across as slightly lacking in mechanical finesse, though they represented an excellent price/performance benchmark.* But you can forget whatever you thought you knew about Oppo.* The BDP-105 is a world-class product, from the casework to the thoughtful packaging.* If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear that you were unpacking a $20k Meridian player, right down to the nice bag that the case is wrapped in.* Also included is a concise owners manual that easily guides you through all of the setup procedures—an essential read for those using both the audio and video portions of this player.</p>
<p>The remote is straightforward and all business.* This is where the $1,199 Oppo differs from the $20k Meridian player (and even trumps the mighty Meridian). *In addition to the standard-issue backlit remote, Oppo also provides a free, downloadable app for Android or iOS users, allowing you to leave the remote in the box.* For someone always losing remotes (like me) or despising clutter (my wife), this is an outstanding solution.* The menus are easy to read, and the app separates functionality into two screens: one that acts as an express remote, and one with the full feature set of the remote.* This is a brilliant move that I wish more manufacturers would duplicate.</p>
<p><strong>Getting Down to Business</strong></p>
<p>Those wanting to skip the manual and just concentrate on playing with their new shiny thing (or in this case, matte black) can get pretty far without the manual.* CDs and SACDs play without needing the user to access the remote control or external monitor.* Playing the discs in your DVD-A or video collection requires a monitor, so that you can set the correct multichannel aspects for your system.</p>
<p>While I’m not much of a videophile, it’s worth mentioning that this player integrates fantastically with my Anthem MRX 700 home theater receiver. *(Be on the lookout for this combination being mentioned frequently in upcoming concert-disc reviews.) *The video performance of the BDP-105 is simply stunning, and I’d happily pay the 1,200 bucks asked for just the video section of this player.* Operation is quick, color rendition is excellent and the noise floor is supremely low, resulting in a very saturated picture.* But that’s another review for another day.</p>
<p>Regardless of disc chosen, the BDP-105 plays them quickly and effortlessly with no long boot-up sequence required.* When listening to audio discs, users can access a “Pure Audio” mode from the remote to shut down all of the video processing circuitry, providing optimum audio performance—and this is worth doing. *On the extended “Mountain Jam,” from the recent MoFi release of the Allman Brothers classic album <em>Eat a Peach</em>,<em> </em>the midrange frequencies open up, and the Pure Audio mode removes a layer of grain from the high frequencies.* The extended drum solo on this record reveals good attack and transient response, while the audience mixed in confirms an excellent sense of the three-dimensional spatial perspective.</p>
<p>For someone with a wide range of music, all in different formats, the BDP-105 helps to bring the fun back to music collecting.* Now, when you’re shopping at the local used music store, or eBay, it won’t matter what the format is.* While this reviewer is <em>not </em>on the DSD-download bandwagon yet, it’s nice to know that new BDP-105 is already equipped to handle this format, and the other Oppo player I have needed only a quick firmware download/install to be fully capable; perhaps at a later date we will explore this option.* For those interested in the full media capabilities of the BDP-105, please click <a href="http://www.tonepublications.com/review/oppo-bdp-105-universal-player/www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-105">here</a>.</p>
<p><strong><a rel="attachment wp-att-11309" href="http://www.tonepublications.com/review/oppo-bdp-105-universal-player/attachment/2-48/"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11309" title="2" src="http://www.tonepublications.com/media/258.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="311" /></a>Ins and Outs</strong></p>
