Just got an Oppo BDP-83 SE

[chessman]

Just a tad excited. Video is awesome - it even interpolates DVD to 1080p/24.

Running analog out audio on movies. Still needs more dialing in before I can report much.

I am axious to compare the 2 channel stereo outs with the Sabre 32 Dacs against my Perpetual Technologies stack with SOCS and Empirical Audio mods. Level matching the volume is going to be a challenge since the P stack attenuates the volume by 6 dB. But I have to admit, it's a good problem to have. :D

[HAL]

Just heard the BDP-83 that was upgraded to SE version by Oppo at my friends. We watched "The Dark Knight". It looked and sounded great.

Going to give the two channel output a check the next time I visit! The ESS Sabre32 DAC does look intriguing from it's specs.

[gonk]

Congratulations! The stock analog section has impressed me, and the more I read about the SE the more intrigued I get. I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on it once you get things dialed in and spend some time with it.

[dvenardos]

SE, I hadn't heard about this one. This sounds like just the ticket to go with my six-channel analog preamp. :cloud9:
I really need a second job. :yes:

[chessman]

Anyone have an opinion of how long this player should be burned-in?

[chessman]

I still have not figured out a "scientific" A/B comparison of the Oppo's Sabre 32 DAC to the Perpetual Technologies stack, but I will tell you this - I am only listening to the Oppo these days. :saywhat::rock:

[Skiman]

Congrats! The SE model has also intrigued me. What I'm anxious to read is a head to head comparison with the standard 83, particularly their respective analogue and HDMI outputs.

[chessman]

Oppo is emphatic that if you intend to use the HDMI digital connection for audio that the SE gives you nothing over the base BDP-83. I have not heard the base unit, but I have to believe the comparison of the SE analog section to using the HDMI connection would depend entirely on how good the DAC was in the processor that the HDMI cable was connected to. As to to base analog compared to SE analog, I would love to hear it (or even hear about it), but I do not have access to a base unit.

[gonk]

My BDP-83 has served me very well with both analog and HDMI outputs. As I said in my review, my wife and I found the 7.1 analog section to be solidly on par with the analog section (with benefit of Audyssey) of our Onkyo PR-SC885. That's a surround processor that had a list price of $1800 and uses Burr Brown DAC's (not the end-all, be-all of units but also far from a slacker). Folks I've talked to who have used the BDP-83 and then used the BDP-83SE have pretty consistently had excellent things to say about the improvement. I hope to have a chance to try it out for myself at some point.

Chessman is exactly right about the HDMI output. The upgrades to the power supply should have no appreciable benefit for any of the digital outputs (even though I've seen one person online suggesting that he did hear some improvements in this regard). If you expect to use the HDMI output for audio, I agree with OPPO's recommendation of the standard BDP-83. If you will be using the analog output, though, reports on the SE have been highly complimentary. I just got an email from someone in Italy who had his unit upgraded and was deeply impressed by the results.

[chessman]

I spent some time using the Oppo supplied calibration disk to dial-in the 7.1 speakers when using LPCM. Blu-ray movies sound fantastic over the analog 7.1 multi-inputs.

I figured out how to reduce the gain on the dvd input in my Emotiva DMC-1, so that the volume of the DVD input matches the volume of the CD input. The P-stack is connected via the CD input and the Oppo via the DVD input (using the dedicated 2 channel out of the Oppo), so now I can A/B the two by a one button push on the remote.

I am trying the Oppo and the P3a with a variety of music. So far, it is surprisingly close. I still need to figure out a double blind evaluation, but at least volume will not be a give away.

[madpoet]

I've used mine for many months now, never modified for the digital output. Love it. I did get the chip to add multi-region functionality though :)

[oldgoalie]

I ordered an 83-SE on Monday. I chose it over the standard 83 after reading all the glowing comments on its analog performance. I can't wait to get it and try it out!

[chessman]

Well, it has been a while and a clear winner has emerged, but for a very surprising reason - adding the Wilson Sophia II's. What had been a close call with the Rockets veered sharply in favor of the Perpetual Tech P-3a with a twist: no P-1a.

In a weird coincidence, the day I bought the Sophia's a power surge caused SOCS on the P-1a to malfunction. Since my version of SOCS is limited to the Ninja Rocket 750's, I had already planned on using the P-1a without SOCS engaged (and did for a month before sending the P-1a out to have SOCS reloaded). I had expected the sound to be worse with the P-1a out of the signal path - instead it sounded much better. Huh? I was real real confused.

I decided to let my ears decide it for me. So when the P-1a came back with SOCS reloaded, I did not reinstall the P-1a. And so, when I again compared the P-3a dac to the Oppo BDP-83 SE dac, the better speakers revealed the P-3a to be the better dac.

I suspect, but do not know, that "which is the better dac?" may depend on speaker mating synergy as much as other things. At any rate, of the four possibilities, the P-3a and Sophia II is the best sounding combo to my ears. YMMV.