Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Restaurant at the End of Universe Hitchhikers - Meridian Equipment Oppo BDP-83 Universal Player with 4x SPDIF Powerbuy!

my first post concerning this is back on page 9.

So I've had my modded Oppo BDP-83 for about 10 days now... I'm extremely pleased with the performance. I had (it's been sold) a McCormack UPD-1 for my SACD player (hooked into my G68 via the 5.1 analog inputs)... the modded BDP-83 is a far superior solution... you just can't beat a direct digital spigot. Multi-channel DVD-A via the BDP-83 matches the G98... it's really tough to hear any difference (of course with multi-channel there is so much going on it's tough to pick out any subtle differences). I also set up a 2 channel test running with the G98 in 'direct' mode to totally eliminate any processing. I chose Eric Clapton's 'Unplugged'. Unfortunately I don't have 2 copies of that CD (or any for that matter), so I wasn't able to do a true A/B comparison. I went back and forth trying to focus on his voice in one comparison, the guitar in the next, the base line, etc... there are some differences, but I was unable to pick a winner... they both sounded great. I also compared it against the 2 channel analog (the higher quality DAC) from the Oppo... no comparison... the Oppo analog section isn't bad, but it's no match for the digital spigot direct to the G98's analog section.

The only problem I've run into is with 192khz sources... the Oppo has a menu item to limit the PCM rate, but it only applies to the standard S/PDIF port. The G68 will not handle anything above 96khz, so the only avenue for 192khz is through the analog path. Don't know if Gary can get Oppo to change this behavior (i.e. PCM rate limit not applying to the path Gary is tapping)... here's hoping.