[jpm]

 [My apologies if I was unable to find this discussion in a different thread]

I've seen discussions about video quality differences between devices and sources, but have not found a discussion of sound quality differences.

Specifically, I'm curious whether anyone has heard a difference in the sound quality from Netflix between a typical $100 streaming device and something like an Oppo player.

Netflix replaced satellite as an experiment 2 years ago when we moved and we've never looked back. It's easier when you don't have kids to keep happy or any sports addictions to feed. Blu Ray / DVD was long ago supplanted by legally downloaded content to supplement Netflix.

I'm thinking about an Oppo for a relatively narrow subset of its features, namely as a higher sound quality Netflix client and DLNA audio renderer.

We currently use WD TV Live boxes which serve us well as fabulous little jack of all trade units, but as I introduce multi channel to the 2 channel rack, I want the source to do the rest of the equipment justice.

Has anyone else gone down this road and done any serious sound quality comparisons for streaming services? Does the signal they send warrant a high quality source?

Many thanks.

[jarcher]

I think the short answer is that for a number of reasons it usually make more sense for most to let the home theater receiver or processor to handle the audio duties than the source (whether that be a blu ray player, roku / Apple TV etc). Aside from the decoding of the digital multichannel soundtrack and then the digital to analog conversion, there are also things such as digital room correction / eq p, bass management, etc that are almost exclusively the function of HT receivers and processors.

Most streaming (and over the air) is Dolby digital plus at best, which while better than the basic DD that DVDs offered, is still a lossy format and not up to the level of the best lossless hi Rez formats of blu rays (DTS Master Audio, DD TruHD). It can still be pretty darn good though.

For video I'd just use the WD devices and a HT receiver or processor to handle the audio. What's trickier is having a system that's equally good for HT and audiophile 2 channel audio. I ultimately gave up and keep separate systems for each but sharing the same main two speakers (by having separate speaker cables for the HT amp and the 2 channel amp, and hooking up one or the other as needed). Some integrated amps and preamps do have "home theater bypass" modes specifically to help address the integration of a traditional 2 channel system into a multichannel home theater system.

As for the highest quality and most convenient device as an audio streamer, ultimately I think a computer or dedicated music streamer / server is the best answer. When your doing high quality 2 channel audio material, the quality of the streamer source will be more noticeable (whereas for HT multichannel with lossy audio formats such as DD+, it's less critical).

Wish there was a simpler / easier answer, but there you have it. Unless your also a videophile, and If music is your main priority, sometime it really is just better to get the $300 compact home theater in a box system for multichannel video, including streaming, and save the rest of your money for your high end 2 channel music rig.

[jarcher]

Not to dissuade you from getting an Oppo, though for different reasons. It's the best blu ray player out there, and many feel the version with the darbee image processor is even better for improving the picture quality of both blu rays, streaming video, and even video sources plugged into it. It is also a decent though not awesome media client for audio / video management and playback of content you have stored on a central hard drive. Not because of audio / video quality, but because the user interface could use some improvement.

So by all means - get an Oppo 103D, but not a 105D unless you don't already have a decent DAC / CD player. Most likely your receiver or processor is going to do the multichannel audio duties, so don't pay for the higher quality analog audio outputs of the 105 you won't be using.

[JohnR]

Isn't the video quality from a Blu-ray also much higher than streaming?

Sorry, I don't really have an answer to the OP's question but I do have a BDP-103. I think of it as my "audio cookie monster" as it will play almost any file I can feed it. However there are some caveats. If you are streaming from eg a network drive or server via uPnP then there are more limitations than if you put the file on a USB stick and plug it right in. If you want to play DSD, you need to use either the analog outputs or HDMI (with a DSD-capable receiver or pre/pro), you can't get DSD over coax from the Oppos AFAIK. And the analog outputs on the 103 have a small DC offset which causes pops and clicks between every track.

In the end, I also have separate HT and 2ch systems, I tried to combine them but it was too hard, some reasons above.

[jpm]

Thanks for your input - this is exactly the kind of stuff I'm trying to clarify.

I'm not a videophile, "good enough" is good enough for me regarding picture quality and I'm happy with my 720p projector.

I use a pair of Musical Fidelity superchargers for my main speakers, Usher CP6831's, via the speaker level input from my 2 channel setup. For HT purposes, I can use the line level inputs on the superchargers and switch between them depending on whether I'm watching a movie or listening to music. Everything else is separated - for me it's just a lot more straightforward that way.