[carusoracer]

Anyone using the Oppo players as a source for CDP? If so which model and how do you like the sound compared to a conventional CDP?

Thanks

[Levi]

I have 2 of them but not used for music.  They are great for video only application in my system.

I hope this helps.

Levi

[JLM]

I tried PC audio (too many glitches for this very non-computer geek), then a used tube CDP (but it had problems that the U.S. vendor wouldn't repair), then moved to a 970 (I think, from a couple of years ago, $160 delivered) in my main audio rig and love it.  By far the cheapest and most poorly built part of the system, but I'm a speaker guy.  Bought it with the idea of adding a DAC, but funds have been hard to come by.     Like the idea of having a minimal investment in the moving parts.  High frequencies especially improve by not using it's volume control.  Otherwise it has worked flawlessly.

[hmen]

I've been very happy using my OPPO 980 as a transport although I've only compared it to the cheap Yamaha CDP I used as a transport before.

[denjo]

I use the Oppo 980 strictly as a transport feeding my built-in Accuphase DAC. As a standalone CDP, I find that my Quad 77 CDP sounds more musical but add a good DAC and feed the digital out and it sounds much more musical!

Best Regards
Dennis 

[JoshK]

I have an Oppo 970 or 980, I always forget which.  The thing I hate about using it as a transport is it is so damn slow!  It takes forever to power up, then responds so slow.  If you push play or unpause you have to push it twice in order for it to do anything. 

Aside from the sound, no one seems to mention these aspects.

[wilsynet]

The Oppo is okay.  Compared to many universal players out there, it offers outstanding value.  As a nice all around player, it is likely superior to many of the players available at the big box stores.

I wouldn't put the Oppo in the same league with most of the entry level audiophile approved brands.  The Rega and the Rotel CD players are better.  A friend of mine who has both an Oppo and a Rotel gives a firm, unreserved nod to the Rotel.

I would certainly consider the Oppo for a budget system, but I'd probably first look on Audiogon for some good deals on older entry level CDPs.

[anubisgrau]

it can pass in a budget system but not in any advanced setup, neither as a CDP nor a transport. i'm talking about a stock 981.

though it's non agressive sounding so it's passable but resolution is not the best. a bit veiled, slow. my refreshed philips CD160 kills it on any account.

[jrebman]

In stock form, forget the analog outs -- bright, etched, not the greatest resolution and dynamically flat.  Used as a transport, it's passable but would really benefit from a cleaner power supply and a clocking circuit, not to mention generous enclosure damping.

By the time you add all that up from one of the mod houses you can buy a Vanguard CDM-12 transport which absolutely kills it.  Of course all this depends on a quality dac too.

And Josh is right, it is the slowest thing on earth.

That said, I still think it's a pretty good deal at $170.

For now it will be the weakest link in my living room system.

-- Jim

[timind]

I have a 980 which was ok as a transport but the analog outs are not anywhere near audiophile quality, IMO. It's hard to understand how these get the rave reviews they get. My 980 is now in the living room used only for the occasional DVD.

[WallyK]

The Oppo 980 is one of the few decks capable of passing DSD (or PCM as one chooses) but it does this via HDMI. It doesn't have very good analog outputs but if you want multi-channel sound delivered digitally its a very good SACD or DVD-A player. Thats all I use mine for. I use something else for CD's.

[hmen]

I have to agree with Josh about how slow it is.  As far as the comment that you always seem to have to hit it twice, I think it's because when it's used as a DVD player it goes into screen saver mode after about 15 seconds so almost every time you pause a CD you have to click once just to get it out of screen saver mode before it will read a command. 

[wilsynet]

In stock form, forget the analog outs -- bright, etched, not the greatest resolution and dynamically flat.

I didn't find it that bright or etched, but the last time I seriously listened to it was when I had a rather warm sounding valve integrated.  Dynamically flat, that pretty much does sum it up for me.

Agree that it's slow.  Great video output though!

[2gumby2]

I have two 980s and a 970 and I think they sound very good in my 2-channel systems and mine do not seem much slower than my $2K Marantz universal player. I've considered the mods offered by Tweekaudio EVS by Ric Shultz, but haven't been brave enough to give it a try. Spending $450 on a $180 player deters me from trying something that I haven't heard, although the mods do seem appealing.

[AK]

I find that my oppo also sounds bright an etched. I don't believe mods would help. It's a sound of an oversampling dac.

[Lancelot]

 I was looking for a relatively inexpensive DVD player to do double duty at times.

 After considerable research , I purchased a Denon 1740 ( approx. $169U.S.) because it was specifically mentioned as being the best sounding player anywhere near it's price range. I also like that it looks like a CD player with full front panel controls for most operations. No SCAD.

I substituted it for my Arcam CD 72T and was very surprised that the two were only slightly *different* and you could argue which was best according to your listening tastes. When using the audio outs you have to set the audio default to analog for 2 channel listening and turn off the HDMI output.

[Andy T]

I have a 970. I bough it as a fill-in while both of my other CD players were under repair. Plus it finally got me a DVD player.

I haven't spent time comparing the sound of the 970 to my Arcam Alpha 9 because of an operational limitation of the 970. You can't select a specific list of tracks to play. You can go to a particular track and it will play through the CD from there. But you can't store a numeric "set list" to play.

This is something I do often when listening to the rock music of my youth. There's some songs I still love. Lots of the rest sounds pretty lame to me now. So I want to be able to pick just certain tracks & hit play.

I called Oppo at the time & they told me that none of their video players would do this.