<p>Those moving away from optical discs will enjoy the DAC performance of the BDP-105.* With coaxial, Toslink, asynchronous USB and HDMI inputs, the BDP-105 is a perfect digital hub for any source, whether it’s a computer or a transport.* RCA, HDMI and balanced XLR outputs (along with full 7.1 outputs) make the BDP-105 equally easy to merge into any system.* Those just starting to assemble a component system can even take advantage of the BDP-105’s variable outputs and work without a preamplifier or linestage.* Stepping up to the main system in room one, utilizing identical Cardas Clear interconnects, I find no difference in sound quality between the RCA and XLR outputs, and the BDP-105 has no problem driving long interconnects of either style.</p>
<p>The BDP-105 works well in the context of a system built around a PrimaLuna ProLogue power amplifier and a pair of Dynaudio Confidence C1 II speakers.* Nothing in the owner’s manual specifies whether the volume control is in the analog or digital domain, but the volume control works effortlessly from the remote or phone app.* Those wanting to build an all-digital system could easily live with the Oppo player and a power amplifier.</p>
<p>My reference Sooloos Control 15, via the S/PDIF input, provides excellent synergy, as do high-resolution digital files played from the Aurender S10.* I use the Meridian Audio Core 200 to sample the Toslink input, and a MacBook Pro for the USB input, running iTunes and Amarra.* All inputs work without a hitch, providing good fidelity and the ability to easily switch between them without noises or glitches.* This player is positively painless to use, no matter what the source!</p>
<p>To make sharing music even easier, there is a USB input right on the front panel that lets you plug a USB stick directly in, provided the music files are in standard formats.* When the player is hooked up to a video display (which you’ll need for DVD and Blu-ray formats anyway), you can even stream music files from your NAS.* If there’s a format that the BDP-105 <em>can’t </em>handle, I haven’t got it.</p>
<p><strong>Comparisons Big and Small</strong></p>
<p>The BDP-105 does so much right and nothing wrong. *Unless you put the player head-to-head with something like a dCS stack or the DaVinci DAC (on a world class system), you won’t even miss the resolution that these flagship players offer—and those comes at a <em>much </em>higher price.* While the following is a somewhat silly comparison, it does outline the boundaries of the BDP-105’s performance envelope: *Jumping into a friend’s Ferrari F430 immediately reveals what my little Fiat Abarth is incapable of; yet, when I’m back in the Abarth’s drivers seat for 10 minutes, happiness returns and I’m not missing the F430 one bit. *And let’s not even talk tune-ups.</p>
<p>Comparing the BDP-105 to similarly priced hardware, and even players costing twice as much (some even more), the Oppo is ahead by a country mile.* There are a few DACs in the $1,000-to-$2,000 range, the Rega in particular, that sound slightly more “analog-like,” revealing a smidge more music than the Oppo, but none of these players have the format diversity that the Oppo offers.* It even has an onboard headphone amplifier that works as well as anything you’ll pay a couple hundred bucks for; the Oppo headphone amp proves compatible with all of the headphones at my disposal.</p>
<p>Whether rocking out with Alice in Chains or a peaceful Mozart symphony, this player always delivers a highly musical experience.* Highs are well rendered, and, if anything, the tonal balance of the BDP-105 is ever so slightly on the warm side of neutral, which is a good thing with most digital files.</p>
<p>Fans of acoustic and vocal music will be thrilled with the natural sound quality that the BDP-105 reveals.* Even after a few months, I remain impressed with just how much performance is here for this price.* The title track from Dessa’s <em>551</em> sounds fantastic, with the combination of vibes, her husky voice and the deep bass beats.* The mix stays coherent with the lead vocals well out in front while the vibes occupy a larger-than-life, diffused part of the recordings space.</p>
<p><strong><a rel="attachment wp-att-11310" href="http://www.tonepublications.com/review/oppo-bdp-105-universal-player/attachment/3-43/"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11310" title="3" src="http://www.tonepublications.com/media/352.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="562" /></a>A Fantastic Buy</strong></p>
