Music in the Round #60 Contacts

Sidebar: Contacts

exaSound Audio Design, 3219 Yonge St., Suite 354, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3S1, Canada. Web: www.exasound.com

Oppo Digital, 2629 Terminal Blvd., Suite B, Mountain View, CA 94043. Tel: (650) 961-1118. Web: oppodigital.com

ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
larsmusik's picture

Hi Kal, this is marginally related to the Oppo BDP-105 and its new capabilities for playing DSD files. But I am mostly sending this to you because I don't know who else has the experience to answer it. I am having fun with my 105 and recently downloaded some DSD files from Channel Classics. The download itself was not without problems because CC's download app prefers Mac OS X to Google Chrome, I guess. But anyway when I got the files expanded and onto a thumb drive, the Oppo recognized them right away, played 'em back without a hitch -- but the center channel was pretty obviously coming out of the left surround! I was gobsmacked. Is this likely CC's fault, or the download's, or the Oppo firmware (beta version)?

But wait, there's more: I have two of the Valencia Ring Cycle Blu-rays you recommended a while ago, and have enjoyed them very much. But something is amiss with their channel assignments too. Here is a long Amazon review from a dissatisfied customer (one "R. Kreutzer?) who had more time on his hands than I:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R2VFJAOT3IOXE8?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B00424NWIW&cdForum=Fx1H779JH4KW48A&cdMSG=addedToThread&cdPage=&cdThread=Tx7TIDAIX8KNWQ&newContentID=Mx1MTKCDKTNTNZR&newContentNum=3&store=movies-tv#CustomerDiscussionsNRPB

My own review of Die Walkuere is also posted on Amazon. What bothered me was that the center channel had no vocals on it. You could hear more Siegmund and Sieglinde from the rears!

Does this jibe with your experience? Did I get a bad couple of discs? Or has "R. Kreutzer" discovered a massive job of frantic audio re-editing done by Philipp Knop and crew in Italy or wherever?

Kal Rubinson's picture

First, I have not had such problems with the CC downloads but there are channnel-mapping problems with DSD files on the Oppo if you are using the beta firmware and are doing a PCM conversion.  The new official release should fix that.

Second, there were such problems with the initial releases of the Valencia Ring, more noticed by some than others.  

Kal

dazedandconfused's picture

I know this is an older review but I could sure use some advice. If I am using the OPPO mostly (DVD/MFSL/FLAC/WAV) audio through an existing preamp, to monoblock amps. Is the $700 or so price premium for the 105 really worth the money in terms of sound quality?

Any suggestions MUCH MUCH APPRECIATED!

X