<p>The BDP-105 feels substantial when lifted from its box, and removing the cover reveals a tidy layout.* A miracle of surface-mount efficiency, the Oppo has separate boards for power supply, analog circuitry and the DAC section, all tied together with flat cables.* The construction suggests Mark Levinson–level quality more than anything else.* This player is a benchmark for sound at its price, as well as for build quality.* I’ve seen more than a few $5,000 players that are mostly air under the hood.</p>
<p>While we are more than happy to award the Oppo BDP-105 one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2013, it is worthy of even more. *This is a rare component that ticks all the boxes from both a sonic and an engineering perspective, and that is tastefully designed and luxuriously packaged to boot.* No, you don’t get a dCS Vivaldi for $1,195, but you <em>do </em>get a digital player that can deliver every format imaginable, doing so at a level better than every one of its peers.* And there’s that free video player thrown in with the deal.* It doesn’t get any better than this.</p>
<p>For an encore, we will be comparing the BDP-105 to its lower-priced sibling, the $499 BDP-103.* Watch the Comparo section of our website.</p>
<p><strong>Oppo BDP-105</strong></p>
<p>MSRP:* $1,199</p>
<p><a href="http://www.oppodigital.com/">www.oppodigital.com</a></p>
<p>Peripherals</p>
<table width="100%" align="left" class="easy-table easy-table-default "><tbody readability="3"><tr readability="2"><td>Music servers</td>
<td>Apple iMac w/Amarra * *Sooloos Control 15 * *Aurender S10</td>
</tr><tr><td>Preamplifier</td>
<td>Nagra Jazz</td>
</tr><tr readability="2"><td>Power Amplifier</td>
<td>D’Agostino Momentum Stereo</td>
</tr><tr readability="2"><td>Speakers</td>
<td>Sonus faber Guarneri Evolution</td>
</tr><tr><td>Cable*</td>
<td>Cardas Clear</td>
</tr><tr><td>Power</td>
<td>IsoTec Super Titan</td>
</tr></tbody></table>
[Source: http://www.tonepublications.com/review/oppo-bdp-105-universal-player/]
<p>But that’s just scratching the surface.* If you’d like to get back to listening to music, just go online and order a BDP-105.* It rules.* I’ve auditioned a lot of great digital players over the years, with reasonable to ridiculous pricetags, and the BDP-105 makes the entire process so painless; it’s a wonderful thing indeed.* It’s hard to believe that the MSRP is only $1,199.</p>
<p>The earlier Oppo players of just a few years ago came across as slightly lacking in mechanical finesse, though they represented an excellent price/performance benchmark.* But you can forget whatever you thought you knew about Oppo.* The BDP-105 is a world-class product, from the casework to the thoughtful packaging.* If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear that you were unpacking a $20k Meridian player, right down to the nice bag that the case is wrapped in.* Also included is a concise owners manual that easily guides you through all of the setup procedures—an essential read for those using both the audio and video portions of this player.</p>
<p>The remote is straightforward and all business.* This is where the $1,199 Oppo differs from the $20k Meridian player (and even trumps the mighty Meridian). *In addition to the standard-issue backlit remote, Oppo also provides a free, downloadable app for Android or iOS users, allowing you to leave the remote in the box.* For someone always losing remotes (like me) or despising clutter (my wife), this is an outstanding solution.* The menus are easy to read, and the app separates functionality into two screens: one that acts as an express remote, and one with the full feature set of the remote.* This is a brilliant move that I wish more manufacturers would duplicate.</p>
<p><strong>Getting Down to Business</strong></p>
<p>Those wanting to skip the manual and just concentrate on playing with their new shiny thing (or in this case, matte black) can get pretty far without the manual.* CDs and SACDs play without needing the user to access the remote control or external monitor.* Playing the discs in your DVD-A or video collection requires a monitor, so that you can set the correct multichannel aspects for your system.</p>
<p>While I’m not much of a videophile, it’s worth mentioning that this player integrates fantastically with my Anthem MRX 700 home theater receiver. *(Be on the lookout for this combination being mentioned frequently in upcoming concert-disc reviews.) *The video performance of the BDP-105 is simply stunning, and I’d happily pay the 1,200 bucks asked for just the video section of this player.* Operation is quick, color rendition is excellent and the noise floor is supremely low, resulting in a very saturated picture.* But that’s another review for another day.</p>
<p>Regardless of disc chosen, the BDP-105 plays them quickly and effortlessly with no long boot-up sequence required.* When listening to audio discs, users can access a “Pure Audio” mode from the remote to shut down all of the video processing circuitry, providing optimum audio performance—and this is worth doing. *On the extended “Mountain Jam,” from the recent MoFi release of the Allman Brothers classic album <em>Eat a Peach</em>,<em> </em>the midrange frequencies open up, and the Pure Audio mode removes a layer of grain from the high frequencies.* The extended drum solo on this record reveals good attack and transient response, while the audience mixed in confirms an excellent sense of the three-dimensional spatial perspective.</p>
<p>For someone with a wide range of music, all in different formats, the BDP-105 helps to bring the fun back to music collecting.* Now, when you’re shopping at the local used music store, or eBay, it won’t matter what the format is.* While this reviewer is <em>not </em>on the DSD-download bandwagon yet, it’s nice to know that new BDP-105 is already equipped to handle this format, and the other Oppo player I have needed only a quick firmware download/install to be fully capable; perhaps at a later date we will explore this option.* For those interested in the full media capabilities of the BDP-105, please click <a href="http://www.tonepublications.com/review/oppo-bdp-105-universal-player/www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-105">here</a>.</p>
<p><strong><a rel="attachment wp-att-11309" href="http://www.tonepublications.com/review/oppo-bdp-105-universal-player/attachment/2-48/"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11309" title="2" src="http://www.tonepublications.com/media/258.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="311" /></a>Ins and Outs</strong></p>
<p>Those moving away from optical discs will enjoy the DAC performance of the BDP-105.* With coaxial, Toslink, asynchronous USB and HDMI inputs, the BDP-105 is a perfect digital hub for any source, whether it’s a computer or a transport.* RCA, HDMI and balanced XLR outputs (along with full 7.1 outputs) make the BDP-105 equally easy to merge into any system.* Those just starting to assemble a component system can even take advantage of the BDP-105’s variable outputs and work without a preamplifier or linestage.* Stepping up to the main system in room one, utilizing identical Cardas Clear interconnects, I find no difference in sound quality between the RCA and XLR outputs, and the BDP-105 has no problem driving long interconnects of either style.</p>
<p>The BDP-105 works well in the context of a system built around a PrimaLuna ProLogue power amplifier and a pair of Dynaudio Confidence C1 II speakers.* Nothing in the owner’s manual specifies whether the volume control is in the analog or digital domain, but the volume control works effortlessly from the remote or phone app.* Those wanting to build an all-digital system could easily live with the Oppo player and a power amplifier.</p>
<p>My reference Sooloos Control 15, via the S/PDIF input, provides excellent synergy, as do high-resolution digital files played from the Aurender S10.* I use the Meridian Audio Core 200 to sample the Toslink input, and a MacBook Pro for the USB input, running iTunes and Amarra.* All inputs work without a hitch, providing good fidelity and the ability to easily switch between them without noises or glitches.* This player is positively painless to use, no matter what the source!</p>
<p>To make sharing music even easier, there is a USB input right on the front panel that lets you plug a USB stick directly in, provided the music files are in standard formats.* When the player is hooked up to a video display (which you’ll need for DVD and Blu-ray formats anyway), you can even stream music files from your NAS.* If there’s a format that the BDP-105 <em>can’t </em>handle, I haven’t got it.</p>
<p><strong>Comparisons Big and Small</strong></p>
<p>The BDP-105 does so much right and nothing wrong. *Unless you put the player head-to-head with something like a dCS stack or the DaVinci DAC (on a world class system), you won’t even miss the resolution that these flagship players offer—and those comes at a <em>much </em>higher price.* While the following is a somewhat silly comparison, it does outline the boundaries of the BDP-105’s performance envelope: *Jumping into a friend’s Ferrari F430 immediately reveals what my little Fiat Abarth is incapable of; yet, when I’m back in the Abarth’s drivers seat for 10 minutes, happiness returns and I’m not missing the F430 one bit. *And let’s not even talk tune-ups.</p>
<p>Comparing the BDP-105 to similarly priced hardware, and even players costing twice as much (some even more), the Oppo is ahead by a country mile.* There are a few DACs in the $1,000-to-$2,000 range, the Rega in particular, that sound slightly more “analog-like,” revealing a smidge more music than the Oppo, but none of these players have the format diversity that the Oppo offers.* It even has an onboard headphone amplifier that works as well as anything you’ll pay a couple hundred bucks for; the Oppo headphone amp proves compatible with all of the headphones at my disposal.</p>
<p>Whether rocking out with Alice in Chains or a peaceful Mozart symphony, this player always delivers a highly musical experience.* Highs are well rendered, and, if anything, the tonal balance of the BDP-105 is ever so slightly on the warm side of neutral, which is a good thing with most digital files.</p>
<p>Fans of acoustic and vocal music will be thrilled with the natural sound quality that the BDP-105 reveals.* Even after a few months, I remain impressed with just how much performance is here for this price.* The title track from Dessa’s <em>551</em> sounds fantastic, with the combination of vibes, her husky voice and the deep bass beats.* The mix stays coherent with the lead vocals well out in front while the vibes occupy a larger-than-life, diffused part of the recordings space.</p>
<p><strong><a rel="attachment wp-att-11310" href="http://www.tonepublications.com/review/oppo-bdp-105-universal-player/attachment/3-43/"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11310" title="3" src="http://www.tonepublications.com/media/352.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="562" /></a>A Fantastic Buy</strong></p>
<p>The BDP-105 feels substantial when lifted from its box, and removing the cover reveals a tidy layout.* A miracle of surface-mount efficiency, the Oppo has separate boards for power supply, analog circuitry and the DAC section, all tied together with flat cables.* The construction suggests Mark Levinson–level quality more than anything else.* This player is a benchmark for sound at its price, as well as for build quality.* I’ve seen more than a few $5,000 players that are mostly air under the hood.</p>
<p>While we are more than happy to award the Oppo BDP-105 one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2013, it is worthy of even more. *This is a rare component that ticks all the boxes from both a sonic and an engineering perspective, and that is tastefully designed and luxuriously packaged to boot.* No, you don’t get a dCS Vivaldi for $1,195, but you <em>do </em>get a digital player that can deliver every format imaginable, doing so at a level better than every one of its peers.* And there’s that free video player thrown in with the deal.* It doesn’t get any better than this.</p>
<p>For an encore, we will be comparing the BDP-105 to its lower-priced sibling, the $499 BDP-103.* Watch the Comparo section of our website.</p>
<p><strong>Oppo BDP-105</strong></p>
<p>MSRP:* $1,199</p>
<p><a href="http://www.oppodigital.com/">www.oppodigital.com</a></p>
<p>Peripherals</p>
<table width="100%" align="left" class="easy-table easy-table-default "><tbody readability="3"><tr readability="2"><td>Music servers</td>
<td>Apple iMac w/Amarra * *Sooloos Control 15 * *Aurender S10</td>
</tr><tr><td>Preamplifier</td>
<td>Nagra Jazz</td>
</tr><tr readability="2"><td>Power Amplifier</td>
<td>D’Agostino Momentum Stereo</td>
</tr><tr readability="2"><td>Speakers</td>
<td>Sonus faber Guarneri Evolution</td>
</tr><tr><td>Cable*</td>
<td>Cardas Clear</td>
</tr><tr><td>Power</td>
<td>IsoTec Super Titan</td>
</tr></tbody></table>
[Source: http://www.tonepublications.com/review/oppo-bdp-105-universal-player/]